VBAC or Repeat C-Section Thread

katy0990 · June 2018

This is a debate I am having and I have seen others bring it up too, so I figured having a thread to get our thoughts in one place may be helpful.

katy0990 · June 2018

I ended up with a C-section after 40 hours of labor with DS. Turns out, he was caught on my pelvic bone and according to my doctor, there was no way he was coming out vaginaly. I am concerned that this could happen again if it is an anatomy issue on my end. He ended up having some issues with his soft spot from his head being jammed into my pelvic bone during each contraction and I still feel so bad about that.
On the other hand, I feel like I missed out on the birth experience I wanted despite all of the time and effort I put in and I would like to try again to see if I can do it this time.
My OB’s practice is a huge advocate of VBAC’s and I was told last week that they have a 70% success with VBAC’s and there is only a 1% rupture rate. He did say that if I would prefer a c-section they are happy to honor that request.

The biggest factor I am struggling with is that my due date is December 31. I hate to sound cheap, but it will save us thousands of dollars if the baby is born before the year is over. That leads me to want to schedule a C-section. However, my doctors office said that after two C-sections, they would not be comfortable allowing me to VBAC, so I feel like this is my last chance at a vaginal birth.

Whitmore1027 · June 2018

I am having a repeat c-section. It's already scheduled for Dec 31st. I didn't progress during my last pregnancy. Went days without eating, drinking, or sleeping. Ended up having a fever. Had 3 failed epidurals. I am more than happy to have a scheduled c-section this time around because my body may do the same thing as last time, and at least this time I'll go in rested. And I am sure my recovery will be a lot easier than the first time.

katy0990 · June 2018

@Whitmore1027 I have heard it is a lot easy to recover from a scheduled c-section than an unplanned one. My fear is that I will labor again and end up with a c-section and have another long recovery. Last time, my cervix begin to swell during labor, so I was revovering from that and from the c-section, which sucked.

breadit124 · June 2018

I’m having a repeat scheduled c section, after a somewhat unexpected but not emergency section the first time.

My blood pressure spiked at 39 weeks (160/120) so they suspected preeclampsia and offered me either an induction or a c section. There are plenty of c sections in my family and my sisters echo the comment above that recovery from a planned one v laboring and then having one is a completely different recovery experience.

I went straight to the c section and my experience during and in recovery last time was great. My son was happy and healthy, I had no complications, and it was all a calm experience that left space for those first minutes and hours with him to be clear and focused on his arrival.

So it wasn’t even a question in my mind this time. In my opinion, there is a lot of fear-mongering about c sections that dissuades women from considering it until they’ve labored for a long time. To me, that sounds like recovering from two labors at once, and I can imagine it’s incredibly hard. So for anyone considering a scheduled one the second time around, it really may be a much easier experience than your first.

LostinUtopia · June 2018

Long post got eaten by the Bump app....making me think lurking still is a perfectly fine idea. Arg.

katy0990 · June 2018

@LostinUtopia After having that happen to me a few times, I started to copy everything before I hit post, so if it gets eaten, I can paste it and try again.

kristah2 · June 2018

I had a planned section last time due to baby being breech.
Honestky my recovery was a breeze. Especially compared to my peers who laboured for hours prior.

This time around I’m unsure.

Notes for pro:

1. Baby 1 had a huge head and the nurse said I probably would have ended up with a section anyway since I’m tiny. I’m a bit worried about this possibility again and ending up with an emergency section after labor.
2. Timing. H is in a major trial when the baby is due. If I know the date I’m having the baby he can ask court for a 2 day delay and stay with me. If I just go into labor it’s a drop and go scenario and there’s a chance he wouldn’t be able to be around the couple days after.

Notes for cons:
1. I’ve heard that the second section is harder to recover from. And often times cutting into the same scar can cause hyper sensitivity for years afterward which sounds horrible.
2. Having to recover with not just a new born but also a 2 year old who will need attention.
3. Not being able to drive for 6 weeks when DS will need to be picked up from daycare as H will be working late because of the trial.

