C/S question #2...how many?

The other things I've been wondering about is how many C/S you can have- healthily?

I read that they recommend 3 as a limit because after that the risks of serious complications go up. While I have heard of people having lots of C/S, inclduing a friend-of-a-friend who has had 6, it's not without it's problems as she gets terrible pain at each period as her scar separates a little with the period cramps (!!!)

Seems like a looooong time away til we meet with an OB and are able to ask these things. I guess the answer doesn't make too much of a difference as bubs will still be coming out 'the sunroof' but I'd love to hear if anyone has been told by their OB the limit to how many C/S they recommend?

OB never told me Im only allowed 3.
He did mention the best not to get pregnant for a year thing thou.

So many people give you amazing old wives tail advice like you cant drive till 6weeks too, another thing the OB / MW never told me. I did ask them and they answered with drive whenever you feel ready too but check with insurance. I rung the insurance too and they said as long as I didnt have a GA (I had a spinal) im insured as long as I pay my premiums. So I drove at 2weeks.

my friend ignored his getting pregnant advice and did thou and had her 3rd a year after her twins were born and she lived to tell the tail. (same OB as me)

Mum had four - and it was on the fourth that she got some real damamge to her 'insides' (for lack of a better word - that covers uterus, bladder, bowel). She had some adherations from the previous three, and the fourth made everything a lot worse; now, ten years later she's having some very major surgery to sort it all out.

She was advised to only have three too, and went to arrange to have her tubes tied (didn't get it done on the third) to have the Dr do a preg test 'just to check' - and the positive result was my little brother

mummytobe
I also think that even if you had 5 babies via VB it wouldnt be without its risks and issues/complications and post birth problems. My friend had her 4th standard textbook vb and had a huge bleed and blood transfusion to save her life. ANother friend has had a VB and her bladder is so damaged from it they dont know what the outcome is going to be. I know of a lot of people that have had problems from VB too is just that people are so quick to jump down your throat and tell you all the issues with c/s and not with VB.

Have you read the pro c/section chat/topic?

Im guessing this is your 2nd birth and 1st was Vb?

girls rock: yep 1st was a VB- though I always laugh when people say I had her naturally cuz there was nothing natural about it! yea you're right, there are risks with any type of birth...it's a shame no-one's invented like a magic ray gun that could just zap the baby out


hopes, I had wondered that too, like maybe if I'm more 'ready' in another 5 years I could try for a VB then? With the risks of any VBAC, along with the risks I now carry of a VB, I don't think it would be an option unfortunately but you never know, in another 10 years things might be different and I'm lucky I have time, biologically speaking, on my side

C/S this time because of the damage that was done first time round. There's no way it wouldn't tear again, as it was that bad, and I bled out so much I'd risk losing lots of blood and while every now and then I think maybe that'd be an ok risk (after all I was in a hospital so they could stop the bleeding), DH said there's no way he would ever go through that. It was like something out of a movie; blood everywhere, staff panicking, they handed him the baby and shoved him aside and he sat there crying cuz he thought I was gonna pass away before I even got to meet my daughter.

It was a crazy time, I naively didn't even realise mums could still come that close to not making it from something as simple as blood loss, nowadays. In reality, when you're hemorrhaging it's freaky how fast you can lose blood before things get under control

Anyway drama aside, even with the surgery post birth I have some scar tissue and exposed nerves down there which would complicate thing a bit, but could possibly do a VB with an epidural...though that increases the risks of not being able to push and needing forceps again which would make any tearing even worse. It just seems like too much risk and bother for everyone involved; me, baby, hubby, the MWs, the hospital staff etc, but hey at least the option may still be there...a long time away in the future lol

ok excuse my novel, I get a bit carried away!

An update from me - I mentioned this to Mum, and she reminded me that she actually had six c-sections; I had a brother and sister who passed away shortly after birth, and hadn't realised that they were both c-sections. Sorry for putting you wrong.

Girls Rock - I felt the same after my CS that followed a similar traumatic birth for my first. It was AMAZING!! I loved my CS!!! Such a dream birth :)

Hey, sorry I didn't see this sooner.
I've had 5 c-sects, first two emergencies (GA), then 3 electives (spinals), OB is more than happy for me to get pregnant again if I choose to, he didn't even specify a time frame, he's been an ob forever so I value his opinion, he just said "when you feel ready". He also said 'whenever you feel ready' for ttc after my mc too. However, I do know of a few people he has said no to, including one who only had two c-sects, but she is very overweight with other medical issues.
I haven't had af since my last, nov10, so can't comment on pain but mine were always awful anyway.
OB said the most he did for one person was 10! She asked for her tubes to be tied after that.
My mum had three c-sects, then had to go back later for tubal ligation. Something to do with policies at the time, she wasn't supposed to have more than 3 c-sects but also had to be over 30 before she was allowed to have her tubes tied, go figure.
I should add I am healthy, 29yo, with no health complications (except for being a bit overweight) or 'abnormal' reactions to previous surgeries, pregnancies have all been fairly uneventful, babies full term, good weights, healthy etc.
I have thought of having a hysterectomy when I do decide that we're finished for certain though. I also think that if my ob did say "no more" that I would then ask for a hysterectomy. Mostly because I hate af, I have heard that some people get worse af after multiple c-sect, rules out chance of uterine cancer, and mum's tubes scarred so badly they flipped & twisted her ovary & she ended up having them removed, i.e further surgery.
Sorry for the novel!