VBAC vs RCS: would you rather?

penguinem

Let me start this by saying I know birth experiences are unpredictable, different for every woman/ every time, and have different meanings for everyone.

That being said, would you rather have a VBAC that was difficult but successful that ended in baby being taken away/monitored for a period of time, or would you rather have a RCS that went perfectly?

My CS was a great experience: I was scared but didn't get sick until hours later, I had a great staff who made it as awesome as possible, and I got to hold my DD within minutes, was wheeled out of the OR with her in my arms, and BF in the recovery room before she went to the nursery (within 15 minutes of birth, or less). The next day, she was having some strider/ breathing issues: this in conjunction with a heart murmur earned a stay in the NICU for several days until we could get an echo-cardiogram (she was born on a friday, so we had to wait till monday). Sometimes I am so upset by the post-delivery happenings that I forget my C-section plan was followed to-a-tee and I got to nurse right away and spend time with my baby, something that lots of mommies don't get!

I am fullly committed to a VBAC, but then I see stories on here (and stories of first time vaginal delivery) in which the cord is wrapped, there is difficulty breathing at birth, there is trauma due to birth, etc, etc, etc, and I worry about that, too! I guess it's not different than worrying about a RCS, or a regular vaginal delivery, or pregnancy, or infancy, or any other worry.

At the heart of it, I think I am scared that I will never have the birth experience that is in my mind, and I feel guilty for even desiring that, when I already have a perfect DD and a so-far healthy baby on the way!

MrsJordanalmond

well ... i haven't had a vbac or vag delivery, but a perfect c/s ... so my opinion is really not based on experience.  

but given my c/s (which was pretty uneventful) i think i would still prefer a vaginal delivery.

don't feel guilty ... i have also been spending a lot of time lately worrying that i might not get the delivery experience that i 'want'.   i feel my feelings, but try not to let them overwhelm me.

jen5-03

I'd rather have the birth without complications. We all would of course. But we don't get to choose that. There are no guarantees. You could have a rcs and still have baby land in nicu. But choosing a normal birth isn't some outlandish idea that's going to mean your baby has trouble breathing or has something go wrong. And rcs is not a panacea that will prevent all problems either. If at some point my ob had said we need to do a rcs, there's something wrong, then i would have changed plans. Choosing to attemp vbac doesn't rule out other options. But choosing other options does rule out vbac.

myantonia

Well, I experienced basically a combo of your two scenarios the first time around (C/S and then DS was taken away to NICU, didn't get to hold or BF for 3 hours, etc.).  

The "bad" parts of each scenario totally sucked.  My DS was in the NICU for 24 hours, but my difficulty getting around and my generally slow recover lasted for weeks.  And now that I have a 2 year old and will have a baby to take care of as well, I would choose the VBAC based on the fact that I will have a much easier recovery.  I know my DS was in good hands in the NICU and as hard as it was to be away from him at the time, he is happy and healthy, we bonded and BF just fine.   

+diana82+

I planned to attempt a vbac but it never really happened - my water broke but I never went into labor. Honestly, if I had to do it all over again I would just schedule the RCS (which I said all along if I could look into the future and know that's what I would end up with I would schedule in a heartbeat).

Both of my c/s experiences were just fine and my recoveries were pretty easy. I was up and walking to the NICU the next day to see DD this time around - her NICU stay was unrelated to the c/s, but she was there for 6 days.

I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted a vbac/rcs for much of my pregnancy - I was basically scared of making the "wrong" decision either way and something going wrong.  I now think that this birth in particular went the way it did for a reason - I think DD was ready to come out but my body just doesn't get how to actually go into labor.

ABMcKinney

One of my biggest fears with both of my pregnancies was that I wouldn't be able to hold/see my babies right away. Even aside from emergencies or medical reasons I've read so many stories about moms having c-sections and being in a seperate room from the baby to recover. WTF is the point of that???? So in a perfect scenario I would take the c/s over the VBAC with the baby being whisked off. That's knowing what I know now though- my repeat c/s was just about perfect and while my incision had a bit of trouble healing (small infection) I had no problems getting up and moving and taking care of my other child.

lostaspen

With my c/s I didn't get to hold or even touch DS until I got into the recovery room (about 45 minutes after he was taken out).  I was then able to hold and b/f him, so that was very good.  But I had a long hard labor and then the c/s, so I was exhausted, and then with all the drugs I was sick, and only remember bits and pieces of his first day.  My c/s and recovery were text book and without any incident, so I was very lucky.

But I never want to go through it again.  Cesareans carry a lot of risk, and the fact is they are major surgery.  I have a new midwife now and am planning a HBAC.  So I am open and willing to go through another long, hard labor.  But barring any serious condition or emergency, my baby will not be taken from me (or at least not from the room I am in).

So why are those your two options?  Having a long and/or hard labor doesn't mean your LO will be taken to a NICU, and having a c/s doesn't mean you will get to hold your LO immediately. 

iris427

I'd rather have a healthy baby I could hold and nurse right away.  I feel thankful that I never had to be separated from my baby with either my VBAC or my c/s. 

But obviously IRL it doesn't come down to this choice, and babies born by scheduled c/s are more likely to have breathing troubles and need NICU time.

cchill01

It's kind of not a fair comparison, because there are risks to baby either way and making either choice doesn't guarantee the results.  Birth is a messy business. 

My C/S was pretty good, I got to hold and nurse DD within 15 minutes.  But, there was meconium, so she could have needed monitoring.  But that would have been the case with either birth method.

For me, the choice is really about the recovery and risk to my life.  And that's why I'm choosing the VBAC.

bugabean

I'd birth through my nose if I knew for sure it meant my baby would be healthy, but as PPs have said, it's just not a realistic choice.

penguinem

I know that it's a sensitive topic and I thought my disclaimers would help to stave off agitation. To be clear, I know it's not a choice between one or the other. It's just a thought/worry/musing that I have and I wondered if others thought the same way or had the same fears.

I certainly didn't mean to make people feel defensive, which seems to have happened a bit. I was just looking for a safe place to process my feelings on the matter and my fears about a second time around.

iris427

penguinem:

I know that it's a sensitive topic and I thought my disclaimers would help to stave off agitation. To be clear, I know it's not a choice between one or the other. It's just a thought/worry/musing that I have and I wondered if others thought the same way or had the same fears.

I certainly didn't mean to make people feel defensive, which seems to have happened a bit. I was just looking for a safe place to process my feelings on the matter and my fears about a second time around.

I don't think anyone is upset by your post.  Please feel free to share your feelings/fears here.  I'm sure you will find many of us can relate.