Tubal During C-section?

[csaund21]

Hey all!

As some of you may know I am having a baby next month. This will be my 4th and (possibly?) last. My question is for all the ladies who have had a tubal (either during a c-section or not). Do you ever have any regrets? Do you feel like 'something' is different?

I have my 4th c-section scheduled for June 11th and I am considering getting a tubal. I have a 9 year old, 2 year old, 1 year old and now will have the new baby soon. I am not overwhelmed with the number of children I have as DH is AMAZING and does a lot to help out. We split the Parental leave in half and I can honestly admit he is pretty much the Worlds Greatest Dad. He is willing to get a vascetomy but seems a bit hesitant. His defense is that it makes more sense for me to get a tubal b/c I will already be in the operating room having a c-section. Truth be told--I am very scared to take away my ability to have babies! I know so many women are not as lucky and have problems conceiving, so how do I have the right to just 'take away' the gift I was given?

Any thoughts are appreciated =)

[bargain_hunter_lola]

That's a tough question! I know I was asked while pregnant with my 2nd if I wanted a tubal during my c-section and I knew the answer was no. Now, we're trying to decide if we're a 2 child or 3 child family, but I know without a doubt that if we do have a 3rd baby, then I definately want a tubal. 3 is my personal max.

The only advice I can possibly give you is to take your time and really think it over. Do what's in your heart.

Congrats on the new baby btw. Such a happy time!

[LifeisBeautiful]

I had my tubes "clamped" during a planned c-section with my third child. I was 95% positive that thats what I wanted. Closer to the csection I became more worried about whether I was making the right decision, much like you.
I don't feel any different. I feel relieved that I will not have to worry about another surprise right now while all my kids are still so young (3, 2 and 1). I do wonder if later on I will regret it, but I really don't think so. I love the baby and toddler stages, but it feels nice to know that we are done, to look forward to a young retirement( ) and the prospect of having time to take care of myself again and age well is quite exciting as well.
My husband freaks me out sometimes tho because he thinks he can pop the clamp lol, you know because he is so powerful down there lol.
If you still are not sure up to the date, err on the side of caution and do not have the tubal. To have it reversed, it costs $10,000 out of pocket according to my ob-gyn.
Best of luck and may God bless your growing family.

[marstec]

This is just my opinion, you have done your job (four children!), now it's his turn. Tell him it's not so bad, millions of men have had it done. Vasectomies are outpatient procedures, whereas yours is major surgery.

[francine1985]

even if you are getting a c-section "anyway" it is safer for the man to get a vasectomy. if you really dont feel like this is something you want that your husband is pressuring you into it then don't do it.

i haven't had my tubes tied yet but I'm getting it done in June. this was my choice because i am miserable whenever i'm pregnant. i have severe hip and back pain, pressure in my pelvic bone that constantly feels like its going to shatter, i have to be highly medicated for my morning sickness otherwise i end up in the hospital for iv fluids due to dehydration and malnutrition, and i also have gestational diabetes (which puts me at a much higher risk of becoming fully diabetic in the future). If my pregnancies had been better i would probably insist that dh get a vasectomy. i plan to be with dh for the rest of my life however life happens and you cant predict the future so that's why i decided to get my tubes tied.

[oddduck]

From what I've heard, having a tubal during a c-section makes the recovery a bit harder/more painful.

[Natalka]

Wow, almost four! Bless your heart!

When my husband and I had this discussion (not just once), and once he had lots of information (not just stories or 'myths'), my husband was totally willing to have a vasectomy, since it's such a minor procedure for a man, and major surgery for a woman.

He took the urologist's advice and booked it for a Friday (outpatient at the hospital), so he could recuperate on the weekend, and was back to work Monday with little ill effects, just some bruising.

As to whether you are 'done' having/wanting more children, that is something you have to think and look deep into your heart about - and if you aren't decided before you have this child, then just still wait.

I had no choice but to stop at having one (we planned/hoped for many more!), and I have older sisters who have three, three, and two.
However, the families of my husband's sibs are in the four to six group. We have many friends who have four and five children - one with seven.

Hope you are keeping comfortable, and I wish you luck!

[i_forget]

When I had my 3rd c-section I also had my tubes done and the recovery was not too pretty. Because of the amount of "work" done down there, I was in a bit of a mess so I was forced to heal slowly (VON came in several times a day and cleaned and changed bandages and washed the wound to keep it moist and close slowly for weeks). I could not walk up stairs or carry my baby, it was difficult and I could have never done it without help.
Prepare for the worst, make sure you have lots of meals pre-made and frozen and someone to help you with your kids just in case you need it.

