2nd delivery question?

Barb - posted on 07/31/2011

My SIL had her two boys at home with the help of a nurse and midwife. Both had the problem with the shoulder getting stuck but the midwife was able to reposition her and dislodge the boys both times. Sounds like your first wasn't so bad so it seems overkill to consider Csection just for that reason. My SIL powered through what I think was long and somewhat difficult deliveries, but she did it. Strangely enough, her second delivery was very much just like her first, due to #2 being a bit bigger than #1 (vicinity of ten lbs). I know normally the second is quicker and easier.

After the second was born, she went to a clinic for a postpartum check and was told by the dr. that had she given birth in a hospital with a dr., they would have insisted she have a c-section. Both times. When asked how she felt about that she said she felt empowered and was happy that she was able to do something that the drs thought she should not have been able to do. She's always willing to tell women they should listen to their bodies and do what their instincts say. And I agree. Doctors are there to help us with their expertise... But they don't KNOW how things will go, they can only make educated guesses. The decisions are ultimately up to you. Altho be prepared for baby to overrule your plans. :)

Jessalyn - posted on 07/31/2011

My first(and only baby so far) was 9lbs 14oz and 22 inches long and had shoulder dystocia. They got him out pretty fast but he wasnt breathing right and had to be transferred to a hospital with a NICU that night. He started having seizures within 24 hours due to his traumatic birth. He spent a total of 6 weeks in the NICU. I am terrified to have another vaginal birth after everything that happened with my first. But Im also afraid to have a csection. So I dont know what I will do with my next baby :/

Jessalyn - posted on 07/31/2011

My first(and only baby so far) was 9lbs 14oz and 22 inches long and had shoulder dystocia. They got him out pretty fast but he wasnt breathing right and had to be transferred to a hospital with a NICU that night. He started having seizures within 24 hours due to his traumatic birth. He spent a total of 6 weeks in the NICU. I am terrified to have another vaginal birth after everything that happened with my first. But Im also afraid to have a csection. So I dont know what I will do with my next baby :/

Micha'ele - posted on 07/29/2011

I'm not a doctor but had a similar situation, my son was 21 in, 9lbs 10 oz, it tOok me two hours of pushing and same deal with the shoulder, a had my daughter a few years later she was 9lbs 4 oz. Her shoulder gave him/me a bit of trouble but she was literally out in three pushes a total of nine minutes...apparently the quickest delivery on record for her size. I think that any mother should try naturally first unless you have a serious health issue like heart or diabetes. I would think that if your baby was that big and you were on schedule the doctor would schedule to have you induced not jump to a C section. My doctor scheduled me to be induced babe was a big baby and was delivered 100% healthy two weeks early. It sounds like you have a doctor who likes to pad his wallet.

LeAdelle - posted on 07/29/2011

That's ridiculous. My 1st got VERY stuck 1st his head and then his shoulders. I have delivered 3 kids since them naturally - my doctors have just taken them all a week early to avoid the baby getting as big. NO c-section necessary!

Lauren - posted on 07/29/2011

I had the same thing happen with my first son. It's called shoulder dystocia. He was 8lbs.8oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. The doctor was able to get him out relatively quickly and I went on to have 2 very easy deliveries. With my daughter I only pushed once and my 2nd son just fell out in the bed without the dr even being in the room. I was even trying NOT to push. So, I think an automatic c-section is a little ridiculous. My dr was concerned after my first but he kept close watch on the size of the baby and I did allow him to induce me a week early in order to keep them from getting too large, but never once did he ever suggest a c-section just for that reason alone. Also, I had an epidural with my first son and did not with the last two which made my pushing much more effective. I hope this helps and I pray that whatever you decide everything turns out well!

Louise - posted on 07/29/2011

I think doctors push the c sections these days because they find it easier than a natural birth. All I can say is my second son was a faster delivery and this is quite normal as the ligaments are stretched already from the first child. Having said that my third child (which I had 15 years later) was a long labour that ended in a c section that I did not want but in the end I had no choice. So I suppose I am trying to say is every labour is different so go with the flow. Listen to your body and the midwives and if there is any risk then go with the c section it is not nice but for the safety of you and your child it is a small price to pay.

