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October 2015 Moms
dmizak
member
VBAC or repeat cesarian
dmizak
member
Ok, I am 27 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. I had a somewhat stressful vaginal birth with my first. His heart rate was dropping and not rising very fast during pushing. This caused my OB to give me a 3rd degree episiotomy and use the vacuum 3 times to get him out. My last pregnancy ended up an emergency cesarian because my baby had hydrops. That was about 15 months ago.
I thought I had made a decision to just go ahead and do a repeat cesarian, but after talking more with my OB and doing more research, I'm just not sure. Here are my biggest concerns:
1. The hospital does not have an anesthesiologist on staff 24/7. They are required to be there within 30 mins when called.
2. My OB will do the cesarian, but it's a 4:5 chance it will be another doctor that does the VBAC.
3. Cesarian poses a higher risk of lung problems due to amniotic fluid on the lungs without that squeeze through the birth canal.
4. Longer recovery with cesarian.
I am just so scared either way. I want to do what's best for the baby, I have this thought that if I get that far, I just want him out without the fear of the unknown with doing a trial of labor. I just feel like so much can go wrong in labor and a cesarian seems so straightforward.
Anyone else dealing with this decision? Are there other questions I should ask my OB before committing? She wants me to decide this week so we can schedule the cesarian with her if that's the way I want to go.
Thanks in advance:-)
ETA: Fast fingers posted too soon.
I thought I had made a decision to just go ahead and do a repeat cesarian, but after talking more with my OB and doing more research, I'm just not sure. Here are my biggest concerns:
1. The hospital does not have an anesthesiologist on staff 24/7. They are required to be there within 30 mins when called.
2. My OB will do the cesarian, but it's a 4:5 chance it will be another doctor that does the VBAC.
3. Cesarian poses a higher risk of lung problems due to amniotic fluid on the lungs without that squeeze through the birth canal.
4. Longer recovery with cesarian.
I am just so scared either way. I want to do what's best for the baby, I have this thought that if I get that far, I just want him out without the fear of the unknown with doing a trial of labor. I just feel like so much can go wrong in labor and a cesarian seems so straightforward.
Anyone else dealing with this decision? Are there other questions I should ask my OB before committing? She wants me to decide this week so we can schedule the cesarian with her if that's the way I want to go.
Thanks in advance:-)
ETA: Fast fingers posted too soon.
Re: VBAC or repeat cesarian
1. You are limited to how many kids you can have due to increased adhesions and added risk those cause.
2. The adhesions can become very painful years after you are done having children.
3. Each c section has been easier to recover from than the previous.
4. Scheduled c sections are much easier on you and your baby than an emergency one.
6. The more c sections you have the less pelvic support you have. The muscles that are cut never return to normal.
Really get all the pros and cons as pertaining to you from your OB for both types of delivery. It seems like you have the general ones but ask for more specifics with your situation. Your OB may want to schedule you now but you can wait until you are sure or schedule with stipulations like PP said.
Whatever choice you make is fine. Vagianal delivery and c sections are both a lot of hard work for mom and no one way makes you better or somehow lacking. The most important thing is a healthy baby and mama at the end of it all!
No, I'm not sure why he was deceling. They couldn't really say either. That's why it worries me.I will absolutely check into the ICAN chapter.
Thank you so much.
My current doctor is very pro VBAC, but ultimately he's leaving the decision up to me. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options as I see them.
A VBAC is safer, in general, since it's not major surgery. The chance of uterine rupture is very low (1%), so while it could happen, that's not something I really worry about. I could tear or need an episiotomy, but who's to say I will? My biggest fear is that I'll end up needing a c-section anyway.
If I have a c-section, I know what to expect. I also have the option of getting my tubes tied while in surgery, which is appealing because DH and I are 100% sure we're done making babies. Also, the OB I see now is the same doctor who did my D&C back in November, so if I'm going to trust anyone to do surgery on my uterus, it would be him. With this option, I know what to expect and I feel like o can better plan for it. But then I'll never experience labor . . . The only other thing I'd worry about is that if I'm getting my tubes tied in the process, I have to go to a different hospital. The one next to my OB's office is a catholic hospital and has restrictions against that. I don't know if that means a different doctor would be delivering my baby, but if it's just a matter of which hospital I'm at, all the hospitals in my area are decent.
OP, it sounds like you have through through this a lot, and you know neither choice would be wrong. I agree that a scheduled cesarean seems much more straightforward (as opposed to trial labor and then needing a c-section anyway). I wish I could help you decide one way or another, but I'm in the same boat as you - really torn between the options.
My doc will let me go to 42 weeks and hasn't even mentioned scheduling a rcs.
I guess it's perspective and personal experience but vbac has been shown to be a safe option. If your provider is not supportive that is the best indication for if you will have a vbac or if a tol will result in rc.
And what @1stComesLove421 said. I know it's a very personal decision. I don't heal well from surgery so the very idea terrifies me.
If it were me, I would tell the OB I'm going to plan for a vbac with the possibility of changing my mind.
If you or a doctor feels iffy during labor you can always switch.
Again I can't relate, but I do wish you the best of luck!
Not that I meant to go AW in my response, so here's my point. Continue your research, talk with your doctor, trust your gut and, most importantly, don't allow yourself to second guess your decision. The overall desired end result is healthy mom and baby, so do whatever you have to do for that to happen. And know that we will be there to support you, whatever your choice.