I am newly pregnant with #2 and am REALLY wanting a VBAC for #2. I am just starting out with my research, so am hoping some of you can help me out and share with me some of your knowledge so I can be better educated about this.
I am trying out a new doctor that is very convenient to my work, so for convenience, I would really like this to work out. But after 2 appts, I am thinking I need to walk away from this doctor. Here's why:
1. I was told that she estimates my chances of a successful VBAC at less than 50%. This is because I never dilated past 2cm on my own despite a night of cervadil and day of pitocin (OB at the time thought DS's head was on his shoulder so he never dropped) and I was induced at 10 days past due date. She thinks b/c my body never proved it can dilate, that I'm not as great a candidate as someone who never even tried.
2. She says they will have to do a lot of extra monitoring on the baby during labor, including an internal monitor.
3. She won't let me go much past my due date.
4. She said they most likely wouldn't use pitocin or any other induction methods.
5. Mostly I am just getting a reluctance vibe off of her. Of course some may be that she doesn't want to get my hopes up but are all the above red flags or are some expected with VBACs?
Also, is there anywhere a FAQ for this board or a newbie link? I don't want to ask redundant questions as I'm starting my research!
Re: Can you confirm that these are all red flags?
Yep, red flags. Especially #1 and #5. VBAC rates for mothers who had a c/s for failure to progress are 60% or higher in the studies I've seen. Requiring an internal monitor for a VBAC also seems unnecessary, especially since you would be confined to your bed and those can't be used without breaking your water or waiting for your water to break on its own--so would she want to stick you in bed and break your water as soon as you go in? There's no good reason to limit VBAC moms to 40 weeks that I have seen either--VBAC is still safe after 40 weeks. The no induction rule on VBAC is pretty common and I wouldn't write someone off just because of that, but combined with the other stuff here, she doesn't sound very supportive.
I'd look around for someone else. You deserve a provider who believes in VBAC and believes in you.
We don't have a FAQ or newbie link, so feel free to ask whatever you want.
Could not agree more . . . AND if she's being this forward with these rules, I wouldn't be surprised if you sense even MORE resistance down the line. Doctors can hide their true colors a bit at the beginning in hopes of getting you as their patient, but then later slap you with even more "rules".
Yeah, she doesn't sound supportive at all.
Are you in the city? I would recommend UIC (specifically the midwife group) or West Suburban Midwives (they are in Oak Park). I had a VBAC at UIC, and another woman on here had one at West Sub. Swedish Covenant has a good rate, but they are really strict with going past 40 weeks. The Chicago ICAN list is a great resource for asking about specific doctors and groups, and there's another ICAN group for the suburbs.
Feel free to PM me! hth
Link for VBAC rates for area hospitals:
https://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/02/compare-illinois-hospital-vbac-rates.html
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
This. My OB was supportive, and then became more and more resistant as time went on. I switched to a midwife 3 hours away around 30 weeks.
Nope, I'm in the far western suburbs. I know there are some great ones closer to the city but it's hard to think about that time commitment because of working FT and having a 15mo old. But I'm definitely going to have to be switching, I'm afraid. I may contact the local ICAN group to see if they have any referrals in the area. Thanks for your input!