Anyone here VBAC?

delg23

I thought maybe this would be a good place to see what other people's experiences are since my main concern is interval between my  pregnancies & recovery w/ a toddler. There really isn't a lot of information out there on this. I have 4 weeks to decide...ugh.

JenniferL923

I did!

 

It was amazing. Ah-mah-zing. My birth story is in my blog.

 What was your reason for a c/s last time?  Mine was failure to descend/op baby. This one was much more cooperative.  These births were just over 17 months apart. 

Any other specific questions let me know, I'd be happy to share what I know. 

 Recovery was easy. The day after, I didn't even feel like I had a baby.  I was on the fence until I was in L&D and decided to go for it, best decision I ever made.  

delg23

JenniferL923:

I did!

 

It was amazing. Ah-mah-zing. My birth story is in my blog.

 What was your reason for a c/s last time?  Mine was failure to descend/op baby. This one was much more cooperative.  These births were just over 17 months apart. 

Any other specific questions let me know, I'd be happy to share what I know. 

 Recovery was easy. The day after, I didn't even feel like I had a baby.  I was on the fence until I was in L&D and decided to go for it, best decision I ever made.  

THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING! My c-section was distressed heart rate/low amniotic fluid which the doctor's said is not likely to repeat itself. I was induced, stopped progressing and then my son's heart rate went into distress again. I'm just concerned about the length of time between deliveries. My doctors said I have a slightly increased risk of uterine rupture but I am having trouble finding much info online. I found a stat for less than 6 months between birth and pregnancy but not 6-12. I am exactly the same as you (17 months between births). I will check out your blog. 

nicoleanderic

I just had a VBAC last week when I was 40 weeks.  It went great!  Recovery was SO much easier and I am so glad that I did this!  My DS#1 was almost 22 months when I delivered.  Good luck!

SweetMelissa5

I usually only lurk here, but I wanted to respond to this, since I had a VBAC in May.  I had an unsuccessful induction that resulted in a c-section with my son in September 2009 (labor stopped progressing, but to be honest, I think a lot of it had to do with his very large head not being able to descend fully), and when I got pregnant with my daughter, I told the doctors from the beginning that I wanted to attempt a VBAC.  I was also told that there is an increased risk of uterine rupture, but that it was still a very small possibility.  Also, I was very willing to be flexible; while I wanted a vaginal birth, if there was ever a hint of distress or danger to the baby, I was willing to have an emergency c-section.

 Then, I went past my due date, and at my 41 week appointment, I was told that I wasn't a good candidate for induction (they wouldn't give me cervidil because of increased risks related to my prior c-section, so if I didn't go into labor on my own, I was having a c-section), so we scheduled a c-section for 41 weeks, 6 days.  If, when I showed up for my c-section, I had progressed enough on my own for the cervidil to be unnecessary, then we could talk about trying to induce with pitocin.

 Luckily for me, I went into labor on my own at 41 weeks 3 days, and my daughter was born vaginally just under 24 hours later after about 20 minutes of pushing.

 One more thing I want to say is that I had very specific reasons for wanting the VBAC (my husband and I want a large family, and I think the fewer times the doctors cut into my uterus, the safer and healthier this process will be, and I also really really wanted the experience of going into labor naturally and letting things progress from there), but if I hadn't had those reasons, I might have chosen the c-section for ease and convenience (being able to choose the birth date would have made making plans for my son much simpler, not to mention planning out my maternity leave).  I also recovered from the VBAC much more quickly than from the c-section, so you might want to consider how much help you're likely to have in the weeks following the birth and whether you'll need to bounce back more quickly or if you can afford a longer recovery.

