Come talk to me about your VBAC

[MrsGiraffe12]

Hi ladies

I had an emergency c section with my eldest due to pre eclampsia 2 months early

Originally I wanted to have an elective c section but now giving it some thought, what with having an older child I'd like to give Vbac a bash.

Will continuous monotering mean I'm strapped to a bed or can I move around? Will I be allowed an epidural if I want one?

So many questions

Tell me your experiences please ladies x

Hi, I wanted an effective c.s after having ecs with my eldest, but dd came 8 weeks early, do all the carefully laid plans of help and time of were shot anyway. So I had a Vb and I'm so glad I did.

Yes, it hurt like fuckery, because she was so early I couldn't have drugs, but comparing that with the recovery time? Definitely worth considering. And dp loved it too :)

I had a vbac 3 months ago (my first was elcs for breech) and it was painful, horrifying, awesome and so so so much better than the section. I would do it again tomorrow. For me it couldn't have gone better - ds was born an hour after we got to hospital, straightforward, not even any stitches. It was so wonderful to see and hold him immediately, and to be able to go home quickly afterwards, he was a much more chilled out baby, it just felt 'right'. I realise I was very lucky but thought I'd share a positive story.
I had been worried about the monitoring, but in the end it didn't really happen (was 8cm when we got to the hospital). They put a monitoring belt on but I hardly noticed - I delivered kneeling against the head of the bed and only remembered the monitoring belt when I got tangled in the wires turning round to sit and hold ds. So it didn't get in the way and I was encouraged by the midwives to stay upright. I don't know about the epidural, wouldn't have had one unless desperate as being paralysed/numb was one of the things I hated most about my elcs.

Another pretty positive experience here. I was fully prepared to go for a es again if I needed to but decided to give vbac a go. I didn't have a real birth plan because it hadnt worked out the way I wanted it too the first time, although it is thanks to that section that I have a gorgeous son. Ds2 was born after a stop start labour and he arrived in a hurry, I only had gas and air because there was no time, my body knew what it was doing so much better second time around. I did have stitches but after having had a cs they werent too bad and they healed up well, and quickly. I didnt manage to deliver kneeling like I wanted because it was too uncomfortable to move by the time I wanted to get up. Overall I was much more satisfied with the way my vbac went but I was prepared for another section because it is always a risk. Congratulations and good luck, however you decide to do it.

I had a caesarean with DS and VBAC with twins 20 months later. I'm glad I've had both experiences, and the twins' birth was just fine - like thisisnot I didn't have any sort of plan as they were early (and were meant to be a caesarean two weeks later, but clearly weren't paying attention..) but instead was desperately trying to remember all my NCT stuff from first time round.

I was able to move around and not at all strapped to the bed - I was monitored closely, but think this was more to do with the fact it was twins than VBAC.

I bounced on a ball and all those sorts of things, and didn't have any drugs bar gas and air (though I did want an epidural - it just all happened too fast in the end) - but I don't think there was any reason I couldn't have had one.

Best of luck whatever you end up doing, MrsGiraffe.

I had a VBAC after section first time around for big baby at 15 days overdue. Wasn't really necessary. As it happened laboured v quickly and arrived at hosp at 10cm. Dd arrived a few minutes later so no time for monitoring.

Then had twins by section then had VBAC2 with dd2. Another quick labour (4 hours ish). I did my research before both and it seems quick labours with few interventions seem to be fairly low risk. If labour had been l

...had been long then I might have bailed and gone for section because that's when must problems with the scar tend to happen.

It's a v personal decision. It turned out ok for me both times.
Good luck with your decision.

I had 3vbacs after dc1 (elcs). I loved my elcs and if dc5 was ever to happen then I would be very happy to have either an elcs or another vbac as all have been very positive experiences!

First vbac I was monitored and stayed on the bed, delivered on my back as didn't really know I could do otherwise. Had a second (I think?) degree tear. Had gas & air and pethidine but was fairly quick so no epidural offered.

