anyone have kids after c-section "window" discovered?

[bnhasak]

This is a strange question, but I thought why not?
I have two beautiful children who were both born via c-section. They weighed over 9 pounds each and we are thinking it was due to undiagnosed gestational diabetes.

I was told at my last delivery to rethink risking having any more kids as you could see my son through my uterus. They called it a window. They didn't say I could NOT have any more kids but "why risk it when you already have two kids".

The problem is I always wanted 3 kids and still long for the third.

I would possibly have to deliver early and would not be allowed to go into labor at all.

My biggest worries are that I did have Braxton Hicks with both pregnancies.

I also dont' want to be selfish and risk my health if it is a really dangerous situation.

Any one have this happen or have any first hand advice?

Thanks a million.

 

[PatricenPete]

I had a similar problem. I just had my third baby (third c-section) last month and my doctor was SHOCKED by how badly things looked once he opened me up. I had tons of scar tissue and adhesions and the surgery itself was really hard. He cleaned things up as much as could and told me the same thing as your doctor told you. He didn't necessarily tell me not to have a 4th kid, but it was kind of like an unspoken recommendation.

I'm at a crossroads - there is a huge part of me that wants 1 more baby. I feel like our family will be complete with 4 babies (I even had a dream about my 4th baby last night - a little girl named Jenna!!! crazy, i know!) At the same time, I have to think about how selfish it would be to put myself at risk for my OWN desires when I have three babies at home that need a mama.

At this point, I have decided to not actively try to have a baby, BUT if it happens, it happens.

I don't have any real advice for you, but just wanted you to know that there is someone out there who is feeling exactly what you are.

 

[karliebug]

I had 3 c-sections and my doctor said that's it. He said if I were to go for a 4th that it would be a high risk pregnancy and that he would have to send me to a specialist to carefully monitor it. So I stayed with my 3 girls.

 

[liznboys]

I've had 4 c-sections. When they were stitching me up with my 3rd I asked how things looked and would it be ok to have a 4th... The Dr said that my uterus was "thin"... She didn't want to say anything one way or the other, I could tell (and I understood why), so that was pretty much all she said.

We decided to have a 4th and everything was fine. I also got a TON of braxton hicks throughout my pregnancies (4th pregnancy they began in the 1st trimester). I won't lie, I was nervous about uterine rupture during both my 3rd and 4th pregnancies, in the second half of them when I was big. But I did feel I was doing the right thing. And fortunately it worked out for us.

Good luck.

 

[bnhasak]

Thanks so much for the honest and helpful stories.

What is making it all the more pressing an issue for me is that I am seriously having to consider a hysterectomy for excessive uterine bleeding. It is being controlled now by heavy progesterons but I can't stay on it forever and need to make a decision one way or the other.

DH and I have talked it over and we always come to the same conclusion....we'd love another child but "are we feeling lucky?". LOL!

I am thinking of going to one additional doctor to get his opinion on the matter, but he didn't see the uterus for himself so I'm sure that will play into the decision.

It keeps nagging at me that the doctor didn't flat out say no more. When I pressed him further on the issue he never mentioned having to go to a different practice (as they send off high risk pregnancies to other docs) but did mention delivering at 35 weeks.



I'm so happy that it worked out well for so many of you.

 

[mom2princessj]

I've been pregnant 4 times with 2 successful pregnancies via csection. My dr told me I COULD have one more if I really wanted but that would be it. I'm already high risk so I get every test in the book and then some. I visit the dr every two weeks from the beginning and midway through I visit every week. For me, I didn't want to take anymore risks. Even when I was pregnant with my son I was worried about the risks to myself and the 'what ifs' of leaving dd (15 mos at the time of delivery) without a mom. I never wanted anymore than 2 and truth be told would have been delighted with just dd (ds was a surprise lol) after all I went through before (2 m/c one was second tri), during, and after her birth. You have to do what you feel is best for yourself and your kids. Have you thought about making a consultation appt with your OB and discussing it in depth? I mean at least you'd be informed and really get the feelings of your dr and yourself out there so you can then go back and make a more thorough decision.
I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide!