Rachael - posted on 07/29/2011

I have had 7 kids. I am NOT a dr, but all of mine were vaginal. My first born also had shoulder dystochia (spelled wrong I'm sure). My children were all in the high 8 -9 and I also had a 10 pounder... Each one is different.... Second child should be easier, but your first appears very easy. Don't expect a 4 push, but maybe you will...who knows? I definitely don't see why they would pick c-section. I know it can be dangerous to have shoulder issues, but none of my different dr's (I moved many times) appeared to jump to this because of my first problem.

Lisa - posted on 07/29/2011

All three of my labors were different. I had a natural delivery, an emergency c-section and a planned c-section. Your second labor could be easier or harder. Like someone else said, you're the patient, your choices. If your doctor don't respect that. You need to find a differnet doctor.

Vanessa - posted on 07/29/2011

Hello, with my first baby her shoulder got stuck at just over 8 pounds and more complications after delivery. With my second girl I was going to have her natural and at 10 cm dilated and ready to push they decided to rush me for a c-section because ultrasounds showed that she was over 9 pounds and didnt want to risk her getting stuck. You can try for natural but be open for c-section if it is needed.

Michelle - posted on 07/29/2011

Every delivery is different. My first was a c section because his head got stuck. My two daughters were both VBAC. I have to say I would never tell anyone to choose a c section because of the recovery. So I would personally try for a natural delivery. None of my kids deliveries were the same. My son was 12 hours of labor and then 2 hours of pushing only to have a c section, my middle daughter was 12 hours of really hard labor with about an hour of pushing (very painful even with the epidural ), my third was like 10 hours of back labor (that ended up being easy after the epidural ) and 15 minutes of pushing. Don't let a previous birth experience decide for you. Your body is different now and every baby is different. Go with what you are comfortable with and know that these things don't always go as planned. A lot of it is up to the baby.

Sally - posted on 07/29/2011

No two deliveries are ever the same. Just because something happened one time doesn't mean it will ever happen again. Also just because a baby is big doesn't mean it will get stuck and just because it's small doesn't mean it won't. And they have no way of knowing how big the baby will be until it comes out. Ultrasounds are very inacurate at measuring baby size and get more inacurate as the baby gets bigger.

Many things can affect your delivery and you won't control most of them. As much as they try, your doctor will control even fewer than you do. :)

The easiest way to affect the ease of baby removal is to control your position. As much as doctors like you on your back with your feet up, that is the WORST way to get a baby out. It compresses your pelvis, makes it an oval, and makes you and the baby work against gravity. If they recline you for gravity but keep you on your back with your feet up; the compression is worse and your tailbone is tucked up to catch the baby also. A squat opens your pelvis and makes it rounder. A stuck shouolder can often be released by putting the mom on her hands and knees. Hands and knees is also the least uncomfortable postion for back labor.

Start reading up on normal childbirth instead of medical birth asap. The more you know (and trust yourself), the less your doctor can intimidate you into harmful things.

With my first birth, I trusted my doctors and my baby had some issues because of things they did to us. (I found out later that they had originally planned to do worse things, but she came too fast.) With my second birth I did tons of research and got a midwife instead of a doctor. Unfortunately, my little one came too fast for my midwife to catch her, but the I was empowered to have the birth my baby needed instead of what the hospital wanted. Hopefully, the poor intern recovered from watching me completely dismiss the resident he was supposed to be learning from. And hopefully they both learned that what makes mom and baby healthy is more important than the hospital's convenience.

Erica - posted on 07/29/2011

Nicole... The reason it's less likely to re-occur is b/c your 1st baby stretched thebirth canal. And I didnt tear with my daughter either, they had to cut me to get the vaccum in there. So it doesnt mean tou won't tear this time!!!

