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VBAC
supermom83
member
Due in 1 week and starting to panic. Doc has changed her mind..
supermom83
member
in VBAC
I am currently pregnant with #2 and due next Monday. The reasons given to me for the c-section with my first was that I was 40w5d and was not dilated, baby never dropped, cervix was still high and tight and doctors absolutely refused to induce me. They kept saying baby was huge (got ultrasounds at 39 weeks and they estimated him to be 10+ lbs but he was born 8lbs6oz).
So needless to say I never went into labor with my first, never felt a single contraction and they scared me half to death in the last week and a half till I gave in and got a c-section. I switched doctors because I knew my chances for a VBAC with the old practice were basically zero. They are a huge 12+ doctor practice and run their office like a business. No personal touch or anything...
Anyway, I am now seeing a supposedly VBAC friendly doctor whom I interviewed early on and she seemed really great and very supportive of VBACs. But now as I am approaching my due date I feel like she is changing her tune and talking to me endlessly about uterine rupture and scheduling a c-section!!! She is seriously trying to scare the heck out of me, just like my old OB. I KNOW about uterine ruptures, I've read basically all the literature I can get my hands on about this! I am not an uneducated idiot who doesn't know the risks. EVERYTHING has risks including the c-section she is trying to "prepare" me for.
Basically she checked me on Saturday and there is nothing going on at all down there. I again, am not dilated at all, baby is very high and floating, no effacement, my cervix is "soft" but still in a very posterior position (it hurt like heck having her check me!). I am getting so discouraged and scared, and she is asking to not go beyond my due date. She wants to deliver at 40 weeks...this gives me 7 days to go into labor naturally.
I have been doing everything I can to try and go into labor but my body doesn't seem ready. Can anyone share their experiences of when they were approaching their due date and dealing with something similar....did you end up with the c-section? Did you go from 0-baby in a few days? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Re: Due in 1 week and starting to panic. Doc has changed her mind..
I'm so sorry, this must be very stressful for you.
First maybe you should decline cervical checks? They don't tell you anything about when you might go into labor. It sounds like they are stressing you out and discouraging you, and giving your doctor a reason to push RCS on you.
Have you asked your doctor why she has changed her tune? Has something changed to make her less supportive of VBAC than she was in the beginning of your pregnancy? Is there another doctor in the practice that might be more supportive?
Can you put off a RCS until 41 or 42 weeks? Why doesn't she want you to go past 40 weeks? There are studies showing that VBAC after 40 weeks is still safe. Remember you can always refuse a RCS at 40 weeks. This is your body, not your doctor's. She needs permission from you to do something, not vice versa.
Has your doctor tried sweeping your membranes? Have you tried nipple stimulation? Both of these have been shown to induce labor or cause cervical change in scientific studies, so they are not just old wives' tales.
FWIW At my 39 week appointment I was feeling really discouraged. I didn't have a cervical check but I wasn't seeing any signs that my body was gearing up for labor and my doctor didn't think I would be delivering soon. I went into labor that same night with no warning and had a VBAC. So things really can change at any moment. Good luck!
Sorry she is stressing you out! First, try your best to relax as the stress is certainly not going to help the situation.
I had a cervical check at 40 weeks and was completely closed and soft. My CNM let me go to 41 weeks (to be fair, she'd probably have let me go longer but the hospital had a rule that VBACs couldn't go past 41 weeks). I was induced at that point (with pit) and successfully VBACed at 41 weeks 1 day. My CNM said that I was likely just a late gestator and I'll always birth later than the average. Also, some research suggests that the average length of a pregnancy is closer to 41 weeks than 40- so even 40 is less than a full pregnancy.
If I were you, I'd really push to change the c/s date to 41 weeks. I went with a provider who was willing to induce and I doubt your doctor will change her mind on that, but she can't force surgery. So, talk to her about moving that date as late as possible. Then ask her to go over the risks of a c/s to force her to think about that too.
Thank you so much for your input!
