bit strange - but can you tell me your bad stories about VBAC

[tostaky]

i want to be ready.

thanks

[gloomysue]

Are you sure you want to know?
With my vbac i had an epidural and could feel nothing apart from my section scar which was agony and I really thought it was going to burst open.

[moaningminniewhingesagain]

Erm my vbac ended in another EMCS at 3am, followed a few hours later by a bitchy consultant bollocking me for 'not trying' hard enough

My friend had a VBAC the other week and had infected stitches,she said if she has a third she would go for a section next time. But, she was out and about and walking upright, I was still off my trolley on painkillers after both my sections, and could pick her older DC up without any trouble.

Can't win I think

[tostaky]

yes i really want to know...

in fact what i want to know is, is the worst that can happen with a vbac is going to be similar to my emcs (bearable) or can it be worse?

[midnightexpress]

My VBAC turned into another EmCS too. It was horrid. . But ds2 is lovely

[ButtercupWafflehead]

[thehairybabysmum]

my bac ended in an emcs, it was fine though and not as scary as emcs 1st time. TBH though i did say to midwife that i would prefer a second c/s to a surgical assisted delivery if push came to shove. Figured 1 scar in 1 place is enough.

As it happens i dont think there was a choice as ds2's hb racing and lots of meconium when they burst waters at fully dilated so thikn it was straight to c/s anyway.

I think they are more cautiuos 2nd time anyway so ou more likely to end with another c/s.

[dee0468]

My vbac ended in an emergency section. However, it was a much beeter experience than my 1st birth. I was awake and my ds was not in danger. I do now wish I has gone for a planned section as I would have been in a better state to make requests. Ie I regret not seeing my ds as he was delivered.

[tinymam]

Do you get more pain around the scar during contractions. I have a friend who is having this dilemma (vbac vs c-sec) and says that her scar is quite sore already and shes only 21-22 weeks. Shes quite worried about this and frightened that it might rupture in labour.

[tinymam]

Sorry to hijack the thread op.

[midnightexpress]

I didn't feel the scar (and it was only 14 months old at the time), and I laboured until I was fully dilated before the CS, so pretty intense. TBH the contractions kind of take your mind off everything else .

[tinymam]

midnight did your scar give you pain during your pregnancy, she's panicking that its going to split before she's full term as it won't withstand the stretching.

[midnightexpress]

No, not that I can remember. It was still quite numb from the origianl CS. I used Bio-oil on it to try and keep it supple - don't know if at made any difference.

[tinymam]

Thanks midnight. I'll pass the information on to her. I know the scar was numb before she became pg again but not painful, I think she is going to end up having an elective CS just to minimise the risks. Thanks for the advice

[TheDMshouldbeRivened]

my vbac ended up with a brain damaged baby who was rushed to NICU and not expected to live. Bad enough?
Didn't feel anything in the scar though.

[tinymam]

Wow, I think I will be strongly encouraging an elective cs, we really want to minimise the risk and make this a calm special experience.

TheDMshouldbeRivened I hope your baby was ok, and I'm sorry you had an awful experience.

[midnightexpress]

Riven (I am assumng it's you?), can I ask, was the brain damage a direct result of the fact that it was a VBAC or unrelated?

[TheCrackFox]

My sister's uterine scar ruptured and her and her baby both nearly died.

My nephew spent 3 weeks in SCBU and my sis had a nervous breakdown.

By some miracle both are OK. My nephew is nearly 6. He should have been brain damaged (was deprived of oxygen) but is absolutely fine now.

I had a VBAC. Forceps delivery, blah, blah, blah.

TBH it was fine but no more lovely than a CS.

Oh, and I found a CS a piece of cake to recover from than a difficult forceps delivery.

[LackaDAISYcal]

I think there's a difference between being prepared and setting yourself up for a fall

Yes, be aware that there are risks, as there are with any labour, regardless of it being a VBAC, and be prepared to have your plans changed if the need arises, but please try to think positively and believe in yourself. VBAC is the safest option for both you and the baby at the end of the day which is why most units encourage a trial of labour these days rather than going straight for a second section. Yes, there are always sad stories and bad outcomes, but this is the same for any labour.

I had a VBA2C, only 17 months after my second section and although I ended up with an assisted delivery, I would go for a natural delivery every time given my recovery, both mentally and physically after the VBAC. And things going wrong, like scar rupture, are less likely than a cord prolapse in any given pregnancy, but no-one scares us sensless about that do they?

[LackaDAISYcal]

tinymam, there is no reason why even an assisted delivery can't be a calm experience. Mine was, with dimmed theatre lights and my DS2 delivered straight onto my chest for immediate skin to skin. Your friend should look at all the information available on VBAC, inlcuding the risks to her and baby of a second major surgical procedure. I would also think that the pain she is getting at the minute is the existing scar tissue being stretched as her bump grows. This will pass and doesn't mean she will rupture in labour; the risk of which after a one section is less than half a percent iirc.

[tinymam]

LackaDAISYcal You have made a valid point that any vbacs are perfectly safe and the risk is minimal but there is an element of choice here which does not apply in unfortunate situations such as cord prolapse. I do think its important to be aware of the negatives as well as the positives.

[GoldenSnitch]

I was so badly looked after during my first labour (which ended in an emcs) that I'm requesting an elective this time.

VBAC's take more care and monitoring than a normal delivery and I don't trust the hospital to give me the care I need.

[tinymam]

lucky sorry x-post.
thanks for the information related to the pain in her scar. She is extremely worried about this pg as her last one went drastically wrong, I'm not sure she could relax enough to wait until she goes into labour naturally tbh and I think she'll go for the cs.

[violethill]

Agree that the pain of contractions seems to be focused on the scar, so it feels very intense. I wouldn't call it a 'bad' birth story, because that implies that it's a negative experience, but you need to accept that a VBAC will hurt a lot. I was very glad that I'd already had a natural birth prior to my Csection,and my VBAC was with dc 3, as I think it would have been a shock to have the CS first time round and then a VBAC.

However, if you separate 'pain' from 'bad birth' and see them as things that aren't necessarily linked, you are probably preparing yourself best mentally.

[LackaDAISYcal]

tinyman, I am aware of the negatives, if you read my post, and having done endless hours of research before my VBAC can list them all here for your friend if you like!

I was only trying to show that the main reason cited for an elective over a VBAC, scar rupture, isn't actually a huge risk at all and a normal delivery carries bigger risks in other areas.

But as you rightly say, there is no choice if you have a cord prolapse, where you can circumvent any risk of scar rupture by having a major surgical procedure. From my pov, and as a result of MY intensive research, the risks from the surgery far outweighed the chance of a scar rupture.

[LackaDAISYcal]

I also wasn't aware of anything going on with my scar during my labour. the pain from my SPD kind of zoned even the contraction pain out