The Best Way to Welcome You Baby into the World!

If you going into it thinking it is going to be awful, it probably will be awful for you. Giving birth is one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have. It can be scary if you listen to everyone's horror stories and bad experiences. I had a horrible time with my first daughter, and ended up having a c-section. I was in labor for 24 hours, and pushed for over 4 hours, until they finally said I had to have the c-section. Her head was visible, and I still wish I could have just pushed her out. I had two more c-sections after that, and everything was fine, but I always wonder what it would have been like to hold my slimy brand new baby after pushing her out myself. I know that sounds weird, but its true. Also, recovering from a c-section is no picnic. It is major surgery, and you have to stay in the hospital for 4-5days instead of just 2. You also have to take percocet for the pain, which makes you painfully constipated. Not to mention the fact that you have to go home and take care of your new little one while feeling just down right awful. I'm not saying this to scare you, I just don't want you to be under the misconception that a c-section is easier or less painful. I hope you can find a way to go into this feeling like the strong and positive person that you probably are, because it will be one of the best, most important days of your life. Whatever happens, as soon as you see your baby, all the pain and anxiety will be worth it. I hope this helps a little, and I'm sorry if I scared you at all. Let me know what happens, and good luck to you and your family.

Hello

I was too nervous about delivering my son naturally, but see my son was mearsuring big from day 1 so they thought that he would eventually stop growing so fast but he didn't!! I ended up having a thing called pubic bone seperation whhich is pretty painful so I was very nervous about delivering naturally in fear of tearing that ligament because the recovery time was bed rest for 3 months (and who can do that with a newborn!!) So at one of my last ultrasounds my son was mearsuring 8-9 lbs!!! I asked for a c-section and because of his weight and my seperation they said that was okay and I am very happy with my decision my son was 10-lbs 3onces and 23' long. I can honestly say the 2 things that sucked about having a c- section are 1.) not knowing when he would have come instead the hospital said okay March 16, 8am your son will be born... and 2.)When I coughed or sneezed it hurt a little. I didn't take percocete(spelling) I asked for vicoden because the other one made me vomit and the stay in the hospital is nice because you need some rest I put my son in the nursery everynight because i couldn't take of my son if I hadn't taken care of myself so it is nice to have the extra stay at the hospital. I hope this helps a little I love the decision that I made and will continue to have c-sections after this. They make it now a days if you have a c-section you can still have a vaginal birth for your next child.
If you want to know any details please feel free to email me!!
Good Luck

S.
P.S. We share the same wedding anniversary!!!

Hi D.,

I think the best way to give birth is vaginally. I had my 1st child that way and it went very smooth although I had some bleeding at the end of the delivery, My daughter, however, was a completely different story! She was born via emergency c-section due to complications..you see I was 2 weeks early giving birth to her because she was breech so they did an external version the day before I gave birth to her and my water didn't break naturally so they had to break it for me and that's when the cord wrapped around her neck. They immediately rushed me into the OR and I delivered her with no other problems. :-) The best thing you can do is talk to your doctors about your concerns and I'm sure that they'll help you out the best way that they can. Good luck!!

Chrissy

Congratulations! I've had both natural child birth as well as two c-sections. I found natural child birth isn't any worse than a c-section. If you have good doctors and enough meds for pain either isn't bad. It is tough at that moment but tollerable and most of all worth it. I do have a suggestion go for the natural (even if it's scary/painful). With my c-sections I missed out on a lot. Like I wish I could have seen my youngest two right as they were born. I didn't get to hold them really until all the anasthesia wore off, and breastfeeding had to wait as well. I only got a very breif look at them as they wheeled them away to finish the c-section. Also I have a scar from the c-sections not pretty but it's coverable with a bikini (that I probably won't ever get to wear again). After my natural birth I was able to loose all the weight very quickly (and into bikini shape). Now after the c-section I seem to be in the pouch belly catagory. All the weight seems stuck there. It was easier and faster with the c-section, and knowing when your child will be born eases the nerves. But again it is surgery. Is it really worth it to have extra surgery? It's your decision after all. Do what is right for you no matter what others say. Make sure whatever you choose that it is safe for the baby, and it will all work out. Congratulations. Hope you have a safe and happy child birth. Remember the birth of your child is supposed to be a little scary, that way you appreciate it more. And the best thing to do is get as many opinions and talk to your husband as much as possible, that way you both make the right choice. Good Luck! Congratulations! And enjoy your baby as much as you can.

Hi D.,

I have had 2 beautiful little girls, both by c section. I had wanted to do a vbac for my second but it just didn't work out. I will tell you that c sections have a long recovery and more chances for complications. It's the same as having major surgery. If you can go naturally, then I think you will be happier in the end.
Please feel free to email me with any other questions. It must be hard to not know many people. I don't live too far from you and would be happy to get together sometime if you would like some company.

Good Luck! J.

I have read some of the other responses and I think everyone is in agreement. The thought of going naturally is pretty scary. I know I went through it. However, I also ended up with two emergency c-sections (I tried a VBAC with the second). The first developed into an infection (which is one of the possible complications). Recovery is not pleasant and can be restrictive depending on your situation. (With the first, I wasn't allowed to drive until the baby was eight weeks old, and even then it was restricted to short distances) The second, I was so nervous about another infection that I don't think I enjoyed my little baby girl (or my older son) as much as I would have liked.

Good luck with your decision.