Wow, that ended up being really long, but I hope it helps, and you can let me know if you have any questions about any of it.

delg23

SweetMelissa5:

I usually only lurk here, but I wanted to respond to this, since I had a VBAC in May.  I had an unsuccessful induction that resulted in a c-section with my son in September 2009 (labor stopped progressing, but to be honest, I think a lot of it had to do with his very large head not being able to descend fully), and when I got pregnant with my daughter, I told the doctors from the beginning that I wanted to attempt a VBAC.  I was also told that there is an increased risk of uterine rupture, but that it was still a very small possibility.  Also, I was very willing to be flexible; while I wanted a vaginal birth, if there was ever a hint of distress or danger to the baby, I was willing to have an emergency c-section.

 Then, I went past my due date, and at my 41 week appointment, I was told that I wasn't a good candidate for induction (they wouldn't give me cervidil because of increased risks related to my prior c-section, so if I didn't go into labor on my own, I was having a c-section), so we scheduled a c-section for 41 weeks, 6 days.  If, when I showed up for my c-section, I had progressed enough on my own for the cervidil to be unnecessary, then we could talk about trying to induce with pitocin.

 Luckily for me, I went into labor on my own at 41 weeks 3 days, and my daughter was born vaginally just under 24 hours later after about 20 minutes of pushing.

 One more thing I want to say is that I had very specific reasons for wanting the VBAC (my husband and I want a large family, and I think the fewer times the doctors cut into my uterus, the safer and healthier this process will be, and I also really really wanted the experience of going into labor naturally and letting things progress from there), but if I hadn't had those reasons, I might have chosen the c-section for ease and convenience (being able to choose the birth date would have made making plans for my son much simpler, not to mention planning out my maternity leave).  I also recovered from the VBAC much more quickly than from the c-section, so you might want to consider how much help you're likely to have in the weeks following the birth and whether you'll need to bounce back more quickly or if you can afford a longer recovery.

Wow, that ended up being really long, but I hope it helps, and you can let me know if you have any questions about any of it.

Thanks so much for your story. How many months between your deliveries? If I had the recommended time between pregnancies I would definitely try for VBAC. I was just curious what people's doctors said about the gap between their pregnancies & if there were any successful stories w/ shorter intervals. My doctor's say its a toss up which isn't helpful w/ my decision. It seems the statistics are very slightly in favor of C-section, especially considering the shorter time frame. But I feel somewhat guilty leaning toward c-section. My two factors for VBAC are shorter recovery to get back to my son and keeping the baby in as long as possible. But the whole uterine rupture thing freaks me the hell out.  Oh and I will have to be monitored so I won't be mobile at all. Were you monitored closely? Being stuck in bed for 20+ hours and then having an emergency C sounds awful.

SweetMelissa5

delg23:

SweetMelissa5:

I usually only lurk here, but I wanted to respond to this, since I had a VBAC in May.  I had an unsuccessful induction that resulted in a c-section with my son in September 2009 (labor stopped progressing, but to be honest, I think a lot of it had to do with his very large head not being able to descend fully), and when I got pregnant with my daughter, I told the doctors from the beginning that I wanted to attempt a VBAC.  I was also told that there is an increased risk of uterine rupture, but that it was still a very small possibility.  Also, I was very willing to be flexible; while I wanted a vaginal birth, if there was ever a hint of distress or danger to the baby, I was willing to have an emergency c-section.

 Then, I went past my due date, and at my 41 week appointment, I was told that I wasn't a good candidate for induction (they wouldn't give me cervidil because of increased risks related to my prior c-section, so if I didn't go into labor on my own, I was having a c-section), so we scheduled a c-section for 41 weeks, 6 days.  If, when I showed up for my c-section, I had progressed enough on my own for the cervidil to be unnecessary, then we could talk about trying to induce with pitocin.

 Luckily for me, I went into labor on my own at 41 weeks 3 days, and my daughter was born vaginally just under 24 hours later after about 20 minutes of pushing.

