VBACers support thread

[Coldest]

I know there are a multitude of threads on this but was hoping for a thread where is anyone is at the same boat as me.

Had an EMCS with my first at full dilatation and after 12 hours of labour due to fetal distress but I feel that care was really mismanaged and I probably could have b even birth vaginally if I had been allowed off the bed but for reasons which the midwife couldn't justify later I was on ctg and not allowed off the bed. The resulting section was very difficult to recover from but 2 years later I feel fully recovered. Am 25 weeks now.

After all my research I have hired a doula this time and hoping for a VBAC but after the consultant appointment yesterday I am feeling quite wobbly. Feeling like an ELCS would be better. Also I was talking to friends and colleagues who say that they still feel quite tatterted vaginally after y even birth quite a few years ago while feel completely recovered ROM my section. So maybe a section wouldn't be so bad.

Anyway sorry for the long intro but I am sure I will oscillate from VBAC to ELCS throughout this pregnancy so would appreciate to chat with those in a similar situation.

Like other pp have said I chose to go for VBAC partly because I had a two year old to look after as well as a new baby. But an even bigger factor was that I hadn't even got close to labour with my first baby. DS was delivered at 31 week as I was very ill. I felt totally robbed of my last couple of months of pregnancy and none of the experience was what I expected. So I wanted to feel contractions and birth vaginally if possible. I went on a couple of preparation courses to try to help me feel in control of the process as far as possible. Relaxation/breathing techniques etc. I wanted to have a positive outlook and maybe I just got lucky but I felt that being in the 'zone' must've helped.

For me I'd rather VBAC because I found the recovery seriously grim. I know an ELCS is supposed to be better, but I'd go to a fair length to avoid that again. The labour part, though not fun, was over as soon as it was finished, where it was a good 6 weeks before I was even walking normally with the scar.
Like many others, the combination of that recovery with a toddler does not appeal
Also, I sleep badly in hospital, so want out ASAP

BurningGubbins any updates?

No news from me!
I have a scan this week (32) which will hopefully confirm that the placenta is well away from the cervix, and baby is head down, and we're on for a VBAC...

Got home from the hospital late last night with our new bundle, so in a bit of a fog...
I went for the ELCS in the end as my blood pressure started to do funny things at the beginning of the week and I wanted the certainty. We arrived at the hospital at 7.45 and our new son was born by 9.50! It was a very calm and controlled experience that I would recommend, not least because I was then in a room with 2 women whose babies were in special care after difficult deliveries and another who ended up with an EMCS after her home birth didn't work out. Any niggling thoughts I had about taking the easy option were quashed hearing them all cry at different points because of how things had turned out.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a walk in the park and I am sore, but I'm mobile and was discharged after 48 hours. Definitely the right decision for us (my first son is 4 so easier to wrangle in this state), and I wish you all the best of luck in working out what the best result is for you.

Congratulations!

Congratulations BurningGubbins. I do oscillate between ELCS and VBAC. would hate another EMCS

Forgot to say for you and your little arrival.

How lovely to be home and snuggling!
I'm glad you felt that you'd made the right choice - that's the outcome we're all hoping for I reckon.
Give the little one a sniff for me!

So pleased to find this thread! I am currently 28 weeks with my second child. I had my son by emcs after failure to progress at 8cm after a 4 day induction and 20hr active labour. I feel it could have been different without the induction (due to borderline pre-eclampsia at 40+2) and the stress of being an inpatient for a week.

This time I have hired a private midwife, pro Vbac, and am doing everything to go naturally. I have read a low GI diet helps to produce receptors for prostaglandin, which start labour. So from 30 weeks on I am going to try that. Also acupuncture and reflexology from 36 weeks.

Fingers crossed for everyone here and I loved reading the positive stories :)

Just want to keep this thread in my I'm on.
How is everyone doing? Am 30 weeks now. Have a meeting with my doula in the coming week where we discuss birth plans etc.

Salzundressing welcome aboard.

I've got my consultant appointment on Thursday, I'm only 21 weeks so it has come round sooner than I expected. I'm currently putting together a list of questions to ask the consultant, with the help of old threads on here, the RCOG and NICE guidelines and Google. When it's finished, I'll post it on here.

