How did you get your DH comfortable with VBAC

asherwest

I am having a hard time getting DH to feel comfortable with me doing a VBAC.  He is scared to death that I will die and leave him with two kids. Valid fear, but I don't think he understands that is a 1% chance. Regardless that I have told him this plenty of times.  

Any ideas what else I can do or say to get him to feel more comfortable about doing the VBAC?

LiluBee

Well, DH watched the Business of Being Born with me and seemed to really understand the natural mechanics of birth a lot of better.  That and the ACOG guidelines that really encourage mothers to VBAC has helped him feel very comfortable with the situation. I also live in an area that has a very encouraging hospital....I know it has to be a lot tougher for people that deal with a community of professionals that doesn't support it.

https://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr07-21-10-1.cfm

 

 

 

 

honkytonk_kid

I would encourage you to research risks of VBAC vs repeat c/s. Every study that I've read shows a higher maternal mortality rate with RCS.

It also might help for him to go to an appointment with you, and talk to your OB/MW about his concerns and what would be done if anything went wrong during your VBAC. 

Good luck!

iris427

You actually have a much higher chance of dying from a repeat c/s than from a VBAC.  Maternal mortality rates for repeat c/s are 3x higher than maternal mortality rates for VBAC.  In fact, you're 4x as likely to die every time you get into your car than you are from a VBAC.

The chance of a mother dying in a VBAC is far less than 1%.  If you have one prior, low-transverse incision the risk of uterine rupture is somewhere around 0.5%, depending on what study you look at.  Most of these ruptures do not result in the death of either the mother or baby.  The risk of the baby dying from a rupture is 20 fetal deaths per 100,000 mothers attempting a VBAC. Mothers dying from ruptures are so rare that the NIH couldn't even quantify it.

Furthermore, if you get pregnant again, you will have a lower risk of complications or death in that pregnancy if you had a VBAC for your previous delivery.  This is because the more cesareans you have, the higher your risk of complications in your next delivery.  Some of these complications, like placenta accreta, can be deadly to the mother and they are linked to the number of prior cesareans that you've had.  So if you want to have three or more children, this is something to consider as well.

 Here's my source for this information:

https://consensus.nih.gov/2010/vbacstatement.htm#q3 

asherwest

Thanks for the info ladies! I will look into those links and make him look at them with me!

Brownie_222

iris427:

You actually have a much higher chance of dying from a repeat c/s than from a VBAC.  Maternal mortality rates for repeat c/s are 3x higher than maternal mortality rates for VBAC.  In fact, you're 4x as likely to die every time you get into your car than you are from a VBAC.

The chance of a mother dying in a VBAC is far less than 1%.  If you have one prior, low-transverse incision the risk of uterine rupture is somewhere around 0.5%, depending on what study you look at.  Most of these ruptures do not result in the death of either the mother or baby.  The risk of the baby dying from a rupture is 20 fetal deaths per 100,000 mothers attempting a VBAC. Mothers dying from ruptures are so rare that the NIH couldn't even quantify it.

Furthermore, if you get pregnant again, you will have a lower risk of complications or death in that pregnancy if you had a VBAC for your previous delivery.  This is because the more cesareans you have, the higher your risk of complications in your next delivery.  Some of these complications, like placenta accreta, can be deadly to the mother and they are linked to the number of prior cesareans that you've had.  So if you want to have three or more children, this is something to consider as well.

 Here's my source for this information:

https://consensus.nih.gov/2010/vbacstatement.htm#q3 

Thanks, Iris! Your research and stats are so appreciated and especially in this case, really put the risk in perspective.