Need advice please! Don't know what to do!

[flowerpot258]

So I'm only 22 weeks just now but I've just had an appointment with a consultant.

This is my 3rd child (and last) first was a natural birth although I had to be induced which wasn't pleasant and I was in hospital for about a week (2 days before I was finally induced and then had to stay in for a blood transfusion)

Second was a planned section due to baby being breech. On the day of surgery they done a scan and the baby had turned head down!!! But since I was already there and prepped I went ahead with the section.

For the third my consultant is advising me to have a vaginal birth because I've already had one that was successful and they said I lost 1.5L of blood during my section so if they done another section chances are I'd lose even more blood.

With my natural
Birth I ended up on iron tablets and I had a transfusion. With the section I didn't need either so feel like the blood loss didn't affect me as much as it did with the natural birth.

I don't know what to do and feel a bit pressured. They always favour natural
Birth over a section. I'm just worried I get induced and need an emergency section anyways. Plus they said if I went natural I'd need to give birth in the consultant suite so they can keep an eye on me.

Any advise?

For me it would be VBAC all the way. But I ended horrifically ill with spesis after my section. I can vividly remember the relief of thinking thank God I had a vbac when my 3 year old asked to go to toilet when I was being discharged from hospital and DH was putting the stuff in the car. No way would I have been able to lift her on the toilet post section. The relief was more about manage for the next few weeks rather than specific incident.

@Whawillthefuturebring - that's a good point. My youngest will only be 1.5 years when I give birth. My husband will be around to help for the first 3-4 weeks but then he'll be back to work

They gave me some leaflets to have a look at but some of it sounds contradictory.

It’s saying a vaginal birth after a section is fine but if you need to be induced that increases the risk of your scar rupturing and lowers the chance of a successful birth and you’d need an emergency section. Chances of me needing induced are quite high I think considering I've never went into labour naturally or shown any signs of labour

I'd have a section

You have a risk that your uterus could tear during a vbac

@coxesorangepippin - that's the way I'm leaning tbh. I had an elective section with my last child and it went quite smoothly. Of course recovery isn't great but I managed

I had vbac in consultant suite, it was fine - about 6 hrs compared to 30 ending in CS with my first!

The risk of the scar splitting is very, very small but that's why they require you to be in consultant led unit, to manage the risk.

I decided I'd attempt straightforward birth - would have refused induction and had cs instead. Recovery from vaginal birth was much much easier.

It varies from trust to trust, but they won't use all the induction methods if you had cs before as the strength of contractions increase risk of scar splitting. When I was pregnant, they said they'd use sweep and balloon thing to open cervix but not the drip type drugs.

Just to add after I said VBAC. I decided to refuse induction which my consultant agreed was wise and to go for a planned c section if we got to that stage.

It shouldn't have to be definitely a section or definitely attempt VBAC. You should be able to say that you'll see if you go into labour naturally and attempt a VBAC if so, but if labour hasn't started by such-and-such point, you'll have a c-section rather than be induced, if that's what would suit you best.

@Whawillthefuturebring @fearfuloffluff @skkyelark - you know I just said to my husband that I would consider natural birth if I went into labour on my own otherwise I'd prefer a section. I'm really not keen on being induced.

It's not the birth that bothers me it's the induction! Been there, done that. I know it won't be exactly like last time but it seems everyone I know who's had to be induced has been in hospital for days, the process is so slow, it's very painful and uncomfortable and they've ended up with an emergency section after being in labour for 10+ hours because they've stopped dilating at about 6cm. Both these ladies had that balloon thing.

I've got another appointment with the consultant in 4 weeks so I'll say to them I'm willing to try a VBAC as long as I can do it on my own otherwise I want a section booked

Go for the vbac. This is from someone who almost had a vbac and bottled it at 9cm!

Also, the blood loss comment is a scare tactic. I lost 2500ml with my first emcs and only 500ml during my second WBC's.

@oistopthatyoucheekysnail - so what happened? Did you end up with an emergency section?

@flowerpot258 I meant to say 500ml in my second emcs*.

Yes, so I got to 9cm extremely quickly. I could feel baby on the way down, the pressure, needing a poo sensation, all those things. I hadn't had any pain relief and I panicked that I wouldn't be allowed any if I pushed so I demanded an emcs. It was silly of me and my biggest regret. The midwives and consultants thought I was mad. They could feel his head very easily and said he would have been born easily, naturally.

@oistopthatyoucheekysnail - that's quite strange. I would have thought at 9cm they would have convinced you to keep going's can't believe they took you for a section

@flowerpot258 the consultant told me at 10cm vaginal was safest but at 9cm, neither procedure was any less safe than the other.