I dont know.
I think I’m going to wait and talk to my OB around 30 weeks and get his opinion. He hasn’t lead me wrong yet.

katy0990 · June 2018

@kristah2 Caring for a newborn and 2-year-old while recovering is a big fear of mine. I wasn’t able to lift DS during most of first tri due to some bleeding I had and it was really difficult. I am sure being unable to lift him during what will be a huge transition for him, would be even worse.

winterplumeria · June 2018

I'm struggling with this as well... in the small town I live in i have to go to a midwife ran practice, they are pressuring me for VBAC... but I'm questioning whether or not that's because if I don't attempt VBAC I get sent to the only OB in town and am no longer their patient, or if they truly feel medically I could do It! DS was too big and couldn't fit through my pelvis... I feel like I know what doesn't fit and if baby girl is anywhere near the same size I definitely don't want to attempt.. I scheduled my next prenatal with the OB to get their opinion and need to get my records sent here to AK from OR... I hated the c section process and recovery but I think a scheduled 1 may be easier... DH is pushing for a section because he feels it would be safer that way... I'm so confused!!!

katy0990 · June 2018

@winterplumeria it’s hard to tell when they are truly advocating for you or for their own beliefs. My DH would also prefer a c-section since picking a date would make planning easier.

hbmama21 · June 2018

I’m leaning more towards VBAC largely bc of the challenges a second C presents in recovery, having a 3rd child, and maneuvering with my toddler. That said, I’m planning to wait to make the final call after several BPPs to see the size and positioning of the baby. My preference would be to labor then do a gentle-C if needed, but if the baby is stuck posterior and large again, I know the funky narrowed shape of my pelvis means C anyway, so we would just schedule it.

rocketmom88 · June 2018

@winterplumeria Exactly what @katy0990 said about whether they are advocating for you or for their own beliefs. I know a lot of people trust their OBs and I wish I could count myself among them, but I don't.

@kristah2 I had heard second c sections had easier recoveries, which I was putting under my pro list. Looks like my con list just got bigger...

morgantu · June 2018

@kristah2 Hi, FTM here just lurking and have a question. You can't drive FOR 6 WEEKS after the c section?!?!?!

katy0990 · June 2018

@morgantu A friend of mine’s OB told her not to drive for 6 weeks, but I think that is fairly uncommon. I was able to drive after 2 weeks.

AGK2015 · June 2018

I think we're sort ofplanning on a VBAC, but planning might be too strong a word. My OB's guidance was that she has no trouble with me trying, provided that we don't need to induce, I don't go past 40 weeks, and baby #2 doesn't seem to be approaching the size of my first (born on her due date at 9lbs 14oz, and no I didn't have GD). Given family history (Maggie is the first in 3 generations on my side of the family not to exceed the 10lb mark), I'm not getting my hopes up too high, but we'll see. I think I'm largely okay with things going either way at this point.

zoepac · June 2018

We are going the scheduled-c route. I'm high risk for many reasons and my first was going to be a scheduled -c at 37 weeks. Unfortunately I had PPROM at 33 weeks and they told me they wanted me to try vaginally. 36 hours of labor, 5 of pushing got us no where so we went to the OR where after over an hour of trying to place an epidural failed I had a fully sedated c section. My son was over an hr old before they let my husband see him and it was almost 16 hrs before I was stable enough to make it to the NICU. I definitely have some PTSD from the experience. My maternal fetal medicine dr said she was fine with me trying for a vbac but statistically I had less than a 5% chance of success. I would rather have a calm birth experience this time (hopefully!) than try for a VBAC and have a similar experience to my first.

kristah2 · June 2018

@morgantu yup! Took me out of driving for 6 weeks. Probably because of not having the reflexes and being timid with slamming the breaks. Plus doing shoulder checks etc is a whole lot harder. Not to mention f you need to twist at all.
I had an easy recovery and I was probably 4 weeks with my hand between my seatbelt and my stomach to keep the pressure off it.

