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December 2010 Moms
PGASTL
member
Talk to me about your (non c/s) recovery
PGASTL
member
I know it's early to start thinking about the next delivery (we won't even be TRYING to conceive for a year or so), but since I had a c/s with this one, I have been thinking about a VBAC.
I got to 10 cm and pushed for almost 2 hours, but LO was turned sideways and was NOT descending. When the doctor did the c/s, he said, "Oh my, there's no way she would have come down from this positioning"
I am grateful for a healthy and safe delivery, but the recovery time - even though I had a pretty pain free recovery- was lengthy and I did have to take it easy for a good 4-6 weeks.
Well, since we will have a toddler by the time #2 comes along, I have really been researching VBACs due to the lower recovery time.
Can you tell me (honestly) about your pain level and recovery? If you tore, did you think it was "worth" having the vag delivery? Do you secretly wish you could have had a c/s to keep your vag intact?
Even if I tried for a VBAC, there's always a chance I'd repeat the same experience (20 hours of labor and still getting a c/s), but I still think I'd TRY for it if all the factors were favorable (going into labor on my own, good positioning, etc).
Give me all the details, please 
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Re: Talk to me about your (non c/s) recovery
I had a med-free vaginal birth and recovery was a breeze. I didn't tear and didn't have an episiotomy, so that probably helped a lot. I was off the Tylenol and Ibuprofin after about a week and felt fine, pain wise. Heavy bleeding stopped by the time I left the hospital, red bleeding by the 2nd week and bleeding overall by the 4th or 5th week.
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I am probably not a good comparison for vaginal delivery because it was a breeze for me.
My water broke at 6:30 pm - had mild contractions immediately, labored for 3 hours, was 4 cm and then got epidural. I progressed really fast and was at 10cm by 1 am and then pushed for 1 hour.
I did not tear and my recovery was so quick it makes me want to have another child soon! It was a bit painful, but I loved the epidural because I wasn't overly sedated and could feel when the contractions were coming and was able to push just fine.
There was about 2 pushes that felt very painful when she was just about to come out, otherwise didn't feel all that much pain, just pressure.
I had about 1 1/2 weeks of pp bleeding and spotting. I was only sore for 2 days and felt back to normal within 4 days.
Sorry for the long reply!
i had an epi at 7cm & a 2nd degree tear. recovery was pretty rough. i fainted twice in the hospital once back in my room. then at home, it hurt to walk for a week+. i had to sit on a pillow. i couldn't wipe b/c of the stitches, so i used a squirt water bottle & dabbed dry, lol. i also used ice packs & tucks for about 2 weeks.
eta- and took motrin 2xs a day for about 2 weeks.
I had a pretty bad tear, but still only took ibuprofen for 4 days. I probably didn't even need to take it that long. I felt tired and sore for at least a couple of weeks if I overexerted myself (long walks, etc.) but I really thought my recovery was a total breeze. I would absolutely do it again.
I don't know if you are worried about your next baby being in a poor position again, but I definitely am which is why I'm including the following. If this is not a concern of yours, please know that I am not trying to hijack your post and you can ignore the following. I just feel like women often feel hopeless when it comes to some of these issues.
My baby was also turned sideways, wedged into my pelvis and had his head tilted the wrong way which resulted in a prolonged labor (37 hours). I was told that there was no way he could come out, that he was wedged too tightly and that I should prepare for a c-section. I have training in trying to get a baby to change position and I was finally successful with G (it took many hours of trying and every trick in the book). I was lucky! I only bring this up because I want you to know that even if you end up with a baby in the sideways position again, you may be able to get them to turn (you also may not-obviously this LO was not turning for you). Most nurses know some of the techniques, mine were certainly very helpful to me. Don't give up hope of a vbac! There's lots on the internet that can help and many providers are knowledgeable about this as well.
I had a 2nd degree tear and was totally healed in 4 weeks, and only used the 600mg ibuprofen for pain, as i still have a majority of the prescription left.
My labor was fine, 12 hours after being induced cause my water was leaking. I was placed up right for 45 minutes so the baby would drop, then I pushed for 15-20mins.
I will say I used the sitz bath a lot, and really made sure to keep that area clean, but was back to feeling great within 2 weeks.
My recovery wasnt too bad. I also had an epidural, I didnt feel any pain/pressure, just pushed when they said I was contracting. My labor went very quickly I was pushing within an hour of getting the epi. I had an episiotomy which did take awhile to heal. I only required ibuprofen for pain control for a few days and ice packs were awesome too. Had pp bleeding/spotting for about 4-5 weeks. I would do it all again.
One of my friends just had a vbac yesterday and said it was exactly what she wanted and was very happy with her birth experience. (needed a c section with her ds due to no progression).
I'll preface this by saying my story is definitely NOT your typical L&D and recovery, but I'll share anyway.
I was in labor for 12 hours and pushed for 2 1/2 hours. I had an epi at 8 cm (at the 10 hour point), then my OB broke my water and gave me pitocin. LO was head down, but face up and the doctor had to use the vacuum to get him out. I had a 3rd degree tear and episiotomy. I was in a lot of pain after delivery. I did sitz baths 3x a day, used lots of Tucks pads and numbing spray. But my pain got progressively worse. When LO was 6 days old, I was diagnosed with an infected abscess and had to have surgery to drain it. I was told by my two OBs that they had never seen it before. I was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days. I was on percocet and antibiotics for several days. But after my surgery, I felt almost 100% better.
My doctor told me that she highly recommends I have a C-section if I ever have another baby. And if I had to do it over again, it was NOT worth the vag delivery. I wish I had had a C-section, but of course hindsight is 20/20. I just had the very bad luck of having complications.