dilation, labor

[timswifejazz]

with my first child, i began having slight contractions at 4:30 in the morning. Dr. told me to come in at 10 am. by that time i had dilated 1 cm. by four, 2 cm. He said if im not dilated 5 cm by 8pm, we are doing a c-section. by 8 i had only dilated 3 cm and therefore had a c-section with my first child. could the dr. have done anything to help with my dilation process  to avoid the c-section? what are the odds i will have to have another c section with this second baby four years later?

[allmymarbles]

American doctors are in a big hurry. He could have waited. I have had four babies. My shortest labor was about two hours. My longest was 24. Both were normal. America has an extraordinary rate of C-section - about 33 percent of all births. Less than 10 per cent are warranted for medical reasons. I was lucky. I had three of my children overseas. When I was going to have one in the States I searched for a conservative doctor who was not knife-happy. He turned out to be German. A C-section is no joke and there can be problems (such as adhesions) and risks with subsequent births. (And pain, of course.) But, hey, doctors make a lot more money (and have more free time) if they put you under the knife. The maternal death rate in the US is among the highest in the western world. Is this due to C-sections? I don't know, but it surely indicates that the best obstretric care is not to be had here.

[JoyRenee]

It's common for doctors to put women on a "schedule" in regards to dilating and then tell them to have a c-section. This is wrong! And you have to give your consent to a c-section anyway. Failure to progress, according to your doctor's clock, that ends in a c-section is considered an unnecessary c-section.

I would do your homework and definitely fight for a VBAC. And I would travel to another town to avoid that doctor delivering this baby! Good luck to you!

[timswifejazz]

thank you for the feed back all. all i can say is i know this doctors history. this is a small town and news gets around fast, and i have a friend who worked in his clinic a few years later, and she had a lot to say about how he works. my husband always tries to remind me that the baby went back up? (at the time i didnt speak much spanish so didnt understand all the doc had to say.) but if that was the case, i still dont understand the reason for a c section! he mentioned nothing that cause my husband to be alarmed (low/high heart rate of either of us), the pregnancy was all good, only a few infections along the way. other than that, i can only conclude that it was out of impatience on the doctors part and he was able to charge us more for the c section (sad but true). i would say 90% of his patience end up having c sections. so far, very smooth pregnancy, i would even say better than the first, no infections! i wil try all i can to have a vbac. thank you ladies.

[Ashelen]

I agree with spade and rosa....there's a cream that is supposed to help with dilation if it's applied to the cervix, but the results of it's effectiveness are sketchy at best and not usually very effective.  It does seem like maybe you forgot to mention something, because for you to be dilating that slow is very normal for your first and the doctor would (generally) not have pushed for a c-section unless you had an underlying complication putting you and/or the baby at risk, OR if the baby was going into distress (lower/raised heartrate, or if a BPP showed something abnormal). I do not know about where you live, but where I live there are only certain doctors who will perform VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) because it's considered somewhat risky.....if you find a doctor who is willing, and your pregnancy plays out correctly, you should be able to perform a VBAC successfully, but if there is anything abnormal they will almost certainly schedule another c-section.

[spade22]

I am with Rosa20 - were there complications during your pregnancy or during labor which indicated a c-section?

Your rate of dilation shouldnt have been a problem (sounds pretty normal for your first).  I wonder if something is missing from this story?

Epidurals do sometimes slow down dilation rates.

[Rosa20]

with first babys it can take a while to dialate! Im suprised he went ahead and gave you a section...he should have waitied unless baby was in distress!! Y didnt he try pitocin or something....weird! Actually the epi is supposed to help with dialation because it makes you relax and dialate faster! If you want a vbac then it should be no problem unless you want a section...if you have no underlying health problems and your pregnancy goes good id say go for it...and dont let a doc tell you otherwise( unless something goes wrong like i said) !!

[timswifejazz]

i forgot to mention that i also had an epidural during that. could that have interfered with the dilating process?