Refused an elective section and now dreading VBAC at Mayday Hospital (Croydon). Any good advice about either please?

[Lakota]

Sorry if this is long and a bit rambling but I?m quite upset.
I am 35 weeks with my second child and some time ago was asked by my midwife if I'd thought about ?how I wanted this birth to happen?. DS1 was born 3 years ago by emergency c-section, and it was on the whole a pretty horrible experience. I'd just assumed I'd try to give birth naturally this time, but as she mentioned an elective being possible, DH and I began to think about it, read threads on Mumsnet etc and decided that it could be the right option for us. The section was due to failure to progress (I was 4cm when I came in, and no further on about 12 hours later), and the midwife told me that as the problem was down to my body, rather than the baby, it was quite likely to happen again. I really wanted to avoid another emergency section, but found the physical recovery ok, so thought I had this choice. Apparently not.

Yesterday I saw the consultant, and having kept us waiting for an hour, I got 10 minutes in a tiny room (DS and DH on chairs, me perched on bed, consultant leaning against wall, and two medical students squished in too) to be told that I would be having a VBAC, it was hospital policy. I don't understand why I was sent to see him in the first place if hospital policy is so cut and dried, and I felt he didn?t listen to my concerns at all. He didn?t even examine me until after he?d made his pronouncement, and I get the impression he?s dismissed me as ?too posh to push?. Apparently the only way I?d get a planned section is if I went 2 weeks overdue (I am already a week bigger than dates, so not thrilled at that prospect ? especially as I was 10 days late with DS!).

Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick in the first place, but we?d concentrated so much on the positives of an elective that I now feel completely unprepared for labour. I?m dreading a repeat of my last birth ? 24 hours of contractions at home (so no sleep), then constant monitoring on my back in the delivery suite (I?d expected to be able to move around), drip, at least 10 different midwives, no-one telling us what was going on, horrible internals (my cervix is hard to find apparently ? colleagues were called to help!), two attempts at breaking my waters?etc, then finally culminating in a c-section. I?ll just be gutted if all this happens again, when I could have just got the section over with, without the associated exhaustion of labour. And if labour does progress I feel completely unprepared for it and terrified of the prospect of being cut, or tearing. Also, I understand that continuous monitoring will be a given this time too, given my past history.

Unfortunately my local hospital is Mayday (nicknamed May Die), and is basically at the bottom of the maternity league tables published recently. The after care was pretty dreadful last time, and the night staff are notoriously rude, but I figured I could cope with that, as to be fair, they did a good job of the operation itself. I just have no confidence in them supporting me through labour, and have now read up on all the stats about cleanliness/MRSA etc and freaked myself out more! Mayday does have a new birthing centre, which is apparently very good, but I?m too high risk for that, given the last section ? just not high risk enough for an elective.

Sorry for the epic, I just need some good stories about VBACs please, and if anyone has anything good to say about Mayday then all the better!

I dont know much about mayday as it is today, wasnt great when i lived in the area quite a few years ago, but then there are good and bad reports to all hospitals.

I just want to say a similar thing happened to me, DD was elective for breech, 20/40 app whilst pregnant with DS I requested to have another section and was told hospital policy had changed and no choice had to try VBAC. Anyway to cut long story short at 41/40 went into labour and 48 hours later ended up having another section. The thing that irked me the most is I was told after that really should have been given the choice, wasnt hospital policy, others had electives, should have pushed harder etc.

This time took DH in with me for cons app expecting a battle but diff dr and was offered the choice straight away.

Lots of people go on to have v successful VBAC's but if your choice really goes down the elective route keep pushing for it. Good luck with whatever you choose.

ask to see a copy of the hospital policy & ask why it doesn't follow the NICE guidelines which states (pg94)

The risks and benefits of vaginal birth after CS compared with repeat CS are uncertain.
Therefore the decision about mode of birth after a previous CS should take into
consideration:
? maternal preferences and priorities
? a general discussion of the overall risks and benefits of CS
? risk of uterine rupture
? risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity.

I was desperate for a VBAC (which the hospital fully supported, but ended up with an el c/s at 40+10 for a number of reasons I won't bore you with) However I'm a firm believer that all women should be supported in making an informed decision about what is best for them & their baby, not "told" what will happen, so hold out for an el c/s if that's what you decide you want.

this site & this one might be useful for you too

good luck, whatever you decide

Just to echo what others have said - you can switch to east surrey - you may need to kick up a fuss at the GP (tears etc about how traumatised you were by last experience there etc) but I know 5 people that have done so in the last couple of years from the South Croydon area, 2 of them for two separate pregnacies and births. When I had an issue with some dodgy consultant there last year I went to see the head of midwifery there who was very good and switched me to a much better consultant - both favoured natural birth. I wasn't a potential vbacer but I am sure they would be helpful. The post natal ward seems bearable there too (compared to my first experience at a different london hospital which was hell on earth), though I didn't need to stay after the birth, just remember you do have options if you are not comfortable with what is being offered at Mayday.

Just a quick update and thank you to everyone who has offered advice on this thread. I have found a lovely doula who has attended lots of births at Mayday and is known and respected by the midwives there. She has helped me write a birth plan etc, and so I am feeling a lot more positive about things than I was. Fingers crossed for about 3 weeks time...

That's really great lakota. A doula is a fab idea. Just to say I had a v positive VBAC with dd after an emergency c-section with ds1. Even though the hosp was v stretched and I hadn't actually been assigned a mw when I started to push , it was still far better than the operating theatre experience. Dd needed a tiny bit of ventouse (but literally 10 seconds of it) but she arrived pink and healthy and fed immediately. I had a far better newborn experience with her than with ds1. I went on to have a speedy and perfect homebirth with ds2, and the VBAC had given me the confidence to try for that. Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.

Hi, I've only skimmed the thread but I had my dts at Mayday. The consultant there was a right cow. I don't think had evey had a baby, but was basically saying I should have a vaginal, as after having two already the smaller twin babies would simply fall out, or if not they would pull them out.

I wanted a section as I had been suffering with a collapsed lung, was feeling weak and was sure that one was breech. (They kept messing up the ultrasounds and insisted they were both ceph, even from the ultrasound on the day).

I howled, screamed and stamped my feet, demanded a second opinion and was sent to see another consultant, who gave me the section. Don't be bullied into something that you don't want!! It was the right choice for me, because when my twins were born they were both breech. I really don't trust mayday when their sonographers can't even tell a head from a bum!

Of course the advantage is that if you do go for the vbac, you won't have to hang around for the (lack of) aftercare. I'm glad you've found a good doula, and good luck with it.

I really should preview, - should read 'I don't think she had ever had a baby because..