they said you will have a vbac help needed !

[mumtolou]

can someone please help me i had a em c section with my daughter in 2003 and had a terrible time baby in distress,op postion ,baby opened her bowels they left in there for a further 5 hrs then decided to give c section after partner threatened to sue ect ect .after that i swore i would never have another as i would not go through all that again .well 4 yrs later i find that im pregnant with baby no 2 after doctor gave me some meds for bad back that affect the pill !.went to the hospital at 10 wks for 1st appointment baby fine im fine saw the doctor and when i asked would i have a c section with this one i was flatly refused the usuasl you know ur overweight there are more risk ect ect explained to the doc that i was fine after the first section and i was walking about the same evening no pain not even sore ect ect put she said no you can have a vbac no problem.left the hospital in distress because this wasnt a planned pregnancy and no i feel that i cannot enjoy this one because i am dreading the birth my mind seems to be thinking of it all the time and i truly would like to have another c section what if the scar ruptures and they said that they dont like people to have a epidurl because if the scar does rupture i would not be able to feel a different pain the hospital i am under is queen charlottes and chelsea hospital in london does any one have ant advice it all greatly needed sory for ranting and thanks in advance

[Divvy]

I didnt think they could refuse you after you have had one before?

[lisad123]

i could have been writing this a few months ago. I too gave birth in 2003 by emerency C section due to dd being in distress.

I waited 4 years to fall again, and wanted another c section. My consultant refused on a number of grounds, but mainly that there was no reason I couldnt labour normally. I was very upset and really worried how i would cope. We came to a stalemate, so just thought I would have to try VBAC.
I have to say, I am so glad my consultant stuck to his guns, it was the best choice ever. I recovered really quickly, was home next day (only stayed in as dd was little). I really would recommend a VBAC. I know its scarcy, and you would rather know what your letting yourself infor.
I felt so terrible after C section, took ages to get back on my feet.
I know this isnt what you wanted to hear but wanted to tell you my experience.
HTH

Lisa

[mumtolou]

i am glad it all turned out fine for you goodluck with ur little one

[Lulumama]

no-one can force you to have a VBAC

however, you need to think very carefully about your options..

first, you need to get your head around being pregnant again

second, you need to make a decision about hte birth , taht you are happy with

there is lots of information on here about elective c.s and about VBAC

there is a small, small risk of rupture, but the vast majority of VBACs are positve experiences, with a good outcome.

you need to think about the pros and cons for each type of birth, and to make an informed decision, not a knee jerk reaction

you need to clear your head and get some more information, you don;t need to decide on mode of delivery until much later on

i had a VBAC 2 years ago, after an emergency c.s for failure to progress, so there was no medical reason for me to have another c.s, nothing that was likely to recur again in a second pregnancy and labour.

[stripeymama]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I can only imagine how scared you must be feeling and I suggest you try talking your experience and options through withthis organisation.

[Mintpurple]

Of course you can have an epidural in labour, there will be no problem there and if you really want a c/s, Im sure you will have no problems getting that also, although 10 weeks is a little early to be organising it.

It sounds as if you were talking to a junior doctor, who has given you misinformation - you really need to make an appt for later in the pregnancy to speak to one of the senior registrars or the consultant, ususally they will be more sympathetic.

However, it does sound like a c/s was done due to fetal distress and OP rather than a 'mechanical' reason, ie CPD (cephalopelvic disproportion), so a VBAC is certainly possible as you probably wont have the same set of circumstances as last time, re fetal distress etc.

How many cms did you dilate before your c/s?

A reasonable compromise is to have a c/s booked at 41 weeks, and if you go into natural labour before this, go for a VBAC, with the knowledge that you can bale out if labour is starting to go pear shaped. If no natural labour then have a c/s at 41 weeks.

Most OBs will be more than happy with this plan, and you really dont have much to lose, but quite a lot to gain

If you are absolutely adamant that you wont have a VBAC, (and give yourself some time to think about it, at least until 30 weeks) then I suggest speaking to your Sen Reg or Consultant and they will book you for a c/s, especially if you make a bit of a fuss (and tears) about it if they try to talk you out of it. Don't speak to an SHO or junior registrar again, make sure you see a senior reg or consultant at each clinic visit.

Good luck!

