Hi everyone!
I had an unplanned (but not emergency) c/s with my DD at 34w1d when I was diagnosed with HELLP/pre-e. My cervix was still over 4cm long at the time, so the doctors said an induction would likely take several days to work, and we didn't have that much time. So a c/s it was. My midwife, hospital, and OB are all very pro-VBAC, so that is likely what I will have if I don't end up in the same situation with HELLP in this pregnancy.
My question for you: How long was your VBAC labor? My midwife has told me that a VBAC labor is shorter than a 1st time mom labor. She says that she doesn't notice a difference with the second baby whether the mom had a vaginal or c/s delivery with the first.
What was your experience? Was your VBAC labor long? Short? Have your doctors / midwives told you the same thing? For some reason I just find it hard to believe that I would be able to get a baby out as fast as a mom who has already had a vaginal delivery! :-)
Re: VBAC labor times
two hours from first contraction to babe-in-arms.
My friend, an L+D nurse, tells me that vbacs can vary. She says the general rule of thumb is that vbac labours progress like a second-time labour up to the point when the c-section was performed with the first delivery. When you enter unchartered territory, so to speak, labour tends to progress like a first-time labour.
According to this theory, my vbac progressed like a typical second-time labour since I made it to 10 cms dilated and pushed for three hours the first time around. Also according to this theory, your labour with this baby would be more like a first-time mom since you didn't go into labour at all with your first. Even if that is correct, though, that doesn't mean much. First time moms have quick and uncomplicated labours all the time.
Good luck!
So, does that mean that it is safe to assume that for her (or me, because I never went into labor either) labor would be like that of a FTM?
Interesting. I won't see my midwife for another couple of weeks, but I'll ask her about this. Like I said - I just can't really believe that I'll have a birth like a STM when I didn't labor at all with my c/s. And as for your last comment, I know that it doesn't mean I'll have a long labor, it just surprised me that she seemed to be pretty adamant that there would be no difference between me and a STM who had a vaginal delivery with her first, since those do *tend* to be shorter than a first vaginal delivery.
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence
Yep. Mine totally followed that pattern too. I dilated all the way before my c/s. From the first contraction to when I started pushing was only 2 hours in my VBAC, so it was fast like a second time mother's. But then I pushed for over 3 hours, like a first time mother. But yeah, it's just a general rule and there are always exceptions.
29 short hours of labor.
But I did only have about 30 min of pushing.