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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

ELCS vs VBAC

7 replies

lauraloo09 · 30/03/2012 11:05

Hiya just looking if someone could help me.

I have just got my BFP and will be due around 8th Dec but I cannot help but think ahead to my choices for birth. I had a bad labour with DD labour lasted 36hours and i never got past 1 cm dilated and although I was having very bad contractions, my waters broke and feeling that my pelvis was going to snap i was never formally in established labour. After 36 hours it was decided that I needed an EMCS which was actually ok. The recovery time was good too I was back doing exercise (karate) etc within 16 weeks. I do feel sometimes that I would have loved a vaginal delivery and am considering a VBAC but I am wondering if any of you have experienced this and would like to hear your views on VBAC or ELCS

Thanks xx

OP posts:
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urbancowgirl · 30/03/2012 15:30

hello,

no advice from experience but will be ttc this year after EMCS after failure to dilate and fetal distress, i have done some reading and am tending towards ELCS - I would love to have a ´proper´birth but worried about not having the body memory from a vaginal birth and I read (on the nhs site i think) that VBAC after EMCS can be very successful apart from failure to dilate where you have a higher chance of a repeat EMCS

I´m not used to being assertive with medical people though and if lucky enough to be in that situation a bit worried I´ll just do what I´m told . . .

good luck in what you choose and looking forward to hearing experiences

Benaberry · 30/03/2012 17:25

I'm in a similar situation, now almost 23wks with DC2; had EMCS first time around after a 30+ hour spontaneous labour, although I did get to 8cms DS then got completely stuck, I didn't dilate any further, and there were signs of fetal distress.

I posted a few weeks back prior to my first consultants appt, and there are some lovely, and really helpful people on here who appeared and helped me out.

I still haven't made a decision; have a further appointment at 28weeks to go through notes from last time and try to make an informed decision, but I seem to sway daily at the moment, one day I'd love a VBAC, the next I sway back towards "better the devil you know" and the ELCS option. Like you, I'd really rather avoid another EMCS if I at all can, even though mine wasn't horrendous, and had a relatively good recovery, i think it was the feeling of being totally out of control that freaked me.

One thing the midwife and consultant have both said to me however is that, certainly where I am, and assume same elsewhere, there's a much lower threshold with a VBAC for the point where they say "enough's enough", so the EMCS isn't so much of a panic station as it would have been first time around; midwife described it as a better term being "unplanned" rather than "emergency". Even so, if I'm going to end up down that road again, a large part of me thinks I'd rather just accept it from the beginning than get so far again and risk feeling the same failure as I did last time (not that an EMCS is a failure in any way, that's just the way my hormonally addled brain took it last time, and I'm scared of that happening again, for all the logic I can apply at this stage!).

I don't have to make a decision until the appointment at 36wks, so still plenty of time to keep changing my mind...

Probably hasn't been an awful lot of help, but sit tight, someone who's actually been through it all and finally made the decision will be along soon I'm sure :)

And congratulations!

Ushy · 30/03/2012 18:10

I don't know if this helps. www.healthtalkonline.org/pregnancy_children/Making_decisions_about_birth_after_caesarean/Topic/1855/

It has videos clips with lots of women talking about the choice of VBAC versus repeat caesarean and (on the left) women's experiences after the birth and what they thought of it.

MidnightinMoscow · 30/03/2012 19:27

Hi,

Congratulations. Smile

I attempted a VBAC 9 days ago. DC1 was an EMCS at 9cm, and I was told that I had a good chance of success this time round. I decided to go for the VBAC for the shorter recovery time, and also because I felt that my EMCS had a negative effect on my breastfeeding.

I had a really quick labour this time, got to 10cm in 2,5 hours! But, I did end up with a crash CS this time, DC2's heart rate dropped very low and it was very hairy. The recovery has been harder this time because of the nature of this EMCS.

However, I don't regret trying for a VBAC. Personally, I am glad to stuck to the rules, of CFM, labouring on the delivery suite etc as I was in the right place at the right time.

I did have loads of doubts in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. This, according to my MW, is normal. I'd say that you don't need to put any pressure on yourself. I could have opted for an ELCS right at the last moment, if I had wanted.

Good luck.

WidowWadman · 30/03/2012 20:13

Do a search for RCOG Green Top Guidelines, there is one for Birth after previous Caesarean, which I found very helpful for decision making.

lauraloo09 · 30/03/2012 20:26

thanks everyone for your comments going to do a lot of reading on VBAC
Midnight sorry to hear about your recent EMCS but glad that you dont regret the VBAC xx

OP posts:
jf268 · 31/03/2012 10:23

I had an EMCS with boy 4 years ago (24 hours of labour, not dilating above 4 cm & then baby's heartbeat went), & although it was pretty shocking as I'd hoped for a water birth, the recovery time was pretty quick & I was up & about really quickly. With girl (born 5 months ago) I decided to try for a VBAC. The labour bit was ok - bloody painful, but ok. Had to have a forceps delivery as her heart rate started to escalate alarmingly, but I was super duper pleased at having had a natural birth. But then it all went a bit pear shaped - the forceps delivery damaged my bladder (had to have a bag for 2 weeks on & off), the episiotomy was pretty severe & the stitches took just over 2 months to heal (including 2 infections). All in all, my initial pleasure at not having a CS faded really quickly, as i was in so much pain & I felt that it really stopped me bonding with & enjoying my beautiful little new baby.

Even so, I wouldn't make any hard & fast plans - go with the flow at the time & just see how it pans out. The midwives are great if they know you've had a CS before & won't let your labour go on for too long or let you really struggle x

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