I showed one of the doctors in my OB practice my birth plan the other day. Now I feel deflated...
I think that my CS last time around really could have been avoided with proper coaching and assistance from hospital staff, rather than a rush to just do a CS. I am ADEMATE about vbac this time around.
My birth plan is pretty standard, minimal interventions etc. I planned on laboring at home for as long as possible to begin with. To this she replied that I was to go to L & D when my contractions were 10 mins apart! WHAT?!?!?
Then, next, I ask for intermittent monitoring, so that I can labor in the tub, shower, walk the halls, ball, or whatever else helps me along. She said that for vbac, we are constantly monitored, so this was a no go.
So how the hell am I supposed to be successful when she's going to confine me to a bed at frigging 10 minute apart contractions??
I feel like a rebel, but I'm not going to go in that early. And I'm actually wondering if I could ask for an internal monitor, would that allow me to be more mobile?
It is VERY important to me to vbac. I had a horrible CS experience, and mentally and emotionally I am still not over it. My first was natural (now 10) so I know my body can do it. I also know that I do NOT want to have to care for a newborn and a 22 month old while recovering from a CS.
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Re: Last OB visit left me discouraged
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Ditto asking about telemetry monitors. And NO to internal monitoring. My hospital didn't have telemetry monitoring, and my OB wanted me monitored constantly, too. I talked to my doula about this and our plan to counteract was this: Stay out of the bed as much as possible despite the monitors, since the wires allowed me 15 feet of length. Also, take a ton of bathroom breaks! Hey can't stop you from peeing. You will have to be taken off the monitors and it'll get you walking and also, sitting on the toilet is great for helping labor progress.
As far as getting to the hospital when contractions are 10 mins apart, eff that. I had contractions 10 mins apart every other day for two weeks leading up to actual labor. Contrax that far apart don't always mean labor, and if you land in the hospital with practice labor, it could be bad. Again, trust your body. You'll know when it's real labor and when it's time to go to the hospital. My OB mentioned that he wanted me at the hospital pretty soon after active labor began both because I was a VBAC and because I was 4cm dilated at 40w. But I didn't listen. Labor started around 5pm. My doula came over around 10pm. We left for the hospital at 11:30pm and got there at midnight. I was 9cm upon arrival and had my VBAC 4 hours later. It was PERFECT. I didn't see it that way at the time, because I showed up begging for drugs and it was too late, lol. But that's actually what I wanted, so it was awesome in the end.
Stand your ground! Lots of luck.