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VBAC
What are the positives???
Please explain to me why I should try VBAC on the 2nd baby? I understand that a C is surgery but mine wasn't really that bad last time vs the 31+ hours I was at the hospital before DD's heart rate dropped?
So why should I want to go VBAC? No flames please. Just lookng for honest reasons to make it worth it in the future.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: What are the positives???
There is no "should" or "should not" when it comes to VBAC. It's a personal choice. There are pros and cons to both VBAC and RCS.
Medically, there are a lot of benefits to VBAC. If you choose a RCS, there is a 3x higher chance of maternal death than if you choose a VBAC. RCS carries an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, emergency hysterectomy and postpartum infection. It increases the chance of having abdominal adhesions and organ damage from the surgery. If you have a RCS and get pregnant again, you will be more likely to have complications with the placenta like placenta previa and placenta accreta. Placenta accreta is a potentially deadly complication that increases with the number of c/s you have and we are seeing more moms develop it and die from it as our c/s rate is increasing. If you have a RCS and decide you would like a VBAC in the future, it may be harder because you've had more than one c/s.
The main downside to VBAC is an increased risk of uterine rupture, a serious complication that can result in fetal death. If you've had one prior cesarean with a low horizontal incision, this risk is less than 1%. You should keep in mind that there is still a small chance of rupture even when you schedule a repeat cesarean, and that the majority of ruptures still end with a healthy mom and baby. You would have to do 7100 repeat cesareans to avoid one infant death from uterine rupture--that is a very low death rate. Maternal deaths from uterine rupture are even more rare.
The other big downside to VBAC is there is no guarantee that you won't have a repeat cesarean anyway. VBAC success rates typically range from 60-90%. If you do end up needing a c/s after you've tried a VBAC, it's harder on your body than if you'd just had a scheduled c/s and it can be emotionally hard as well. But this is true for non-VBAC moms too.
Otherwise VBAC is just like any other labor/vaginal delivery.
It is truly up to the individual. Here are some of my reasons for wanting a VBAC - everyone's experience and thoughts on the subject are different, though.
- if you are having kids down the line, additional c/s up your risks for various pg complications (I believe among them tubal pregnancies, issues with placenta placement, etc)
- risk to mom is actually statistically less with a VBAC than with a RCS, although both are statistically fairly safe.
- recovery time is often easier with a VBAC - you're generally able to get up sooner, carry your 1st much sooner, etc.
- for me, I don't want to be separated from this LO like I was with my c/s for recovery & afterward. I'd like to be able to have skin to skin and hold baby immediately.
- I want to feel like a more active participant in this LO's birth (I didn't labor at all, and kind of felt rushed into the c/s decision).
- In general, avoiding unnecessary surgery.
Those are some of the biggies for me. However, if you're happy with your c/s experience and that's what you're more comfortable with - more power to you! As long as it's a decision made on fact, not fear tactics or misinformation, I don't think anyone here would give you any grief! It's definitely a personal decision.
I think it is a very personal decision.
I agree with everything the above posters had to say!
For me it is hugely emotional! Having a CS (although necessary) broke my heart! I feel the only way to get past the hurt is to have a VBAC! I do have a couple of friends who had c-sections 1st time & had no problems scheduling repeat sections - it just depends on who you are & how you feel about it!
Here is one article that swayed me:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16738145
Since we want to have another child after this, it seems to be best for me to try for VBAC this time so that I don't end up having 3 C-sections.
Also, since I had a C-section last time due to failure to progress (my water broke at 36 weeks, I never went past 1cm in 24 hrs of labor), I really just want to give my body a chance to go into labor on its own. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but I'm hoping that I will stay pregnant a little longer so my body will be ready to progress next time. I didn't just want to schedule a C-section bc I had one before. If I end up with another, so be it, but I truly prefer to give my body the chance to do it on its own.
So, we'll see what happens. I had to switch OBs which was hard, but I feel good about my decision.
A
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
To papagena:
I agree with all of your reasons for wanting a VBAC. I am going to be in the same situation myself. With my first I was talked into having a CS because his head was measuring larger than the opening of my pelvis
If you don't mind my asking, why did you have to have your CS? I see a lot of people posting "failure to progress" or "breech", but nothing else.
I'm afraid that I will be in the same situation again...
I hated having the CS! I feel like I didn't get to hold my son for HOURS after he came out and the recovery was brutal.
Everything Iris said. Maybe YOU shouldn't or won't want to. That's fine. We can tell you why we want/wanted to, and that may or may not apply to you. I read a lot of reasons on this board and others why people chose to VBAC, and I can't identify at all, and I'm sure some people can't identify with the reasons I chose to.
I think Iris did a good job of hitting the major reasons someone might make the decision to VBAC. For me, it was all about recovery time. My c/s wasn't that bad either, especially compared to being in labor. I hate being in labor. My VBAC labor was way better than my labor before my c/s, btw, but I still hated it. But I got my quicker recovery time (counted in days, not weeks) and I know I made the right choice for me. Even a long labor is a lot shorter than a short c/s recovery.
This is the main reason why I will want to VBAC. Each RCS carries more risk than the previous. I'm not sure how many children I may want, but I don't want the decision on whether to stop having kids to come down to the doctor telling me its not safe to have a fourth c-section, kwim?
I just want to give you a world as beautiful as you are to me.
I may be repeating what others have said, I didn't read all the posts.
There is statistically greater risk involved in undergoing surgery vs vaginal birth. There is lost benefit to the baby in being kept from passing through the birth canal. There is greater recovery time. The risks go up with each additional c/s.
Those are the top ones that come to mind. I will add that personally for me, nothing can substitute for the JOY and elation that I so greatly desire to GIVE BIRTH, pain and all.