? for Successful VBAC Moms...

MissBHaven1024

Was there anything you did in preparation for your labor, aside from classes? I am hoping for a VBAC in December, and I would really like to give myself the best chance possible. I was just curious to know if there was anything your docs recommended for you to do? TIA!

iris427

Nope.  The most important thing I did was find a doctor who was truly supportive of VBAC and believed that I could have one.  Everything else, honestly, was just luck.

MissBHaven1024

iris427:

Nope.  The most important thing I did was find a doctor who was truly supportive of VBAC and believed that I could have one.  Everything else, honestly, was just luck.

I figured that it would just have to be prayer and luck on my side once the time came, but I know that some people's midwives have told them about raspberry leaf tea and evening primrose oil. I just wasn't sure if anything like that was recommended as a way to maybe help increase the chances of a successful VBAC.

Hopefully it will just all work out for me!

nosoup4u

Like Iris said, make sure your provider is as committed to VBAC as you are.

I did stay more active and was more aware of my posture during my second pregnancy (but it's hard not to be active while chasing another kid around!). I also saw a chiropractor for most of my pregnancy, too. Who knows how much it helped in the end, but it made me feel like I was doing all I could to up my chances. hth and good luck!

chicsub

This time I hired a doula, switched to a very supportive midwife group, only gained 25 lbs. vs. 50 lbs. due to having GD and drank RRL tea starting around 30 or 32 weeks.  Considering I ended up with GD this time, I'm sure switching providers was the best thing I could have done and the rest was luck, I agree with that.  DD's heartbeat was perfect throughout the whole labor, so she cooperated!   

Adrienne4.11

My doctor recommended the red raspberry leaf tea and EPO, and she was very supportive of my VBAC. I agree with the advice to find a good supportive doctor.

lcunningham

I dont know if it helped me, but I walked every day for about an hour for the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I know you are due in the winter so you might need to go to the mall. But I think staying active, moving around helped me a lot. I definitely was not as active with #1 during the last few weeks. 

We also had sex a few times over the last few weeks just to see if it would help. My OB stripped my membranes as well. I would make sure you are with someone that will let you do a trial of labor. She was so supportive and really wanted me to be able to VBAC.

Good luck and when you are at the end rethinking a repeat section, having a great OB or midwife will make the difference. It did for me!  

MissBHaven1024

Thank you so much everyone! I am very confident in the midwife we have (our hospital we are delivering at has OB's and a midwifery team, so we can get the best of both worlds). Our midwife feels that I had an unecessary C-section and is very on board with a VBAC, so I am comforted in that. I will bring up RLT and EPO with her at our next appointment. I look forward to putting all of your advice to use in the upcoming weeks!

Thanks again!

bugabean

I didn't do any classes either. I did drink some RRL tea near the end, since a friend gave me some and I like tea anyway, but I really didn't stress about it.

BlinkingLight1

Avoid induction if possible (I had DS at 42.5 weeks)

Eat a healthy, high protein diet 

Surround yourself with a great support system. Having a supportive husband, doula and midwife will go a LONG way! I highly recommend hiring a doula if you haven't already. Without my doula I'm almost positive I would have ended up with another c/s.

cwifekmom

I got involved with my local ICAN chapter, and reading the positive stories online and just having a community supportive was a huge help.  I had a supportive husband and he and my nurse are really what made it possible.  I highly recommend a doula as well.  I drank a ton of RRL tea, 4 glasses a day until I knew I was being induced then I upped it to around 6.  I don't know if it had any real affect, but my labor was REALLY fast once it got started.