If you VBAC'ed...do you regret it?

MaybeBabyTime

We are starting to think about having another baby. I had a c/section for failure to progress at 38 5/7 weeks. I went into labor on my own, but the nurses gave me 3 liters of IV fluids (I don't know why because I was full term and ok to deliver...I am actually a L&D nurse too) which killed my contractions. It took them 5 sticks to get my IV in and when they admitted me, I called my family which live 10 hours away and they started to make the drive.

5 hours into my "labor" my contractions went completely away. I was admitted at 2am and had one injection of morphine in my thigh (since they were working on an IV site) and then had another dose an hour later in my IV. Between the 3 liters of fluid and 2 morphine doses....it makes me think that hindered me. At 8am, my OB gave me the decision to go home or "augment" with pitocin. My cervix was 1cm, 75% effaced and the baby was high. They could not give me a prostaglandin to soften my cervix because that was considered an "induction" drug and that was against the hospital's policy unless you had completed 39 weeks.

Since my family was on their way and it had taken 5 sticks to get my IV in (and I was still uncomfortable from my now mild contractions), I decided to stay and get the pitocin. That may have been the decision that booked my c/section. I had what appeared to be good contractions (subjection unless an IUPC is used and I did not have one since my water was not broken) from 8:30am-8pm on the pitocin. I had NO cervical change whatsoever. At 9pm, they stopped the pitocin and finally gave me the prostaglandin (Cervidil). We sent my family to our house and my DH's family to theirs and turned the lights out to go to sleep. At 10pm, all the lights came on in my room. The baby was having some slight decels. They basically told me they tried everything and that we could pull the Cervidil out and try again in the morning but I was just too scared to risk it. I opted for a csection and my son was born at 10:32pm....7lbs 1 oz. I am a small girl. I am 5'3" and 105 lbs (not pregnant).

I recovered well. Yes, it was a hard 10 days but I felt 100% by 3 weeks PP. My only issue now is an itchy scar with a keloid along it.

I am starting to ponder a VBAC. Here is where I get iffy about it. I have a couple friends who had a vaginal birth and had 4th degree tears and had a very rough recovery. One of these girls has a now 7 month old. She says she still gets pain when she exercises...especially with Zumba.

If I did VBAC successfully, I wish I knew how my recovery would be. I would rather have my c/section discomfort than a 4th degree tear recovery. But, I would rather have a 2nd degree tear recovery than a csection. I'm scared and don't know what to decide! I do have time....but its always been on my mind.

 

 

jen5-03

No regrets. I had a 2nd degree tear. 3 days after the bac I was with my family walking around the park. 3 days after the c/s I was still in the hospital and could hardly shuffle around my room. Yes, I could have had a 4th degree tear and been in a lot more pain... but if I had a rcs, then I could have had my incision get infected or reopen or problems with scar tissue or... well you're the nurse, you know what can go wrong. Neither is perfect. Birthing means risks. If tearing is your particular fear, have you looked into techniques to minimize tearing? Any professional experience with what seems to work best?

MAprincess

I DO NOT regret it.  I tore also and my recovery was 1000% better than my C/S.  I was home from the hospital within 24 ours and could walk up and down steps, pick up my toddler, go for walks, etc.  I did have occasional pain where I tore for a couple of weeks, but it was NOTHING like the pain and issues I had with the C/S recovery.  If I have more children, I'll aim for a VBAC again.

LittleEgypt

I have not had a VBAC yet, but I'm curious whether your friends who had 4th degree tears had episiotomies first. I don't know anyone who tore like that who didn't IRL, but I'm sure you've seen lots of horror shows as an L&D nurse!

Sazhrah

There are ways to prevent the severity of tears. There is perinial (sp?) massage, episiotomies and gentle pushing. You are the same size I am and that is roughly the size of my children that I was able to vaginally birth. The fear of tearing shouldn't hold you back from trying to VBAC. Being cut open is so much worse. Yes your vag will be sore if you tear but in comparison, it is a walk in the park.

I haven't VBACed yet but I am positive that if it is successful I wont regret it at all, if it isn't successul I will be satisfied that I at least had a chance at it.

lorryfach

My VBAC was absolutely the right choice for me. My tear was borderline 1st/2nd (the midwife got a doctor to come take a look and decide if she could do it herself or if a doctor had to do it, but she ended up doing it herself). I left the hospital on my own two feet carrying my baby 4 hours after delivery. I was sore and walking slowly for a couple of days, but still able to bend over, pick up my toddler, etc. I felt really great in less than a week and started training for a 5K at two weeks PP. I'm 5'2", though I'm overweight. I don't know my pre-preg weight but I know it was more than 105.

