OB said my body wont work!

KimSiz

Isnt that weird?

I had a c-section with DD #1 due to fetal distress after I was induced. I didnt have much contraction, no dilation, nothing happening at 41 weeks. I told her I want a VBAC with DD#2 cuz recovery from a c-section is horrible!

 She said well most likely you'll end up with another c-section cuz if my body didnt do it the first time, it most likely wont do anything this time either. Is that true? is that normal?

I will be talked out of going for a VBAC but still. This is discouraging. :-(

jamienbj

It IS weird, and sad and discouraging. If you want a VBAC you should fight to have one, your body is made to have a baby, vaginally that is. I strongly encourage you to read the book 'Pushed" by Jennifer Block before the end of your pregnancy. Good luck to you on your quest to birth your baby the way you want to, challenging in our modern day of maternity care.

sciteach

I am a very big proponent that pregnancy, labor and delivery are not illnesses. I am getting great prenatal care, and I trust my body to do what it is evolved to do. I also trust my doctor to keep an eye on us to make sure we both come out of the process as healthy as possible. We are a team, together we make decisions and care for me and this baby.

Many docs will not induce a woman trying for a VBAC - the pitocin makes contrax stronger than natural, so the small risk of uterine rupture is slightly increased with an induction. Inductions are also known to increase the risk of fetal distress, so based solely on what you wrote I am not convinced your body can't deliver a baby.

Some women are genuinely not good candidates for VBAC,  I have no idea if that is the the case for you. That said, it sounds like your doc maybe is not comfortable with VBACs in general? Are there other doctors in the practice that you can consult? 

I think if you really want the VBAC there are things you can do to improve your chances. 1. hire a doula who has VBAC experience, she will help you ask questions and assess the situation when a doc suggests a procedure. 2. research and seriously consider going natural; a lot of research suggests that the more interventions you get the more likely the birth will end in caesarean. 

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth and Birthing From Within are both good books to start your research. 

Good luck!  

disbride061103

I would encourage you to do your own research on VBAC. You can find a lot of information from reliable sources on the internet. You don't give a lot of details about your 1st induction, but from what you say, you had two issues. One, was fetal distress and two was lack of progress. Generally speaking, you have a higher chance of a successful VBAC if the reason for your c/s is not something that is a recurring issue.  Fetal distress is not considered a recurring issue.  True lack of progress is a recurring issue.  According to my OB, if you dialate say to 4cm and then stop and no  matter what they do after multiple hours of trying, you have a true failure to progress.  If this occurs, you MAY have issues in future pregnancies.  However, my OB is a huge advocate of VBAC and feels that if you are educated and aware of the risks then you should by all means attempt a VBAC.  If you want a VBAC, do your research.  It sounds like your OB is not supportive at all of VBAC, so I would encourage you to find another OB or midwife who is supportive of your choices.

Lambie.

disbride061103:

I would encourage you to do your own research on VBAC. You can find a lot of information from reliable sources on the internet. You don't give a lot of details about your 1st induction, but from what you say, you had two issues. One, was fetal distress and two was lack of progress. Generally speaking, you have a higher chance of a successful VBAC if the reason for your c/s is not something that is a recurring issue.  Fetal distress is not considered a recurring issue.  True lack of progress is a recurring issue.  According to my OB, if you dialate say to 4cm and then stop and no  matter what they do after multiple hours of trying, you have a true failure to progress.  If this occurs, you MAY have issues in future pregnancies.  However, my OB is a huge advocate of VBAC and feels that if you are educated and aware of the risks then you should by all means attempt a VBAC.  If you want a VBAC, do your research.  It sounds like your OB is not supportive at all of VBAC, so I would encourage you to find another OB or midwife who is supportive of your choices.

This is good information.   Did your doctor say that you can't VBAC or that they won't induce you if you don't go into labor on your own?  Like PP said, many practices and even hospitals have policies against inducing labor if with pitocin if you have had a prior c-section.  There isn't a single hospital where I live now where that would be an option.

