Lack of Provider Support- Rant

XCrissCrossX · January 2015

Hi ladies,
I had my first appointment for this pregnancy yesterday and I mentioned maybe wanting to try VBAC. I'm not convinced yet and I think my plan is really to just see how the pregnancy plays out and not make any decisions until much closer to my due date.

So the midwife I saw said that the practice does allow VBAC... but my c-section was because my baby was large and usually women have the most success if their c-sections were because of positioning issues. And I'll most likely have another large baby. Blah Blah Blah.

She didn't tell me no-- but she pretty much shut me down.

If this baby is measuring over 10lbs, I'll most likely just opt for the repeat (I know ultrasounds can be VERY wrong, but DS continuously measured big and the ultrasound was almost exactly correct in his case.) But I'm not going to make a decision at this point based on the fact that I "most likely" might grow another huge baby.

Unfortunately, when it's time for the baby to come, I'm stuck with whatever provider(s) are on duty, so I can't find someone in the practice who is supportive and stick with them. The practice I go to is the only one close by, so switching isn't really an option.

If I want a chance for this to happen, I'm going to have to be educated and advocate for myself. I tend to defer to "authority" and assume the medical professionals know what they are talking about. So, were there any resources that helped you feel particularly informed or helped you advocate for yourself?

SweetMelissa5 · January 2015

I know anecdotes aren't really all that useful, but I had a c-section with my first, and he was 10 lbs 1 oz (labor stalled at 7 cm, which I think was because of his huge head), but then I had a successful VBAC with my second who was 9 lb 3 oz, so a large baby doesn't have to be a dealbreaker.

Also, someone linked this article at some point, and I found it very interesting so I saved it; it might have some good information for you to discuss with your doctor(s). Good luck!

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-for-induction-or-c-section-for-big-baby/

Ceefome · January 2015

Again, another anecdote, but my first was 8#6oz at 37w1d and I had a c/s due to failure to descend. It was her position, but often times position is incorrectly assumed to be related to size. I was discouraged by some OBs in the practice I switched to with my second pregnancy to attempt VBAC, because of her size and the fact that I fully dilated, pushed for 3.5 hours, and wound up with a c/s. My second - a successful VBAC - was only 7.12 at 40w3d and was born after less than 30 minutes of pushing. My 3rd, my easiest L&D of all, was 9.14 at 39w4d and was born after 4 pushes. So, not all subsequent babies are bigger (I'm certainly hoping that is true with #4) and even with big babies, it's not always their size.

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