[BetsyBoop]

checkout the NICE guidelines

"The risks and benefits of vaginal birth after CS compared with repeat CS are uncertain.
Therefore the decision about mode of birth after a previous CS should take into
consideration:
? maternal preferences and priorities
? a general discussion of the overall risks and benefits of CS
? risk of uterine rupture
? risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity."

so they should take your preferences into account.

Also the RCOG guidelines state that
"Epidural anaesthesia is not contraindicated in planned VBAC."

So I would ask the doctor on your next visit why they aren't following these guidelines.

[VictorianSqualor]

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy

I totally understand how you are feeling, I have been practically forced into an el-cs with my second child, I felt I had absolutely no choice, but I did as do you. The feeling of not being able to have the birth you want is horrid, as is the fear of having to go through the horrors of last time.

I'm now pregnant with my third, and am looking forward to having a VBA2C, so I would urge you to think about the procedure alot more, especially as you are only ten weeks. It may be that you actually change your mind after reviewing all the information, but if not, do not allow anyone to bully you into not giving birth the way you want.

Try reading up on the RCOG guidelines that were linked, it was what my consultant used to discuss all possible problems with my VBA2C, there really isn't as much chance of a problem as we are sometimes led to beleive, and there aren't too many stipulations on what you cannot do during a VBAC, the main one is induction, as the risks get higher, but before that uterine rupture is a risk of around 0.5%, that is one person in every 200! Having an epidural does not change that from what I remember, so I doubt they could tell you that was not allowed, there are other ways of monitoring you for the risk of uterine rupture than a 'type of pain'!!!

Either way, Good Luck. Also who actually told you this?? Have you seen your personal consultant?? Or was this your GP? You can ask to change consultants if yours is not supportive.

[NKF]

I thought it was standard practice to offer mothers who've had c-sections the choice. You're a long way from the birth so there is time to have more conversations with the consultants. Good luck.

[Highlander]

change consultants. You will not be refused a CS if you want one.

[Highlander]

I wouldn't have too many 'discussions' with midwives or anit-CS consultants as they are very likely to bully you into VBAC. Do the research, make the decision yourself and stand your ground.

[Klaw]

Why not have a look through all of the sections here: VBAC or Repeat C-Section?

You must make your own informed decision about this next birth. Whatever you decide, it's not up to the HCPs, although they are very good at wording it as though you have no choice.

This next baby is different from the last and if you do your research on childbirth it should be a very different experience! You don't have to have an elCS to avoid a repeat of last time. You just need to learn about normal birth and take charge of it.

Unfortunately, so many first timers (including myself) assume that when we go to the hospital the HCPs will guide us and support us to have a normal birth. That's not the case, all too often!

[mumtolou]

hi thanks for all you messages .i think i saw a jnr doctor when i went but i am back in january for my 22 week check and then i want to talk to a higher doctor.please dont think that i am too posh to push lol but i really did have a terrible time the first time i did get to 7cm but no further but i think its lack of trust with the hospital as its the same one as before .and feeling very scared.any way thanks to all that replied ill keep you all informed

[VictorianSqualor]

mumtolou, I really dont think anyone thinks you're 'too posh to push'!! I don't know about everyone, but from the VBAC threads IIRC klaw and lulumama had to work at their VBACs, as have I, whether it be getting a VBAC or an el-cs, fighting for it is not something you have to do, though may have to

As KLAW said, every baby and every birth is different, so take your time deciding what to do, with as much information as possible, then if you still want a cs, put your foot down!

[VictorianSqualor]

should have to do!

[eandh]

i had elective c section with dd1 (breech) had to fight and fight with all the registrars for c section when pg with dd2, lots of scare stories from them but i went in with my facts and insisted they relented and it was booked.
Saw my actual consultant at 34 weeks about another issue and told him about it (he delivered dd1 in 2004 as she was in a very awkward breech position and he delivered my brother (natural birth) 30 years ago!!) and he said they should have explained the options but honoured my decision and been respectful of it so it may be worth seeing someone higher than your junior dr!

[franke]

Do you have to stay with the same hospital MTL? Trust is such a powerful element in giving birth, whatever way you choose to do it. I think if you feel iffy about the hospital, and you seem to have good reason to, I would seriously look at other options, as well as getting informed about elcs vs. vbac. Good luck

[meglet]

If you really want a elec CS then you are going to have to stand firm. I can sort of understand how spooked you must be at the thought of having a VBAC when you really don't want to do it. I hope they start listening to you and what you want for your birth.