VBAC: UCH or Whittington?

[MrsHappy]

I will have to choose a hospital in the next few weeks. Has anyone had a VBAC at either the Whittington or UCH? I am trying to figure out whether one hospital is more likely to stick me on a bed with CFM etc.

Any views/advice gratefully received!

Thank you.

I don't live down south so I don't know what their protocols are, but just wanted to point out that if you don't want to be stuck on a bed with CFM then you just tell them you'll be having intermittent monitoring thankyouverymuch. They can't MAKE you do anything you're not happy with.

Thanks, Vbacqueen. I know that's true but I just don't want to have to fight unless it is necessary - who has the energy for that?! I'll be hiring a private midwife to come with me too, but want to make everything as easy as I can...

Bump

You'll have to put up a bit of a fight if you want a VBAC with no CFM and/or use of water and/or an active labour... in any NHS hospital, unfortunately.

But it is possible.

I managed to get my consultant at UCH to agree to all my 'demands', but she was the third consultant I saw there. The first two were not so supportive. I requested a more supportive consultant, did shedloads of research and dug my heels in, and in the end she signed it off (very important to get a consultant to sign off all your wishes on your notes, so that you can flash that signature at the MWs when you go into labour...)

Good luck. And check out the 'Imminent VBAC-ers' thread.

Should mention - I had a c-section in the end for unforeseen complications in late pregnancy, so I didn't actually have a VBAC at UCH.

Thanks Mrs Mattie.
It's s blooming diffcult. If a doctor tells me they need to do something because otherwise I am at risk, then I'm going to feel like I have to submit. But it is exactly that level of compliance that led to an awful 36 hour labour followed by forceps and a c-section the first time around.
Maybe I will just give birth in the cupboard under the stairs...

Totally sympathise with you!

Preparing for a VBAC can be scary (and exasperating). So many conflicting views, lots of negativity from HPs...it can end up feeling like a huge weight of responsibility and risk hanging around your neck. The actual risks are quite small, though. I'd recommend you do lots of research, print some stuff out, underline bits you want to raise / discuss with the MWs/consultant and remember - you don't have to make any decisions until right up to the wire, no matter what pressure is put upon you.

Put a shout out for Lulumama. She is a doula on MN and is pretty knowledgable about this stuff.

Also LacksaDAISYcal. She had a recent-ish VBA2C and is pretty inspirational.

And get thee over to the Imminenet VBAC-ers thread! It's huge, but there are some great links to info on VBAC.

I initially had to fight for everything when I had my VBA3C but once I understood the system and how to get what I wanted, they were bending over backwards for me by the end.
Is the private MW you're hiring going to act as your doula? It might be useful to have someone like that go with you to your hospital appointments for some moral support too. Be clear in your mind what it is you want, be aware of the related risks of VBAC, but you also need to be aware of the related risks associated with repeat caesareans. The problem at hospital appointments is often that the consultants/registrars are just not used to women making informed choices for themselves and expect us to blindly follow their protocols. I appreciate that doctors are not evil but their idea of the perfect birth are usually a long way different to mine.

I agree with that Vbacqueen. I come from a family of doctors (none of them OBGYNs) who maintain that women should take every intervention offered.

Now, if something is necessary I will be at the front of the queue for it, but when my DD was born it was clear that it was a box checking exercise.

For no reason at all they used CFM which required me to be on my back on the bed because otherwise it fell off, then because I was in massive pain I had an epidural and they put in a canula too, then I wasn't dilating "fast enough" so they broke my waters (at 4cm when DD was not in position to be born), gave me drugs and left me labouring like that for another 12 hours or so. I think with that lot a c-section must have been almost a foregone conclusion! At one point I looked at the drip in my arm and said to the midwife "now I'm all prepped for a c-section, yes?". She had the good grace to blush.

