"Support for imminent VBACers" thread?

[pendulum]

Hi there,
I am 38 weeks today and planning a VBAC after my el CS for breech.

I haven't spent much time on the ante natal threads because I couldn't keep up with them! But now I am on mat leave and due date is approaching I would love to chat to anyone else hoping for a VBAC in the near future.

Is there anyone else out there, or another thread I can join? (Am just heading to docs to check baby position but will log in again later!)

Thanks
p xx

I had an internal yesterday, the mw tried to do a sweep but my cervix is closed, though soft and anterior, apparently I'd be perfect for labour except for the dilation, baby is in a great position and everything else is ticking the boxes I just need to dilate!

Called my hospital to cancel the CS this morning and am waiting for a doctor to call me back, which is bloody annoying, I've spent half the morning throwing up and just want to go back to bed

Oooh I think VS is kicking off......please post us a birth announcement in the morning!

Can I join you? I've been lurking on this thread after VS pointed me to it when I first found out I was pregnant. sounds like baby VS is on the way . Is she having her VBAC?

I'm now about 10-11 weeks, had mw appointment today and listened to baby's heartbeat and the MW berate me for five minutes over the fact that I would prefer a VBA2C. She said that "they (the hospital) won't let you have a normal delivery". I pointed out that they couldn't force me, so she banged on about risks and the fact that it'll only be 17 months since my last section, then continued to huff and puff for five minutes.

I need some positive vibes and a heap of information to arm myself with at my consultant's appointment.

lackadaisycal - you don't have to go see the consultant you know. Nor do you have to pay any heed to the doom-mongering. I'm planning a HBAC. May I suggest you get the Vaginal Birth After Caesarian book which has just come out, really good. It's short only a hundred or so pages but it just ironed out all the mythology for me prior to my consultant appointment.

This one www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904750214

chocolate - thanks for that book ref.

I had a VBAC with dd 2 years ago, but it has made no difference whatsover to my status with the hospital for baby no3. DD's birth was intervention free and complication free. But it's like it never happened!

I'm still high risk.

I will still have to have CFM - and I've asked for various compromises on this to no avail.

I have SPD, but will have to deliver in the lithotomy position in order to accomodate CFM. This happened with dd's birth and my SPD continued for another 18 months afterwards as a result.

I'm v v v angry now. I'm 38 weeks and could go at any time (ds was 38 weeks).

Rant rant rant.

bobsmum

they can't MAKE you do anything & to do so against your wishes would technically be common assault.

For my planned VBAC last Oct (ended up with another c/s, long story...) I saw the consultant after they tried the usual "must have CFM" etc.

After a long chat with him, he was happy I understood the risks agreed no CFM unless intermittent monitoring indicated there may be a problem, maximum mobility, & even agreed to let me labour in the water pool (I agreed to get out for the actual delivery)

Have you tried speaking to your local supervisor of midwives? I found mine a great help & her support helped me win the consultant round. (I was apparently the first person to request a water VBAC)

Poor you with SPD, I had it for both pregnancies too, and the lithomy position will NOT help things

VS

that's good news if your cervix is soft, as it's starting to think about thinking about dilating

I'm sending it "hurry up" vibes as I type!

lackadaisycal

check the very first page of this thread, there's a post with loads of useful links altogether.

Shout up if you have questions, there are loads of people around who have had (or planned, like me, but DS had other ideas ) VBACs who can answer any questions or point you at more info.

make that the second page of this thread, now I've checked....

thanks for the welcome

and the link to the book, it's in my shopping basket already

there seems to be a real "once a section:always a section" vibe around these parts, but that may just be my MW. My GP said that as I'd dilated normally in my first labour, getting to 9.5cms in eight hours, there shouldn't be a problem doing it again. I only needed the section as I'd started pushing too early (was told I could ) and the rim of my cervix went all knotty and wouldn't budge. second time I bottled it and went elective, but wish now that I'd gone for a VBAC. My recovery was so slow and painful, and as it's still so fresh in my memory (DDis only 10 months), I'm in no hurry to put myself through that again (especially with a 17mo old toddler to look after as well)

I'm off to check out the links on page 2.

thanks again.

Good Luck VS

bobsmum, stay at home as long as you possibly can, then there is less chance of you being 'forced' into anything

write on your birth plan in big red letters

INTERMITTENT MONITORING ONLY, I HAVE MADE AN INFORMED CHOICE TO REFUSE CFM

I WILL NOT GIVE BIRTH IN THE LITHOTOMY POSITION DUE TO SPD, I WILL ADOPT THE POSITION MOST COMFORTABLE FOR ME

lying on your left side can be better for SPD as can all fours...

have a look at www.pelvicpartnership.org for more info

make sure your DH and any other birth partners are up to speed on what you want

staying at home as long as you can gives you a good chance of arriving at hospital in good established labour ..

if you think you have left it too late to get to the hospital safely then call labour ward and ask them to send someone out to you, or call 999

lacksaDAISYcal, as has been said, no reason at all you cannot got for a VBA2C, sounds like your first labour only ended in c.s as you were pushing on an anterior lip of cervix, which made it swell , so could not dilate the last bit and it can also make it to thick for baby to descend through...

something that is very unlikely to recur in a nther labour, if you get the urge to push before full dilation, breathing tecnhiques can help, as can lying in the knee chest position which takes the pressure off the cervix.

thanks lulu. I think that's what it said in my notes .

