Am 39+3 - was planning VBAC but getting twitchy! Encouragement please ladies!

[Holymoly321]

Have been planning a VBAC for a while now - DS1 was elective section due to being breech. Have never experienced contractions or labour. Wanted a natural birth this time round for many reasons, the main one being DS1 is now 2 and I need to be able to look after him without dealing with major surgery!. Anyway, was feeling all very confident about VBAC, hired a doula and everything and been really looking forward to the experience, but as the day comes nearer, I look at the size of my bump and think "How the *&%$ is this baby going to make it out of this body?". Am wobbling! My recovery from section was so easy last time! Please put me back on the path of VBAC sanity!

I don't have any experience with VBAC, but plan one myself next time around.

So good luck and have faith in yourself and your baby, you can do it.

Remember that the baby knows the way!

My section recovery was easy too, but I knew that having 2 year old DS around would mean that my recovery second time around would be very different.

I LOVED my VBAC. I had DD at home, and it bloody hurt! The contractions kind of took over my body and I was swept away by the power. So even though it was painful, it was also awe-inspiring. At transition, I thought 'God, I really can't do this', and found that pushing was very painful - much more painful that the contractions had been, and I had an episiotomy in the end. But it was all awesome - I did once think 'the section was easier than this' but I had been pushing for a good couple of hours by then. I never actually wanted to have a section mind you - I just dimly thought that it had been easier last time!

The doula is a brlliant idea. Do you have any nice positive reading to get you back on track? I had wobbles (never about having a hospital VBAC, just about having another section - irrational, I know!), and would turn to Ina May Gaskin or Stand and Deliver for reassurance. They both really helped - as did Birthing from Within.

My first was an emergency section and my next 2 were VBACs. Will leave it at that and wait for any questions.

I'm in a similar position I'm 39+5 and hoping for VBAC, placental node in front of DD (1st baby) discovered at 7cms after fairly quick but painful induction last time led to emcs.
I've had a sweep which doesn't seem to have done anything but hospital said things were very favourable. When I was sitting waiting to see the consultant I had a bit of a wobble & said to DH it would be so much easier & less worry just booking in to get unzipped .
I keep thinking how much harder it'll be if I have a section, last time I had just DD & DH was off work for 5 weeks & could drive us anywhere & look after DD as much as possible. I recovered pretty quickly and it wasn't half as bad as I expected but this time round would be totally different. I need to be able to drive DD (now 6) some places. DH doesn't get anything like the leave allowance he previously did, my parents are now in their 70's and altho' they are both pretty fit & love to help I feel it's a lot to ask of them. It's also the lead into Xmas and I hate being disorganised & having to leave things up to other people, whilst I'm intending lightening my load this year as much as possible it'll still be hard if I'm having to recover from a major operation as well as deal with 2 children etc. That's obviously a minor factor in the whole scheme of things but everyone has their reasons for whatever action they take.
I feel I'm prepared to give it as good a go as I can and because my consultant is very supportive I want to try and experience this birth in a way I didn't with DD. I don't feel I missed out or was robbed in anyway of a natural birth last time as the medics made what they thought was the best decision for me & DD at the time and I was just relieved that we were both safe.
I have met quite a few people who think I'm mad and should just opt for an elective section as baby would be here by now & I could make all my arrangements in advance etc, but only one of those people has had any experience of having a cs themselves
I've rambled a bit and you've probably gone off in search of someone more concise but stick with it and I hope you get the birth you want whatever decision you make.

you must talk this through with your doula, she will know your hopes and fears

if you search for my name and VBAc, you will find my VBAC story.. it was the best day of my life

i had a wobble, around 34 weeks, thought about an elective, as then i would have 6 weeks to prepare for it, but after a day ,i realised i had to try, and if i had another section, so be it... at least i would not have had the 'what if.....?'

labour is hard, it is painful, but it is awe inspiring and amazing, your body will do the things you think it cannot...

you need to meet your labour head on, standing firm, and ready....

allow yourself to have these negative thoughts, but then you must deal with them and move on.. and do a strong , positive visulaisation each day , of the birth

do some reading, as has been suggested by corriedale, and have faith!

there is no medical reason you cannot do this, so try to remember your body will do it, your baby will help , and with the support of your doula and your DH, you will be ok

I've had an em-cs and an el-cs, am hoping to have a VBA2C in April next year, I can't give you any experience advice, but I can say I'm sure I will have a 'wobble' at some point too!
Just remember why you wanted this VBAC, and if you do decide to go for it then Good Luck!

CorrieDale and Lulu are absolutely right. Be realistic - labour DOES hurt a lot! I had a natural delivery first time round, then a C-section with DC2, then a VBAC with number 3. So for my VBAC I at least knew that, yes, it would be far more painful than the CS. But the thing about labour is that your body IS designed to do it, and from somewhere inside you, you'll discover that strength and determination. And the feeling when you've experienced it and come through the other side is just awesome. And tbh, although my CS was absolutely necessary for DC2's survival, it didnt give me that sense of empowerment about giving birth that my two natural births did.

Fear is normal. Lulumama is right. Talk it through with your doula. I had a wobble before my vbac - around the 37 week mark. And a lovely lovely vbac. Stay focussed. Good luck.

I thought the c-section pain was worse than labour because you get it at the wrong time, once the baby is here.

With a vaginal birth, once the baby arrives, the pain stops. Like magic and - you've heard this before I know - you do forget it. I did anyway.

sorry, but what is a VBAC ??

Vaginal Birth After Caesarean

if you have had 2 c.sections and were going for a VBAC, it would be VBA2C

Vaginal birth after 2 caesareans

etc....

I have had 2 VBA2Cs and they were amazing, to walk out of hospital, in dc4's case 3 hours after the birth was great.

I knew my body could do it, I was very lucky though in that I had two incredibly short labours, both just over 1 hour , I put that down to positive thinking.

My opinion is, if you have made every effort possible to make this work and it doesn't then you can't beat yourself up about it.

Stay positive and good luck

Oh one last thing, I did go very over with dc4 - she was 17 days late and no it is not a case of the medics 'letting me' it was a case of me standing my ground and knowing my rights. I was late, my brothers were late, it kind of runs in families, I would have been very surprised if I had had early babies

Well, it never entered my mind to consider elCS! I was having a VBAC and that was that.

BELIEVE that you are designed to birth a baby, cos you are! You are woman. It's usually only the 'interventions' that medical science provides that cause problems and prevent a woman from birthing her baby without trauma. Keep upright or on all fours, stay off that blasted bed!

Ina May Gaskin and Dr Sarah Buckley, amongst othere, are well worth reading!

That's a really interesting article Klaw, and probably explains why I laboured in our downstairs loo.

Good luck CorrieDale - I'm 33 wks, had one emergency section and a VBAC last time - had to be induced as well last time as waters broke on the Friday but was still not in proper labour by Sunday morning - some people will try to say you shouldn't be induced after a section but it was fine, the midwife was really careful about taking it slowly and using the minimum dosage to get things moving. I'd wound myself up so much about how much pain it would be and yes, it hurt, but the fear was worse than the reality - I couldn't believe it when they said it was time to push her out! I had a great recovery from my section - really easy - but this was even better as it was just a bit of discomfort rather than proper pain. Yes, sitting was a bit delicate for a day or two, but nothing compared to the being careful how you move to protect your scar for weeks.

Looking forward to another successful VBAC this time. Hope yours goes well - I'll be looking out for you!