 

[jenharring]

I have 4 beautiful children and all were born via c-section. We let the dr know that we were wanting 1 more before our 4th was even born. She told me at delivery it would be fine but please please wait at least 6mo to a year. I had to laugh at her. I said oh we will be waiting at least 2 to 3 yrs lol.

 

[tzolkin]

I don't know exactly what my mother's issues were, but she was told that she shouldn't have any more after two c-sections. She did have one more, and during the surgery the doctor made my father sign the paperwork for her to have her tubes tied because he said she would not survive another pregnancy/c-section.

She had classic c-sections (as opposed to the common "bikini" cut), so that may have made the difference. She has had several abdominal/hernia surgeries since having her youngest child, so I really think it was the best decision for her. They did struggle with wanting another baby-- considered having the procedure reversed despite the risk and eventually looked into adoption.


I think you are being smart about this by not rushing into it. Talk to your doctor for some more details, get a second opinion, and think about it some more with your husband. Good luck.

 

[kristinw3girls]

Listen, I had the third child with no warning of my "window", and almost died from it. I don't want to scare you, but really, really think about this first. My 3rd was difficult from the start. I was diagnosed with a fibroid that was reacting to my horomones and "growing" at the same rate as the baby. I won't scare you with all of my complications, however, my uterus DID rip and apparently the placenta (thankfully) blocked the hole. It must have happened early in the pregnancy, because whenever I had an ultrasound (30 in total) they would always say I really had placent previa. The NEVER diagnosed he abruption. We thankfully chose not to have the recommended amneo. After delivery, my Dr said I would have blead out in less then 2 minutes because there was NO UTERUS holding anything (baby or fibroid) in. only muscle and skin. I know, gross!! When the DR opened me up for delivery 3 weeks early, she said "WOW, I've NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE!" (really, not what you want to hear). The placenta not only blocked the abruption, but grew throughout my body. It was all over my intestines& abdominal wall, and my bladder was in several pieces. They immediately picked up my very large husband and carried him out of the OR. It took her 6 hours to put me back together, 9 pints of blood and 3 subsequent surgeries. I was in ICU for 10 days. It was apparently very touch and go for a few days. I do not say this to frighten you, but please be aware of the reality. If medical professionals tell you something, you should really listen to the reasoning. It took my 2 years to fully recover (including the eventual hysterectomy at 35 years old). Luckily the baby is now 8 and has a mother and a father. I am really blessed and I know it!! It really could have turned out drastically different. Good luck & God bless.

 

[vallamen]

I have 2 beautiful and healthy boys. With both - I was insulin dependent (gestational diabetes). Both boys were just under 8 lbs. #1 had emergency c/s due to fetal distress at 39 weeks. #2 was an emergency c/s at just shy of 37 weeks due to concerns with me. Serious concerns that I was rupturing. Also, got the suggestion from the doctor that a 3rd would be difficult due to scar tissues and "thin" uterus and considering I was already high risk due to the insulin - I decided to be done. It hit home for me when my mom who would love to have 50 grandbabies - said that she was concerned about her daughter and that I wouldn't make it through it or that I wouldn't be able to come off the insulin after a third birth (my numbers were close + family history). I feel very blessed with the 2 that I have and the decision to stop was the right one for us. I think we may have stopped at 2 anyway - as pregnancy and I don't really agree....

Good Luck - I know how hard this decision is!

Val.

 

[Ariel on Land]

Big hugs! That's a very difficult decision. I've only had the one c/s, but I wanted to thank you for posting this as I've never heard anything about it. Does anyone know what "causes" the uterus to "thin?" Is it the c/s itself or just the expansion from being pregnant? I hope to have another, and my dream really is to VBAC, but I can see how this issue could factor in. Best luck with your decision-- it's not one to be taken lightly.

 

[dijid]

I'm going to offer up another option. You can have a 3rd child, you just don't have to give birth to that child. I have two bios and my youngest came to our family via adoption. I know adoption isn't for everyone, but it is a way that many of us have built our families.

