Will having GD affect my plans for VBAC?

[JennaJayen]

I was given the official go-ahead for my VBAC on Dec 29th, and today I had a call from one of midwives that I see who had been looking through my notes and saw the results from my GTT test that I had done on the 30th and it has been confirmed that I now have Gestational Diabete's.
I'm in a bit of shock as I've had almost no symptoms of it at all - just a bit of bloating around the belly - and I'm not really sure what to think or how it will affect me.

Just wondering, as the title says, what affect that having GD will have on my hopes for a VBAC as the bit of reading I have done on it today suggests that most women with GD are induced a couple of weeks before their EDD, which isn't an option for me because of the previous c-section?

I will be seeing my OB on the 19th and can ask him some more questions then when I think of them, but was wanting some info before then.

Thanks in advance.

[Just Me]

Having GD doesn't have to affect your plans for a VBAC - I have GD (for the third time) and I plan to have VBAC. They often like to have babies of mums with GD born around 38 weeks but you can fight to go to 40 weeks. For me, I am planning a VBAC if the baby is in the right position and there are no other complications (my last baby was footling breech and the hospital here would not even consider VB so I had to have a c/s). I am playing it by ear and I am going to listen to what they tell me and make my decisions as we go. So far, everything is looking really good and I don't have other complications (such as preeclampsia) so we are all set to have a VBAC. My baby is measuring on the large side, but I am not overly concerned. All my babies (even my baby that was not from a GD pregnancy) were born in the 90th percentile which only put them weighing 3.8kg. Their idea of a 'big' baby and mine differ somewhat (also my babies have all been 54cm which they NEVER take into account).

I don't know if any of that is helpful, but the best I can suggest is to go there knowing what you want but don't be so closed off that you don't listen. I think it is important to take into account all the information that they give and what your own research and reading tell you (I should warn you, there is a lot of fear among the medical profession about GD but I think most of it comes out of not understanding it at all so they make a lot of decisions to be precautionary). You have to do what you are comfortable with and be prepared to fight if it is important enough. They do run tests for a reason - though the ultrasounds tend to be inaccurate and the sonographers I have always tend to measure my baby knowing I have GD so seem to go for the largest possible way to measure possible - and some of those tests can be informative and help you along in your decision making. On other issues, you need to listen to your body. If you feel okay to keep being pregnant after 38 weeks, then listen to your body.

Most people with GD have very few symptoms of it. The only other thing I can recommend it to be careful with your diet and be as diabetic friendly with it as possible. They will explain it all to you when you meet with the diabetic educator and the endocrin, but by controlling your sugars as much as possible (which sometimes in pregnancy it isn't - the hormones have made mine quite out of control this time even with insulin though I have never struggled in the past), gives you a better chance at a VBAC.

Anyway, I'll stop waffling now. Good luck with everything and I hope your appointment with your OB goes well.

[black_rose]

I had a vbac in the end with dd2, but I was booked in for a c sect at 38 weeks.

In the end I went into labour at 35 weeks but was put on nefidipine for two weeks and I went into labour again naturally at 37 weeks.

I was prepped for a c sect just in case but the midwives were happy to let me see how I went. Dd2 was born 40 minutes after my water was broken.

My ob doesn't like to induce with vbac's because of the risk of rupturing due to the strength of the contractions. But he was very supportive of me attempting a vbac even with the gd, he just didn't want me to go past 38 weeks incase dd was too big. In the end she was only 2.75kg.