Riding after giving birth - if you had a choice of "methods"....

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now_loves_mares

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Currently 35 weeks pregnant with first baby. My horse for various reasons didn't go on loan as was planned, so would like to get back on board as soon as possible.

Baby is currently breech and as such, a C-section is the most likely option. I see the consultant next week who will probably book a CS for around 39 weeks. However there is still a chance that the baby will turn round, and I suspect if I go in at 39 weeks to find that has indeed happened, I'll be given the option of continuing with the CS or being induced. I am/will be induced at 40 weeks in any case, due to being allegedly ancient, which is why I think they'd do something there and then anyway.

So, all other things being equal, would you prefer a CS or a natural birth in terms of recovery for riding. Not just how quickly you can get back on, but longer term as well. I'm thinking about how long a CS scar might take to be fully strong again, or how much your pelvis is compromised during natural delivery, stitches and tears, infections, all those glamorous things.

Obviously the health of baby is priority number 1, so I would of course make any choice based on that - but like I said, if all other things were equal, which would you prefer?
 
dare i by so cheeky as to ask what age is considered ‘ancient’ ? if you could guarantee a straightforward natural birth then that would give you your best recovery... but of course nonone can guarantee that can they so you have to weigh it up; go natural and hope for the best but accept the risk that should there be complications that it may take a long time to heal/recover well enough to ride, knowing that labour can and does damage your body and it takes longer to recover if you are older, or go Csec knowing it will be a longer recovery and you wont be able to drive etc for 6 weeks but it will be a managed, surgical incision and just accept that it may be a few months before you are back on board.
 
Hmmm I've only got one child and he was an emergency C so can't comment on natural option. I waited the advised 6 weeks before riding again but then carried on riding as normal - child permitting! My core strength was rather pants afterwards but has been regained with exercise.
My scar didn't give me any pain whilst riding, it pulls occasionally when exercising e.g. leg raises were a bit of a killer to start with, but that went with time.
It's one of those questions though - if you have a "normal" natural birth then you won't have any issues but stitches and tears can mean you're off riding for more than 6 weeks but your core strength MAY be better than if you had a CS. Lots of if's/buts and maybes
 
AceAmara said:
dare i by so cheeky as to ask what age is considered ‘ancient’ ? if you could guarantee a straightforward natural birth then that would give you your best recovery... but of course nonone can guarantee that can they so you have to weigh it up; go natural and hope for the best but accept the risk that should there be complications that it may take a long time to heal/recover well enough to ride, knowing that labour can and does damage your body and it takes longer to recover if you are older, or go Csec knowing it will be a longer recovery and you wont be able to drive etc for 6 weeks but it will be a managed, surgical incision and just accept that it may be a few months before you are back on board.
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Slightly cheeky but I'll answer anyway ;). I'm 40. I don't have to be induced of course but they do strongly suggest it. I know it's a "how long is a piece of string question" and as you say a normal natural birth would be best. But if I end up induced it's more likely to end in complications such as instruments and stitches or emergency sections etc.

I guess though I'm trying to gauge if even a "bad" natural birth might be better, purely from a riding perspective, of a "good" CS. You mentioned months before being back on board after a CS - this does not sound good at all. My poor fat pony!
 
If no complications it's an advised 6 weeks post CS ;) I was advised 6 weeks no riding, then 6 weeks light riding / walk. Got back on at 6 weeks exactly, mare bobbed off with me in the field, didn't have any pain or problems so decided I might as well carry on as normal.
 
Lanky Loll said:
Hmmm I've only got one child and he was an emergency C so can't comment on natural option. I waited the advised 6 weeks before riding again but then carried on riding as normal - child permitting! My core strength was rather pants afterwards but has been regained with exercise.
My scar didn't give me any pain whilst riding, it pulls occasionally when exercising e.g. leg raises were a bit of a killer to start with, but that went with time.
It's one of those questions though - if you have a "normal" natural birth then you won't have any issues but stitches and tears can mean you're off riding for more than 6 weeks but your core strength MAY be better than if you had a CS. Lots of if's/buts and maybes
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I know there won't be one single answer, but it's really good to hear different experiences, thank you for sharing. At the end of the day I might end up with no choice either way, but I like to at least have some understanding of the outcomes of differing scenarios.