My doc has tried twice to sweep my membranes but she literally can't because I am not dilated at all and my cervix is very posterior so she can't get in there and do it! I almost cried every time she couldn't sweep me, I was so disappointed!
I have not tried nipple stimulation yet, so maybe I'll do that tonight. My doc keeps talking about uterine rupture and how dangerous it is, and she doesn't feel comfortable going past 40 weeks because of it. I told her I want to at least go to 41 weeks, she didn't say "no" outright but she gave me the shifty eye and started talking about ruptures again and telling me all the horror stories she can recall about them. It seriously was very scary listening to all that and I was in tears. She is not being supportive, but again she's not insisting on the RCS either...but she started pulling the "you're endangering your baby and yourself" card at 38 weeks! I didn't expect it from someone who's supposedly VBAC friendly.
Initially when I interviewed her she said she would let me go a little past 41 weeks, which is what I am personally comfortable with. but I guess she is using my cervical check against me and thinks I will not go into labor. I don't know....I'm just so confused and scared right now. I'm going to decline any further checks because they are truly discouraging and obviously being used against me. I really want to be given the best chance at a VBAC but I feel just as pressured now as I did when I was in my last weeks of pregnancy with DS. I told myself I would be strong but now I'm just scared and discouraged.
Thank you for sharing your story about going into labor! It really does help a lot hearing other peoples stories and gives me hope that maybe soon my body will magically decide to have this baby!
I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Scare tactics should not be used in a clinical setting, period. Patients should be informed of risks and benefits and be allowed to come to their own, educated opinion. It doesn't sound like that is the approach your OB is taking.
I think PP have given you some great advice. I especially like the point about asking her to tell you the risks of rcs. It at least forces her to acknowledge that no birth is without risks, and that with rcs, some risks are actually greater. I also agree that all you probably need right now is more time and a supportive doctor.
I know things can change at the drop of a hat. I hope you go into labor soon! Keep us posted. You can do this!
This. I would ask point blank about why she had agreed to something earlier that she isn't supporting now. What changed? There are valid reasons to be concerned about going longer (e.g. if your blood pressure was rising), and if they exist, you have a right to know. And if they don't, she needs to explain her change of tune.
That makes me so angry for you. What a slimeball to tell you things like that!
Hold her to it. I agree with what everyone else said, too. FWIW, I went into labor at 41 weeks with DS1, and had no signs of labor 24 hours before when I had a cervical check. And I didn't have DS2 until at least 42 weeks. Good luck! Hold your ground, and I hope it works out for you!!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Sorry you have to deal with that. It says know you're on bed rest, but walking can really help jump start things. Another, don't let her push you around. You're the patient and you pay her. Tell you've read about uterine rupture and you aren't phased by it. Let her know that you will decide what's best for you AND your baby. After all, your body has worked pretty hard in the last 39 weeks to grow that bundle of joy.
(Side note- U/S preformed after 36 weeks can be very wrong about the weight of your baby. Be wary of those)
Hope you get the VBAC you want.
I was actually LESS dilated with #2 than I was with #1 - and I never went into labor with #1 and had a failed induction at 41wks4 days (or so?). went into labor on my own with #2 at 40 wks 4 days.
I did try a lot to get myself into labor this time around - I researched and activated all the pressure points, actually tried accupuncture and had a accupressure massage on my feet the day before I went into labor. I also downloaded the 'baby come out' mp3 from hypnobabies - loved it. If nothing else, it got me from a state of total panic that the baby wouldn't come to hope and acceptance. Honestly, even my DH said it was money well spent when he saw how relaxed and at peace it made me - I can't rave about it enough. I did other things, too (pineapple, nipple stimulation, although not much as I tried that with #1 and just ended up sore, etc.).
I'm so sorry your doctor is pushing you. If it helps, the hospital where I had hoped to deliver (until they banned FP doctors for VBACs) had 3 uterine ruptures in a relatively short timespan - one wasn't a VBAC, and all three had good outcomes for both mom and baby. Yes, it happens (albeit very rarely), but really, other issues are statistically much more likely to happen...