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VBAC
No VBAC for me? Need advice!
I'm a complete lurker, but need some support, so I'm coming out!
A little background- I had my DS 2.5 yrs ago. I was induced at 39 weeks due to some other medical issues. I was actually in early labor when I went in to the hospital then had my water broken, put on pit. 18 hrs later I was at 9cm but no longer progressing. I had been refusing c/s for the past 6 hrs or so, but MD highly recommended it at this point and after 18 hrs of pit I was exhaused and didn't think I could push baby out if I even wanted to. Anyway, we had a c/s. DS was 9lbs 2 oz, was face up, very large head, lodged behind my pelvic bone.
Recovery was terrible, didn't get to nurse for hours after he was born and I felt like I had been run over by a train. Which is just part of why I do NOT want to have another c/s.
I had my 34 week growth u/s yesterday. My little girl is measuring even larger than DS was at this point. Head circ. is larger as well and my Dr said she was measuring "conservatively." She is very vbac friendly, but told me that vbac is not looking good for me at this point. She actually seemed just as (if not more) upset than me about it. She thinks that my only hope would be to go into labor early on my own. But if we make it to 38/39 weeks she feels we would need to schedule a c/s. She won't induce for a vbac until 40 weeks, but doesn't think that would be a good option for me.
I am absoultely heartbroken at the thought of a RCS, but I adore my Dr. and truly believe that she is recommending what she believes is best for me and baby.
What do you ladies think?
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Re: No VBAC for me? Need advice!
From your description, it does seem like your doctor is being pretty honest. If it were ME, I'd still attempt the VBAC. But I was willing to do anything to avoid a CS, even if that meant a long labor with a CS in the end. I wanted to know I tried everything. I was induced for my VBAC at 41 weeks. My first child was over 10 lbs and my second child (who I VBACed) was 8.5. The measurements they do aren't accurate, so I wouldn't base my decision on that. And a lot of the things that caused your first CS had to do with the baby's positioning, I think.
This is ultimately up to you and your DH. I can definitely see the pros of either side. It doesn't sound like your doctor is saying you CAN'T do it, just that the odds seem to be lowering. Good luck with your decision!
If you trust your doc and she is VBAC friendly, I would trust her opinion. This is my personal opinion and I am sure many women might disagree but I would hate to try for a VBAC and be in labor for x amount of hours just to end up with a c/s anyway.
Of course, this is your own decision and you will have to make the decision that is right for you.
Since your first baby was OP, I'd still try for a VBAC.
My c/s was with a stuck OP baby like yours. My OB at the time told me that my pelvis was too small and I wouldn't be able to have a VBAC. But my second baby was in a better position and I had no problem delivering him vaginally, even though he was actually a little larger than my first baby. Positioning can make a huge difference. And since you dilated nearly all the way the first time, your labor might go a lot faster this time. My first was a 2 day induction and my second was 5.5 hours of labor from the first twinge to the birth.
But you have to do what feels right for you. GL!
My first question would be: With your first birth, did you get up and move around to help your son change positions in the birthing canal or were you flat on your back?
Secondly: Do you plan on having this child naturally, as in NO DRUGS?
Thirdly: Have you hired a doula to assist you with this birth so you can labor at home as long as possible?
Fourth: Do you want more kiddos after this one?
To give you some background on me: With my first son, I was induced at 37 weeks due to "having a big baby". Stayed without pain meds for most of my 19hour labor but had no support from L&D staff and when it was finally time to push, I did it flat on my back, my son was vacuumed out and I was rewarded with a 4th degree tear. He was 8.14 but did come out vaginally and I think if I had been squatting or on all fours, the tear would have been avoided
Second son, I wanted to avoid a tear but didn't know anything about doulas or alternative labor positions or birthing centers, so I agreed when my Dr suggested a c-section. I ended up having a major reaction to the drugs given on the OR table. He weighed 8.15
Third pregnancy (I am "28 weeks" if we are going off of my estimated due date) I am attempting a VBAC. My husband and I have hired a doula, have taken Bradley classes, read hypnobirthing, and have decided that the risks for going for a VBAC are far less than the risks for rcs. I plan on walking in my labor, taking showers, mooing like a cow or flapping my lips like a horse. Whatever helps! I have complete faith in myself that this baby will come out, as s/he is intended too.
So mama, I would give you all the strength you need but in the end, you will have to trust your body. That's what birth is to me now. Trusting your body and your baby to move as they are supposed to...GOOD LUCK!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I guess I'm one of those that if I had NO other option than your current OB, I would just continue going to your scheduled appts, but not consent or show up to any further u/s for growth scans, induction, c/s, etc. I would show up to the hospital when about to push that baby out and not a moment sooner.
I wouldn't trust your OB at all. But that's just me.
Rated "L" For Life Blog
My first, I fully dilated after 3 days of epidural-free, excruciating back labor, but she was OP and asynclictic and would not come out. Like you, I was so exhausted by the time they mentioned c/s that I didn't think I could get her out any other way anyway.
BTW, I had done everything 'right' with regards to moving around, changing positions, mooing like a cow, hypnobabies training, etc. and it still did not happen. I don't want to rain on any parades, but I do caution anyone against believing you are IMMUNE to c/s just because you are going natural. If you think it CAN'T happen to you, it just makes it that much harder to accept IF it does. By all means, do everything you can to increase your odds, but you are still doing just that: increasing your odds. There are no guarantees.
My second, I was petrified of having the same experience again. I made my midwife swear to me that if I said I was having the same kind of labor again that I could go straight to c/s. (Remember the less labor you have before a c/s, the better the recovery usually is. If you really CANNOT VBAC, don't assume your c/s recovery will be a nightmare again!)
The difference, though, was night and day. I was not lucky enough for a short labor like iris
but it was still nothing like the first time. With my first, at 2 cm, I begged them to admit me because I was in so much pain. This time, I got to 6 cm before the contractions started getting intense! I could barely believe it. I got an epidural for the chance to sleep, and after sleeping a couple hours, I woke up nearly ready! Less than 15 minutes after waking up, I was fully dilated and starting to push (with epidural having worn off, sadly!). It NEVER hurt as much as it did in my first labor. Even when she was crowning, which I won't lie, hurt a LOT. But it was NOT back labor.
In your shoes, I think I'd be watching for that OP presentation again. My girls were one ounce apart in weight. One fit and the other didn't just because of her position.