6 weeks post section doesn't sound too bad though - is that normal I wonder?
 
Well I can't offer any advice from experience, as I'm currently expecting my first (gulp), but having a couple of friends who had planned CS's, and from doing my own research, it does appear that the recovery from a planned CS rather than an emergency appears to be more straightforward. And from what I've heard, your core strength is generally pretty rubbish after a baby anyway??

My mother has told me if I can have/ask for a CS then to have one, after her third degree tearing with me, followed by months of agony and sexual dysfunction that has never improved....! I guess that wouldn't be any good if you wanted to get back riding....! Thanks Mum! :-)
 
alsxx said:
Well I can't offer any advice from experience, as I'm currently expecting my first (gulp), but having a couple of friends who had planned CS's, and from doing my own research, it does appear that the recovery from a planned CS rather than an emergency appears to be more straightforward. And from what I've heard, your core strength is generally pretty rubbish after a baby anyway??

My mother has told me if I can have/ask for a CS then to have one, after her third degree tearing with me, followed by months of agony and sexual dysfunction that has never improved....! I guess that wouldn't be any good if you wanted to get back riding....! Thanks Mum! :-)
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Oh dear! Your poor Mum. Although I suspect you didn't need to know everything she shared about that!!.

I think really that's what I'm trying to guage. Planned section, vs a more complicated natural delivery. It does sound like the planned CS, being a known entity, might be the riders choice. Not least due to all the horror stories I've heard about how us horsey girls have a bit more trouble giving birth due to the rather tough undercarriage we've developed. Ahem.
 
My nanny was a midwife, many many years ago. She's been dead 7 years and was nearly 100 when she died. Just to give you an idea of the time scales!
When expecting my youngest she was either breech or transverse and at 38 weeks with no sign of moving I was booked for a cs. I duly rang my nanny who told me to get down on my hands & knees and wash the floors. Every day, twice a day if needed!!! She said baby would soon turn and she did at 38 weeks & 4 days. Apparently this works with gravity & the body and was considered normal in her day. She said it rarely failed. Take from it what you will,but it worked for me and it has worked for 4 people I've told it too. What have you got to lose? Xx
 
My middle one turned at 36 weeks (she went the long way round so it was a tad uncomfortable!). Had 3 easy peasy natural births with no complications/tearing or any other nasty issues, so was not a problem for me to get back on a horse 2 weeks after the first one. By the time the next 2 came along I had realised I needed to shelve horses for a while and didn't start up again until he was 18 months old.
 
missmatch said:
My nanny was a midwife, many many years ago. She's been dead 7 years and was nearly 100 when she died. Just to give you an idea of the time scales!
When expecting my youngest she was either breech or transverse and at 38 weeks with no sign of moving I was booked for a cs. I duly rang my nanny who told me to get down on my hands & knees and wash the floors. Every day, twice a day if needed!!! She said baby would soon turn and she did at 38 weeks & 4 days. Apparently this works with gravity & the body and was considered normal in her day. She said it rarely failed. Take from it what you will,but it worked for me and it has worked for 4 people I've told it too. What have you got to lose? Xx
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Well I've tried weeding the garden and pulling buttercups out of the field, does that count :D. I am trying various things from the spinning babies website, and I know there is time, but it's been in the exact same position all the way through, so I just have a feeling it's a stubborn one. Will keep trying though and I will let you know if your dear departed nanny was right again.
 
LCH611 said:
My middle one turned at 36 weeks (she went the long way round so it was a tad uncomfortable!). Had 3 easy peasy natural births with no complications/tearing or any other nasty issues, so was not a problem for me to get back on a horse 2 weeks after the first one. By the time the next 2 came along I had realised I needed to shelve horses for a while and didn't start up again until he was 18 months old.
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I will keep hoping that it turns, but to be honest I still feel an induction (and therefore a much higher risk of intervention) is likely to happen. Naturally going into labour doesn't feel like it has much chance unfortunately.
 
now_loves_mares said:
Slightly cheeky but I'll answer anyway ;). I'm 40. I don't have to be induced of course but they do strongly suggest it. I know it's a "how long is a piece of string question" and as you say a normal natural birth would be best. But if I end up induced it's more likely to end in complications such as instruments and stitches or emergency sections etc.

