I’ve got RRMS and I’ve had it for about two years. I’m currently 18 weeks pregnant and today I saw my obstetrician. I’ve been given two options for labour…
C-Sec is the easiest option in terms of labour but apparantly it takes longer to heal when you have MS?!?!?
Or
Natural Labour with gas and air or water birth!
I’m not sure I have no idea and my neurologist hasn’t been much help!!! My obstetrician asked me to come on here and ask for advice! I am swaying towards C-Sec but I am a bit more put off now I know the process will take longer to heal.
Please help…I’m completly confused by all the options avaliable!
Hi Nicole I would have thought it depends on how badly your MS affects you. If you suffer from terrible fatigue, spasticity, pain etc.maybe a c-section is the way to go as a protracted labour could be hard to recover from afterwards. Only you know how well you are and if you would be able to manage what can be a bl**dy marathon! Hth, Teresa xx PS. Good Luck when it happens!
Hi, I think only you can decide, as Teresa says how are you affected, if you are going to be exhausted then maybe you don’t want a long drawn out labour. If its stiffness that affects you then you will be fine however long it lasts. I delivered twice with gas and air, no problem, I don’t suffer fatigue just stiffness so I didnt care however long it took as long as I didn’t have to walk. That is exactly the delivery I would have most wanted anyway so it worked out perfect for me. What I will say is that on the day, events may take over and you won’t get much choice in the event but also whatever you go for, staff will be on hand to help and intervene if necessary and things don’t always work out as planned. Good luck with it whatever you go for. Cheryl:-)
Hi, my daughter is now just over 3, i was dxed with rrms 3 mths before i got pregnant, i had gas & air because i was told how a c-section 'knocks out’your legs it was fine, i had bt;les of water and a box of milk, nappies etc next to her cot at night to make things easier, and it worked.Hope this helps.
I can’t help with pregnancy issues generally, as I haven’t had a child.
But it does strike me as a little odd that you’ve been told a C-section would take longer to heal with MS. I haven’t heard of MS affecting healing times from surgery before.
The only thing I can think of is that perhaps, if you’re a little less mobile, there isn’t such good blood supply to the area, and things take a bit longer to heal. But I’ve not heard of MS interfering with healing generally. In your place, I think I’d like to know a bit more about that - what’s the issue, exactly?
If it’s only that MS patients generally aren’t as active, but you are still quite active, you could query whether or not it’s likely to be a problem for you.
having had three natural births and three c sections (all before diagnosis) I would advise never have a c section execpt in an emergency. Natural birth you recover from fairly quickly. C sections take 2 to3 months, it is a major operation. Hope this helps.
Hi Nicole and congratulations on the imminent arrival. I had both of my children, just a year apart, but before dx. I can only tell you from my experience, I had a very traumatic birth with number 1 it wasn’t a particular long labour about 12 hours, but my body just wouldn’t co operate with rhe process. When I fell pregnant so quickly after, I opted for a c section. It was planned right down to the time of arrival. I had to stay in hospital for a week, but if I’m honest, this was a good thing as I was so tired that it gave me healing time lying in a bed where the midwives were excellent and took my baby for afternoon feeds. So that I was fit for the night time feeds. I was poorly after the birth of my first child, now we now that was a relapse but because I was well rested after my second, this didn’t happen. Also my mum and sister took a week off work when I came out of hospital so I had essentially 3 weeks of fantastic support. I know that a c section is a major operation but don’t be put off by the too posh to push rubbish, sometimes it is better for us, in my case, that was definitely so. Good luck with your precious little bundle, Chis
Mine were both natural births but have they not given you the option of starting naturally but going on to have a section if it gets too much?
They would have to do a section with any woman who developed problems during the process.It seems to me its easier for them to know in advance so they can book the staff and room in advance,rather than giving you the full range of options.
I wasn’t dx when I had my babies 3 and 6 years ago, but my recovery from a natural birth was very long, longer than a section would have been, so there are no hard and fast rules.
I was offered a section second time and found it SUCH a hard choice, decided to go natural again (by natural I meant vaginal, I was happy to take any drugs involved!). I don’t have any family support and my husband had to work again afterwards so I didn’t want to be stuck unable to drive etc as would have been with a section. It depends on your levels of support as well. I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer so just go with what YOU want to do.
I wasn’t dx when I had my babies 3 and 6 years ago, but my recovery from a natural birth was very long, longer than a section would have been, so there are no hard and fast rules.
I was offered a section second time and found it SUCH a hard choice, decided to go natural again (by natural I meant vaginal, I was happy to take any drugs involved!). I don’t have any family support and my husband had to work again afterwards so I didn’t want to be stuck unable to drive etc as would have been with a section. It depends on your levels of support as well. I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer so just go with what YOU want to do.
