been told 50/50 chance of having a VBAC .. is it worth trying?

[bytheMoonlight]

Was told by the consultant yesterday that there is a 50/50 chance of having a VBAC.

Had to have emcs with dd as she got stuck after I had dialated to 10cm. Consultant has read notes from my labour and isn't sure if this baby won't get stuck as well and said they same thing couold happen again, although this time I would only be left to push for half an hour and would be monitered more closly.

The hospital is very pro VBAC, and I'm not sure if I am being given the best advice. I'm not sure if even trying for a VBAC is worth it given the odds.

What do you think and has anyone any experience of this?

Hi there,
Same thing happened to me, hour and 40mins of pushing but DS was brow presentation so got stuck. Like you say, there is no guarantee that this wont happen again. But then there are no guarantees when it comes to anything related to childbirth!

Im now trying to decide whether to VBAC or not. You have my sympathy as its such a difficult decision, at the moment from my meetings with my consultant and midwives I feel like the odds are stacked against me, and I would rather be the one that makes the decision to have a section rather than go through full labour again to only end up in theatre having to have a spinal done whilst my body is still "pushing" Not nice.

From what I've read on here, and there are loads and loads of very very supportive VBAC or not VBAC threads, I would say trust your instinct, go with what you feel. I recovered very well and very quickly from my first CS so Im not scared about that. If the thought of going through surgery again is too much for you, then go for a VBAC and I would recommend reading loads of stuff. From everything I've read most information points towards a VBAC being the better choice for mother and baby (still hasn't made my decision any easier!)

I worry that emotionally I will take far longer to recover if I end up with another EMCS when I could have gone for a ELCS.

Sorry, don't feel like thats much help. Hope you reach a decision you're happy with
K

I had an emergency section with ds1 after a scan picked up a problem. I hadn't gone into labour. I had VBAC with dd and ds2. With dd I pushed for only 20 minutes and the only problem was a retained placenta. With ds2 I pushed him out in 7 minutes and was close to an emergency c-section as both our lives were in danger as my scar wasn't coping with the pressure.

No Kitty, its a big help to read what other people in similar situations are thinking and feeling.

I felt fully recovered from my VBAC within 2 weeks and was off all painkillers. The thought of surgery doesn't scare me, esp. if its controlled and I feel like everything is safe.

I'm not really scared either way tbh, I just want to make the safest descision. When I said this to the consultant she said both (ELCS and VBACS) were safe, which tbh wasn't really the detailed advice I was after.

She also talked about an ELCS being a 'cop out' at which point I gave up trying to get unbiased advice from her and just nodded along.

The only thing that does the scare the life out of me is my scar rupturing and Fab that sounds horrendous!

Dont you just wish someone would make the decision for you? I told my midwife if the consultant had just said to me "you have to try a VBAC" then I would think Ok and try and get my head around that but because we live in a world full of choices it just makes things so much harder!

My baby is breech at the moment (30 weeks) still plenty of time to turn but Im kind of thinking well if it stays like this then the decision is taken away from me.

I think at the end of the day, as a mother, you only want what is best and where there are risks ie scar rupturing, baby getting distressed etc if things went wrong and you could have gone for a ELCS you would never forgive yourself, and thats all I keep thinking. My DS was so chilled throughout the whole EMCS, heartrate never went up once, but had he been distressed I think the whole experience would have been very different.

Keep me posted on how you go on, when do you next see your consultant? How many weeks are you?

ELCS a cop out aren't these people meant to be professionals? thats awful!

How would you feel if you went into labour and ended up with another section? Would you feel ok or would you feel it was a waste of time, or even, heaven forbid, you'd 'failed'?

I had an ELCS due to placenta previa. If I have another I would like a VBAC just because I never went into labour at all last time. In my head it won't matter if it ends in a section, at least I would have felt what labour was like.

A question like this might help you decide.

yy kitty I wish someone would just tell me what to do ... I don't want options. I'm 20 wks, next see consultant at 36 wks - if I do choose an ELCS I'm really not looking forward to seeing her.

Shaz, I think if I ended up with an EMCS at the end of labour I would feel like it had been a waste of time and I may as well have opted for an ELCS, at least then things would have been calmer, more planned and I my body may recover quicker.

Still unsure what to do

Hi there! good point about the ELCS, thats exactly how I feel that it would be a waste of time. I don't know about you but my first time, waters broke on the wednesday and I was in v slow labour until the friday when they gave me one pessary which seemed to kick things off, so had a good 9hours of established labour before pushing, then hour and 40 of that THEN a section so the next day, I was elated and actually felt OK BUT like you, had gone through labour AND THEN major surgery! and thats not something I want to repeat. Especially now I have a toddler running around.
I dont feel like I've missed out on anything coz I feel like I got the full experience of labour minus the actually baby coming out of its planned exit! so unlike some others I don't think Oh I need to know what labour feels like. I just want me and my baby to be safe.
Have you read any books yet? or do you feel like the hospital is pushing you towards a VBAC? I think (and I may be wrong) they cant push you towards a VBAC if you have already had a section.
Oh decisions decision!

Kitty I could have written that post almost word for word!

I went through 1o hours of established labour before pushing for almost 2 hours and like you I, at the time, just felt relief that every thing had turned out ok. But looking back it was a horrible experience, all the effort of labour and then having to recover from major surgery felt unfair.

I have read things on the internet and links that people on here have posted to. But it just seems to me that you read one thing promoting VBAC and then you read another thing which contradicts that promoting ELCS so it just confuses me - I've given up. I was hoping for some unbiased advice from my consultant but no chance there as the hospital is very pro VBAC. My midwife told me at my booking in appointment that the hospital would want me to have a VBAC, so I know I will have to fight if I choose to have a ELCS - not something I'm sure I have the energy for!

Everyone around me thinks I'm crazy for considering a VBAC given the chances of ending up with an EMCS. And they have been really supportive re. giving help after the ELCS to help with dd. DH thinks a planned ELCS is the best idea as well.

So the hospital want one thing, people around me think the other way would be better. I, have no clue and just wish someone would just decide for me!