VBAC experiences?

[meganm94]

Hi all! Currently pregnancy with DC2, not due until July but already thinking about the birth side of things!

I had an induction with DD that ended in an emergency c-section after her heart rate dropped. I am 50/50 on whether to go for a planned section or try for a VBAC this time around so just looking to hear about other people's experiences?

Tia x

I had a VBAC for my second daughter after a very long labour and emergency c-section with my first.

I went two weeks overdue, finally went into labour and all progressed well until dd2 heartbeat starting dropping and I ended up in theatre with a spinal block, forceps delivery and episiotomy. Despite that I still recovered more quickly than than the c-section and found it much easier to establish feeding (but that could be for many other reasons!)

I'd wanted a VBAC as I felt I'd 'failed' the first time and wanted to prove I could do it myself (sound ridiculous to me now!). If I'd known I'd be two weeks overdue and end up in theatre anyway? Might have gone for the planned section instead.

Some of my friends had very successful VBACs so it really depends. Do your research about outcomes, speak to your midwife, and go for what feels right to you.

Good luck deciding and all the best 

Personally I wish I hadn’t have gone for a VBAC.
My first I started Labour on my own waters broke got to 8 cm and found daughter was breech. I ended up with an emergency section.
I tried a VBAC with my second got taken in at 39 weeks to get set of as I had gestational diabetes.
I was told it wouldn’t be a long drawn out Labour .
I got set off at 12 by 7 pm I was in agony but not dilated even 2 cm , they tried to break my waters but couldn’t so by 9 pm it was another section as baby’s HR was high and mine low. When I’m theatre my uterus had ruptured.
I’m now 32 weeks with my third (not planned) and I’m getting a planned section at 38 weeks.

It didn’t work for me but my mam had a VBAC with my brother and was brilliant.

I had an emcs with Dd19, she was undiagnosed breech- then an uncomplicated vbac with Dd18 , vbac was so much easier to recover from- especially with an 18 month old to chase after.

No advice as I'm in a similar position due in June after an EMCS with my DD as I failed to progress. I like the idea of VBAC but really couldn't cope with 4 days of labour again. I think I'll try and be guided by the midwife / consultant as I really don't know.

I have had two successful VBACs and am planning my 3rd for this pregnancy.
My DC1 was born after an induction (16 days over!) His heart rate plummeted and I ended up with an EMCS.
DC2 was born at 4 days over. My first VBAC. My waters went after a sweep. I stayed mobile throughout and although I did tear, it was a far, far better experience and recovery.
DC3 was my second VBAC. I was induced at 39 weeks because of my blood pressure and she was born within 6 hours of them starting the drip. No tears. Very smooth delivery home in a few hours.

When you had your EMCS, how far had you dilated? The reason I ask is that I was told that as I had got to 10cm before my EMCS my body had experienced much of the labour process and the doctors said they felt it increased my chances of a successful VBAC.

Currently expecting DC4 and hoping for another VBAC as I feel the recovery is much easier for me with 3 other children to think about.

I had a similar experience to @Poodlemum1 so I'd always say if you're in doubt have an ELCS.

@meganm94

I am in the exact same position as you and have wondered the same thing.

I also had gestational diabetes which resulted in a failed induction and ended in emergency cesarean.

Refuse to get induced again as it was an awful experience.

There's a Facebook group I think it's called vbac uk which is very useful!

VBAC success rates depend on lots of individual risk factors, and also the reason that you needed a CS first time around.

I think midwives can be quick to throw around great success rates, but actually when I looked into the likelihood of me personally having a successful VBAC with my risk factors, it was 40%. And even then, it depends how they are defining a "successful VBAC". The literature on the NHS website is not clear on this. For example, is it classes as a success if mum and baby survive and are both technically healthy, but mum has a fourth degree tear that leaves her doubly incontinent and with full loss of sexual function for life? I don't know. I don't think it's easy to get comprehensive information that's relevant to your circumstances unfortunately.

Vbac didn't work for me. However the odds were stacked against me as I was being induced at 36 weeks, at 9pm after being only allowed to drink water all day. I wasn't allowed to move and I was attached to 2 monitors and a drip. After 4.5 hours I was 5cm dilated and ds was in distress and trying to come out eyebrows first. I didn't stand a chance really but I was so desperate to avoid another c-section that I agreed to try it.

