Anyone up for a VBAC support thread?

[Chulita]

I'm 34+3 and baby's currently OP. Had an emcs with DD 19 months ago and I'm desperate for a VBAC but there seem to be so many variables and I'm just dreading another OP labour.
Anyone fancy joining?

LaTrucha, I thought about having an ELCS as well. Most people seem to presume that its the only option available once you've had a section. It was only once I started reading stuff on the internet that I realise that most women have a VBAC with no problems at all....

Fingers crossed for all of us... Not long to go now!

Hey Islandgirl - good luck with yours too

Cnn I join, pretty please?? I am 36 weeks with DC4.

Had a ELCS last time due to having twins - 1st one being breech (difficult little bugger as he still is now ).

My hospital actually has a VBAC clinic which I was pleasantly surprised by and I saw a VBAC midwife for the 2nd time yesterday to discuss my impending birth. Hosp policy is continuous monitoring, cannula put in, vaginal exams every 3 hours and only 8 hours labour.

Midwife then proceeded to tell me that if she was on duty she would do only do intermittent monitoring, no cannula (she said it only takes secs to do in an emergency) and no unnecessary vaginal exams which is what I have put on my birth plan. She said it really depends on what midwife is on duty.

I thought to myself wtf! it really should not be dependent on how the midwife wants it at all! Unless I am lucky enough to get an open minded midwife on duty then it seems that I will be saying 'NO' quite a lot then!!

Bigmomma - that's my feeling about all these protocols: it depends on who is on duty. My MW hinted as much but it's not on my notes. TBH, I have been keeping my head down during all the consultant led bit as my strong feeling is that the more I kick up a fuss, the more they will watch me - and the protocols - like a hawk. I thikn on the day, I actually have a better chance.

I thought that day might be last night, but no. Everything passed off.

Had a different consultant today at 39 week check. Good thing is the baby is still head down, though not engaged. Bad news is she was a totally full of shit (excuse me) consultant, talking about how late they would 'allow' me to go before induction etc (erm, no actually I may allow YOU to induce me) and what's more lying on my notes (said I had agreed to CFM when I didn't discuss it with her at all) PLUS lying to me about the chances of scar rupture.

Fortunately, none of the consultants, doctors or midwives at my hospital seem to take a blind bit of notice of what any of the others has written on my notes, so apart from being annoyed I don't think what she said will make any actual difference to me!

I am very ready for this baby to come. 39+1 and counting....

LaTrucha - my notes say I agreed to CFM when I actually said the opposite Sorry you had such a crap time, we're just going to have to prep our birth partners to be very, very vocal in case we're not up for it!

Bigmommaofalmost4 I find the same thing, I've picked out the mw I want on duty when I go into labour - just hope it happens!

Hello i have just found this thread.

I am planning a VBAC this time too. I am not completely against another cs, i just don't like the thought of having a baby 'removed' if not necessary iyswim?

With DD i went into labour spontaneously at 40wks exactly (Nov 2007). As it was my first, i phoned the hospital for advice after losing my mucus plug (at what stage should i consider going in etc) was told to come in for monitoring as i had only felt one movement so far that morning (was only 8.30am!)

When on the monitor, it showed that i was having contractions (very mild) so was in early labour. I was told to go home and carry on as normal. Decided instead to go for lunch and have a wander round the big baby store nearby. The contractions got painful and were coming about every 7 mins. They asked me to come back in. I was 1cm dilated. Went home.

At home i had a bath, watched some telly etc, but was so concerned at keeping things going that i did lots of walking up and down stairs (stupid in hindsight) 7.30pm i was very uncomfortable so was told to go back in. Once in the hospital, the MW's told me to wander round the hospital. Went back to the ward at 11pm as was tired and in a lot of pain. Should add at this point that i had only been off crutches for about 7-8weeks after suffering a nasty broken leg at 20weeks. The MW gave me some pethidine to help me sleep but as soon as it kicked in my waters went (quite spectacularly!)