Geekchick921

disbride061103:

I would encourage you to do your own research on VBAC. You can find a lot of information from reliable sources on the internet. You don't give a lot of details about your 1st induction, but from what you say, you had two issues. One, was fetal distress and two was lack of progress. Generally speaking, you have a higher chance of a successful VBAC if the reason for your c/s is not something that is a recurring issue.  Fetal distress is not considered a recurring issue.  True lack of progress is a recurring issue.  According to my OB, if you dialate say to 4cm and then stop and no  matter what they do after multiple hours of trying, you have a true failure to progress.  If this occurs, you MAY have issues in future pregnancies.  However, my OB is a huge advocate of VBAC and feels that if you are educated and aware of the risks then you should by all means attempt a VBAC.  If you want a VBAC, do your research.  It sounds like your OB is not supportive at all of VBAC, so I would encourage you to find another OB or midwife who is supportive of your choices.

Ditto all of this.  You will not have a VBAC with this doctor.  I also encourage you to find a VBAC-friendly/supportive OB or midwife, and hire a doula.  Also, I just want to emphasize what dls said about induction/distress/FTP/etc.  Fetal distress is considered a non-recurring issue and a failed induction does not equal failure to progress.

Interestingly enough, I have a similar experience where my daughter went into distress when my induction stalled (I was misdiagnosed with low fluid), and my doctor told me I would be a very good VBAC candidate.  I will not see my current group for my next pregnancy, though, because the only hospital where they deliver put a de facto VBAC ban into effect about 2 years ago, and while I COULD get approval for a VBAC ToL there, I'd much rather deliver in a more supportive environment.

Here are some links you may find useful:

ICAN's State by State VBAC Hospital Policy Summary All of the portion of the ICAN website devoted to VBAC is helpful, but you can use this list to find a VBAC-friendly hospital.  Sometimes the info on the hospital will also give the names of OBs and midwives that take VBAC patients.

American College of Nurse-Midwives' provider search.

DONA

ACOG's VBAC Guidelines This is my favorite.  It is 5 years old, but as far as I know, the guidelines have not changed and they have not published a more recent edition of this information.  This is straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, and explains a lot of the research findings on VBAC and what ACOG recommends for VBAC patients.  All the cited studies are listed at the end of the document, and if you're feeling especially curious, you can probably find the abstracts for most of those studies online if you look hard enough.

Good luck. 

NFL_Wife

SFL- thanks for all the VBAC links!

Raineth

Completely opposite of what my midwife said. She said your body will remember where it got last time and get there fairly easily, then will have to do some work to get to where you weren't able to with the last one. This is exactly what happened with my VBAC. Thankfully I had a doctor that was willing to let my body do it's thing for as long as it took. He totally advocated for my desire to have a VBAC and it was a completely normal delivery. I am going to have a homebirth with this one in April. I'm so excited about that. I'd encourage you to change docs if you really want a VBAC because you can find someone that will support that decision. My doc said that upwards of 90% + fo women who attempt VBAC's are successful. You can do it!

KimSiz

Thanks for all the comments. I am researching it much more in detail. In the end, I think I should change OB to a VBAC friendly one so I dont second guess every decision I'm making.

 

GeekChick thanks for the links, super helpful!

Geekchick921

KimSiz:

Thanks for all the comments. I am researching it much more in detail. In the end, I think I should change OB to a VBAC friendly one so I dont second guess every decision I'm making.

 

GeekChick thanks for the links, super helpful!

You're welcome!  I hope they help.  Best of luck to you!

You absolutely need to switch if you want to have a VBAC.  You could spend your whole pregnancy and your labor fighting with her but why bother?  You don't need to deal with an unsupportive jerk providing your prenatal care.  Find a supportive practitioner (and hospital, if necessary).

Have you considered seeing a midwife instead?  Certified nurse-midwives can provide mostly the same care an Ob/Gyn can (notably, they cannot perform, but they can potentially be first assist for, a C-section) and they can also order epidural consults if you are delivering in a hospital setting (which you likely will be, since you are a VBAC patient).  CNMs have a physician they can refer you to if you become high-risk (being a VBAC patient alone does not make you high risk) or ultimately need a C-section.  However, midwives, usually have a more of a "let the woman's body do its thing" approach to pregnancy and childbirth, and generally have lower invention and higher VBAC success rates. 

I have nothing against OBs (in fact, I will very possibly be one by the end of the next decade, though I plan on seeing a midwife for my next pregnancy), but I think you generally have a better chance of having a VBAC with a midwife.  It's definitely something to consider.