katy0990 · June 2018

@kristah2 I am glad I only had to wait 2 weeks. It was painful, at first, but I had to have biweekly lactation appointments and if I hadn’t been able to drive, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.

winterplumeria · June 2018

@ rocketmom88 and katy0990 exactly! I don't trust the judgement when they don't even have records of my son's birth! I'm not completely nixing the idea yet but I want some science behind me personally having a chance at success! I DO NOT want to fail labor and end up in CS again! I like the potential for a gentle c section vs a regular 1 though.. Killed me having my arms strapped to a table and not being able to see my son for an hour and a half after he was born... Side note: how freaking brutal is the uterine "massage" after a CS? Wholly crap I told the nurse she was hateful lol

katy0990 · June 2018

@winterplumeria yes, I hated being strapped down. I was shaking so badly that there was no way I could have even touched DS. He was an hour old before I got to hold him and that really bothers me still.

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee · June 2018

This will be my 3rd (and final) kid/c-section. It was soooooo much easier recovering from my planned c-section with my 2nd kid. I had a 2.5 year old, and it really wasn't bad. I had a much harder recovery after my emergency C-section. Early labor started on a Sunday, and he was born Wednesday night. I hadn't slept for 3 nights due to steady contractions, and I don't remember the first couple weeks because of exhaustion.

If you have a planned c-section, you are at the advantage that you can schedule it with the doctor you prefer. Do some research and ask around to find out which OB is the best surgeon. I'm actually going to a practice an hour away because the great OBs I know in town have all retired. I have a close friend who works in the perinatal floor in that town, and was able to ask who does the best sections.

It seemed surreal going in calm and as rested as you can be in 3rd trimester. It was so peaceful and fast, it really was awesome. I'm not a fan of being strapped down either, but it's not for long.

I couldn't drive for 2 weeks, which seems to be the standard for my friends who have had c-sections.

kristah2 · June 2018

My section was also more calm. My OB played music, DH was next to me. They all talked to me the whole time. As soon as DS was born they held him up to show me and DH, cleaned out his nose, wrapped him in a blanket and immediately placed him on my chest so I got to be the first to hold him. He stayed there until I had to be closed up in which time DH and DS left to have him weighed etc. I was in recovery before he was even finished his vitals and as soon as he was done we were back to doing skin to skin.
I also had an amazing OB and barely have a scar.
So it's really not all bad and can still have many of the aspect you look for from labor.

rosebud332 · June 2018

@morgantu I was told you have to be able to slam on your brakes without hesitation/fear of pain before driving. Seems very easy before a c-section, but after one it’s kinda like...yeah, I get it. I don’t remember exactly how long I waotred, but it was probably longer than I needed to.

I dont know what I’m doing but I’m assuming at this point it will be a repeat c-section which I’m ok with. I didn’t wait the recommended amount of time to have a vbac before getting pregnant (18 months) and it’s likely that what made dd breech will make this baby breech as well, which was the septum. So it may all be moot anyway. I am much more comfortable with the idea now than I was with DD. I had never had surgery before and I was scared as hell. But the surgery itself was so calm that I’m ok with going through that again. Like others, I’m most nervous about recovering while taking care of a newborn and a two year old. I don’t know how that’s gonna work.

Fruitcove7 · June 2018

I am doing a scheduled c-section this time. I have what is called an android shaped pelvis. My 1st was very much like @katy0990 ..... though I did not labor as long. Either way, I was 9cm and my Dr was like, he's not coming out this way..... so emergency c-section.

I hated everything about the emergency c-section. I was shaking from all of the meds they had given me and was just so out of it. I am praying that this time will be much different.