Went to a delivery room and had G&A, followed by an epidural around 3am. I then had to have an oxytocin drip as my contractions were all over the place. By the next morning the contractions hadn't evened out and everytime they upped the drip, DD's heart rate would drop, same happened if they tried to sit me up. DD had blood taken from her head (this is the point the last of my dignity disappeared ) I had got to 5cms.

I was taken to theatre at 1pm and DD was born at 1.21pm 7lb4oz

The consulttant i saw was very happy for me to try VBAC this time. He said it seems like a positioning problem with DD, so no reason this one should be the same. Personally i think the whole labour was managed badly. Too much rushing (on my part mostly) so my plan is to take things slower, let them develop rather than hurrying them along.

I am scared of a vbac though. I recovered so well after my emcs that sometimes it seems silly not to have an elcs. The consultant did say that if i was in my mid to late 30's, and this was going to be my last then he would recomend an elcs, but because i am young and do want more (in theory ) then a vbac is the most sensible option.

Sorry for epic post

Hello alice!

Have you tried the VBAC hypnotherapy cds? I was quite scared til I started hypnotising myself into believing it could be fun, lol!

latrucha you're almost there aren't you?

Due date is Wednesday. Had a big barney with DH last night about whether he's going to be there or not. He's very nervous about it because of what happened last time and his nerves are getting on mine. I've said I don't want him there but he is insisting. I may let him in the hospital and see how it goes, but I really feel like I want as much peace and quiet as possible and I don't want to worry about DH's nerves.

Big Momma, let's hope you get that midwife when you go into labour, hey?!

I saw my midwife on Friday and thought I'd go in at the deep end so said, i'd really like to have a homebirth, she replied 'Well dear I don't think that's going to happen seeing as you've had a c section'. I then said what will the consultant talk to me about when I go for my 36 week appt with her, will she tell me what I can and can't do? She said 'well you can talk about your ideas, she'll talk about hers and then you can come to a compromise'!

Anyway, I'm thinking more and more than I'm going to cancel my 36 week appt with the consultant. I have a totally healthy pregnancy, so far, and if the baby is head down I don't see why I need to see a doctor. I know what the consultant is going to say (the usual over-protective NHS policies on VBAC) and frankly I don't want to hear it!

La Trucha, that's a tricky one about your DH, can you say to him that you really want him to be there but to support you in the way that you would like, give him some jobs to do to keep him occupied?!

Hi all, I've got a long way to go (due Dec) but it's been really interesting reading your posts. Gwennie I could have written a lot of your early posts myself.

I'm keen to have a VBAC but being pregnant has opened up some psychological wounds which I thought had healed. If I think about this delivery at all (an I try to keep it to a minimum) I get very teary and anxious and start panicking. I'm mainly worried I'll end up going through the same thing this time tound. I was pretty much incapacitated after my emcs in 2006; I couldn't leave the house alone for 5 weeks after the delivery as I physically couldn't manage steps without support and therefore couldn't manage DD in her pram.

From reading this thread, I'm now most worried that I'm going to have a struggle with the midwives/consultants to get to try for a VBAC. In the ridiculously fragile state I've found myself in with regards to birth plans, I just don't have the reserves to fight people.

maxpower - I haven't had any problems getting HCP to agree to a VBAc. They do want their 'protocols' in place though which place restrictions on labour. I made a choice about how I wanted to handle that: it's not everyone's choice. Some want to get exceptions they have argued for written into their notes. I felt, on the other hand, that I'd have a better chance of not getting really anxious about the bith and getting a bit of benign neglect from the midwives (who generally see things going well, so have a different attitude to consultants) if I kept my head down, said yes and then argued my case on the day.

My midwife has as good as said I'm right to think this. Other hospitals may be different.

Today doesn't seem to be the day though! I can sort of feel like things are getting ready but I don't think it's going to be very, very soon. I'd LOVe to be wrong!

