EMCS 1st time, assisted VBAC 2nd time, induction or ELCS this time? WWYD?!!

[Ali2girls]

Am 39 + 3 so hoping I will go into labour myself over next few days. BUT got OC (excessive itching) so been told baby has to be out by friday. They will induce me if I want but not sure I do - especially after having an EMCS with my first. Was hoping for a lovely natural birth this time but thinking I need to get over that now! Anyone had any similar experiences or thoughts about induction after a previous c section?
Many thanks!

Well, I thought I'd gone back in time and posted this thread myself 4 years ago

So, I had an em c-s under GA, followed by forceps VBAC. Third time round, I had an induction at 40 weeks and it was fantastic! The hospital I went to does not use pessaries for VBAC inductions, only the synto drip. I was offered the option of having an epidural before the synto was started or waiting to see if I felt I needed it. I chose the epi, this was sited and the MW made sure it was OK before starting the synto. DH and I then napped (!) while the synto did its thang - well, I dozed a little but certainly no great effort required on my part. When I needed to push, the MW got it all organised, got DH organised and 29 minutes later, DD3 was born. I had had some nasty tearing when DD2 was born, so the epi was helpful in that it was easy to hold back and wait for her head to slip out rather than risking any further tearing.

Based on my experience, I would recommend the induction. It was very peaceful and calm and the best of my birth experiences by a country mile! However (there's always a but!) a large part of that was down to the MW who looked after me. She was so calm and left us to get on with it to a large extent. This suited DH and I, as we didn't really want a lot of attention and being left to ourselves was a Good Thing but I could see this might not suit everyone.

HTH. Anything else you want to know, just ask!

wow thanks - strange how such a similar set of experiences! This has made me reconsider induction. Were you worried about effect induction might have on your scar? I'm also worried that induction will end up leading to another assisted delivery and more damage downstairs! But certainly now know that epidural is a good option.

I wasn't too stressed about the effect of induction on my scar, as I felt it had had a pretty good trial during DD2's birth. Plus, I had CFM, which I know a lot of people don't like, but it did reassure me. I also gave birth to all three children in a very well-known teaching maternity hospital, so felt that all the right people and equipment were on hand should anything go wrong.

Regarding assisted delivery, as I'd already had one vaginal birth, things were a bit more stretched down there than previously, so I thought that assitance was less likely to be required. When I was planning my VBAC with DD2, the consultant did say to me that, while there was no reason why i shouldn't be able to deliver vaginally, I should think of the second stage of labour more as my first birth rather than second, as DD1 hadn't made it down into the birth canal (brow presentation, got stuck).

I should also say that I was quite distressed by my c-s, and it took me a while to get over it, so I really really didn't want another one, so my decisions were always made with a bias towards VBAC if at all possible. This is not the case for everyone - c-s can be great but it just wasnt for me. My recovery took quite a long time and it was all so much easier for me with DD2 than DD1 that I was quite set against a c-s. Of course it was easier, DD2 was my second baby and I was so much more relaxed with her than with pore ol' DD1

Thanks so much - I feel a lot more reassured whatever option I go for. I certainly found the VBAC quicker to get over than the EMCS but was still very sore for quite a while. They are going to give me a sweep tomorrow to see if that will get me started so will see how that goes! Thanks again!