If you don't have to have surgery, I'm not sure why anyone would volunteer to have it. Then again, everyone is different. Recovery is much longer from a c-section and while I'm sure the pain of delivering vaginally is great, it can't be as bad as having your abdominal muscles cut and disrupting all your internal organs. One thing no one ever tells you is that in addition to the pain from the incision, your digestive system takes a while to get back to it's old self...and the process isn't particularly pleasant. I had an urgent c-section, and recovery was so uncomfortable, I'm not sure I'll have any more kids. You have far fewer issues to deal with post-partum and your recovery is faster from a vaginal birth.

Welcome to the area and congratulations on both your marriage & expected new arrival.

hello D. i also just moved to this are sept 2006 and i have 2 children. I gave birth 3 times and let me tell you its always a little scary and exciting but so is surgery, childbirth either way is both scary and exciting but i think c-section takes longer to recover from and really natural is not so scary, just take the drugs!!!!!! I would not do it with out them. and right after you give birth if you did have any pain you block it all out when you see your baby.
Congrats!! And good luck.

Evweryone I know is a little scared of giving birth. It would be nice if we all went on our due dates and pushed three times and out came our baby with no pain or without breaking a sweat. Babies come whenever they want and we don't have a lot of say when our precious one will come(otherwise we would probably all deliver early when we just couldn't stand being prgenant anymore(usually by month 8. Anyway I ended up having a c-section because of my sons position and no matter how hard I pushed he just wouldn't come out. But I had an adrenline rush everytime I tried to push because I just couldn't wait to see him. i had epidural which helped me threww the pain. Recovering from the c-section was difficult. It's major surgery and even though my incision was small(about 4-5 inches) it affected all my movements-getting in and out of bed, walking, and sitting. Never mind holding my son. It can also take 6 weeks to heal and some dr's restrict driving.
My advice is to talk to your Dr. and to take a child birth class if you haven't already. Remember everyone is anxious about teh pain of labor but a c-section can be hard to face too. I'm actually pregnant now and my Dr's policy is once a c-section always a c-section and I'm nervous about having a planned c-section because I know what to expect during and after it. I hope my blabbering has helped. You can handle it because the reward of labor is wonderful.

I had 2 natural child births and you are right, it is scary. But I just did it. You know me. I have this thing where I love to face most of my fears. I am more scared of the dark than having a baby. But it is all up to you. You are not wrong for having a c-section. It is your body and it's entirely your decision. There are pros and cons with both ways of giving birth. You just need to do the research and figure out what you are most comfortable with.

I had a natural birth and it was so wonderful. Have you looked into hiring a doula? In case you don't know, the purpose of a doula is to help the mother through massage, gentle coaching, or whatever you may need. My doula was fantastic! She massaged my lower back through each contraction and applied ice packs to my back and cold compresses to my forehead. She knew all the right things to say. And she helped my husband a lot too. She helped coach him during my labor as well. If you decide to go natural, I suggest hiring a birth doula and also going with a midwife instead of a doctor. A lot of hospitals now have midwives and doctors so that you can have the security of having help nearby, but the personal touch of a midwife. If you are interested in looking into hiring a doula, you can go to www.dona.org to get information about local doulas. My doulas name is Liz Gaudette ###-###-####. She is such a wonderful woman. I couldn't have done it without her. Hope this helps a little!

Welcome to the area. I'm not to far from you. When are you due? My experience is this....... 1st birth, vaginally, baby 9lbs, 2nd birth, vaginally, baby 7lbs. I had epidurals with both, I dont know if you are open to that, but discuss it with your doctor, it might help with any fears about pain you have. To be honest with you, the birth of my 9lber was so much better than the 2nd time around w/ a smaller baby. As everyone said, dont listen to others stories. Every birth is different, it all works out in the end, and once you are in labor, you really cant control what happens. I use to think, I just wanted a c-section and get if over with, but that is not the easy way out!!! Pushing that baby out is the most work you'll ever do, but you'll be amazed that you can do it!!! Best of Luck.. feel free to email me!!

i have two children now, both by c-section. i would have loved to do it naturally. i have had complications since the first because of scar tissue (he is 3 now). i have had two surgeries trying to remove the tissue, but it came back. finally this past may i had a hysterectamy in hopes that it would help the pain. all it did was make my stomach more blated and uncomfortable and did not solve the problem. so my advice, go natural if you can. why get major surgery to have a child if you could do it naturally? good luck!

D.,

First, just want to welcome you to the area. I grew up in North Andover and absolutely loved it! I currently reside only a few towns away in Haverhill. The first advice I can give, is get a great doctor, if you don't already have one and if I may recommend, Dr. Lirette in North Andover. He is absolutely wonderful. So good that all (and I mean all) my friends and family go to him. He's affiliated with Lawrence General & Holy Family in Methuen. Second, there are definitely always two sides to every story and that's definitely more true with child birth. Everyone has their own experiences and horror stories. I was the same way with my first. I wanted to experience labor but not really go through it and have a c-section. Well, that was not to be. I actually went vaginally and yes it was tough (29 hours of labor) but I'm already on my second (my first was born last November and I'm due again this November) and I can't wait to go through it again. Most of my friends have had c-sections and some went well and some haven't gone so well. It really does come down to what is the safest way for you and your baby. Good luck with everything!

I had 2 vaginal births. Honestly the second was easier and I really think it was because I waited REALLY waited until I could feel the "pressure". With my first one I think I pushed way to early which lead to a long delivery. Everyone always says wait until you feel the pressure and that is what I did. I did have an epidural with both. If I could choose natural or c-section I would still go natural!