 

[2002Disneybride]

I have never heard of this...thanks to the op for bringing it up!
I have two beautiful little people, born via c-sections and have been recently thinking of a 3rd, and maybe eventually a 4th...but jeez...that makes me think again!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

After my second daughter (both c-sections, first DD was 10 pounds 4 ounces), my doctor also suggested we not have more children. No problem, we only wanted 2. My DH was scheduled for a vacetomy when SURPRISE!, #3 was on the way. I was so scared that it would not be ok. I was very worried. I am happy I have her and it turned out OK but it was very scary the whole time.

I have had now 3 c-sections and additional surgeries to clean up the endometriosis that has attached to my scar tissue. While I adore my girls, I am happy to not have that worry anymore. I would never tell someone what to do but a second opinion is a great idea.

Good Luck!!!

 

[mommy*RN]

I guess my advice would be to see a specialist before getting pregnant to see what he/she thinks about a third pregnancy for you.

I've had three successful c-sec and three beautiful children. My doctor said she generally recommends no more after 3 but didn't give me any specifics. All my pregnancies were relatively calm. My first was a c-section due to failure to progress (4cm in 27 hrs of labor) he weighed 9lb 2oz but was over a week late. My second was a c-section on my due date because I didn't go into labor on my own and was gestationally diabetic (she weighed 8lb 4oz at birth). My last was a c-section because I had two c-sections already...no diabetes and he was born on my due date weighing 8lb 1oz. I would say my "toughest" pregnancy was my last one, but I attributed that to the fact I wasn't in my 20's anymore. Tough meaning I was more tired, and moody.

I'm not having any more, but that is a personal choice...not because my dr told me not to.

I work in postpartum at a local hospital and have seen women who had their 4th or 5th c-section and had no problems...but there is always the flip side too. I highly recommend you talk to a specialist to see what to do. It can't hurt, right?

Best of luck to you.

 

[princessmom29]

Please, please don't risk it!!!! You could die from rupture of that window. Imagine a peice of saran wrap streched taunt and you have a picture of what kind of uterine wall you will have from about 5 months pregnant on. If at any time that tears you could bleed out in a manner of minutes. There would be no chance to make it to a hospital. It is worth risking leaving your other 2 kids without a mom to have one more??

 

[princessmom29]

Big hugs! That's a very difficult decision. I've only had the one c/s, but I wanted to thank you for posting this as I've never heard anything about it. Does anyone know what "causes" the uterus to "thin?" Is it the c/s itself or just the expansion from being pregnant? I hope to have another, and my dream really is to VBAC, but I can see how this issue could factor in. Best luck with your decision-- it's not one to be taken lightly.

It is the combination of a previous c/s scar and the stretching of the uterus. Scar tissue does not expand the way normal tissue does so the uterine muscle around the scarring has to expand more than it should to compensate for the scar not expanding at all, and so it thins. The more c/s scarring you have the greater the risk. It can happen even without a c/s scar after multiple pregnancies. The uterus just begins to lose its elasticity after being stretched so many times. Kind of like a baloon after it deflates. All thin and papery.

 

[disney_family_1247]

There are various levels of how thin a uterus has become and a true "window" is the worst. I would personally never risk my life (especially for the sake of my children) or the life of my unborn child if I had already been told that my uterus was so thin. In fact, I would either be sterilized or my husband would.

That being said, I know what it's like to want more kids. I have three, and it would have been awful to have to stop at two. We want one more child, and even though we have no health issues, we have decided to adopt a baby this time around. There are so many babies who need families. Maybe you should research adoption a bit. We are using a nonprofit agency and our domestic adoption of a newborn baby will end up costing us $6,200 when all is said and done (we're waiting to be chosen right now). We will get to raise a fourth baby and that baby will get a chance to grow up in a loving family, so we're happy with our decision

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[2002Disneybride]

Forgive my ignorance, but would they be able to tell about if you have a thin uterus if you were planning on another pregnancy?

 

[TheRatPack]

They can measure your uterine lining with a sonogram but not sure if that is the same thing as telling you how thick it would be at 5 months or so with a growing baby in it. I've had mine measured a lot, since I went through an IVF cycle....it's part of the process, and it's always been thick but it's also been 13 years since my last baby.