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What is your labor plan - I'm getting nervous

HikerBride07HikerBride07
in VBAC

So if/when you go into spontaneous labor when do you plan on going to the hospital? 

With DD I was told to wait until contractions were 5-1-1.  This time my new OB wants me to call basically as soon as I'm sure I'm in labor and having regular timeable contractions.  Once I'm at the hospital I will have to be monitored, though they have wireless monitoring and encourage getting up an moving or soaking in the tub.  I want to labor as long as possible at home, or at least not in the hospital. 

I'd like to think that all of the scare tactics I've had to deal with between my last practice and this one hadn't affected me but I am starting to get nervous.  I am scared that I am going to get pressured with interventions if I go to the hospital too early and don't progress quick enough.  My OB has reassured me of her support but I've only been with her practice since 34 weeks so I haven't been able to get 100% comfortable with her or the other OBs.

For those of you who labored before your c/s, how long were you in labor before the pressure to c/s started?   I was induced 10 days past EDD with DD and labored for 12 hours (7cm) before I was advised that a c/s was necessary.  Does anyone know what OBs generally consider a reasonable amount of time to labor w/o calling FTP?

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Re: What is your labor plan - I'm getting nervous

  • papagenapapagena member

    I just talked with my doula about this yesterday.  She suggests going in (for me, VBAC & GBS+) when my contractions are consistently a minute long.  My doctor hasn't shown any concern about when I come in, although I haven't asked about if I'm in labor, just if my water broke, and she was fine with me staying home for awhile as long as the fluid was clear.

    Not sure on the FTP diagnosis thing.  Didn't get to labor long with DS.

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  • StrawberrywineStrawberrywine

    I'm not sure but I'm hoping my birth preferences for VBAC take care of it.

    I will consent to a c/s after an opportunity is given to explain the medical need for one before 41 weeks. 

     I'm hoping that so long as baby is fine and I'm ok w/continuing they respect my wishes.  

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  • iris427iris427 member

    I'd want to stay home for a while in labor too.  A lot of OBs tell VBAC moms that they need to come in right away but I suspect that's as much to protect themselves as what's best for the mom.  I have a friend who had a VBAC attempt with an OB who'd had a VBAC herself--the OB actually said that staying home a long time in labor was key to her successful VBAC, yet she insisted my friend come in right away for hers.  My friend ended up with a RCS for FTP and she thinks that if she had stayed home longer, she would have had a better shot at VBAC.  I'd want to wait until contractions were 5-1-1 or 3-1-1 but it all depends on what feels right for you.  

    As for FTP, I think that depends on your doctor and somewhat on the individual circumstances.  If you stall and your water has been broken for 23 hours already, the pressure to do a c/s will be a lot higher than if your water has only been broken 4 hours or hasn't broken at all.  I would ask my doctor about this.

    My c/s was for failure to descend, so I was already dilated all the way but hadn't made much progress pushing.  My water had been broken 12 hours and my daughter started passing some meconium.  So my OB factored those in when she said I would need a c/s.  I don't think she gave me enough time, personally, and I do wonder if I could have delivered her vaginally still with a more supportive OB.  I labored for over 24 hours but I was making steady progress the whole time, up until pushing, so c/s was never mentioned until I'd already been pushing for an hour or two.  Personally I think a lot of FTP/FTD cases probably could have continued laboring safely but they get twitchy at hospitals if you aren't fitting into their norm.

    Are you going to have a doula?  They can come to your house when you are in labor and help you decide when to go in and they can also help you with things to keep labor progressing in the hospital.

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  • lorryfachlorryfach

    I was told to come in right away, and I did. I trust my hospital, though. They actually sent me home again. One midwife made some rather rude comments about coming in so early when it wasn't my first labor and I wanted to bite her head off. I stopped timing the contractions but when they got to where I had to stop what I was doing to get through them, we went back in. It was about 9pm or so, and I delivered her next day at 4:30pm.

    My c/s wasn't for FTP but I was in labor for 3 days, 1 day of which was at the hospital. When I was fully dilated and had the urge to push, a doctor came in and tried to manually turn her head but it didn't work. We knew she couldn't come out ear first, so we didn't try. 

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  • userdeleteduserdeleted member

    I was told to wait until 3-1-1, but I ended up going in very early. I was already kind of starting to fall apart emotionally at home, but for some reason was able to relax and focus much better at the hospital. I think it was because I knew that my older son was settled at a friends house and I didn't have to worry about him anymore.

    If you want to labor at home for as long as you can, I think you should. Whatever is going to put you most at ease :)

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  • nosoup4unosoup4u member

    Have you asked your doctor about her definition of FTP? I would imagine that getting to 10 and pushing, with all things being normal/healthy, is a reasonable request as a VBAC.

    I wanted to stay at home as long as possible, mainly bc I wanted to avoid interventions, but also bc I was at the hospital in early labor with DS1 and they suckered/scared DH and I into staying, so I ended up spending most of my labor there. I had really bad memories/feelings about laboring in a hospital from that, and just didn't want to do it again. My MW also told me to stay home until I was in "really active labor", so I did have her blessing of sorts.

    You can always claim things weren't really going until x time, it's not like they'll give you demerits or something for lying or staying at home, you know? I'm definitely in the camp of "stay home if things are okay", and like someone said above, having a doula may help with that. There's also this link, which is about the emotional signposts of labor - things to look out for to see how far along you are:https://www.angelfire.com/nb/doulaamanda/Labor.html hth

    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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