"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

Sole of discretion. My name is Claire by the way

I had a VBAC in April. You can do it! Sending positive vibes!

My first child was born in April 2005 by emergency C.

My consultant nearly fell off his chair when I said I wanted a VBAC for my second child.

I slapped on the TENS machine at the first sign of a niggle and I swear that helped the pain massively. I heard that having an epidural can increase chances of C-section so wanted to avoid an epidural.

They wanted to continously monitor me at the hospital in case of rupture of the old scar. Rupture is extremely rare and you would feel it for sure without a monitor! I said they could monitor me intermittently as I feared that I would have to lie down. Intermittent monitoring was fine.

The hospital staff can't make you do anything you don't want to. Remember you can choose what you want for the birth of your baby.

Move around alot. Stay upright. Use gas and air. Most of all, be positive and believe in your body and that you can do it. Have faith in your body. Sounds naff and new age but it's true.

Ladies I posted on here a few days ago when I was trying to decide between vbac and elective section. Well I've decided to go for the section - no better reason after agonising through all thepros and cons than that it feels like the right decision for me (which I guess is probably the best reason there is!) May go for vbac if I go into labour early - will see how the land lies when I go into hospital....

Anyway just wanted to say very good luck to all of you and will be keeping my fingers crossed that you all get the births you want x

I'm still keep going back to the idea of a water birth.

I wanted one first time around but wasn't "allowed" due to high BP (and was naive enough to believe this "allowed" nonsense!)

I have asked this time (BP behaving so far) but again been told it's not "allowed" this time as I'm VBAC.

I'm not 100% definite I want one, but think it could help as I have SPD & also want to try & labour without chemical pain relief. I'm just not sure I have the energy for a "fight" to get it.

I have a consultant appt booked for 36wks (currently 33wks) to discuss "mode of delivery"

What's the best way to broach this

1. Wait until consultant appt
2. Speak to supervisor of midwives (it's my community m/w that told me not allowed)
3. Any other suggestions?

anyone got any good links on the safety of waterbirth for VBAC? (I'm going to refuse CFM unless the intermittent monitoring suggests there is a problem, so that takes away one of their reasons for refusing)

Hiya all ? am now at 37 weeks ... the countdown has begun!

Chirpy ? nice to see you ? not so nice to see the treatment you had at the hospital ? I went last week, and the consultant wasn?t there, so I went back yesterday and saw the man himself.

Vicky Buckley isn?t doula-ing at the moment ? she?s had to stop because of a family crisis ? the doula who was going to be with me last year, when I lost my babies, has agreed to take me on as a one-off, but there?s no others (around Cardiff at least) that I know of at the moment.

I?d suggest insisting that you see the consultant and that he writes in your notes about the telemetry ? as I?ve heard from others, the staff are hardly likely to go against something you have agreed with the consultant!

BetsyBoop ? I?d suggest you ask to be referred (quickly ) to the consultant midwife for your trust ? they have a role to promote ?normality? ? this is how I got all the concessions I?ve managed too!

Well, now for my news (drum roll please!!)

I had a very positive afternoon yesterday ? I had been to see the consultant last week, but he wasn?t there due to bereavement. When I spoke to the registrar, she was unable to make a decision, so I said I?d go back again today ?

So, went back to see the consultant today, had to wait quite a while as he started clinic late as he was doing an amnio. Anyway, when I got in, he asked me what the plan was - I told him that I was aiming to deliver in the water in the MLU, due to the pelvic pain (I have SPD), and the fact that I get such good pain relief from hydro. He then asked me whose ear I had been bending about this (his exact words!), but when I told him I'd been referred to JS(the consultant midwife), and through her had
seen DB (the senior midwife in MLU), his whole attitude relaxed!

He has written in my notes: "wants water for 1st and 2nd stages, at UHW, has seen DB liaised with JS), above plan agreed", and in the green bit (the intra-partum management plan), he's written: "aiming for SVD in MLU - waterbirth. Has seen DB regarding this"

He's also written "low threshold for lscs if transfer to CLU required" - I told him I didn't want to be fiddling around with drips and the like if things didn't go to plan ... he could see my point!

He wants to see me in 3 weeks to see how I'm getting on - hopefully I won't need that appointment, as that's my EDD!

I'm pretty happy with how it went - I know I didn't really need his approval, but I feel better that he knows what I intend doing and why.

He joked as I left that if I delivered on a Friday, that I should get them to beep him, so he could come down and see me - then he said "that's if they let me in through the door!"

