Vitamin C for a stronger bag?

TrendyTina · March 2015

With my last baby my MW suggested I take extra vitamin C to strengthen my bag ( I was GBS+ and was very worried about exposure). I did as she said for the last 6-8 weeks or so, I believe, and my baby was born en caul. Is this still recommended? I want to say I recall seeing an article a few months back that this is no longer considered best practice and that there might actually be some adverse effects to consuming so much vitamin C. Can anyone comment on this? I would love to have another baby born en caul if possible. It was a beautiful experience.

elizalegs · March 2015

i've never heard of that - i will ask my midwife about it. It's a pretty interesting concept, do you mind me asking the source? My first thought is that it makes sense - I would suppose that the sac's membrane is composed of a network of proteins and lipids, like the membrane of a cell. Key to the structure's integrity would be collagen, and that's something that we tend not to eat much of (unless you are eating lots of bone broth and marrow). Gelatin is a great source. But high dosages of vitamin C can help you create collagen, so it may be a bit of a reach but again I think you could make the case for it.

The only pause I really have is whether caul births really are the norm or not - I have always viewed them as not too common but I'm not sure. I say go for it! The vitamin C/high dosage concern is to my knowledge really more of an issue in the first 12 weeks due to the concern of ramping up your immune response when your body is trying to lessen this so that the egg will be viable and implant properly.

Other things your MW can do which you probably already know is ensure that you are not given a myriad of internal checks. We have not tested for GBS b/c I would refuse the abx anyhow - we are planning on doing a simple hibiclens douche once true labor starts. I will start taking some more camu camu berry for the C source, thanks for the tip mama! Good luck!

TrendyTina · March 2015

I have my first official appointment with my MW on Thursday so I will be asking her then. At the birth center, they won't do cervical checks unless you beg for them during labor (my first was a hospital birth so I asked to be checked twice. I felt I NEEDED to hear those numbers to have confidence I was progressing due to my first experience). I'll post a follow-up here after I speak with her this week about the vitamin C!

From everything I've read, a baby being born en caul is a very rare occurrence.

elizalegs · March 2015

yes, post a follow-up; i think it's very interesting. I likely would have had a caul birth with my first since the bag was really strong and they "had" to break my waters when I was "stuck" at like 7 centimeters... (A six hour labor, and I was considered "stuck"...) my current MW who is an absolute rockstar expert, says she wouldn't have done that

So my fingers are crossed for you! how old is your LO now?

sschwege · March 2015

I have taken Vit C supplement with all three of my pregnancies and did seem to have strong bags with my first two, we will see about this one. With my first, I pushed for an hour, my MIL said the bag was huge with each push and my MW was holding up a towel, but it never broke, my MW said the bag must have been made of gold. She asked for my permission to break it right before crowning and I agreed. Labor was 17.5 hours from start to finish. With my second my labor was very short, 2-2.5 hours, but it did stay intact the entire time. When we got to triage my MW said the bag was bulging and DH could visibly see the head. My MW did not ask permission that time, just said she was going to pinch the bag to break it and did.

I am so interested in leaving the bag intact this time and seeing what happens. One of my MWs said some people believe that there is a risk that the lungs won't fully clear if the bag is intact, but of course she said that might not be true. I'm sure it's a hard thing to study because it's so rare. Also what are your thoughts on exposing baby to what they consider the beneficial bacteria in the birth canal? I would love to hear your experience on delivering a baby en caul. Congratulations by the way!

elizalegs · March 2015

yeah i'm curious about how the caul intactness impacts the microflora too, my husband is a scientist and he's very intrigued by what type of cell makes up the membrane of the sac, how permeable it is, etc, etc...

TrendyTina · March 2015

So my update is I forgot to ask my MW about the vitamin C because we were so busy gabbing about how amazing how my last birth was and how thrilled I am to be back at the birth center. I will ask NEXT time!

@sschwege I was MORE worried about the potential risk to my baby because I was GBS+ so I was so thankful she was born en caul. There are certainly MANY documented benefits to exposure to the flora of the vaginal canal, but my focus was on keeping her safe and not exposed. I trust nature, so if it happens again this time, I will also consider it a blessing. If the bag is meant to break, it will!

@elizalegs my son will be 3 next month and my en caul daughter is 10months. I'll have 3 under 3.5! AGH!!!

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