Hi sweetie, My daughter is now 2years 10 months and I had a natural labour with gas and air then right at the end had an epidural just to give me a break for an hour before the main event. Then off with the epidural and push push push. I was in labour for 2 days and was shattered but up on my feet with the 12 hours and back home. Had a relapse when lilly was about 4 months old and I had been back on the interferons for a month so not to bad. Good luck and enjoy x
I’ve had both and I have RRMS too! I had an emergency c-section with my first child who’s now 5 and a natural labour with my second child who is 2. C-section is a very hard recovery and you have to have some kind of anesthetic. mine was a spinal block and I was terrified the feeling would never come back in my legs but it did. Having a natural delivery was more tiring when in labour but the recovery was much, much quicker.
I had a relapse 3 months after my first child who I bottle and breast fed but I’m still waiting for a big relapse after having my second and he was breast fed completely until 5 months. Obviously second time round your calmer and it’s easier as you know what to expect but I did read up on M.S. and breast feeding and it is supposed to have protective qualities?
As with everything you have to decide for yourself and you have some fantastic responses here, do what you think is right for you but don’t forget babies have a way of mucking up all your plans so don’t get too fixated! I hoped for a water birth first time and he came 5 weeks early and breech so the c-section ended up an emergency!
All I can tell you is my own story about giving birth to my son who was 2 past July. I had been diagnosed with RRMS for 7 years when I delivered. My medical team were fantastic, saying we shouldn’t rule anything out before the event, but just make a few options of plans! After long chats, I didn’t consider the elective c-section option because the medics were confident I could deliver naturally. I ended up being induced, because i had high Bp, so only ran 1 week over. (Brilliant, by the way!!) I had a bath when contractions started (10pm), and used a TENS machine (in bed, not bath!), still swithering over having an epidural or just sticking with gas & air. Originally, I told my team to let me know when the latest time would be, whilst in labour, that I could choose to have the epidural - after having chats with the anaesthetist some weeks previously to check it would be ok. But contractions hurt (!) so whilst in the bath I suddenly made my mind up to go for the epidural, and told the team in the morning (9am). I made sure they gave me an epidural that would still allow me to be mobile (as discussed with anaesthetist), and they did, and it worked out amazingly well for me. Gas and air had no effect on me other than completely spacing me out; with the epidural, I could still feel sensations but no pain, so still could feel when i needed to push (3pm-4.24pm exactly!!). For me, recovery from the epidural and birth was fortuitously quick and straightforward - i’m very lucky. No relapses till the December - even then it only lasted 2 weeks with a course of steroids.
Main point is, you WILL know what is best for you, when the time comes - i don’t know, it’s like mothers instinct or something. Don’t say yes or no to anything until you will get that ‘flashbulb’ moment of knowing what to do, like me in the bath with my contractions. Your body will tell you, because it wants to protect you and the baby.
Good luck, and enjoy it - it really is an amazing experience.
Wow!! Thank you everyone for your responses. I never received alerts about getting messages so sorry for the late reply!!!
I’m still in limbo about what I want to do - it doesn’t help having so many women (without MS) tell me how painful the experience is. Even though I have people saying these things to me it hasn’t put me off!
I saw my nurse last week and Obstetrician and Anesthetist and have decided to give it a go! If I can’t take it then I will have a caesarean. I am scared and I’m sure I will change my mind before Feb BUT I had my 20wk scan last week and I’m so excited!! I’m having a BOY and couldn’t be happier!!
Thanks again for all your advice. I’m sure I will read all your comments about 100x more before I make my decision.
hey sweetie i had a quick labour on gas & air and if that works for you it’s great!!!
gas and air doesnt work on everyone though. i thinkyour decission is very good that you are open minded about it! i was so fixed i wanted a water birth and candals and music!. i very nearly had a carpark and was lucky that the last 5 mins of pushing i was in a room! The gas and air was brilliant, and made me floaty.
as for recovery i wa up and walking hours afterwards and i felt almost normal (although somewhat sleep deprived) after a month. as previous posters said the c sec is a big operation.
hey sweetie i had a quick labour on gas & air and if that works for you it’s great!!!
gas and air doesnt work on everyone though. i thinkyour decission is very good that you are open minded about it! i was so fixed i wanted a water birth and candals and music!. i very nearly had a carpark and was lucky that the last 5 mins of pushing i was in a room! The gas and air was brilliant, and made me floaty.
as for recovery i wa up and walking hours afterwards and i felt almost normal (although somewhat sleep deprived) after a month. as previous posters said the c sec is a big operation.
Hiya… Have you been told you cant use other pain relief??
I was induced at 37 weeks in feb this year… and consultants and anesthetist meetings was told I could deliver pretty much normally. If i wanted epidural, i could have it… if i needed C-Section it was fine…
…as it happens by the time i wanted epidural i was already 9cm and ready to go! lol So I managed the whole affair with a shot of Pethadine at 3cm… turned my nose up at gas and air as I personally found it more of a hinderence than a help! (Most women swear by it!)
My cousin got pregnant and she’s on seventh month now. We just had a problem because every month she has a menstruation. I told her to to have a check up but she just ignore and says that it is okay and there are also other pregnant that is the same with her.
Does it really possible that pregnant women has a monthly period?
How exciting. I have two boys, they are great, very cuddly!