@katy0990 I am also due at the end of the month and it will be a major savings having the baby in 2018. When we had *TW* our loss in January *end TW*, I met my deductible, so this delivery will be very low cost.

texas_t · June 2018

There was a small part of me that wanted a vbac, but there are so many things about my first labor and delivery that are dissuading me. I was nearly 2 weeks past due and was still at a 0. I labored for 26 hours and was barely at a 4 and the pitocin was giving me back to back contraction, ds was sunnyside up and wouldn't flip, and my epidural wasn't doing shit. I had a similar experience as @katy0990 in that they ramped up the drugs for the c and I immediately started shaking uncontrollably and vomiting. Also, DS's blood sugar wouldn't regulate because by 2 weeks past due he was 9lbs9oz and had to spend 5 days in the NICU. I just can't fathom my body going into labor naturally after that last debacle, but I suppose it isn't out of the question; but I don't think I want to go 2 weeks past due again due to DS's issues. Lastly, the OB I'm at is in the process of moving hospitals. The new hospital is supposed to be done by the time I'm ready to deliver, but it's in the air. They don't currently do vbacs in the previous hospital as of recently for some logistical reason, so I don't even know if it would be possible. As for selfish reasons, if I do a repeat c, it will be right after Thanksgiving vacation so I'd have nearly a week off work before I deliver... So there's that.

As for driving, my doc said as soon as I was off my narcotic pain meds I could drive.

LostinUtopia · June 2018

(Not actually a VBAC candidate as I had my DD vaginally, but I didn't want to start a new thread lest I am roasted mercilessly as an annoying lurker.)
Trying this again, this time not on my phone! I have sort of a weird situation since my mom is a CNM at the same practice I go to (it's a fairly large group...and I never see her

There's still a lot up in the air, but the general idea is that I have a feeling they may strongly push (pun intended) for me to go the scheduled c-section route. As of now, the only real complication I have is that I had a cervical laceration with my daughter who is shortly going to be 3. They recommended I wait at least two years to get pregnant again, which I did. Their thinking is that the previous laceration could complicate labor in either a possible preterm birth (with an incompetent cervix) OR possibly more likely.... dilation will be more difficult with the scar tissue in which case I'm guessing they will just want me dosed on Pitocin and not necessarily push the c-section. I guess I have a higher risk of postpartum bleeding also since my DD was just over 9 lbs.

They are going to do a cervical length assessment this Friday, and I am hoping they tell me everything looks normal aside from the scar that's evident. I also will be doing my Anatomy/Anomaly scan at the same time, which is odd because they scheduled it at 16 weeks rather than 18 which is probably still more standard.

Part of the reason I am posting here is because I really desire having a labor with less interventions, but I am feeling guilty and also a bit scared about the risks to me and possibly the baby. My last birth required me to get a unit of blood the day after since I lost enough blood during the cervical laceration repair that I was pretty woozy and SOB the next day, even by new moms standards, I suppose. I also was essentially required to get pitocin since my water broke and there was a bit of meconium in it, and even 6 hours after the water broke I was less than a cm. dilated (ugh) and my contractions just weren't having me progress fast enough for them....

OK, so that was a bit of a long post (sorry!) My mom, the Midwife, seems to be more cautious with me since I am her daughter, and I don't think she takes into account what i want my birthing experience to be like, which is a bit annoying. I think she understand why I don't want to go through the recovery of a c-section (theoretically) with a preschooler, though. Just a lot to think about, and I am already getting anxious.

katy0990 · June 2018

@LostinUtopia First of all, I am sorry that your experience was so tramatic. I feel like there is not enough understanding of the fact that childbirth is something we all think about for years and have an image of how it will be, so when things go way off track, it is like mourning the loss of the vision of the special moment.
Can you talk to the Doctor Who was present for the birth? I hope your measurements and appointment go well.

lexidawg · June 2018

FTM here but due to having had an open myomectomy (to remove uterine fibroids), I am not allowed to deliver vaginally because of my risk of uterine rupture. I am not even allowed to labor. So I'll be having a scheduled csection at 37 weeks. It makes me sad that I wont be able to have the experience of laboring and a vaginal delivery. I do feel better hearing from you guys that a scheduled csection recovery is easier than en emergency csection.

texas_t · June 2018

@lexidawg I promise that everything fades away the second they put that precious baby in your arms. You wouldn't even care if aliens beamed baby out of your stomach

AGK2015 · June 2018

@texas_tThis. My emergency C was scary and awful in the moments leading up to it, and while it was ongoing. I had a panic attack on the table. I didn't get to hold my baby for what felt like forever, and recovery was a beast. But afterwards? I haven't even given it a second thought. For me, getting sliced and diced is just one thing that happened that day; not the least important, but not the defining moment, either.

