I need more information
Hey Ladies, Let me start off by telling you I'm only 20 weeks, however with my first child (8 years ago) I had CPD and was unable to deliver her vaginally after 34 hours of labor (the first 20 were "natural"). I am living in a different area and not using the same OB this time. This OB has not even discussed a birthing "plan". I seem to remember with my DD they started discussing the "plan" at the first appointment, or at least put it on my mind so I was ready to discuss it when the time came. Well after the first horrible experience vaginally, my dd was delivered via cs. Now I am starting to consider my options for this baby but am really scared about what I went through with my dd which makes me want to lean toward a rcs. but I also know the risks involved so I started looking into a vbac and began reading some of your posts and now I'm scared to death. All this talk about uterine rupture and dehissing could make Chuck norris frightened. I'm sure every woman is different with different risks but I would really appriciate your input. I need risks and benefits from real women, I'll ask my doctor on Thursday at my appointment but personal experience and knowledge is what I'm really seeking! Thank you!
Re: I need more information
Whether you decide on VBAC or RCS, I feel it is best to approach the birth with an informed understanding of the real risks inherent in each scenario. I am surprised your OB hasn't discussed your options with you yet. I would make this conversation a top priority at your appt this week, regardless of what you decide.
Here is a link to read up a bit on options. You will get a lot of other good resources from other moms - this is just a good one that came to mind for me.
https://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10212#decision
FWIW, many moms with so called CPD have gone on to have VBACs. You will find several on this board. You'll also find women who've had extended labors they'd never want to repeat go on to have faster, easier labors the second time around. The risk of the scar separating (uterine rupture) is less than 1%. Even then, most ruptures are not catastrophic. You can also have a uterine rupture without labor, simply due to the fact that you (like the rest of us) have a scarred uterus.
GL with your decision.
My first labor was hands down the worst three days of my life. I would do anything to avoid going through that again. In my case, my labor was extremely difficult and DD could not come out vaginally, both for the same reason: she was poorly positioned. She was sunny side up and her head was tilted, but no one noticed this until the end.
Because I know what caused my problem, I knew what to look for next time. We checked her position frequently, although I already knew it was going better because my labor was orders of magnitude easier to handle. I'm not going to lie, it was still a day and a half, but it was all manageable. When I walked around, the contractions weren't that big a deal. I did get an epidural, because after walking around for a full day, I needed a break! I was finally able to lie down and get some sleep, and when I woke up, I was fully dilated.
It might help ease your mind if you and your current OB go over your records from last time and see if you can figure out what, if anything, you can do differently this time, you know? I really needed to be assured that I wouldn't have the same experience again, and we spent a lot of time talking about my options.
Personally, I would have had an RCS if I didn't have a provider that was so willing to work with me and my fears of reliving my first labor experience.
Definitely talk to your provider to get an idea of their expectations. Maybe think about hiring a doula if it's possible. The doula I had for my second pregnancy talked to me a lot about my fears about going through labor and ending up with another c-section.
Like it was said before, the chance of UR is about .7%, so you're not taking a crazy risk pursuing VBAC. VBAC success rates are between 60-80%. These are some other good links about VBAC:
https://givingbirthwithconfidence.org/2-2/a-womans-guide-to-vbac/
https://vbacfacts.com/2009/08/18/lightning-strikes-shark-bites-uterine-rupture/
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)