Yes, the idea re the private midwife is that she will come to hospital with me to act as doula, to explain the options to me and to defend me from pestering. I just don't want to be scared and overwhelmed this time. Prior to going in I would like her to be my "safety net" so I can labour at home for as long as possible. That's a good idea that she come to ante-natal appointments with me too if possible - it will help ensure continuity of care and she can help me ask the right questions.

I don't really have an idea of a perfect birth. What I don't want is what happened last time - to be asking repeatedly to come off the monitor so I could move around and basically being ignored for hours until I gave in. I don't want to labour for 36 hours and to have my chances of a vaginal delivery ruined - if that is going to happen I would want to skip straight to a section! And afterwards I want to understand why things were done - and for there to be a specific reason relating to my case, not just "your cervix is slower than the NICE Guidelines requires". Not asking much then...

No you're not asking much! And to be honest, I think it's probably more important to know what you DON'T want than what you do... it's certainly what I'll be hoping that my clients are clear on. Every birth is different but if you can take out all the shite that you endured last time you'll be giving yourself the best chance of having a great birth.
Good luck!

Mrs Happy

I am going to Whit and have looked at both. I have names and phone numbers of people I spoke with please get in touch.

Will find out how to leave you my details..

Why don't you try to get an appointment with Miss Paul at the Whittington, I have always found her to be intelligent and forward thinking, and it might help you to make up your mind. If you do get an appointment, make sure you actually try to see her and not one of the other obsetricians on her team

I have made you a 'friend' so see if you can get my email address from clicking on my link.

Anyway I am due 26/3 and am getting a friendly response so far from the Whit. Speak with the Supervisor of Midwives there who is a very nice lady.

The woman I spoke with at UCH said that they have trouble doing VBAC in their nice new birth unit now because it has moved too far away from the operating theatre.

I think usually CFM is practised with a vbac so you will have to turn it down.

I had a VBAC at the Whittington and it was fine. Lovely in fact. There was CFM but it was very intrusive. Not sure if it was a different system but in my first labour I was the woman lost in the machines and the wires and the printouts.

Good luck.

Not sure if it's useful or not, personally had a bad time there a few years back, although told it's improved, but someone mentioned on a thread recently that the Royal Free have just got some mobile CTG monitors, and have a specialist VBAC clinic. Might be worth finding out more anyway.

Thanks all - there's some food for thought there.
I am pretty drawn to UCH because it is so clean and because they handled my recent ectopic and I've just been to their EPAU to get this pregnancy confirmed and I can't fault them. (Ok, there's the usual waiting around but so what?)

Also I know the trainee midwives do case-loading so if you are lucky you get some continuity of care by having a student follow you through the whole thing.

The problem is is is quite far away with no parking and, actually, when I look at the stats the Whittington does seem to be better for births without intervention.

Bumblebee (I'm not sure how to find your email address..) and Minky thanks for your suggestions of who to speak to. I'll be making some calls next week so I can have an idea of what to do before I see the GP.

Thanks again

MrsHappy I will check my email tomorrow if you email me on alohasurfsup blah turtle pineapple tomato yahoo peanut butter dot jelly com

The first word followed by the more obvious other two.

xx

Thanks Bumblbeee.
I think I've sent you an email!

I am so sorry I did not get your message?

I recommend phoning the supervisor of midwives at the Whit.

There is a senior midwife named MacRae at UCH who is sympathetic also.

I don't know how much information I can put on a public board like this?

Just to reaffirm at the RFree we do have brand new state of the art wireless fetal heart rate monitors so mums wishing for a VBAC can remains as mobile as they wish. Our Consultant Midwive is Amanda Mansfield and her raison d'etre is to promote normal birth. She runs the specialist VBAC clinic at the RFree. I'm sure she would also be happy to talk to any mums considering a birth a the RFree !

Wow, isn't that positive?

You must join another current conversation Nina about hospitals not providing a positive environment for high risk patients.

It is here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/709620-Why-don-39-t-high-risk-women-get-better-support