 One more thing I want to say is that I had very specific reasons for wanting the VBAC (my husband and I want a large family, and I think the fewer times the doctors cut into my uterus, the safer and healthier this process will be, and I also really really wanted the experience of going into labor naturally and letting things progress from there), but if I hadn't had those reasons, I might have chosen the c-section for ease and convenience (being able to choose the birth date would have made making plans for my son much simpler, not to mention planning out my maternity leave).  I also recovered from the VBAC much more quickly than from the c-section, so you might want to consider how much help you're likely to have in the weeks following the birth and whether you'll need to bounce back more quickly or if you can afford a longer recovery.

Wow, that ended up being really long, but I hope it helps, and you can let me know if you have any questions about any of it.

Thanks so much for your story. How many months between your deliveries? If I had the recommended time between pregnancies I would definitely try for VBAC. I was just curious what people's doctors said about the gap between their pregnancies & if there were any successful stories w/ shorter intervals. My doctor's say its a toss up which isn't helpful w/ my decision. It seems the statistics are very slightly in favor of C-section, especially considering the shorter time frame. But I feel somewhat guilty leaning toward c-section. My two factors for VBAC are shorter recovery to get back to my son and keeping the baby in as long as possible. But the whole uterine rupture thing freaks me the hell out.  Oh and I will have to be monitored so I won't be mobile at all. Were you monitored closely? Being stuck in bed for 20+ hours and then having an emergency C sounds awful.

It was a little over 19 months between deliveries, which was less than the gap recommended by my doctor, but they never questioned my decision to try the VBAC.  To be honest, I never asked my doctors for their preference, I just told them what I wanted and went from there, but from the reaction I got, it was obvious that they were very pro-VBAC.  The flip side of that coin was my cousin's doctor who wouldn't even consider a VBAC even though her two were about 2.5 years apart.  If you decide you want the c-section, you absolutely shouldn't feel guilty about that, but it's probably a good idea to discuss your reasons with your doctor; even though they say it's your decision (which it absolutely is), they should be willing to talk you through the various pros and cons of your particular situation.

As far as being monitored, when I had my daughter, I had an epidural about two hours after I got to the hospital, so I was monitored closely because of that; I don't know if I would have been allowed more mobility if I had decided not to get the drugs.  With my son, I actually had the exact situation you mentioned, of being stuck in bed for 20+ hours and then having an emergency c-section (it was actually 30+ if you count the night before my labor was started when they had me on the cervidil; I was allowed to get up to use the bathroom, but was otherwise confined to the bed because they were monitoring the baby's heart rate and my blood pressure).  It did suck that all those hours of labor were essentially for nothing, but I was still glad that I got to try it my way first.

JenniferL923

To add, my labor this second time seemed very short in comparison to my failed induction with DD.  I was free to labor how I wanted, but since I walked in to the hospital at 6-7 cm dilated, I was nervous about progressing way too fast and for some reason, unable to get an epi, so I pretty much asked for the epi as soon as I walked in.  My contractions were coming hard and fast, some were three in a row with just seconds in between.  I was considered "high risk" at my hospital, even though they are pretty vbac friendly, so I had my own L&D nurse for the entire morning, she rarely left my side, even though I wasn't pushing yet.

My doctor said only 8% of women attempt vbacs, but of those 8%, 70% are successful, so those are pretty good odds in your favor! 

delg23

JenniferL923:

To add, my labor this second time seemed very short in comparison to my failed induction with DD.  I was free to labor how I wanted, but since I walked in to the hospital at 6-7 cm dilated, I was nervous about progressing way too fast and for some reason, unable to get an epi, so I pretty much asked for the epi as soon as I walked in.  My contractions were coming hard and fast, some were three in a row with just seconds in between.  I was considered "high risk" at my hospital, even though they are pretty vbac friendly, so I had my own L&D nurse for the entire morning, she rarely left my side, even though I wasn't pushing yet.

My doctor said only 8% of women attempt vbacs, but of those 8%, 70% are successful, so those are pretty good odds in your favor! 

Thank you!