For all the lurkers out there who might be looking to this thread just to get a sense of what things might look like if they do end up going that route: know that a lot of women do carry major trauma or feelings of failure afterward (just like after a vaginal birth) and that's legitimate, but it's by no means a guarantee for you.

katy0990 · June 2018

To piggyback off of @AGK2015 there is a lot of misinformation out there about c-sections. They are by no means “the easy way out” or anything to be embarrassed about. Your child will not care how they came out, just that you got them here.

texas_t · June 2018

I think it's a requirement to feel like a failure the second you become a mom

Carrying a baby, birthing a baby, raising a child is all freaking hard. We AREN"T failures.

Andplusalso, we've grown these babies for 9 months. NINE MONTHS! How could something that happens in 24-48 hours during labor and delivery even equate to that? We grew humans, guise.

lexidawg · June 2018

@texas_t Thank you for that! I am sure it is soooo true.

AGK2015 · June 2018

@katy0990 exactly. The only time that a c-section vs. a vaginal birth will be relevant in your child's adult life is if he or she ever attempts to go camping.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/ds/hxsc6834u83h.jpg

rosebud332 · June 2018

@lexidawg I get feeling a little sad that you won’t be able to labor. I feel a little sad that I probably will never get the chance either. It feels like a rite of passage or something that I’m missing. But @texas_t is SO right. The whole point is having that baby in your arms and that’s the only thing that really matters when it’s over. I have many thoughts about c-sections because I was so upset when I realized that was how it was going to end up. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. For instance, I didn’t think I’d be able to lift my baby afterwards, but of course I could. And I was able to hold my baby so much faster than I anticipated. That is a benefit of a scheduled c-section, I think emergency c-sections involve a lot more medication and it takes longer for mom to come down from that enough to hold the baby sometimes. Anyway, I hope if anyone has questions or is nervous about having to have one you will ask. I think it’s very beneficial to hear others’ experience with this.

lexidawg · June 2018

@rosebud332 thank you. I know you’re right!

hbmama21 · June 2018

FWIW- I couldn’t drive until 6-8wks PP bc of really bad carpal tunnel/stress from laboring before my C. Putting a vagina ice pack under the seatbelt helped for riding in the car earlier, but there may be other reasons that delay your recovery. The damage to my wrists from labor was way worse than the incision after wk1 and even now.

honeybeebub · June 2018

*lurking - I spend most of my time on the TTCAL Grad board

Does anyone have a traditional/classical c-section (up near the belly button, rather than low at the bikini line)? I have heard that there is increased risk for uterine rupture having a traditional/classical c-section like this and believe I will have to deliver early to avoid going into labor/chances of uterine rupture (like @lexidawg around 37 weeks).Unfortunately at my last visit it was the NP and she deferred to having a discussion at my next visit with OB, so now I wait...

Long story short with my last c-section I had some low swelling and so they chose to do the c-section higher, but when I asked about risks compared to a normal I was told there was no increased risk, just that I would have to have a c-section again so I said go for it. Ah hindsight is 20/20. But now, I'm hearing that standard of care is an early delivery to avoid any risk of uterine rupture, which is why they stopped doing this type, unless it's a true emergency. Just trying to get information from any similar cases, because if I do have to deliver early, I'd prefer to switch to an OB affiliated with a NICU hospital...

katy0990 · June 2018

@honeybeebub I do not have experience with that type of incision. However, I would recommend getting more than one opinion, since yours sounds like a fairly unique situation.

hbmama21 · June 2018

I agree with @katy0990 about considering a second opinion regardless of what is proposed. Sorry you have to wait!!

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