Why am I still a high risk preg after a VBAC??? Why did I even bother?!?

[bobsmum]

Ok, so I'm glad I had the VBAC with dd, but I'm very cross that, as I had feared , it makes no difference whatsoever with my next baby.

I have been told it's "hospital policy" for me to be in the consultant led unit rather than downstairs in the m/w led unit because I've had a section in the past.

It wouldn't matter how many VBACs I'd had, I'm still high risk!

Despite my pleading and asking for occasional monitoring from a m/w, I've been told I must have CFM and be on the bed the whole time. At best, I might be able to stand next to the bed, but moving around the room will be impossible.

Baby no3 is due at the end of April. Obviously I don't want to have "troublemaker" scrawled across my maternity notes, but I do want to make sure I'm fully informed.

Both consultant and m/w seemed unwilling/(unable?) to budge on the CFM.

I had that with dd and was stuck on the bed the whole time. I don't want that again!

Help! Arm me with info!! Doulas/m/ws etc

Ds was a section because of failure to progress - nothing too sinister really!

You can't insist on being in the m/w led unit, but you can insist on no CFM and being mobile. You just need to be firm. Hospital policy schmolicy. I think a doula would be a good idea if you are going to need an advocate in labour.

If you are due at the end of April why aren't you on our April thread as well as your May one...? Good grief, there are squillions of renegade April babies on there. Humph.

Well, and armed with your Morello Cherry lipbalm I suspect you would be unstoppable.
Sorry, no further information than a light hearted comment but bumping for you.
I suppose your uterus still has a scar on it in their eyes
I would be in a similar situation to you if got pregnant again.

I don't think (someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) that they can MAKE you be monitored. It's your body. They wanted to monitor me continuously but I requested to have the monitor removed for part of the labour and they did. When they suggested it ought to go back on I was happy to agree.

If their protocol is that VBACs must be monitored then they have to advise you to be monitored. it doesn't mean you have to TAKE their advice. It's just that if they said to you "nah, don't worry, you'll be fine" and something went wrong, you would be able to sue them for giving you wrong advice. If they say "our advice is that you be monitored" and you say "thanks but no thanks" then that's your decision, they've made you aware of their advice and done their job.

And FWIW I laboured standing up the whole time - even when I was attached to the monitor. The leads are quite long.

Good luck.

Lemonaid - I did pop in once to the April thread, but as my first date was May 1st I lingered on the May thread. Can I come back if renegade baby appears in April? Pretty please?

DR - morello cherry it is! I think my old school blazer is hanging up in my mum's wardrobe and I'm pretty sure there's a mouldy glass jar in there too....eurgh.

Youngvisiter - that's encouraging about long leads. I had CFM with dd and they wouldn't let me off the bed because it moved the position of the monitory thingy. Maybe I'll just have to persist.

I have SPD too, so lying down is bad news really. Ended up having dd in lithotomy (sp?) position ie legs up on m/w's hips which meant my SPD continued for 18 months after the birth. If I'd been able to lean over the bed, for example, I might not have don so much damage.

With DS I laboured sitting very upright on a birthing ball leaning on the bed (almost standing but the ball gave some support so my legs didn't get too tired).

it was really comfortable and I will be going for the same way next time. Being upright does seem to cause the baby to move, which can mean they lose the FHB but often you can just wiggle the monitor round yourself until you find it again. It's not hard, but if you can't find it then of course you need to get them to come and reposition it.

I know what you mean abotu needing an advocate though - I had a lovely MW for the first stage and an evil MW who came on shift just as I went into the pushing phase. She made me get up on the bed as she said she was "too old to deliver women standing up". The minute I lay on my back DS went straight into distress but somehow my assertiveness went out of the window during transition. I plan (hope!) to be more assertive next time...

YV - yes dd was in distress too once I was on the bed and I was being prepped for another emergency section, but my m/w gave me another half an hour to push and I got dd out unassisted.

I hadn't thought of having a ball by the bed - I might be allowed that.

at too old to deliver women standing up!! That's dreadful!

Some places have wireless telemetry so even if you have pads strapped to you you aren't actually attached to the machine - but they don't use it routinely so you have to ask.

(If you do end up wired up, if you say you need to go to the loo they will take the monitor off - take a nice long walk there and back, no-one needs to know if you actually weed or not...)

Wireless sounds good.

The hospital policy os to have a scan at 30 weeks for all previous section mums, so I'll bring it up then.

In the meantime I want to be up on all the jargon and all my rights. I obviously don't want to take risks, but my gut feeling is that CFM and being stuck on a bed for hours will only increase my chance of needing another section.

There's a VBAC thread that has got very long but has all sorts of useful links in it. I'll see if I can find and link it.

Here it is.

IS that the support thread lemonaid? I've dipped in an out of it in the past so I'll have a search for it. Links sound useful. NEed to arm dh too as I don't imagine I'll be in any fit state to argue with anyone when the time comes1

Having said that I live almost a couple of hours away from the hospital and this is no3, so maybe I'll end up getting an unintentional homebirth

x posted lemonaid - will put it on my watch list - thanks