Ooh LaTrucha - what are your 'getting ready' signs? I don't know if I'm imagining things or not.... Mine today have been:

Nausea - or could it be late-onset morning sickness?
BH - increasing in strength and regularity.
Stabbing sensation in fanjo during said BH.
General restlessness and irritability - could be to do with the heat.

God, I wish that things would just start. Dunno what I'm compaining about - I'm not even overdue until next Tuesday!

Could someone please tell me that these are all positive signs and that I should be ringing my DH to come home soon (he works away).

I had an evening of nausea, shaking, dizziness and intense BHs last week and was convinced I was on the way. I wasn't!

My signs are loads of pretty uncomfortable BHs and constant tummy upset - reportedly caused by hormnal changes. Also a fear of leaving the house on my own!

I am convinced that in fact he is very comfy in there though. I'm going to get far more impatient after Wednesday when I'm officially due. So glad the weather has cooled down.

Here's hoping it's tonight for both of us though.

Good luck all of you! Do hope it works out. Just to share - I had an EMCS first time round after 12 hours of labour the baby got stuck. Second time around had a blissful 5 hours natural labour the experience was so totally different to my first labour I cannot believe it.

Can I join you .. I am 35+3.

Had 2 lovely natural births and 1 emergency CS (last tine) ... have high blood pressure and am very anti having another cs.

Ooh! Good luck to both of you

I've had the squits today (tmi!) after 3 months of constipation and I suddenly needed to dust the living room. But...I'm not even 37 weeks yet so I think it might just be wishful thinking and something dodgy for lunch [sigh]

Kerala - sounds encouraging, yes please to a 5 hour labour!

Hello cazzybabs, hopefully we can get our VBAC stories on here!

LOL Chulita and your poor guts....

Wow Chulita nearly 37wks?! That is scarily close, feel all of a panic suddenly So much to do.....

Hi, I posted a couple of weeks ago when I had a birth options appointment but it was cancelled at the last minute. I am now 21 weeks and had the appointment today. It was lovely in that the consultant and the mw went through my notes from my last labour and answered some questions that I probably should have had answered two years ago. They also told me that the reasons for the cs (brow presentation) have no reason to recur this time, so I am a good candidate for a VBAC. However, I got really emotional in the appoinment and started to cry when they asked me what kind of delivery I wanted this time . I have never cried in front of medical people before, it was just mortifying. I think that it was due to me being told that in no way was the cs my fault which is something that I have considered. I have felt a bit raw all day, but have got back onto an even keel now. I used my VBAC CD this afternoon which really helped.

Hi SpiderWilliam, hope everything goes well for you. It all seems to be a very emotional topic, even without the bucket-load of hormones that we're all currently enjoying...

Am having a very positive day today - no idea why.... Maybe good things are coming

Thanks Gwennie. That's what the mw said to me mid blub. I am sure they see it all the time. Feeling back to normal now. What a relief!

spiderwilliam that's really good news about vbac. That's one good thing about a cs due to malpresentation - hopefully it won't happen twice... Glad you're back to normal, it is very emotional isn't it? They'll be used to it, bet they've forgotten all about it now!

Thanks Chulita. Not only was DS brow presentation but his head was at an angle wedged in the side of my pelvis apparently. I suddenly realised today that this would explain why I got shooting pains down one thigh when I was about 41+ weeks, his head must have been squashed against some nerves.

How was your week? Has your tummy settled down now or any other "signs"?

Still not settled but not sure anything's happening at any speed. Getting loads of BH and LO's very low down so is giving me lots of twinges but it's not developed into anything. I'm keen for him to get a move on though, we're moving house soon and I want to have him out beforehand.

DD was in exactly the same position as your DS, with her cord round her neck 3 times and back to back. She had a very funny shaped head from it being wedged in my pelvis for so long!

Any word from LaTrucha? She must be a couple of days over by now....

Baby Boy Timothy Daniel born 1st of July, weighing 8lb 11oz. All well. Story to come. All here chaotic as DH has V&D bug!

Did VBAC though!