Talk to me about a VBAC

[PipIsOutNow]

I know lots of threads have been started about this but I was wondering what you would do in my position.

I have 1 DS. He is nearly 2 and I am 6 weeks PG with DC2. Obviously I'm thinking about this prematurely but I'm really wondering whether I need to push for an ELCS or to have a go at a VBAC.

After a perfect pregnancy with DS I hit 34 weeks and was admitted for extremelty high BP, swelling, protein in urine etc etc. I ended up in hospital for 3 weeks as they thought I was a pre eclampsia bomb waiting to go off and at 37 weeks the consultant decided to induce me as baby was a healthy size. I was induced at 7am in the morning, slowly dilated to 3cm with braxton hicks and no pain. By 4pm DS heart rate decreased rapidly and I was rushed over to the delivery suite with flashing lights, midwives running round etc, all very traumatic. They broke my waters, DS heart rate stabilised at this point and by 6pm I was 7cm and well in established labour. By 6:30 DS heart rate had decreased again and by 7 was beating just 40bpm. I was taken down for an EMCS and that was that, he was born happy and healthy.
Although I was obviously pleased that both of us were fine and unharmed I was extremely traumatised by this experience. I felt all of my decisions and wishes had been taken away, I found the recovery horrific and extremely painful. I was really upset by the whole thing and ended up going for counselling about it.

What I want to ask is would you opt for a VBAC or an ELCS? Which do you think I'd be better off with? I'd love to give birth naturally but also I'm thinking does it really matter if I opt for a section and save my sanity!!!

Any advice or opinions greatly received xxx

I had a similar experience. I went into labour naturaly at 41 weeks. Baby became distressed and I ended up with a crash csection. I hated the fact that I was asleep for the birth and I was keen to avoid that next time.
It was a tough decision to make but I opted for VBAC.
Sadly I ended up with a section anyway. DS was big and just didn't come down but at least I tried.
Pregnant again and will definately be having a csection this time.

My experience was a little similar to york , first baby delivered by crash section, under GA after failed attempt to induce, PROM and brow baby. Disaster all round, very traumatic for me.

2nd time, I asked for ELCS but was refused. So I went for HBAC rather than hospital VBAC. Had failure to progress and opted for CS after refused their proposed interventions, I didn't want another crash CS. I was happy enough with it - I tried but when it clearly wasn't working I made sure I avoided another terrifying experience.

It is quite likely your CS was due to them having to induce you - have you had some sort of debrief to look at what happened? It could well be that if you are able to labour spontaneously you could have a straightforward birth. I wrote a very firm birth plan for VB or CS.

I found a debrief with an independent MW helpful (no bias from a hospital MW) when reflecting on the first disaster and getting my questions answered.

I would think it is likely that your body was not really ready to be induced at 37 weeks and that might have contributed to the cs. Have you seen your notes? If not you can still request them from the hospital even if it is years later.

I had pre-eclampsia in my first pg and ended up with a cs at 34 weeks. It was not at all what I had wanted, although obviously I was very grateful that it had kept ds and I alive, I still found it very difficult emotionally. Desperately wanted VBAC second time round. I did get pre-eclampsia again but not until about 37 weeks and managed a spontaneous VBAC at 39+6 (perfect timing by dd as consultant had insisted on section at 40 weeks!).

It was absolutely worth it for me - but only you can decide what's right for you. Maybe it would help to have a chat with your mw? Will you get any extra care because of the PET last time round?

I had an induced labour and emergency section including GA with DS1. It wasnt as traumatic as yours sounded but it was several days of constant intervention when all I wanted was a home birth in my inflatable pool.
the experience left me quite traumatised and I should have had counselling - having 12 different sets of hands up you over 3 days is a lot - especially when the last one was a male paediatrician (fucking army major).

With DC2 I am having an elective - I go in tomorrow!! I have agonised over the decision but the hospital have been 100% fine about the decision. I have chosen this route to save my sanity as it took a very long time to get over the first.
I hope I have made the right choice - I made a thorough list of pros and cons even small niggles you think are a bit silly, not worth mentioning - they are just so you can see clearly what the most important thing is for you.

I had an induced labour and EMCS with DS1. I too found it traumatic and I did not manage to bf and it left me feeling depressed and guilty. I was totally unprepared mentally for the possibility of a CS happening.

2nd time around I had a debrief with the original hospital so I understood what had happened, a session with an independent midwife to discuss things, and in the end opted for a VBAC. This was based on practical considerations (not wanting to be incapacitated with a baby and toddler). What I feared was the same thing happening - 1 hour labour, long transition, and pushing, ending in a EMCS. It all did happen pretty similarly, but with the help of vetouse, he was delivered vaginally.

What made the difference was feeling in control. I won't deny there was a feeling of laying the bad feeling to rest by delivering vaginally, BUT I think the main difference was feeling in control - CS or no CS.

ALSO In the end, My recovery from the VBAC was probably worse than from the emcs - 2nd degree tear, bad piles, and blood transfusion.

I think, in your position, I'd opt for the ELCS.

Sorry this was long!

13 hour labour, not 1 hour labour!

I think it depends entirely on what?s important to you and what you want from your birth. Some people say that they feel they have missed out by not giving birth naturally when they have a caesarean, for me personally this was not an issue.

I was induced a week early as I developed preeclampsia. To cut a very long story short, like so many of the posters on this thread, I was in ?labour? (if you can call it that) for three days and failed to progress... despite having three shots at the gel, a hormone drip and my waters broken. Eventually I developed a fever and as this put both baby and I at risk, I had an emergency section.

My thoughts at the moment are that I will be opting for a caesarean when I (hopefully) have baby number two. Of course I would have liked to ?give birth? and the recovery after a section is so unbelievably painful, but I know a planned caesarean would make me feel more in control. I found the vaginal examinations (I have lost count of how many!) unbearable and the anxiety felt over the three days was something I would like to avoid next time.

Congratulations xx

Rmembers - God yes - I had no idea how painful and upsetting the examinations would be. I had nasty almost-flashbacks when I had my Mirena coil put in. I actually sobbed in distress

Jamie I am so pleased to hear I am not the only one. I felt like such a wimp when I asked for gas and air to have the first examinations, it even hurt with the epidural. Absolute agony!

Thank you all so much for these responses. It's given me a lot to think about. I was completely unprepared for the possibility that I'd have a section. It never once entered my head. I also couldnt breast feed afterwards which completely tipped me over the edge. If I'm honest of course I'd love a successful VBAC but as that's not a cert I don't know if I'd be doing it for all the wrong reasons ie. to prove that my body does actually work properly!!! What I definitely don't want is to be damaged mentally and physically by another traumatic experience and I suppose if I think about it properly, to push for an ELCS would illuminate this. This will be my last baby and I feel like its such a huge decision and I'm really struggling to make it. Also, I don't even know if the hospital would allow me a section anyway??? Maybe I should just leave it to mother nature and hopefully she'll be kinder to me than a rushed, emergency section was. Xxx

I had a vbac that ended up quite badly with huge pph but I'm still so glad I did all I could towards a natural birth and saw baby delivered onto my tummy. In my case I think I would have always wondered what if about a natural birth if I'd had another section. I took a long time to recover from the section too and I really wanted to be able to hug and lift my daughter after the birth and not have her feel pushed away.

I did talk to a supervisor of midwives about my fears thougp and had a good birth plan in place.