I guess though I'm trying to gauge if even a "bad" natural birth might be better, purely from a riding perspective, of a "good" CS. You mentioned months before being back on board after a CS - this does not sound good at all. My poor fat pony!
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hehe thank you, im just nosy.. we’re a similar age ;) when i said months before being back riding after a straightforward Csec I meant in as much as it might be that long before you feel like you are effectively riding if that makes sense? I know many people who have ‘ridden’ after 6 weeks but it wasnt easy and they did very little but potter for quite some time. I have also been told that a planned Csec is easier to recover from than an emergency one. Some injuries and damage that occur from a natural birth can leave you with life long problems and discomfort and never really go away.. at least with a planned and managed Csec you know what you are letting yourself in for, hopefully! Good luck!
 
Most babies who r breech at 35 weeks turn ... And I'd say natural every time... C sections are major abdominal surgery and natural childbirth is what we were designed for. Generally mums recover much quicker (with my second I was riding after 10 days ) and the risks to you are far far lower ...

Vx
 
I have had three children, two were vaginal births, one of those ventouse, perineum tore and snipped extensively (sorry if too much info!) and other was emergency c- section as baby had managed to lie transverse without anyone picking it up and was not noticed until I'd been in labour about 11 hours...!
I was back riding after 2 or 3 weeks with 'normal' deliveries, it was 8 weeks after c-section and even then my core felt very weak and wobbly, took an awful lot of building back up until I felt fully stable again. Given the choice I'd avoid c-section based on my experiences
 
blitznbobs said:
Most babies who r breech at 35 weeks turn ... And I'd say natural every time... C sections are major abdominal surgery and natural childbirth is what we were designed for. Generally mums recover much quicker (with my second I was riding after 10 days ) and the risks to you are far far lower ...

Vx
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I would agree in principle, absolutely. I think what's holding me back though is that induction means that genuinely natural birth is far less likely. I know they can go well and still end up as no instruments, no stitches, no EMCS etc; but I feel like the odds are stacked against that :(. However there is still time, and if it does turn, I'll start on the raspberry leaf tea in a couple of weeks and hope I go into labour at about 39 weeks!
 
foxy1 said:
I have had three children, two were vaginal births, one of those ventouse, perineum tore and snipped extensively (sorry if too much info!) and other was emergency c- section as baby had managed to lie transverse without anyone picking it up and was not noticed until I'd been in labour about 11 hours...!
I was back riding after 2 or 3 weeks with 'normal' deliveries, it was 8 weeks after c-section and even then my core felt very weak and wobbly, took an awful lot of building back up until I felt fully stable again. Given the choice I'd avoid c-section based on my experiences
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Ah thanks foxy that's really useful. So even with a tear etc you think it was better than the C. Hmmmm. Real food for thought, thank you. (And no not too much information for me, just for anyone who decided to open this thread out of nosiness ;))
 
I am also of a similar age, and had a planned c section 2 weeks ago. I had really bad SPD and was on crutches for the last few weeks. I was offered an elcs if I wanted, as I was worried that if a natural birth went wrong, their priority was to get the baby out and I was concerned about long term damage to my pelvis. The consultant felt I could give birth naturally, even though I could hardly open my legs, nor stand unaided, but also said it ended in an emergency c section, then my recovery would be far slower than a planned section. If only had one a crystal ball! ;)

I am pleased I opted for a section (although I wont lie, I was very sore the next day). I truly don't think I would have the time to ride before 6 weeks, even if I had normal birth, as they are so time consuming and feel sleep deprived. Age definitely not helping in my case!! My horse is unfit, so will probably start walking work together at about 8 weeks all being well. Its a hard decision and I changed my mind daily. My waters also went 4 days before my planned section, so they tried again to persuade me to try labour, but I am glad I stuck to my guns. I, at least will not have bladder problems, have an intact undercarriage and my pelvis has recovered well. :)
 
The other thing about a c section that was tricky was that I struggled to pick up my baby (it was painful), and I got quite upset when I couldn't reach him or find help to pick him up when he was crying, it was also quite difficult to get him in a comfy place to feed him without hurting my tum. With the other births I was back mucking out with baby asleep in pram after 3 days!