Second vbac was faster, no time for monitoring and gave birth standing up with no pain relief, tore along the scar from first vbac. Was home 12 hours after dc3 was born which was brilliant!

Third vbac I was monitored as dc4 has heart problems but I refused to stay on the bed. Gas and air again but no offer of epidural. Gave birth kneeling on bed and tore along existing scar and then some :-(

Oh just wanted to say had to move hospitals to find a consultant to support a second VBAC. Wasn't v popular idea with other hosp. And in fact my consultant said he wouldn't have been do keen if he'd known before hand baby was going to be 9lbs 9oz although I'm not really sure what difference that makes. And he wasn't going to let me go overdue at all so quite lucky that she arrived on her due date.
Sorry to ramble but hope my experience my help.

Fabulous, thankyou so much ladies, lots of wonderfully positive stories here :-) I think I'm set on a vbac now. Just need to see if my consultant will agree, at midwife appointments they seem happy for me to do either but seem to think I'll have trouble getting my consultant to agree :-(

I had a Registrar insist that I needed a second C-section as baby would be too big to deliver naturally. Consultant was happy to over rule as I wanted a VBAC. He came out at 9lbs so much smaller than his older brother and about a lb smaller than was expected.

He was delivered by ventouse as they lost his heart beat so second degree tear, not nice. I lost too much blood and had to stay in for three days with anaemia. But on day 5 I went to the supermarket! I have been up and about much faster and although I have had some complications it is nowhere near what I was like for DS, where after emcs I was in a drugged up haze for over a week.

I was on the bed by choice, could have stood up and moved around a bit but they only have one wireless monitoring thing and I wasn't bothered. Early labour (until about 5cm) I was walking around as this seemed to progress labour quicker.

Despite ventouse I delivered with gas and air only. Not deliberately really, it hurt. I just left it too late to ask for pethidine.

Also seen a big difference in DS1 and DS2. DS1 was sleepy and didn't feed well for days, lost more than 10% of his weight and was a bit of a worry, probably because of his traumatic birth. DS2 was happily munching away within an hour of delivery (took nearly an hour to stitch me up so not an option before) and only lost 5% of his weight, was only a bit sleepy for 24 hours etc. He is much more alert and much less battered despite the ventouse.

Sorry if that doesn't make much sense!

I had dd via a vbac and it was fine, but I had had a normal birth before the c section which had gone ok so I was happy to try a vbac and I'm so glad I did, it all went well and dd was 10lb with no problems whatsoever.

Keep me coming ladies. Each one I read makes me more determined to try. Even if I do need an emergency c section a least I will have tried to do it myself and I think that's what I missed with DS birth x

It's great to hear some positive VBAC stories - I'm aiming for one with this pregnancy after an EMCS for undiagnosed breech with my DD nearly 4 years ago. There are a few reasons I'd like one, but the main one is (hopefully) a quicker recovery, as I'll have 2 kids to care for (argh!).

OP - hope your appointment goes well. I had a really good meeting with a consultant to discuss birth options recently, and she was really supportive and informative. I was worried about being continuously monitored too as I imagined this to mean strapped to a bed, but I've been told the hospital has telemetry monitors (like radio transmitter) so I can be really mobile and even use a pool if I'd like. I was pleasantly surprised by this! She also told me about mobile epidurals, so that's on my list of preferred pain relief options if I need it. I will be giving birth at a major hospital with large maternity unit though, so I don't know if these are things (telemetry) are available everywhere. A poster on another thread said her hospital didn't (see my other posts on threads for info).

Hope it goes well.

Another positive story here. Ds1 was c-section and I was desperate for a vbac. Fortunately the consultant was pro-vbac although in the end ds2 decided to come early and I was already 8cm dilated before I realised I was in labour so not much monitoring. Birth went well apart from the ventose bit due to ds 2 getting tired/distressed but 12 hours later I was shopping. Went for 2nd vbac with ds3 and only agreed to intermittent monitoring during the 1st stage. Had continuous in the pushing stage but was ok with that as ds3 also didn't,t like the pushing stage either and had another ventouse. Not my ideal birth but much preferable to a c-section.