Vaginal birth after 2 c-sections.. is it allowed and possible?!

[Ncra6761]

Hi all,

Currently (early) pregnant with 3rd baby...
First was 10years ago emergency c-section after several attempts to induce and then failed to dilate...
2nd was 7 years ago another emergency c-section i attempted to VBAC laboured naturally but when in labour wasnt dilating very quickly and every contraction i had the babys heart rate would stop.

Im pregnant again and the idea of another c-section is quite scary as my 7yr old is disabled and quite demanding i lift her regularly in and out of her wheelchair the car etc. Is VBAC after 2 emergency c-sections possible as i honestly have no idea how i will cope with caring for my youngest if it has to be another section xx

I got told a very firm no with my 3rd OP. Worth discussing with your consultant as you have bigger gaps than me! Only 18 months between my boys.

I do know someone who had a VBAC after two c sections, so it must be possible. I know more people who had a third c section though.

Is there anything you could put in place now so you have support after the birth? Any family/friends/carers who could help with your 7 year old?

Im sure i remember being told once i'd had 2 c-sections a vbac wasn't possible but as it was a long time ago i was hoping guidance would have changed a little bit. There was 3years between my 1st and second c-sections and now will be 7.5yrs gap! I haven't contacted gp midwife etc yet as still early days but its something thats been on my mind since i seen the (very unplanned!) ++

I have very minimal support and help with her from family etc unfortunately 😫! I've wondered about paying privately for carers to come in for a few weeks even if its just the mornings getting her ready for school and into her wheelchair if c-section is the only option but as i work in the care sector i already know how extortionate that will be!

Really I wouldn't risk it. The recovery time with an elective CS is about 6 weeks and DP will just have to lift until then. A nice calm section rather than a risky VBAC where you may end up with another disabled child because of a ruptured uterus or another failure to progress and a scramble to emergency section. The risk may be small, but I would not risk it. I speak as someone also with a disabled child and the thought of his brother being the same was enough to dissuade me.

It’s up to you what is allowed. Nobody can tell you what to do with your own body, they can offer advice but it’s your decision.

I have three good friends who have chosen vaginal birth after caesarean, one who chose a vaginal hospital birth after one caesarean, one who chose a vaginal home birth after two caesarean, and one who chose a vaginal home birth after three caesareans. I also know plenty of women who have had two or three caesarean births and one who has had sections for all four births.

Can you discuss the relative risks and benefits with your medical professional to start to form an idea of your preference? Congratulations on your pregnancy!

You will be advised strongly against it. you will struggle to find an obstetrician who will support you if you decide to go for vbac. What you really need to look at is why you have had two emergency sections previously.... First a failed induction and second failure to progress. It is most likely third time would be no different. Book an elective section you will find it very different to an emergency one.

@inheritancetrack

Really I wouldn't risk it. The recovery time with an elective CS is about 6 weeks and DP will just have to lift until then. A nice calm section rather than a risky VBAC where you may end up with another disabled child because of a ruptured uterus or another failure to progress and a scramble to emergency section. The risk may be small, but I would not risk it. I speak as someone also with a disabled child and the thought of his brother being the same was enough to dissuade me.

This is my other worry if a vbac went wrong.. Although they 'think' my daughters disabilities weren't from the birth alone they did make it clear it could have played a huge role. Unfortunately after his paternity leave my partner would be back in work and leaves by 6am so wont be there to help with mornings which is my worry but he can help evenings!

Nothing is ‘not allowed’. You should be given the information to make an informed choice.

VBAC after 2 CS is absolutely possible, the risk between 1 and 2 CS is actually not much different at all so entirely reasonable to go for it. There is a lot of support groups on Facebook

The best thing you can do is not ask random people on the net. Speak to your obstetrician and midwife. If you don't like what they say speak to another midwife and or obstetrician. Obviously nobody can force a caesarean on you but as I said you will be advised not to have a vbac by medical professionals. If despite their advice you wish to try for a vbac you wishes will have to be respected as I say, nobody can perform a section on you without explicit consent. But consider how you would feel should your vbac fail and you go through a lengthy labour to end up with yet another emergency section. Also consider how you would feel if your uterus ruptures and your child as a consequence suffers from.celebral.palsy and you will have to physically live with that day to day knowing that you were advised against a vbac for this very reason.

Your husband could take anual leave and/or unpaid parental leave.

