United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I am not pregnant, but I thought I would write my opinion since I would want others opinions if I were in your situation.
I have 2 girls. My first weighed in at 7lbs 11 oz and I had no problem delievering her. It was a smooth pregnancy and delievery.
My second, Ella, was not so lucky. Her birth weight was 9lbs 4 oz and we encountered shoudler dystocia and she has Erb's Palsy.
If I were to get pregnant again I would NEVER in a million years deliever without a C-Section. I know that pregnancies can be followed so very closely and even if shoudler dystocia occurs it doesn't always lead to a BPI, but I wouldnt take the chance no matter what the doctor said. Honestly, even if knew the doc never had a BPI baby before I still wouldn't take the chance. The birth weight is likely to go up with your second child, third child, and so on. I can't imagine anything other than a C Section if I am to get pregnant again. I am paranoid that something would happen and I just wouldn't take that kind of risk.
That's all I guess. Do what you feel is the right thing. Everything will be just fine.
Krista

I hardly ever post messages, but I HAD to post to this one. I agree with most of these posts. I can't even imagine trying a vaginal birth again. I'm sorry if I am overanalyzing your words, but "the only problem I had with either of them was the shoulder dystocia." ONLY? My OB told me that SD is an OB's WORST nightmare because you can't push the baby back in when he gets stuck!!

My first child, non-BPI, was 8 lb. 12 oz. and delivered via c-section after one of the most common reasons, "failure to progress". After laboring 12 hours, I had gotten to 9 cm but she didn't come down far enough (thank God, I bet she would have gotten stuck too).

With my second, I decided to try a VBAC. I thought I educated myself beyond belief (I tend to go overboard on researching issues to death), but I learned NOTHING about my risks for shoulder dystocia in my research. I guess my research happened to be slanted since I read mostly about how the risks were much greater with a c-section. (If I had even known what shoulder dystocia was, I probably would have found some info in my research that would have steered me right to a scheduled section). I had such a hard time recovering from my c-section that I thought I should try to VBAC. My doctor never took a stand either way and just said either way was fine (gee, you are the doctor, thanks for your educated, medical opinion).

My son was 9 lb.8.5oz and was born after 18 hours of labor. He got stuck. He obviously wasn't meant to "fit" (as all the VBAC research told me he would, and if not, it wouldn't be any problem, just a c-section, like my first). I never thought about what does it mean when your baby gets stuck. No one ever presented that as a possibility. I was on the fence on whether I should try the VBAC because I knew I was having a big baby. But I thought it was safer than a c-section and that the recovery would be faster with a vaginal birth (and I wanted that with a toddler around). I just wanted a doctor to tell me what the best thing to do was, but no one would. I only talked to a few mothers who said that scheduled c-sections were like night and day to emergency c-sections or ones after your body has labored. But I just thought they weren't as informed as I!! Ha. The irony!

Anyway, my son got stuck and SD resulted in his BPI. I cried for months, feeling guilty because I "chose" to deliver that way. I made the decision, not anyone else. If he hadn't been a VBAC, I know I would still have been upset, but would the guilt (over MY choice) have been so bad? Even though I didn't cause the injury, I felt like I had. I also wished that I could have gone back and chosen the longest, most painful recovery for me, if only I could have taken his BPI away. All I could think of was that I would recover in a matter of weeks or months, but he now has this injury for life. I know I'm not the only one on these board who felt this way.

So, that is all of my ramblings. I hope you feel confident in whatever you decide. You sound like you are still on the fence (you "kind of want a c-section" and "maybe he knows what he is doing)." This is not a decision I would want to be "hoping for the best" and trusting in doctors to take care of me.

Have you read any info lately on SD? I guess if I were on the fence, I would just be sure I am fully informed of ALL my risks (and consequences and likelihoods of the risks happening in my case) of either decision.

Sorry for the long post. Good luck with your decision.

My first child was a SD and she was lucky, just a broken collar bone, my second, my son was SD and he wasnt so lucky he has the BPI. For my 3rd I DEMANDED a c section and to tell you the truth the new dr I went to agreed. Why put youor the child at risk. SD can be a scarry thing for ANY doctor. Sometimes they get the right maneuver and get the child out safely and sometimes they dont. PLEASE talk to him about your fear, your not being paranoid, just concerned and who wouldnt be. Good luck!!!