Tara - posted on 07/29/2011

My 2nd delivery was faster than my first (induced and in labor for almost 2 days before active labor, then 14+ hours active labor before delivery) - 2nd delivery - water broke at 1:40, had daughter at 7:40 - 6 hours from start to finish.
Both of my girls had cord issues (around neck, etc) both got stuck. Both girls were over 9 pounds (9lbs1oz and 9lbs8oz).
Honestly, if you don't want a c-section tell him no and go for what you want, but keep in mind that if something does happen you may have to have a c-section anyway. At least if you try to go natural you still have the option of intervention by c-section if something goes wrong.
Also, it is quite possible that the doctor you are with won't deliver your baby. I saw every single associate doctor in my clinic while I was in the hospital before my first daughter was born and then it was a doctor on call that delivered her. With my 2nd girl, my doctor was on vacation and the doctor that delivered her was covering that night.

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 07/28/2011

Thanks. I didn't tear at all my first pregnancy... I mean, everything was almost too easy so I just don't want to opt for a C-section right away unless it's a huge risk and so far what I'm reading says about 20% of women have the shoulder problems while delivering and there's a 10-15% chance of it recurring... which means it's lower?!

I really apprecaite everyones stories!

Erica - posted on 07/28/2011

My first doctor was an ass. Constantly talking over me trying to tell me in his jargon what was best for me. I was to scared to speak up. I had a 9 1/2 hour labour and vaccum extraction with and episiotimy. My second child (I just had 3 weeks ago) was much much better. 1st of all I searched till I found a doctor who respected me and my decisions. They wanted a C-section for my second b/c I did have gestational diabeties and there was a HUGE concern that my son was going to be too large to deliver.(my daughter was only 6 lbs) I expressed that I preferred to try naturally and it was decided that I would try naturally but if my labor lasted any longer than my daughter's I was getting an emergancy C-section. I agreed to these terms. Now My son came in 4 1/2 hours I only pushed for 15 mins and it took 30 mins to stitch me back up. I'm still sitting on a ring and I'm still quite uncomfortable from delivery. I had a level 3 laceration (which means I tore completely through to my anus) My epidural was only in for 5 mins b4 it was time to push. I FELT. EVERYTHING. If I could see this all before I made my decision would I still have chosen to do this naturally? Hell. Yes.

As far as your doctor you can always always switch do not be afraid to do this in the middle of your pregnancy. You may have to choose to go to some one outside your network for insurance nut good prenatal care that leaves you warm and fuzzy is totally worth it. That's what I found this time around and was so glad I did! Congrats on your baby and enjoy what's' left of your pregnancy!

Kylie - posted on 07/28/2011

Hi! I had a large 9lbs baby for my first and was monitored for gesatonal diabetes for my second. I had an induction both times, and for my first had a rather large tear. With my second my labor was very quick less then 3hrs, and she was only 7lbs. So maybe you will have a smaller baby this time (hopefully:P). I also think that if your doctor is talking over your head make them stop and explain what they mean. Don't feel like you can't ask. I asked so many questions, I used to make a list to bring into my appointments. Some professionals find it hard to use common langauage to explain their specialised knowledge, but that doesn't mean you should suffer. If you really don't feel comfortable asking lots of questions then write down what was said that you don't understand and look it up on the net when you get home?

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 07/28/2011

Thank you so much :)
So far, I haven't had kind OBGYN's so it's been me trying to convince myself to 'know what is best' over them... and that's not easy. I feel like we should be able to rely on our doctors. Yet too many times I have found them to be unhelpful

Kathryn - posted on 07/28/2011

After having my 3rd child last November, I finally realized that I control the delivery, not the doctor. It's your body, your baby, and you are the "customer" in the hospital. Unless there is something obviously medically wrong that makes a C-section the best option, then I would tell the dr that I'd like to try for a vaginal birth first. A C-section isn't something to take lightly.

Michelle - posted on 07/28/2011

My 2nd delivery was so much easier than my first. My first at the vacuum extraction after 10.5 hours of labour. There was no way I could get him out on my owm.
My 2nd was a 50min labour and only 3 pushes.
I would tell your doctor that you would like to try to go naturally first. Unless it's for the safety of you and/or bubs they can't force you to have a C-section. It's your body and your baby!
Is there anyway you could change doctors? Find someone that will listen to you and explain things properly.
Good luck with it all.