NHS guidelines say:

"If you are considering a vaginal birth but have had more than one caesarean section delivery, you should have a detailed discussion with a senior obstetrician about the potential risks, benefits and success rate in your individual situation."

"VBAC is normally an option for most women but it is not advisable when you have had three or more previous caesarean deliveries."

www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-all-patient-information-leaflets/birth-after-previous-caesarean-patient-information-leaflet/

Cerebral *

Ask your midwife about the hospital policy that you want to give birth in.

There was even a specialist midwife who specialised in vbacs. That hospital wanted to reduce c-section rates and I wanted to give birth vaginally. So my normal midwife referred me.

She also worked as an advocate. When I was due to make / discuss my birth plan with an obstetrician, she attended the meeting with me and it was great to have her there. I ended up giving birth prematurely via c-section.

It's certainly possible: many women have had VBAC after two (or even more) C-sections. But without seeing your notes nobody on this thread can say whether it's a plausible option for you in particular.

Even if there's nothing to indicate in advance that you're at high risk, and you attempt VBAC with even the best MW support, there is a significant risk that you'll end up having EMCS anyway, so unfortunately you do need to plan ahead for a fallback position for how you will cope with DD's needs if that is the outcome.

@BattledoreAndShuttlecock

Op has told us why 1st failed induction 2nd failure to progress

No notes need to be seen really given these reasons. Any obstetrician will strongly advise against and midwives will support the woman in her informed choice.

Well my recollection is no - 2 C sections and then it's all C sections. TBH as you had failure to progress with both the earlier ones (I was the same with a cervix that wouldn't dilate) I wouldn't even bother trying for a natural birth this time round. It's too risky.

I had section for first baby
VBAC1 for second baby
Section for twins
VBAC2 for fifth baby, but I had to move hospitals to find a consultant that would agree to support me and only if I went into natural labour before my appointment at 1pm on her due date, she arrived at 8.40am on her due date! The only reason I went for it was because I had easy fast labours and neither of my sections were for problems in labour.

I just had a VBAC with DC2 which ended in forceps and episiotomy and the recovery has been much harder than from my EMCS with DC1. I now have some ongoing issues that were just
not a thing first time round. It turns out this is pretty common but is often presented to us as vaginal birth being preferable with an easier recovery. In my experience it's not.

There is of course a greater risk of rupture with vbac after 2 sections. Your dr and hospital would
Need to be prepared and properly equipped to deal with an emergency if you were to go for vbac - which is why there are more guidelines around it.

I follow a very good and informative group on FB that is strongly routed in evidenced-based advice around vbac and birth after a csection. Whilst vbac supportive, they very much focus on how good a candidate you are for vbac and are strong advocates for section when risk factors are higher. A lot of vbac “support goups” gloss over and ignore evidence based risks to be honest.

If you’re interest the group is www.facebook.com/groups/birthaftercsectionfacts/?ref=share

It really opened my eyes to the reality of the realities and risks etc of vbac when I had been dead set on it for my second baby - my mindset has changed a lot.

But it’s also something you very much need to discuss with your consultant. 1. Whether they advise it, 2. Whether they would support it, and 3.that they are fully equipped to immediately deal with any emergencies should they arise

Hi, I’m probably a little late to the party here.
and not sure if I’m even in the right place.
I’m a little the same in the sense of what to do? I’m on baby number 4 complete shock as my last baby was 22 months ago and he was born emergency section i laboured for about 18 hours and only 6cm dilated they then discovered he was back to back but his head wasn’t tucked in so it got stuck on my pelvis, there was no way he would have been born vaginally like my daughters were, I vowed I’d never have another as the emergency c section traumatised me. But here we are again lol, I’m just trying to find some realistic stories on VBAC births as they are not allowing elective section or an option for it should I say because I’ve had two natural babys, and my emergency section wasn’t through health concerns for me and the baby it was just he was genuinely stuck. But it’s left me feeling really uneasy. Can anyone help ?

Yes it's definitely possible and much more common than you think. Join vbac uk support group on Fb it's been invaluable for me women on there more days going for a vbac or vba2c or more

@Babymama244 that's utter crap on their part saying you aren't allowed an elective , any woman is. So if that's what you want tell them and demand a date . But if you want a vbac join vbac uk support group on Fb it's amazing

I was unsure what I wanted I just thought I’d have options if that makes sense. My midwife said they won’t offer me an elective c section because I have birthed before, I just feel a little stuck mentally about this situation and thank you so much.

Thank you so much. I’m going to have a look on the Facebook page just now. X