I'm 30 weeks too coldest.

It's just a waiting game for me to see if she's head down. I don't really know what head down feels like tbh! I would say she's definitely not in a classic breech position like my son because I could feel his head and shoulder at the top, but I do wonder if she might be transverse?

Anyway, it's out of my hands and my midwife at my 28 week appt didn't feel for position as she said it was too early.

Hi, new to the thread but now 30 weeks and starting to pull my head out of the sand over impending vbac, my 19 month old daughter was breech, I was booked in for elcs but she came early so had a traumatic labour (alone) and emcs at 7cms dilated (due to lack of surgeons available!) I'm at the same hospital this time but have a much more supportive partner so hoping for a calmer experience, anyway anxious about having to be monitored, was hoping for water but not getting my hopes up
Pushing for a scan at 34wks to check position, my recovery last time was hell, had to stay in hospital for a week while they ran 100%s of tests on my daughter & had horrendous PND due to husband leaving 4 someone else so everyone seems to be 'looking after me' this time, think I'm strong enough now to shout up too if I'm not happy with what's going on
Good luck everyone!

These are the VBAC Questions I have prepared to ask the Consultant...

Do you have my labour notes from labour 1. Have you reviewed them. Can you summarise them for me? Can I request a copy of my notes?
Having reviewed them, do you think it is physically possible for me to have a vaginal birth, should I so choose?
Among women who attempt a VBAC after prior caesarean delivery, what is the vaginal delivery rate at this hospital and the factors that influence it?
What are the non-medical factors that influence VBAC success rates? Birth position for example? Is there any way of checking before labour what position the baby is in? Scans, examinations etc – it wasn’t picked up that baby1 was back to back (if she was).
What are the benefits and harms to the mother of attempting a VBAC after prior caesarean versus ERCS caesarean delivery, and what factors influence benefits and harms?
What are the benefits and harms to the baby of maternal attempt at a VBAC after prior caesarean versus elective repeat caesarean delivery, and what factors influence benefits and harms?
If I do attempt a VBAC, and the same situation appears to be happening i.e irregular contractions, suggesting malpositioned baby – what will the procedure be (i.e Augmentation – are any methods not recommended for VBAC) and how long will you let a stalling labour continue for in the absence of foetal distress, before a CS decision is made?
Can I refuse forceps?
Pain management during VBAC – are my pain management options more limited due to link between pain in scar area and rupture, or is monitoring a sufficient indicator should I require/wish to have an epidural?
Is continuous monitoring mandatory and if it is, or I prefer to have it, are there facilities to be monitored in a birthing pool at this hospital? What are the options for continuous monitoring?
Should I plan for early hospitalisation – ie if waters break or contractions start naturally to allow for monitoring. What is the general practise in this hospital? When would I be told to come in?
Do you induce labour where there is a prior history of EMCS? What induction practices do you use? Can I refuse any?
What about if I think my dates are different to my due date?
Is there any way to predict uterine rupture – pain in pregnancy and/or labour, scan to measure scar thickness?
Given my previous labour, what do you think my chances of a successful vbac are?

ELCS Questions

What are the key maternal risks I should be aware of with an ELCS and at what rate do the incidences of these types of injuries rise with multiple caesareans?

What are the key risks to the infant I should be aware of with an ELCS?

Will my post op recovery period be shorter/longer with a second CS? Internally due to repeat surgery or shorter due to fewer drugs, lack of labour etc?

Will the incision be in the same spot or will I have two scars?

Do you recommend an ELCS or a VBAC? Is it my choice?

If you recommend an ELCS or if I choose to have one (assuming I have the choice), when will it take place? Week and date?

I have based these on some very useful questions that another poster on here used, I will try to find the thread and link it. I've tailored them to my situation and concerns, and I've also used the NICE and RCOG guidelines. Appointment is tomorrow, I'll keep you posted!!

