Hi all :)
It is still early days for me: 4th month, but I am thinking more and more about how will the birth experience go, the risks during and after it.
I wanted to ask any of you who have experienced either Cesarian or Natural birth to let me know what you found positive and negative about this choice. I have heard a lot from non-diabetic women but I think that experiences of women with Diabetes will be most relevant to me...Thank you :))
I had a vaginal birth. I was considered high risk due to other things besides the diabetes but my doctors let me have a vaginal birth. I even had complications that made it even high risk and still let me due vaginal birth. My water broke early and sealed off, then my daughter was laying in the umbilical cord cutting off her oxygen during contractions but then moved off of it after the contraction in the week before i delivered and they still let me do vaginal birth. So it all depends on the complications and the doctor. I had such tight control that the doctor let me decide what to have on hand iv wise in the delivery room and let me decide when and if it was needed.
For me, I had a C-section because my baby was breech. Baby was taken at 37 weeks due to mild pre-eclampsia. It wasn't bad. Recovery also was not as bad as I expected. I hurt a lot the first 3 days or so but was able to walk around with the help of pain meds after that. The first week was the worst and then I was ok with just advil. I did have trouble with my milk coming in super late, and apparently this is more of a problem with c-sections. I had multiple risks for my milk being delayed...diabetes, bedrest during pregnancy, c-section, stress, etc. I am still working on getting my milk in and on Thursday it'll be 2 weeks since my c-section but I put him on, pump, and everything else hoping that it comes in soon.
I had prepared for a vaginal birth and really wanted to go through with it but it wasn't possible. I would just say, be open to and prepare for all possibilities. Either way, from my perspective, a c-section isn't bad. The only thing that I'm worried about is whether I will be ready for a 10K race I signed up for that is July 4th. I may be walking that one but we will see.
I planned to go in and have an induced vaginal birth at 37 weeks. My control was very good and the baby was around 7lbs so there SHOULD have been no problems. The induction its self was pretty bleh. I took to the drugs well and it only took one cervadil to get me into labor. I was in a "trial" labour for 12 hours "induced" labor for 24 hours, it got pretty intense and I had only gotten to .5cm dilation and started regretting my choice. My water broke at about hour 27 or so and then I dilated to 5cms that took about 4-5 hours. At that point I had the epidural because they wanted to put me on oxytocin?? to speed up labor. But the epidural caused a dramatic drop in baby's heart rate and went into have an emergency C-section.
The experience of labor was wonderful and I don't regret for a moment choosing to go that route first. I wish I hadn't have gotten the epidural and told them I wanted to continue the labor naturally because then I may have been able to do it vaginally, but by the time i went in for the c-sec I was so tired from already being up with labor pains for 2 nights that I didn't even really care what they did, as long as we were all alright. I was feeling very good about 4 days afterwards and was up and about a little more then I should have been. The downside is I got a really bad intestinal infection that I suspect was caused by the section and that laid me up for 2 weeks. It was a great way to lose the pregnancy weight, but made walking, eating, and everything else seem impossible.
I would go for vaginal if you can, its easier to recover from and way better for the baby, section increase the chance of diabetes by 25% according to some studies. i also didn't get to hold the baby for over an hour after he was born. but you may have to spend 4-5 days just trying to get labor going if its induced , its not very common to have the first try work. if you are breast feeding bring LOTS of juice for lows.
Thank you all for your answers! I am still wondering what to chose, but it is good to read some real stories from you, ladies: helps me imagine how it might go in reality. I was told I will HAVE to be induced most probably! I am wondering whether induction actually ends up being definitely a worse idea than planned C-section...
I have been type 1 since I was 11 and I gave birth at 28. I had a c-section and it was a very positive experience. However, I ended letting my doctor decide based on what was best for me and the baby. I was induced and just went along with the process. At some point the doctor decided to err on the side of caution and do the c-section before any problems arose.
My best advice is to make your decision but if you trust your doctor just set your mind and positive energy on having a safe and healthy experience.
Don't stress over an experience that will be all yours. I don't miss natural birth because I didn't have one. I am very enthusiastic about c-section because I had an awesome doc, I heal well, my son was healthy. Not for everyone but my mindset was whatever is best for baby and me.
I had a planned C-section because my son was breech (and as it turns out the back of his head was stuck in my rib cage...). When I first became pregnant I wanted so deeply to have a vaginal birth, but it just didn't work out that way and I had to readjust my thinking. The surgery went very well. I was able to schedule it with my high risk OB who I knew very well and was very comfortable with. I had never had major surgery before so I was quite nervous but that was to be expected. They scheduled me for an early surgery since you cannot eat before surgery. My son was born at 39 weeks, just as a precautionary measure. They had me wear my pump instead of having me on an insulin drip. In retrospect I wish I did not have to manage my diabetes during/after surgery. It would have been one less thing to be stressed about. The recovery was not horrible-you just have to remember to take it slow and really allow others to help you as needed. This delivery was in NYC.
My husband and I are currently TTC baby 2 and I just met with the high risk OB in Boston, where we live now. They have very different protocols, that are much more family and patient friendly here. When I become pregnant we will make the decision, but she said I have a very good chance of being able to have a VBAC. We will schedule a C-section as close to 40 weeks as possible with the hope I will go into labor before then. Since I had a c-section I cannot be induced (the chances of tearing the scar site are too great). So for birth 2 (whenever that happens!) the situation may be different.
Good for you for looking into all of this early! I think it's always good to educate yourself now so that you can advocate for yourself later if needed. I think the whole natural birth vs. c-section is personal and depends on the mom and baby's specific situation. I know moms who have had wonderful and terrible experiences with both. Personally, I was able to have a natural, unmedicated, non-induced birth, and it was fantastic. But we were lucky enough to have "ideal" circumstances for it (my son was not breach, I had a perfectly healthy pregnancy, no complications, excellent blood sugar control throughout, labor started spontaneously at 39 weeks). I wore my pump and cgm throughout labor and did my own corrections. Labor lasted 11.5 hours start to finish. There was pain (I'm not gonna lie) but it was always manageable. Recovery was quick and easy. I am wondering why your doctors said they will most likely need to induce labor for you? Are there medical issues beyond the diabetes? Everyone's approach with their medical team is different, but for what it's worth, mine was "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". In other words, if ALL of the extensive medical information (NST's, ultrasounds, fluid checks, measurements, etc...) indicates a healthy, happy baby and mama, then I assumed all was well, and let nature take its course. If the situation had changed and specific concerns had arisen, then maybe I would have made different choices. Good luck to you throughout the rest of the pregnancy!