My VBAC story (long)
Hi again! Thanks so much for the warm welcome yesterday 
Its too bad I didn't know about his board before my VBAC. I was on the bump a lot when my first was a newborn and then didn't revisit until recently!
Anyway, as requested, here is my story:
I had a c/s with my first because of fetal distress...or so they say. I was seeing an OB who was the same doctor I had been seeing for years & years and I didn't really do my homework at all. I just stuck with her & the hospital where she delivered. (I now know that they have a very high c/s rate). I felt that the OB on call was very quick to scare me into a c/s, but at the time all I wanted was a healthy baby so of course I went with it. I was confused & angry about it for months... especially b/c I didn't see my baby for 7 hours after he was born, and was never really given a good reason for this!!! I think the whole fetal distress thing was BS in my case. There weren't any cord issues or anything, and now that I know more I think that it was positional. (I should have moved around to get DS in a more optimal position).
My recovery from the c/s was awful. I was in pain, exhausted, ended up with a spinal headache for days...so I knew I didn't want another c/s. I couldn't imagine trying to take care of a newborn and my son while feeling like that. I also thought it would be terrible to not be able to pick my son up for 3 weeks after a c/s...I knew that he wouldn't understand and it would hurt his feelings. Blah blah blah...so I read up on VBACs, educated myself a lot more about labor & birth, switched to midwives in a hospital program (so that I didn't have to worry if an emergency c/s was needed, or if I have a *very unlikely* uterine rupture), and I got myself a supportive and knowledgeable birth doula.
I felt well prepared and decided to aim for a med-free birth b/c I wanted as few interventions as possible. I felt (for me) that my epidural with my first caused some issues that made things harder and more complicated. My birth was AMAZING and recovery was a breeze...it was all so much better than the first time around. My daughter was born 8lbs 4oz just 4.5 hours after my first contraction and I didn't have any issues at all. I labored in many different positions & was in a tub for a bit too. I did have continuous electronic fetal monitoring b/c it was required by the hospital for all VBAC patients, but I didn't mind actually...it reassured me that everything was ok with the baby.
What else...I feel like I'm forgetting key things you guys would be interested in...
Feel free to ask my any questions. I love talking about this birth experience!
Re: My VBAC story (long)
thanks for sharing! I love a good VBAC
Great story! Thanks for sharing!
Was going naturally as painful as you anticipated?
Sorry for the delayed response!
They had wireless, water proof monitors, so I was able to do everything I wanted. It was great!
It was painful, but not unbearable. During the transition phase I lost it a bit, and didn't think I could do it, but that phase it was over so quickly that I was able to make it through. Once I was pushing I just felt relieved and didn't notice the pain.
I didn't use any specific method...just relaxed breathing (& moaning!), and focused on getting through each contraction one at a time. Rocking & swaying helped a bit too. My doula and midwife rubbed by back, put cool face cloths on my forehead (I was STEAMING hot), and gave me lots of encouragement. My husband held my hand and stayed close to my face.
It really helped that my labor was so short!
I didn't know such a thing existed. This is encouraging, I didn't think I could go natural lying in bed, but knowing there are machines out there that you can move around/get in the tub with is something I could do.