Terrified

It's your choice sweetheart, they can judge all they want.

I've had an induced labour (with no pain relief) followed by an elective and I can honestly say that the latter was the calmest experience. The former would have been ok if I'd had an epidural which I wholly recommend as I hear great things. Recovery takes time with both but you will get through it. It's good to talk about your fears so well done. Being pregnant can feel very lonely and isolating and like everyone has an opinion about you and your body and your choices but you are doing great. You're thinking of what is best for you and for your baby. And what is best for you is also best for your baby. You don't have to tell your friends and family anything, it isn't their body. Your body, your rules. I can recommend hypnotherapy - like positive birth company style to overcome anxiety. But just allow yourself some pain relief if you do go down the vaginal route. Take it from me. You're going to make the best Mummy xx

It is absolutely your choice. My c section was unplanned due to my developing pre-eclampsia during labor but even being unprepared for a surgical delivery the recovery has not been bad at all. I was up and moving around mostly on my own about 12 hours post section (my surgery was at midnight so essentially just after sleeping I was able to move around) and I'm now 1 week pp and I'm not even taking Tylenol or Ibuprofen consistently anymore. That being said, my labor prior to the c section was also incredibly tolerable, I had an epidural and even pushing wasn't uncomfortable in the least bit.

No one needs to know whether it’s a choice or not. You don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Took me a long time to learn this. But i would carefully understand the risk involved in a c section and the recovery.

I felt the same way. I had an elective c section in August… once I got to the OR I was a nervous wreck and I burst into tears. The anesthesiologist asked if I wanted anything for anxiety and accepted. After that it was smooth sailing. The moment I heard my son cry it was all worth it. Within 12 hours I was up and walking to the bathroom. I never had to take anything stronger than Motrin/Tylenol. My friends and family all judged me for getting an “unnecessary c section” but it’s what I wanted so that’s what I did. Only you know what’s best for you and your baby.

Don't tell them maybe 🤔 It'll be ok. It's a weird experience for sure but it's totally worth it! 💜

Girl first off it’s your choice!!!! I wanted an elective before I had to have one… my preclampsia advanced so bad that my son came early so I had to have one and quiet honestly it was the best decision I made for both of us and my recovery was smooth and not excessively hard at all. And with support even better my sons Nicu stay took more a toll on me then my C-section

My advice would be not to tell your family. Just go and talk to the consultant, explain how you feel and book it in. No one needs to know! In the end you can say it was an emergency section or tell them the truth after you’ve had it. The recovery will be fine, just have painkillers in the first week. It’s your life, your body, your baby, so don’t let others’ opinions affect you x

If there's anything I learned after having my oldest, it's that everyone is going to tell you how to do everything and what they think is best. But they don't know what's best for you or your baby. If an elective is going to help you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy birth then by all means do it. At the end of the day other people's opinions don't matter. I stressed myself into a bad depression because I couldn't breast feed and my MIL was down my throat the whole pregnancy about breastfeeding her grandson despite not having enough breast tissue to produce anything worthwhile. Was not worth the stress and depression I put myself through. You do you mama enjoy your remaining pregnancy

I was planning on an elective c-section, and it turns out my baby was breech, so I needed one. From the beginning of my pregnancy, I told everyone I wanted a c-section due to my mental health. I couldn't just sit at home and wait for labor to start. The unpredictability of vaginal birth was something I couldn't deal with. Most people told me I would regret it and that recovery is so much harder. Well, my c-section was super smooth, and recovery was pain-free, even though I was expecting a lot of pain. I only had pain in the incision site, and only took Tylenol and Motrin for the pain for 5 days. I was walking around just a few hours after surgery and going on short walks 5 days postpartum. Recovery looks different for everyone. Please don't let anyone tell you what's best for you. Follow your instincts and do what's best for your mental health.

@Bela this is pretty much my reasoning for elective cesarean

@Dominique, it's a very valid reason. People shouldn't judge you or anyone for it!