So, all is on track for me to have a hospital water vbac ... something I never thought could be possible!

So, the moral of the story is to keep insisting calmly and firmly that this is what you intend to do ? get yourself referred to a consultant midwife ? and play havoc if people start patronising you!

Betsy - I have a reference for vbac and waterbirth ... in fact I used it when speaking to the senior midwife in the MLU - but I cn't find where I found it www-wise

The reference is :

MIDIRS Midwifery digest 14:1 2004

"labour and birth - Is the use of water in labour an option for women following a previous LSCS?"

(The answer by the way, is yes! )

Sorry, not read all the posts but can I just mention that we have several telemetry machines in our labour ward (made by philips) and all the transducers are waterproof and suitable for use in a birthing pool. So it it possible to have continuous monitoring and still labour and birth in the pool.

Cant recall ever seeing a VBACer in the L/W pool or even in the birth centre though, so well done for your acheivement and powers of persuasion, EJT .

Thanks for that info Mintpurple ...it makes me a bit that telemetry machines aren't a first choice rather than something that only comes out if somebody makes a fuss!

Hopefully, vbac in water will become more common ...

Hi all,

winkywola- thanks so much for your positive message. I think you are so right, there is nothing new age or lentil weavery about me normally but I think the best way to approach this is to believe in the power of your own body. Congrats on your great story!

alicet- good news that you have reached a decision, perhaps the hardest part is behind you now! As you say each of us has to make the decision that's right in our individual circumstances. Wishing you a great birth experience.

ejt, you sound rightly chuffed with yourself for bringing the hospital round to your view. Re water, just for the sake of comparison my consultant has said a water labour is "a possibility" provided that the intermittent monitoring does not reveal anything worrying and that I satisfy the standard criteria for use of the pool (including there actually being one available, which I gather is often the main problem...!)

She does however want me to have a cannula in my arm to make it easier to administer anaesthetic in an emergency situation, especially if I am in the pool because of the extra minutes involved in hauling a labouring woman out in a hurry. I think that sounds reasonable.

I'm now 39 weeks and getting rather impatient... have been feeling a bit sick with dodgy tum and twinges for a few days now, but no discernible pattern or strengthening.... guess the whole system is just limbering up. Having had my el cs at 39+3 last time I can't imagine going on for several more weeks.. please send me punctual baby vibes!

not specifically VBAC, but I've just come across this great reference, so I thought I'd share

thanks ejt

managed to find that MIDRIS article online - more by luck than anything else, as it was via a convoluted route I came across it while looking at other stuff

here it is if anyone else wants it.

Will try & get in touch with supervisor of midwives at our local hospital tomorrow

I'm so glad I've just found this thread as I'm now 40+5 and waiting for a VBAC (DS is 2.5 and was breech so I had an elective CS). I've had to really fight my corner to be allowed to have a water birth at the home birth centre, so I'm keeping everything crossed that something happens soon. In the meantime, this thread has given me some much needed inspiration and motivation!

I am still hoping for my VBAC too, now 39+6 and using independent midwives. I don't have another hospital appt until 41+4 so am praying lo arrives before they get their scalpels sharpened!! Am planning to stay at home as long as possible, with midwives in attendance and then go to private birth centre for birth. If any problems we are a wheelchair ride from my hospital.

This is going to work out right!!!!!????? .

The inspiring stories on this thread have just put me in a very good mood, I think I will go have a nap now!

has your baby turned OA canadianmum? I seem to recall you were worried about its position.

hi littlestar- how exciting you are nearly there- please keep us up to date and let us know how things go for you!

Well, I have an update!
Had really sharp pains in my side on Saturday and by sunday, after paracetemol and bath I could barely walk, so I went into labour ward just to be checked out (is 'just' a pulled muscle, heat pads helped, hospital didn't!) but anyway...the midwife I saw in teh ward is my new midwife, and while I was being monitored we went through my birth plan!

She laughed at what the consultant blokey had said saying 'if you came in 10 minutes apart, we'd send you home, or at least down to labour ward, we wouldn't monitor you or insist you laid flat on a bed'

AND she showed me positions I could sit in and how to stand and move without losing trace while I was wearing the belts so I knew what to do in case they insist on CFM or there is a problem.
Am sooo much happier!

Hi Chirpygirl
glad to hear you feeling happier. I had my consultants appointment today. Of course he wasn't there. Apparently not in the hospital at all today.

