I am a good candidate right for VBAC right?
First birth ended in Emergency Csection. I was induced at 41 weeks. I was having no progress. LO wasn't dropping. I was induced at 8:pm at night had some pretty intense hours of contractions and I never got above 2.5cm. They broke my water which had a ton of meconium in it and by 9:00am they were rushing me to surgery room b/c LO's heart rate was getting dangerously low with each contraction. She was 9lbs 12oz so a big baby with a large head. She was just too big and wasn't going to drop. Plus they said my body just wasn't laboring correctly. My C-section went beautifully and recovery was a breeze.
Now my OB has already said C-section again. 1. statitics show most second babies are generally larger than first(not always) 2. My body just never showed a sign of being able to labor. It just wasn't working.
Ok so I am really fine with scheduling a C-section again. We get to choose a date, I don't have to labor, it was really easy for me, and I get more paid time off which is nice.
So I asked what would happen if my body went into labor before scheduled date. This would show that my body was going to try to labor this time. They said still c-section. I agreed at the time but the more I have thought about it I think if I go into labor I want to try for a VBAC.
Do you think I am a good candidate? I have not done a ton of research on it and I do plan to discuss this with OB at next appt.
Re: I am a good candidate right for VBAC right?
Based on your previous history and those ridiculous calculators, you're an 'okay' candidate, which puts your odds some where around 50-60% of having a successful VBAC. The things going against you are: Failure to dilate, large birth weight, going past due.
I'm in a similar situation, except that I did dilate to 10cm. I now have a super supportive provider who is sure I can be successful, despite the odds. I like to think that if my body goes into labor naturally, it will be much better able to work the baby down. I blame the induction for my labor failures.
Good luck with your decision.
Thanks for the info. I mean I highly doubt I will go into labor before chosen date. My due date is halloween and they said we can pick any date within 7 days of my due date. We will most likely pick the 25th. There are a lot of family October Bdays so I am trying to avoid one. Also I would like to be home in time to take LO trick or treating. I love Halloween! So that puts me already at the beginning or week 39. Looking at last time having to be induced at week 41 and I was nothing at all progressed when induced. I am really ok with the scheduled C-section however I just like to have the thought of if my body wants to try VBAC then I should try VBAC.
My DS was over 10 lbs and DD was only 8.5. Among my friends, about 50% had larger second babies and 50% had smaller. So it is a toss up there. I was induced for my VBAC at 41 weeks and she was born at 41 weeks 1 day. I had gone into labor naturally at 41 weeks 2 days with my first pregnancy that resulted in a c/s. All I can say is that all pregnancies are different!
I had to change hospitals to VBAC. The first hospital didn't allow them and would have required me to have a RCS at 39 weeks. Considering I was still pregnant and being induced at 41 weeks, I am glad I waited. There must have been some reason that she wanted to stay in there those two extra weeks to cook.
Good luck with your decision!
Honestly I doubt there's any reason to discuss this with your current OB. He's already made his opinion known.
If you want to explore VBAC as an option, you need to find an OB in your area who actually does VBACs. Try to hook up with your local ICAN group and get a referral from them. Then ask that pro-vbac doctor what he thinks. You will likely need your post-operative report before you meet with a new OB. Post-op report is something you order from the hospital records department.
With an emergency c/s there's more chance that your incision is not transverse. And the scar on your belly doesn't tell the whole tale, they could have made an extra cut in the uterus to get the baby out quickly. But there's no way of knowing unless your OB told you or unless you get that post-op report.
So here are a few things to consider...
As pp said, I'd seek out a doctor who is actually VBAC friendly, and ask their opinion (and switch to them if you want any shot at a VBAC).
A friend of mine had an 11+ lb baby med-free in a birth center. Her second son (born at home) was 8lb 2 oz.
Some babies need more time to "bake" and 40 weeks is just an average. Your baby may not have been ready at 41 weeks (why did they induce then instead of at least giving you til 42? Did they have a reason?).
There is a chance that this time you will go into labor naturally before 41 weeks (when you were induced last time). Odds are generally good that 2nd time mom's go into labor earlier. However, scheduling a RCS for before you due date does up the chances that you won't get to try a VBAC.
Even if you plan on having a RCS, going into labor naturally and having at least a little labor first is really healthy for you and your baby. It may not be as convenient at picking a date, but birth isn't really meant to be convenient. It gets all the right hormones flowing through both of your bodies, means the baby is definitely ready to come earthside, and helps your body recover from having had a baby inside it for a long time. Doctors like scheduled CS because they are convenient for the DOCTOR, but I don't think the doctor is as important here as the mom and baby.
I second pp's suggestion about seeking out a local ICAN group for more info about your options, doctor recommendations, and overall support through the process. These are women who really understand what it is like to have a CS.
CS are not without risks by far. It isn't necessarily the safer method, and it drives me crazy that some doctors like to assure you that it is. Regardless of anything else, it is still major surgery.
They induced me b/c I was 41 weeks and miserable. I thank god everyday they did b/c when they broke my water there was a ton of meconium in it and when LO came out she needed oxygen and some serious suction to get it all out. They said had she sat in that too much longer it could have been really bad for her. I 100% think all the correct decisions were made when it came to the birth of LO. Everything that was done was to protect her. I have not had a single regret.
Switching OB's is not an option. I love love love my doctors all three of them. I feel really comfortable and safe in their care and there is just no way I would switch.
I do not think they are against VBAC. We just haven't discussed it yet. I so quickly agreed to C-section that we really didn't even discuss much more. I do plan to talk a lot with them about this at my next appt and I am still doing my research. I will look into the ICAN group too.
Thank you everyone for the info.
I don't think anyone that has had a c-section is a "huge wimp." : ) I want to VBAC, too, but I don't want to go super late so I just scheduled a c-section around 41 weeks with the hope that I go into labor on my own but having an end date, too. I think this is a really tough decision to make and there really are no right or wrong answers.
I think VBAC is still possible without having to go med-free.
Another thing to remind yourself is that this is a different baby, pregnancy and birth. What happened with your DD isn't necessarily what will happen with your new baby.
I agree with scheduling the c/s on or after your due date is going to give you a better chance at VBAC (but that's just what I would want to do - I knew when I got pregnant with my second that I was planning a VBAC). A good question to ask yourself is if you'd regret not trying for one at all.
Good luck!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I had a non-emergency c-section with my first baby. I dilated fully, but after four hours of pushing, they dx'ed CPD. They said his head was too big to come out and I would never deliver him naturally.
I had a miserable recovery from the c-, so I wanted a trial of labor with baby #2. My OB said I was not a good candidate...that I was too small, and second babies are larger than first, etc. But the CNM in his practice was willing to let me try.
At 38 weeks, they decided to induce because my daughter was already measuring over a pound larger than her brother.
I had another four hour pushing stage, but this time it resulted in a healthy, successful VBAC... And my daughter's head was larger than my son's, whom they told me I would have never delivered naturally.
10 days before my due date I had a "fun" ultrasound and was told DD#2's head was in the 90th percentile. DD#1 had a normal-sized head but didn't come out after hours and hours of pushing, resulting in a C-section.
But guess what happened with enormous-head #2? Successful VBAC after only 45min of pushing.
You never know.
Oh, and she still has the biggest head on the planet.