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May 2014 Moms
DaisyTortilla
member
Vbac moms, come in
DaisyTortilla
member
My OB is giving me until 41 weeks to go into 'spontaneous' labor, he will not induce. I am okay with both of these ideas, I am a bit afraid of using pitocin and I also do not feel comfortable going past 41 weeks. I usually start drinking RRLT (to strengthen uterus) and EPO at around 36 weeks. However, my question is will any of you ladies try anything a little more potent, such as castor oil, teas or other methods to induce labor at home?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Vbac moms, come in
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge:
Someone asked the same question on the vbac page yesterday or the day before...they were planning to actually use it because they had a deadline of 40 weeks. There were a lot of people saying not to do it...it was too risky. However, there was one midwife who said she had used it with all of her patients and it frequently seemed to work. Personally, I would be leary. I would not want to risk the meconium (sp?) problems that some experience.
FYI - The deal with "deadlines" is that after 40 weeks, your chances of success (at a vbac) start to go down and the chances of a catastrophic rupture start go up. Catastrophic rupture means where the rupture results in infant death. The stats that I have seen are the vbacs on their own at 40 weeks or before only result in infant death in about 1 out of 2000 cases...but if you look at all vbacs (including those at 42+ weeks), this rate is about 1 in 780. Therefore, it gets riskier after 40 weeks and, I am guessing, a lot riskier after 41 weeks.
My current OB initially stated her deadline was 40 weeks, but when pushed said she would go to 41 weeks. The top VBAC doctor in my city--which is a huge city with the largest medical complex in the world--will let you go to 41 weeks. Therefore, I feel like 41 weeks is actually a pretty good balance. My friend talked to this doctor's nurse practitioner (they are friends) and sent me her message...she pretty much said that if you want to go past 41 weeks in Houston (where I live), you will have to do a home birth with a midwife.
With that said, if I go by what some ladies on the VBAC facts page say, it seems like some doctors will let you go pretty much indefinitely...but I think they are few and far between. I know I don't think I would push it to 42 weeks. Personally, I think 41 weeks is a good balance.
With respect to inducing, my current OB will not do pit or medication, but will do other things like break your water (if you are already in labor) or membrane sweeping, etc. The "top vbac OB" who I mentioned above (and I am consulting with next month) will do pit if you are already starting to dilate, etc. The rupture rates for pit are about 4 times high as no pit (~2 percent versus ~0.5%)...however, you have to remember only about 6% of ruptures result in fetal death. Still, a rupture is bad. No one wants a rupture. If you have a rupture, the baby needs to come out within 17-18 minutes or death or brain injury can result. If you are in a top hospital with the OB there and an OR waiting, that is completely doable. My OB said if I rupture, they can have the baby out in under 10 minutes...but the hospital I will be delivering at (if I stay with her) delivers ~10,000 babies a year, has an OR waiting at all times and a doctor on-the-floor at all times. Not every hospital has that...
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge:
Honestly, though, I sort of feel like I will cross that bridge when I get to it. With DS, I really did not want a c-section, but between pre-e and IUGR (and being in and out of the hospital umpteen times) and then him having heart rate decels the day before I was supposed to be induced, I remember just getting to the point where I just wanted him out and safe and not much else seemed to matter. I do sometimes question whether I let myself get pushed into a c-section, but then I remember how freaking terrified I was at the time and how mentally/emotionally exhausted I was from dealing with weeks of a high-risk pregnancy. For me, the anxiety of it all was the bad part. I could take the bedrest and the frequent doctors visits and even the hospital bedrest...but constantly being worried about your baby and "not knowing" sucked. If I have to go through something similar again, I doubt that I will be as gung-ho VBAC at the end of all of that as I am right now.
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge:
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge:
On another topic - @IBackBevo are you part of the vbac facts FB group?
2011: FSH 13.3 & E 99; AMH 0.54 2nd FSH 6.2 E 40's AFC: 8
BFP from Clomid/IUI ~ Pre-e and IUGR during pregnancy ~ DS born 9/4/12
Feb./March 2013: AMH less than 0.16 (undectable) and AFC = 4;
BFP from supps ~ DS#2 due May 2014
May 2014 January Siggy Challenge: