Am I crazy?

Bluebird2318

Hi, ladies! New to this particular board, so I guess this serves as my intro as well. My first baby was delivered in June 2012 at 29 weeks via c-section due to pre-e and HELLP. I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with #2 as of today. Sorry for the TL;DR, but here it goes!

Up until 28 weeks with this pregnancy I was seeing the same practice that I saw when I had DD, and they were supportive of VBAC to an extent that I was comfortable with. They wouldn't induce for a VBAC but everything else was a go, so my only real "obstacle" was whether or not I would go into labor on my own. Just after my 28 week appointment DH and I moved to a new home (3.5 hours away) because he finally got the promotion he wanted, which is awesome but also meant that I had to change doctors. 

I had my 30 week appointment today with a practice in the new area (about a 40 minute drive) and was very disappointed. While they do some VBACs they are a smaller local hospital and I was told by the OB that they aren't always staffed with what is required according to ACOG guidelines for a VBAC. In short, my VBAC would be a toss-up that depended on when I went into labor and who was available at that time. There aren't any large hospitals locally here like there were with my old practice, so after some research it's looking like my best option for a similar outlook/experience to what I would have had with my old practice is with a larger hospital 1.5 hours away from where we are currently living. 

My question is: how crazy (if at all) does it sound that I want to pursue the option to travel 1.5 hours for appointments and delivery, given the fact that I will be changing doctors at 30+ weeks and my "high risk" status due to pre-e in a previous pregnancy? I have had no complications with this pregnancy thus far that indicates that I will have pre-e issues again, but it remains a possibility. I am a SAHM so I do not have to deal with a work schedule, but DD would have to come with me to some appointments. My MIL is willing to come stay with us at any time during this pregnancy if we need help with DD, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable dragging her out here before 35-36 weeks at the earliest, so DD would be coming with me to at least 2 or 3 appointments in the meantime (unless DH is off those days and is able to watch her himself). Would the 1.5 hour drive each way be worth it to you under those circumstances? I plan on contacting a doctor who delivers at my prospective hospital within the next few days to possibly schedule an appointment, but it would be nice to hear some opinions from people on my side of the fence in the meantime. TIA! 

gardengirl3

I don't think it's that crazy.  I haven't had a VBAC yet, but I drove 45 min each way to make sure I could see nurse midwives for my first pregnancy and still ended up with a c-section.  Go figure, lol. 

I'd say if the new practice would be super supportive of VBAC and you feel more comfortable with them, then go for it.  Like you said, you are near the end anyway, so it's not like you're driving that far the whole pregnancy.  Although one thing to consider is if you do end up developing complications again, do you want to be that far away from your dr/hospital? 

Bluebird2318

gardengirl3 said:

I don't think it's that crazy.  I haven't had a VBAC yet, but I drove 45 min each way to make sure I could see nurse midwives for my first pregnancy and still ended up with a c-section.  Go figure, lol. 

I'd say if the new practice would be super supportive of VBAC and you feel more comfortable with them, then go for it.  Like you said, you are near the end anyway, so it's not like you're driving that far the whole pregnancy.  Although one thing to consider is if you do end up developing complications again, do you want to be that far away from your dr/hospital? 

You are right, and I did think about that actually! I don't like thinking about the drive if I feel like I have a time sensitive emergency... But in some ways the larger hospital is ideal if I have complications since they are better staffed and better equipped for high risk patients. My DD spent two months in NICU because she was premature. Neither of the two hospitals in my area have a NICU at all, but the one farther away has a Level III NICU (so in the event of a premature baby, he would be emergency transported to that hospital anyway). 

gardengirl3

Bluebird2318 said:

gardengirl3 said:

I don't think it's that crazy.  I haven't had a VBAC yet, but I drove 45 min each way to make sure I could see nurse midwives for my first pregnancy and still ended up with a c-section.  Go figure, lol. 

I'd say if the new practice would be super supportive of VBAC and you feel more comfortable with them, then go for it.  Like you said, you are near the end anyway, so it's not like you're driving that far the whole pregnancy.  Although one thing to consider is if you do end up developing complications again, do you want to be that far away from your dr/hospital? 

You are right, and I did think about that actually! I don't like thinking about the drive if I feel like I have a time sensitive emergency... But in some ways the larger hospital is ideal if I have complications since they are better staffed and better equipped for high risk patients. My DD spent two months in NICU because she was premature. Neither of the two hospitals in my area have a NICU at all, but the one farther away has a Level III NICU (so in the event of a premature baby, he would be emergency transported to that hospital anyway). 

This is a good point too. 

Bluebird2318

I've had my records sent to the new practice and an appointment with them is set for 33 weeks. Thank you for your response!