I'm sorry to bring the tone down, but don't assume you'll necessarily get the choice of a VBAC. I had an ELCS (breech baby) two years ago and felt really positive about going for a VBAC this time round, as did the consultant and midwife. Until the 20-week scan. I'm now potentially looking at an early section and hysterectomy due to probable placenta accreta. I know this is rare, but a previous section is a risk factor. Sections carry risks for future pregnancies, and I'm not sure women are made sufficiently aware of that other than when you get the "it's major abdominal surgery" spiel to put you off choosing a section

IWantT0BreakFree makes some really good points.

I went for a VBAC and ended up having another emergency section - but it was fine, I recovered reasonably quickly, and I was so much more relaxed during the section and after, as I knew what to expect.

One friend of mine had a very sucessful VBAC (first section was due to baby being breech), though her labour was long!

Another friend has very bad internal tearing during her VBAC and has needed a lot of follow up medical care - she wishes she had had a planned section instead.

It's hard to predict which way yours would go. Did you recover fairly quickly from your first section? If so, maybe it's better to go with the devil you know!!

I had a vbac after a elec cs due to breech baby. Vbac was amazing - sounds cheesy but everything i hoped for. I hated my csection and struggled for a long time with recovery. Despite tearing and stiches, my recover (especialy with a toddler) was far better after Vbac. To me - where my csection was clinical and I felt totally detached from it (partly due to bad care and a bad chain of events inc midwife not believing me baby was breech) meant I really struggled to bond with baby after. Vbac I look back on as an amazing experience and am so glad I went for it.

Thanks for all your replies ladies, really interesting to see what you all had to say 😁

I hadn't thought about me not having the option for a VBAC as some of you pointed out, you made a good point there! I wouldn't be bothered if I had to have another section, I had a fairly easy recovery last time so I'm not put off by it at all. The only thing that really pushes me towards a VBAC is (even though I know it's daft) people's judgement as my MIL likes to remind me I didn't push DD out so don't know what real birth is like 🙄 and also it would be easier to BF as it was very sore to have DD pressed up against me for the first week or so last time.

@Grumpy19 I was 3cm when they broke my waters after a 4 day induction and as far as I'm aware I only got to 4-5cm after labouring for 6 hours, so progress was slow which I'm guessing doesn't bode well for next time. I definitely wouldn't go through another induction, I wish I'd pushed for a section last time as I did have a few problems in that pregnancy, so it wasn't a surprise to me or DH when it ended in an EMCS. I think I need to have a good talk with the midwives/consultants, see how this pregnancy goes this time and go from there! x

9 months of pregnancy, 4 day induction and 6 hours of labouring? Baby delivered to you at the end? Sounds like a real birth to me. Such a ridiculous comment from your mil.

It’s not really a choice though is it! Nature takes over! My tip is don’t assume your second will be anything like your first. My two labours couldn’t have been more different. First much like yours long labour waters broke baby in distress emergency c section. Second popped out in 4 hours!

I had a vbac with my third child. I had a vaginal delivery with first baby and c section with second because he was breech. Im glad i went for the vbac. The birth was very quick, no time for any pain relief, and I was home 4 hours later. I think it went so well because baby was in a perfect position. I was quite active throughout my pregnancy and exercised nearly every day on my cross trainer. Im pretty sure it contributed to baby being in an optimal position.

I had a successful vbac with dc2, possibly helped by the fact I'd been fully dilated first time round before needing a crash section. I was really uncertain about what to choose and the midwifery and consultant teams were incredibly supportive. There was no pressure to make a quick decision, they saw me several times over a few weeks to discuss options. They supported me to set boundaries around what I was prepared to accept - eg if I said I'd had enough in labour, they'd request a theatre immediately, if I went overdue I could choose elcs, I would accept certain types of induction, but not others. Essentially, we agreed that there wasn't a straight elcs/vbac decision, but several choices depending on what the circumstances were at the end of pregnancy.

In the end, things went off plan (as these things often do!) but it was really helpful to go in knowing that I was in control and my choices would be respected - which hadn't really happened the first time round.

Ignore your MIL - what an idiotic thing to say!

I believe an induction with VBAC isn't advised as there's an increased risk of uterine rupture, so the decision maybe out of your hands if you go significantly overdue.

Another consideration is how big was your last baby and how wide are your hips? Despite the nonsense spouted at NCT, it's just plain physics - it's going to be harder to push something big out a small opening.

My first thought when they held DS2 up after the section was 'he's massive - he would never have come out naturally!!'