Sometimes I think you need to look at the reason for the injury before making a decision. A friend of mine's first child was bpi and for her second she had a normal vaginal delivery with no complications.

Cindy

My first child was 9lbs. even and doesn't have a BPI. My second child was 7lbs. 14oz. and does have a BPI. I know that I would also demand a c-section if I were to have another child, since my first child was a much harder delivery and bigger child. I don't think you can always go on the size of the child from the sonogram.

Yipes!!!!!
I would and did insist on a planned c-section before labor starts...If the doctor wouldn't agree I would change doctors.
T.

After thinking about this all morning I decided I had to post. My second child was born post term weighing in at 8lbs 13oz. she suffer shoulder dystochia which resulted in brachial plexus. After this terrible experience my husband said no more babies there just isn't any way we can go through this again. Five years later we got a little surprise we were pregnant again. We were really scared. We went back to the same doctor again. Expressed our concerns. And like you he said he would monitor the preg. very carefully and then determine weather or not to do a c-section. He decided not to do a c-section and induced 3 weeks early. She ended up getting stuck. And I can remember him saying to the nurse this is a perfect example of shoulder dystocia. I started crying it was terrible I just kept telling my husband I knew this was going to happen again. The doctor ended up getting her out without hurting her and she is a perfect little girl. But looking back and during the labor all I could think is why didn't I insist on a C-section. I never would have been able to forgive myself if she would of been hurt. She ended up weighing 7lbs. 6oz. I hope this helps you make your decision and good luck with the birth of you little one.

dear Claudia, I am astounded that a man of Dr Laurents profession would say anything so absolutely unprofessional as what you have said in your post, to tell you that you should have your babies in any way is completely out of his scope of practice and shows very poor professionalism in my opinion. Thankyou for sharing about that, and your opinion, I am not cracking on you, I am just sitting here completely dumbfounded, we are talking about the BPI surgeon...right?

IF (and thats a big one cuz Im almost 43) I were to ever have children again, I would definately choose to have a wonderful vaginal birth. I would never choose tohave a cesarian unless that were what the specific pregnancy indicated that I needed to do to have a healthy bebe, and FOR ME, having one prior macro bebe with SD complications does NOT MEAN I would have another, I would however take precautions regarding gestational diabetes, ie diet, and I would be very aware of my baby's presentation and positions,
I believe that the majority of dystocias happen not because the mother was malequipped but because the attendants are not properly positioning,
and in the cases where the mother is just not equipped , there are cases that can be addressed with diet-
that said there of course are exceptions and I would stand by every mother's right to choose, and by God the ACOG in their glory have made it very easy for mothers to request sections as of last year so...
blessed birthing no matter how ya birth...
Mary

If I were ever to get pregnant again (big ha ha) knowing what I know now about how my injury could have been prevented I would have a C-Section. I have often said I think it is harder to be the parent of an injured baby than to be the injured. I cannot imagine how I would have been if it were my child injured instead of me.

My first was 8 lb. 3oz. and SD - lucky for me the doctor choose to fracture my tailbone and delivery the baby safely... I pay the price for that fracture... my second child was 8 lb. 14 oz. and she was delivered safely... My third child was 9 lb. and his arm was stuck and rough delivery but again he was safe.

I never gained weight pregnant the most 17 lbs with my third and only 13 – 14 lbs with the first two... but I am OBPI and I know what the result of a mistake can do to you. I was fearful of my children having the same injury and the doctor assured me that it would never happen and it was rare. He also said the the doctor did this to me to save the life of the mother/child.When my records were finally transferred to my doctor when I moved he was shocked that I was not C-Sectioned for the first she was 9 days late and transverse.

My daughter had three large babies delivered safely and the last was 9 lb. 9 oz... We use the same ob/gyn I wanted to be sure she and the baby were safe ... she is not a person who gains a lot of weight could eat anything when she was pregnant.

You can bet, since she is still young, if she has another baby I will be on my knees begging her to choose C-Section rather than risk injury to the baby.

I don’t think the mother’s diet can truly control the weight of the baby. I have friends who gained 25/50 lbs they had 5 and 6 lb babies and had to loose all the extra weight. I, on the other hand, gained no weight had large babies and lost double the weight I gained when pregnant. The doctor kept telling me to gain weight and I ate but just did not gain weight.

I don’t think that you can prevent large babies but you can prevent them from being injured by proper birthing maneuvers or C-Section, the choice is yours, it is your body and your baby.

Kath