Those sound like good questions to ask. I had a VBAC after EMCS with full dilation and had many similar concerns. The things I remember about my VBAC were:

1. I had assumed I would have to go in early to hospital early so they could monitor me but they didn't want me in any earlier than my first labour. I was 6cm dilated when I arrived.
2. I had requested intermittent monitoring only but was put on continuous, probably because I was fully dilated soon after arriving. It actually wasn't a problem because I didn't feel able to stand or walk about at that stage anyway and was still able to get into different positions, eg hands and knees.
3. I had written on my birth plan that I refused any sort of augmentation by drip because of the risk of rupture, although they told me the increased risk was very small.
4. I suffered a bad tear (3b) which required stitching up on theatre. The recovery was still much quicker than my (relatively straightforward) EMCS recovery. I didn't enjoy the experience but think VBAC was the right decision for me. I got the impression from my hospital that VBAC is very commonplace and they are used to dealing with them.

In theatre, not on theatre.

Great list of questions.

I am.beginning to feel quite positive about my VBAC. I have found my doula to be very useful.support and someone to call on to discuss my concerns as my partner is very dismissive of my worries and concerns and a bit head in sand about it all.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/2408316-VBAC-or-C-Section-please-help-me-think-it-through

This is the thread that I based my questions on.
Big thanks to TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams

Well, I had my appointment with the consultant yesterday and I am feeling really pleased and positive!! He reviewed my notes from DD's birth with me and confirmed that what I thought happened is what actually happened! Because of the exhaustion and the drugs, my memory of DD's birth has very big gaps in it and is generally quite hazy. He went through everything and told me why it had ended up with the emcs and told me that there wasn't really much that anyone could have done to change the outcome (once the interventions had started anyway) which has actually made me feel loads better, knowing that it wasn't anything I did "wrong".
Basically DD started to do what a lot of babies do during labour, which is to go from occiput posterior (i.e. back to back) to occiput anterior (i.e. the right way up) but she stopped half way round and was in a position called occiput transverse. So she was effectively back to hip, so the longest part of her head, from front to back, was trying to come through the narrowest part of my pelvis.
Apparently the doctor who delivered DD had 3 goes with the ventouse to try to turn her round before he gave up! I hadn't realised it was so many.

The consultant was totally supportive when I said I wanted to try for a VBAC and said that he thinks I've got a good chance, he put it as high as 80-90% which seems a bit optimistic but we will see! Apparently, not only the fact that I got to 10 cms stands in my favour, so my pelvis has been "tested" and my body has laboured that far. But also, and this is a lovely little detail that I had forgotten blanked out DD had got so far down, into a position that they called a "deep transverse arrest" despite the fact that she was coming out sideways, that in order to do the CS, the midwife had to push her back up! Nice. But he seems to think this is a good thing....

And all my pain relief options are open to me, and they do wireless monitoring, and they won't induce me really any earlier than they would in normal circumstances. All they really want is for me to come in a bit earlier once I go into labour for monitoring. So its basically all systems go, providing this baby decides to get itself into a sensible position!

Seems like quite a productive appointment.
I had a growth scan today and baby is doing well. Head down but that may change. However the placenta is well out of the way and on the back wall so hopfullg can avoid another back to back.

How may weeks are you baskingTrout

Eeek i'm so nervous!
I've been refused an ELCS with my current pregnancy because there's 'no medical reason' I shouldn't go for a VBAC.
I had an emergency csec at 38+4 with my little boy after being rushed in with severe Pre-Eclampsia. I recovered amazingly from the CSEC but I'd never want another under 'emergency' circumstances! It was so rushed, I was terrified, in complete shock & barely remember holding my son for the first time! :(

Funnily enough i'm exactly 38+4 with my current baby and feeling alot of anxiety about the birth! I've never experienced labour, not even a little contraction so I think my mind is in overdrive & I can't help finding myself thinking about all the things that could go wrong...!
But it's nice to see lots of positive outcomes on the VBAC front, I just hope it's the same for me!! Eeek!

Natalieboston it is always the fear of unknown. I did experience labour but never got to push so I m terrified of the actual pushing .

coldest I'm only 21 weeks. I've got another appointment in 8 weeks time, presumably to check nothing has changed and that I've not had a massive wobble in the meantime and now want an elcs.