FWIW, I have a friend who had two 4th degree tears (to answer one of the PPs, she had an episiotomy with the first, not the second) and in comparing recovery stories, we both agreed my totally normal c/s recovery was worse. Even if you have a 4th degree tear, it doesn't mean you will be in pain months and months out.

iris427

I haven't had a VBAC.  Like you, I also had an easy c/s recovery and the idea of a bad tear scares me.  But like others said, there are things that can be done to minimize tearing.  If you have a good doctor or midwife, your chances of having a 3rd or 4th degree tear are very small, especially if you do not have an episiotomy.  There are studies finding that midwives have lower rates of high order tears and episiotomies than doctors, so that is something you might consider.  This leads me to believe that bad tears are often (though not always) the result of poor obstetric management by the practitioner, and therefore can be prevented in a lot of cases.

Since you are a nurse, I'm sure you know that no medical event has a certain outcome.  If you decide to VBAC, you have to take the chance that you might have a hard birth and hard recovery.  But if you decide on RCS, you have to take that same chance--your incision could reopen, it could get infected, you could have an organ get nicked, etc.  Just because you had an easy c/s last time does not automatically mean you will again.  I'm sure you know about the possible complications of surgery since you are a nurse.  I'm not trying to sound scary but I think sometimes people get the idea that if you schedule a repeat c/s, you know what the end result will be and that's just not always true.  There are no guarantees when you give birth and I think that is something we all have to understand and accept, regardless of how we deliver.

GL with your choice. 

MaybeBabyTime

Thank you everyone for your opinions. It does help to ease my fears. I really think I am going to seek out a midwife with baby #2.

rachelann

I don't regret it for one second.  Once I started pushing out my son he came out pretty quickly.  To keep me from tearing the midwife kept me from pushing and slowly massaged me and used compresses and I just did very controlled and small pushes.  He was out in 25 minutes from the first push (and maybe only a handful of pushes).  He was 8lbs 4oz and I had 2 stitches.  I was 100% by day 3.  Huge difference from my complication free c/s. 

Find a doctor or midwife who will do this for you or let you breathe your baby down and I bet you would be a lot less likely to tear. 

PS.  I refused to let the fear of tearing keep me from my VBAC.  My OB tried to discourage me and told me all about his wife's 4th degree tear.  I was scared to death and so I switched to a midwife.  Fear has no place in birth.

MaybeBabyTime

rachelann:

I don't regret it for one second.  Once I started pushing out my son he came out pretty quickly.  To keep me from tearing the midwife kept me from pushing and slowly massaged me and used compresses and I just did very controlled and small pushes.  He was out in 25 minutes from the first push (and maybe only a handful of pushes).  He was 8lbs 4oz and I had 2 stitches.  I was 100% by day 3.  Huge difference from my complication free c/s. 

Find a doctor or midwife who will do this for you or let you breathe your baby down and I bet you would be a lot less likely to tear. 

PS.  I refused to let the fear of tearing keep me from my VBAC.  My OB tried to discourage me and told me all about his wife's 4th degree tear.  I was scared to death and so I switched to a midwife.  Fear has no place in birth.

 

I love stories like this. Thank you!

nosoup4u

I had a second degree tear and stitches with DS2 (he was huge, though), and it was still better than a c-section, no question. I was pretty beat up afterwards, and from talking to other women who've had vaginal births, I think my recovery was a bit longer than some, but I was back to feeling normal by 3 weeks or so (compared with still healing at 3 weeks post-c-section).

babyike

I do not regret one second of my VBAC.  I had a wonderful hospital waterbirth VBAC with midwives and an amazing doula and nurses after spontaneous labor at 41w1d.  DS was over 8lbs (I'm 5'11" and 145 not pg), and I only had a few 1st degree sidewall tears.  My perineum remained fully intact.  I credit that to the waterbirth permitting my skin to stretch more easily.  It took me 35 hours to get to 4cm, but then I went from 4 to 10cm in 2 hours.  I pushed for 13 minutes and DS was born.  I did need a whiff of Pitocin for about an hour, but I did not get an epidural.  I loved being able to walk around afterwards, and I even took a shower all by myself a few hours after delivey.  My VBAC recovery was a dream when compared to my c/s.  I did need pain meds for my vaginal sutures for a few days post-partum, but that is nothing compared to my c/s recovery.

After my c/s with DD... I could not even get out of bed without lots of help for almost a full 2 weeks.  Then I couldn't use the bathroom by myself until 3 weeks post-partum.  There's no way I would have handled the recovery from a repeat c/s very well with a toddler to take care of (our families live >1,000 miles away). 

The decision to VBAC is a personal one, and only you can decide what is right for you and your situation.  GL to you, and I wish you well with TTC #2