Having a c-section takes a toll on your body. I know that it is a hard decision to have the tubal, but they can only cut you in the same spot so many times. You will have scar tissue, a possible weaker uterus from the surgery. What has your OB-gyn said? Mine told me to have the tubal because they can only cut you so many times and I cannot do vaginal births.....

[sarajen]

I had mine done with my second c-section and don't regret it one bit. We KNEW we were done after our second daughter so it just made sense to do it while they were already in there. It only took an extra few minutes but my recovery was a bit more difficult. I did find there was a bit more pain and had to stay on pain meds for a few weeks but it wasn't so bad that I wished I hadn't done it. And part of that could have been the fact that I had a 3 year old at home too.
If we weren't 100% sure we were done having children, I wouldn't have had the tubal at that time and DH would have gone when we were sure. It's a pretty big decision to make before you're ready.

[csaund21]

Thanks for all the advice/ personal stories everyone. I really am glad to be part of a community where we can openly share

I am still undecided and my Doc told me I have until the day before the c-section to make up my mind...

[glowworm2k]

DH and I don't have any children yet, although we're hoping to have one before long. He's going to be 39 this fall, so we've decided on a maximum of 2, but possibly only one as he doesn't relish having teenagers around in his '60s - I really can't and don't blame him for this - could you imagine?!?! DH has said that he will have no problem having the snip as he knows that pregnancy can be very, very hard on the female body and also that other forms of birth control (e.g., pills) can also have negative side effects. We're still a ways away from the decision, but I'm happy to know that he's not squeamish about the idea and is willing to take a turn in being responsible for family planning (after I've shouldered the burden in all of my relationships to date!).

[Insane]

I had a long discussion with my doc regarding this too. I knew this one was our last. Hubby is scared crapless about a vasectomy. I thought if things went south during labour/delivery and they needed to do a csection then they might as well tie my tubes (I'm a plan for the worst kinda person!). In the end, the vasectomy is booked. My doc said there are certain advantages to the vasectomy...the main one being you can verify it. You know with 100% certainty it worked because you have to give a "sample" and they check for sperm. There is no such test for a tubal. She said having a tubal outside of a csection carries a number of risks. It's a general anesthetic, which has risks. A vasectomy has far far far fewer risks. One of the things she said to me that stuck was that pregnancy has risks too. I've done my time, it is time for hubby to do what is best for us. I hadn't thought of it that way. He agreed to the vasectomy when the doc promised him Valium to help settle his nerves! LOL

If you are already having a csection and know you are done, I would have the tubal. But if you aren't sure, don't do it. It's not something that you should think of as reversible. Until you are sure, you shouldn't make any permanent decisions.

[Natalka]

DH and I don't have any children yet, although we're hoping to have one before long. He's going to be 39 this fall, so we've decided on a maximum of 2, but possibly only one as he doesn't relish having teenagers around in his '60s - I really can't and don't blame him for this - could you imagine?!?! DH has said that he will have no problem having the snip as he knows that pregnancy can be very, very hard on the female body and also that other forms of birth control (e.g., pills) can also have negative side effects. We're still a ways away from the decision, but I'm happy to know that he's not squeamish about the idea and is willing to take a turn in being responsible for family planning (after I've shouldered the burden in all of my relationships to date!).

I know it's off topic from the OP, but I was 30 when we had my son, my husband was 40. He handled the teen years through his 50s with no problems at all!

My dad had my younger brother (6th kid) when he was 51, and mom was 45 - 10 years after I was born as the fifth kid. Now THAT took work, lol!

[marstec]

PSA for men who are going in for a vasectomy: shave yourself before going to the hospital. The razors they have are the absolute cheapest you can get and will be more traumatic than the actual procedure...well not quite, but close.

[Craiger]

I just had mine done during a csection just a week ago. I made the decision that I made because I didn't want to be pregnant again, (but then again my pregancies are also considered to be hight risk). We now have 3 under the age of 3 and will be very busy for the next little while. Once things calm down a little bit if we still have a big desire to have another then we will look into doing foster care or adoption. There are many children out there who need loving homes.
I haven't found the recovery any different from my previous csection, but then again everyone has their own tolerance when it comes to pain.