Edited to add: I don't know how much worse my pain was because it was emergency, although I still insisted on epidural not general anesthetic
 
Not to put you off your tea entirely but my poor friend had an emergency c-section and then after she went home the wound got infected and burst open and she ended up back in hospital and it was several months before she was right.
 
I had an episiotomy with forceps delivery and I was back in the saddle (with fluffy seat saver!) within 7 days. I felt a bit unbalanced but I think that's because your core muscles are just getting back together.
 
Ok so I think this has given me more confidence that even instruments/episiotomy/tear doesn't necessarily mean a long time off riding, and a cs doesn't necessarily mean a slower but more reliable recovery. Which is good as, although it still seems like it's no clearer, I don't feel quite so scared of the complications from a vaginal delivery (not a word I thought I'd be typing on HHO :p).

Holeymoley I love my fluffy seat saver anyway, definitely won't get back on without it!

Gloi, yikes! Hope she's ok now.

Foxy yes there are other horsey things I need to be able to do asap, like poo picking and carrying feeds etc, as well as (rather importantly) being able to care for the baby. I've heard many a horror story of post-CS mums being in hospital unable to get to their baby next to them, who was crying/starving/needing a nappy change.

Sare bear there is lots to consider, certainly sounds like you made the right choice in your circumstances, and of course I need to be realistic about time and energy. My horse is also unfit so walking exercise here too, although he's still young so I need to ensure I am strong enough to cope with any naughtiness.
 
I've had both. Caesarean, breech baby that was turned by doc and then immediately flipped back. Then a vaginal but with a ventouse and lots of horrid tearing etc. But I would still opt for the latter in terms of recovery (and was fair bit older then). Neither is fun! Envy women who just seem to pop them out!
 
I had a horrendous emergency section at 36 weeks, due to baby being in distress. I lost over 1 litre of blood, it wasn't pretty. My baby got taken to the NICU in the early hours and I was told the only way I could see her was if I could get out of bed and in a wheelchair, cue me trying to get up and bursting a couple of stitches.
My OH got thrown in at the deep end and had to do everything. Her care was mainly attended to by the neonatal nurses but when we visited he did all feeds, all changes etc.

That said, after 4 days and copious amounts of morphine I was able to get in and out of bed and the wheelchair with little help, and was fine, if a little tender, by day 6. My OH only had 5 days of paternity leave once we were discharged so I didn't rest at all, knowing I had to get on and cope else I'd be lost when he was back at work.

Since being discharged I've had no problems whatsoever, I carried her in her car seat around Mothercare the day after discharge, all normal chores were not a problem. Initially sore and I did feel it when I sat down, but I'm now 6 weeks post section and dying to start exercising and running again. Not ridden yet but that's mainly due to my horse being out on loan, although I'm welcome to ride any time I want. I would imagine riding would be no issue.

I was VERY anti section, didn't want one at all, but apart from those initial few days it's not been too bad. I imagine an elective section would be far nicer!
 
Haha everyone has a story I expect you might just be left feeling more muddled! Anyway here's mine lol I had a section and was riding again after 4 weeks as I was nuts and wanted to get back on with it.
Basically there are pros and cons to both way I wouldn't fret about it too much your baby still has time to turn. I'd take a call on it once you've spoken to the consultant.
Good luck and congrats x
 
I had forceps delivery and episiotomy and rode after 2 weeks. I kept riding lightly till 37 though so didn't entirely lose muscle strength but took a while to regain core and feel effective again. Best of luck with your birth and hope the bubba turns for you :-) x
 
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