About being open to life....

[Called2Grace]

Just a question in relation to being open to life and contraception.

I am about to have my second child. My first was delivered by emergency c section, this time around if I end up having another c section then I won't have a choice how I deliver in the future.

I want to have as many children as God wants me to have, but I am concerned about the outcome this time around. So far I have found that there are limits to how many c sections that I can have, and I'm not sure what the church's position on this is.

I'm praying that everything goes ok this time around, and that I don't need another c section. If it goes ok, then it will be a moot point anyway as there won't be a medical dictation on how many kids I can deliver.

I guess I'm also feeling a lot of pressure to make this happen. I don't want to go against what God wants for me.

I spose this is really something that I should be discussing with my priest. I just wanted to throw this out there incase there were any others here who have encountered this issue.

 

[SolomonVII]

A child's life is much more dependant on the mother's welfare than a mother's life is dependant on the childs. without mothers there would be no children.

That is why being open to life first and foremost means taking every possible step to ensure that you are preserving and maintaing your own life. A mother's irrisistable impulse to sacraficr her very life for the sake of her children must be balanced by the reasonable understanding that there there are few things that imperil the lives and welfare of her children than the loss of their own mother.

I think that the most pro-life positon needs to respect that idea. In order to be a mother, the mother must do everything medically possible to ensure that her own healt is maintained.

It is not always an easy thing to understand just how that will fit into Church teaching, but it is an important principle all the same. Once an expectant mother finds herself a doctor who respects her pro-life sentiments, then it is contingent upon the mother to respect his medical expertise too.

 

[JoabAnias]

Found these:

Question for c-section moms
question on c-section
Pregnancy after 3rd c-section
I had a great c-section birth experience!
C-section or not?
C-Section Recovery Support!!

National Catholic Bioethics Center
Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction

Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI
Birth Control by Catholic Answers
God, Sex, & Babies by Christopher West
That Celibate Bachelor Was Right! by Rachel Fay
Contraception and Sterilization by Catholic Answers
Contraception: Why Not? by Janet Smith (audio tape)
Good News About Sex & Marriage by Christopher West (book)

Couldn't read that all but hope some of it helps.

Praying for you.

 

[Globalnomad]

I'd say, don't worry about it for now. You can certainly have up to about four-five kids by C-section, unless other complications arise. Cross that bridge when you come to it... never, or two more kids from now!

Good luck with your delivery!

 

[hawko]

I would say, don't worry about this too much. With my wife's first delivery, she was in labor for over twenty hours, and the doctor realized that the baby was in distress, so she had an emergency c-section. The next three babies came by normal delivery. The last baby was in distress and my wife had to have an emergency c-section. All of my children are normal and healthy. Thank you Jesus.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

I'd say, don't worry about it for now. You can certainly have up to about four-five kids by C-section, unless other complications arise. Cross that bridge when you come to it... never, or two more kids from now!

Good luck with your delivery!

These are my thoughts exactly Don't worry about tomorrow, today has enough worries of it's own.

(But wanted to add that I personally know several women who have had VBA2Cs and a couple who had VBA3Cs...they avoided induction so as to avoid greater risk, but it isn't an impossibility to have a vaginal birth after two or even three c-sections)

 

[isabella1]

I had two C-Sections, and worked in OB for 13 years too. I saw many women attempting vbac. A high percentage were successful.

I think it depends on the tissue. Some uterus's can take a vbac where others have weaker tissue and the concern is a ruptured uterus. But the Doctors are best to monitor this, and really know what to look for.

So if they have not told you that you personally have risk factors, I would not worry about it. Just discuss your options for this pregnancy and for future pregnancies.

If you would like to PM me feel free. I can share with you my personal story. I do not want to put any of my medical information on an open forum.

Keeping you and your baby in my prayers. God Bless and Peace.

 

[Fantine]

Ethel Kennedy (widow of Robert F. Kennedy) had 11 children by C section in the 1950's and 60's. She is still alive today.

I had a VBAC after two C sections. While there might be certain factors in a C section that contraindicate a VBAC, many women find they can have natural deliveries with their next pregnancies.

You might need more monitoring if you become pregnant again, but there are doctors who specialize in high-risk pregnancies who help the overwhelming majority of their patients to have safe deliveries.

 

[Called2Grace]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I am going to have a look through those links too.

I'm just going to keep praying and keep trusting. Assuming this little one comes out on his own before I go too far overdue!