Anyway registrar said there is no reason why i can't have a vbac. Given that I got to 9cms last time before heart rate droppedI should have a 70% chance of success which if you look on birthchoiceuk.com is actually better than the average person who goes into Singleton hospital. Feeling a bit better but it would have been nice if she had actually looked at me and not just at my notes during the appointments.

Says I must come in early to be monitored but won't be continuous. Agreed to 38 week sweep of membranes due to size of last baby but I said I would prefer to go over than have artificial induction. She agreed with that but said sweeps etc might help.

So I am feeling better too. Good luck and hopefully it will all be behind you soon and younever need to think about vbac again

You are under Mr Kev... aren't you? MIne was on holiday as well, it so rude!

I spoke to the midwife about coming in early and she said all the registrar's tell you to do it but the midwives would rather you didn't, and they will leave you on teh actual ward to labour until your contractions are at least 5 minutes anyway rather than monitoring as soon as you get there which was reassuring to know.

it wasn't much fun on sunday, waited an hour in reception area and then it took 3 hours for a 10 minute trace, 5 minutes with dr and 2 co-codomal (sp?) which did naff all....

Sorry, meant to add that's great for you, you must be feeling better about it all now, I know I am after sunday!
Was nice to meet you last week, come again this week if you can!

Good luck all of you wanting vbac.

I didn't have a cs but one possible source of local support for all of you is seeing if your local NCT branch has a vbac contact - I say this because I've noticed my branch does. The advantage of your local NCT branch is that it will include other women who've had babies at the same hospitals as you and they might be able to give you some tips. I wish I'd found the support that I could have found so useful before having my first baby but am hopeful now that if I go on to have a second I will be able to tap into useful networks for advice.

Hi Elkiedee
Have gone down the NCT route. Didn't get much from them. They are very nice and so on but nothing specific on VBAC. They gave me numbers etc for the VBAC experts (JL and CS) and I have spoken to them but it is a very radical kind of midwifery that they are espousing. I am not against medical advice and will have a CS if baby at any risk at all. In fact I think it was talking to all these people that got me so upset. I wanted a VBAC I was told by these groups I would have to fight for it etc and in fact it was very straightforward so far. They were even saying that you should tell your consultant he will have to section you if he wanted you to have a CS

Hi Chirpygirl
Don't think I can bunk off work this week again but the mood might take me. He loved the group and got home shattered. If I don't bring him I think his Dad will.

Fingers crossed for you. Would you prefer to be in hospital on Weds or do you want a bit more time to prepare? I feel like I have wished my pregnancy away up to yesterday in anticipation of a conflict with consultant and that I can start to enjoy it now. I don't even feel so bad about having a CS if I need one because if I have one now it is not becuase someone refused me the chance to try naturally.

I know what you mean about wishing it away, I have been so worried about the birth I have kind of put that first. It was so nice to speak to someone sensible, and who was actually willing to spend time talking to me instead of at me IYSWIM.
I am only wishing it away now as I am excited about meeting this baby whereas first time I was terrified about what I was going to do with a newborn!
Funnily enough we are the old NCT group, it's just the actual NCT members all went back to work so we changed it to an independant one!
Maybe see you...

On another note I was told I will have a shunt put in my hand once I get to hospital so it is there just in case and apparently this is common practice in VBAC's, is this right? I don't mind but would rather not be stuck unless totally necessary [big wimp emoticon]

Hi - can I ask a quick question?
Am 39 + 3 and hoping for a vbac. This baby's head is not yet engaged - which has my obs "not that confident" that I will go into spontaneous labour before due date (have medical reasons for not going overdue safely).

I thought it was quite normal for 2nd babies not to engage early - sometimes not until labour starts. Is this also true for those of us who have had a c/s first time around (and only dilated a few cm's)?

Am in Australia....not as pro vbac as in UK unfortunately.

Goodluck to everyone else hoping for vbac like me

Hi there!
I was told on the weekend that sometimes 2nd babies don't engage until well into labour, whether vbac or not, so I wouldn't worry too much. Has your obs offered you a sweep to see if that helps? If not can you ask for one?

(not a clue about aussie health system!)

Hi Auschick
I have been told the same about engaging at the last minute.

A friend of my (previous pregnancy all normal and natural - very jealous) is due tomorrow. Bump asn't dropped like first time round and head not engaged and she says no-one seems to think this is an issue.

head engagement in second and subsequent pregnancies often does not happen until labour is underway..or baby can engage and pop out for a few weeks

it does not have a bearing on when your labour will start