Would you mind sharing your VBAC birth plan?

[Lcy]

Hello

I was wondering if anyone has a VBAC birth plan they would mind sharing with me.

I am 37 weeks and never really considered anything but an elective cs. However, I have just had an appointment with a new, very supportive and encouraging consultant and have changed my mind. I am scared though as I had a very long and traumatic induction at 15 days over last time and ended up with an emergency c-section and a long physical and psychological recovery. I don't have much faith in my bodies ability to go into labour or give birth. But I really want to be able to go home to my young daughter as soon as possible after the birth and be able to pick her up.

I also want to have all my wishes in writing as I felt I had no control last time and it was very scary. For example the consultant is happy for me to have a water birth and intermitent monitoring despite it being a VBAC - but this was agreed last time and on arrival at the labour ward they told me I had to have CFM and could only use the bath.

Many thanks

Hi There I am vbac and am 35 weeks. Did my birthplan yesterday with my mw. Ideally:

I would like to stay at home for as long as I can.

I would like to use the pool and gas and air for pain relief.

I would like to deliver in the pool (mw says no, but am going to ask the consultant!)

I would like to be as mobile as possible and if I have to get out of the water, the would like to deliver on knees/standing up...

I would like to avoid an epidural.

I don't mind cfm but wish to stay mobile so will request remote telemetry or they will have to follow me around. I think every 15 mins would be fine though!

If it gets to a point and they think its going to get to a cs, I would rather sooner than later.

Am (trying) to keep an open mind about it and go with the flow. I think if I feel relaxed about the plan then it will be a relaxed birth.

HTH x

That is fantastic - thank you so much for sharing it with me. Mine was turning into a bit of an essay but actually just want to get across all the points you have said. Good luck with your vbac! x

Hi, I had a fantastic VBAC on Sunday and I didn't bother to write a birthplan at all!

First time round I had written one and then like you, went overdue, was induced and had an emcs after pushing for 2 hours. I felt as though as soon as I agreed to be induced most of the birthplan went out of the window.

This time I didn't bother mostly because I didn't get round to it, but I was v clear in my own mind what the critical points were. So for me it was to refuse induction if overdue and go to elcs instead, and refuse syntocin for augmentation. As the labour progressed the mw just asked us about other stuff like cutting the cord, 3rd stage etc and that wa fine.

If you want to read the birth story I posted it this morning on the VBAC support thread. I also didn't believe in my body's ability to do it naturally but found that Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Childbirth" and the VBAC natal hypnotherapy CDs really got me in the right frame of mind.

Loads of luck for your delivery.

Many thanks and congratulations on your VBAC. I will go and read your birth story now - can I ask did you have continous monitoring?

Yes I did. Ideally I would have refused it but it was something at the time that I could see the hospital was quite insistent on. It did annoy me being on the monitor initially as when ever I tried to move around the trace was lost. As it turned out being monitored lying on my left side worked really well for me as lying down was the best way for me to relax and try and use the natal hypnotherapy techniques that I had learnt. When I was upright or leaning over the bed I was having to brace myself and my arms and legs were quite tense. As it was I managed to get so relaxed between some of the contractions when I was between 6-10cm and contractions 2 mins apart that I was actually dreaming slightly!

Good to know you can still labour successfully with cfm. Now going to order the cds! Enjoy the lovely early baby days

Hi I went for a Vbac in may,I ended up with another C section but I was openminded about my birth plan.My hospital was very pro Vbac so they said I could have waterbirth,mobile monitoring etc.

The one thing on my birthplan was that I did not want my waters breaking to try and 'speed things up'.Unless I was really close to delivery and it was stopping the baby descending.

My C section was really calm and they asked us if we had any requests which was pretty amazing and opposite from the last time.They pulled the screen down so we could discover the sex of the baby ourselves.It was amazing.

Best of luck and please update us!

Thanks Mumch that's good to know. I have an elective booked for 10 days after my due date. I had lots of complications with my c-section last time but am not against having one again if need be. Good to hear it can be a good experience.

I had a vbac with my dd. DS was 10 days late and I had 40 hours of labor followed by an emergency cs. I do have to warn you that I had a post partum hemorrhage with my vbac and 15 stitches and found the recovery to be just as long and far more painful than from my emergency cs. If I had it to do all over again I would do elective cs with both.

Having said that, if you are going to do a vbac, the saving grace in mine was that I had the head midwife booked to do the vbac. She came from quite a distance (luckily dd was very prompt and came out within 2 hours of her due date) and was there for the entire labor and delivery. You should check at your hospital if that is an option. Also, mw used a handheld monitor so that I could move around and in theory go in the birthing pool (couldn't because hot water wasn't working properly at hospital !!!! and they weren't able to fill the birthing pool before I gave birth).

When I had my VBAC 8 weeks ago I was monitored but not with the belt on, my mum held the monitor on my belly as I found the pressure of the belt unbearable. Saying this I was only monitored from the time I got to hospital by which time I was 5cm, to delivery which for me luckily was only 1.5 hours. I was in labour for about 24 hours, the vast majority of which I was at home and therefore not monitored.

I also refused a venflon as I saw no reason for this whatsoever and I hate needles.

I didn't have a birth plan, I wanted to be as open minded as possible as so not to be disappointed.

I am lucky, I had a wonderful birth experience, it worked out well for me, I know this is not the case for everyone. It may have been an advantage for me that my first CS was a planned one for a breech baby so I didn't have labour. I really believe in the power of positive thinking, you've got to really believe in yourself and your baby that you can bear the pain, you can deliver your baby and you will both be fine.

Good luck x

Lcy - just wanted to lend my support with your difficult choice. Open minded on how your VBAC will go is a very good plan. I have had 2 VBACs and can highly recommend after long labour and c section with post partem haemorrage with DS1.

My basic rule on both were that I was not prepared to be induced - I would have gone for section if getting late with either of them.

No plan for VBAC1 - tbh thought it wouldn't work - kind of thought my body couldn't do it (DS1 had been b2b). Spent lots of time trying to get DS2 into good position as a result. When in labour, got CFM and touch and go if I was going to section of not as he was distressed (his cord was knotted we later found out). Most of labour happened in reception as hospital were busy - that wasn't funny - really scary for me but my hospital are notorious for closing the doors on labouring women - kind of like Bethlehem . Didn't really like CFM tbh but ended up with cord on his head up me anyway due to his distress. he got out in 7 hours with 2nd degree tearing (not bad honestly)

Given I'd had 1 successful VBAC I was more adventourus with DS3 and went for waterbirth despite consultant advice but did have very supportive consultant MW who said loads of women did VBAC waterbirths. It was amazing and pain relief of water so good. Didn't get CFM but she held the thingy to my tummy every half hour or so. No examinations apart from on arrival at hospital (I got allowed in no bother!!)and I delivered in the water too - no stitches either. He was out in 4 hours and I was literally home putting the other boys to bed 4 hours later and packing them off to nursery the next day. So different to the 3 weeks of recovery from the section!

Go in with an open mind and be prepared not to beat yourself up if it doesn't go to plan but if you do feel up to trying a VBAC I would highly recommend. You feel like you've climbed Everest afterwards and the bonding and feeding were so much for me afterwards. Good luck.