My MW said yesterday that as it would be less than 2 years since my last section my chances of rupture would ge greater. I've done a bit of research on this and I was of the opinion that you are pretty much healed after a few months and the gap shouldn't make much of a difference. Or if it does, it's more likely that an older scar will rupture than a more recent one. If anyone can clarify this I'd be v v greatful

i don;t have the stats to hand, but the risk is not that great at all. there is no particular increase . WMMC has so much fab info on it

the risk of rupture is small anyway, but they are right to tell you of the risk, but not to exaggerate it

Daisy, you have a 2-3x greater risk of a rupture if the scar is less than 24months old.
This increases 0.5% to around 1.5% tops.
So yes, your risk is higher, but still minute.

Sorry, no birth announcement yet!

thanks VS

how are things?

Well, I'm still here!
Due today so let's hope LO can read dates

good luck; are you doing all the usual things to try and get things moving?

LOL, YES!
I've been doing everything, Just waitng for kick off, baby is in perfect position and cervix is ripe just not dialted so hopefully won't be too much longer.

Bobsmum - I find cackling maniacally when they suggest 'their procedures' and then saying 'I'll be glad to read the research which supports that view before making my decision' works. Silly buggers.

VS come on woman, what are waiting for: You don't want to be in the Radcliffe at the weekend now do you?

bobsmum, just say 'I appreciate your advice and am aware of the risks, but I don't want to do it that way'.

It is just advice after all, they can't tell you to do anything.

hiya can I join, it a bit long I'm afraid. I'm by no means "imminent" currently 14weeks but i have an appointment at the obs clinic in a couple of weeks to discuss birth I want to try for a VBAC. I just want to be prepared for a fight if I have too..

It will be 5 ys since my last section which I think is good.
I had my cs cos when I went in for a check because of reduced fetal moment at 40week they found a) he was breech (not a bony bottom as the mw had thought!!!) and b) I had no amniotic fluid. So he was whipped out that evening. I will have a look at the links on page 1/2

So although I have a log time between sections I have never had a contraction and also I am a tad on the old side (42 when the baby is due). I can't find anything about age being a factor against VBAC but does anyone know other wise. Also worried cos of the loss of amniotic fluid last time that I may not get to term if it disappears again, is it happening once predictive it will happen again?

VS I hope you are having contractions as as I type

Hi Hedgepig

I was 40 when DS was due (only a week short of 41 ) - 23months after having DD by em c/s (induced after waters broke because my BP had rocketed, ended up with fetal distress )

Age in itself isn't a risk for VBAC, but as you know age increases the risk of pregnancy complications generally, and as most hospitals are reluctant to induce if you had a c/s (for good reason as it increases the risk of rupture) if you do have any complications this time round (fingers crossed you won't) & they need to get bubs out sooner rather than later then it will mean another c/s.

I ended up not getting my VBAC in the end, I had an elective c/s at 40+10 - this is the short version of the story - DS had disengaged & gone into an oblique lie, my BP was getting too high & there was no sign from my cervix of imminent action.

I really really wanted a VBAC, but I feel a lot better about another c/s than I thought I would as I feel like I was "in control" this time round. I will still feel sad I will never experience natural birth (DS is definitely my last) but I feel way better about it than I thought I would have done beforehand.

Sorry I don't know the answer to your
amnoitic fluid qu.

If you've any questions about VBAC though don't be shy there are plenty of people on here who planned VBACs (and I'm the exception not the rule, most people do seem to manage it )

Bobsmum -- you can just say no on the day. I kind of accidentally did (didn't object to CFM in theory, but arrived at hospital at 9cm and dancing around delivery room, standing still to attach monitor (to get a trace at all, midwife wasn't even thinking about CFM at that point) just wasn't happening and when she suggested it I just said "I can't" and danced off again). She didn't get to monitor me at all, even intermittently, until I was about to push and decided that I liked right lateral position and was going to stay like that (which reminds me that left lateral is supposed to be a good delivery position for SPD, and if I could be monitored in right lateral I'm sure you could be monitored in left lateral).

So agree with previous advice -- stay out of hospital for as long as possible and be prepared to be firm, stroppy if necessary, when you get there. In the end I had a VBAC with no CFM, virtually no intermittent monitoring (they did get a few minutes' worth of trace to put in my notes), no canula or IV and chose my own position, and without ever officially refusing any of that stuff before I went into labour. When it comes down to it the people you see at antenatal appointments are concerned wth policy, while the midwife in attendance on the day will probably be happy to be able to write "bobsmum declined CFM" on your notes and let you get on with it, especially if you perfect the "mad woman in labour" glint in your eye.