I am pregnant with my third child and this will be our last. I am desperate for a vaginal birth having had two C-sections. I am after other people’s experience who may have been in similar situations as I am really confused/conflicted which way to go.

I have been told that the local hsp will push me to C-sect and I will have to be very determined with what I want and be very informed on risk etc. I am more scared of another C-sect. after my 2nd one was just horrific, than of any risk in a VBA2C.

Basically I need to decide to either have a Doula and labour as long as I can at home before going to hsp OR private midwife and again labour at home before going to hsp or have a home birth. I guess my biggest issue is unfortunately the cost, it is so much greater to have a private midwife and the one I would love is not going to be medicare rebated. I like the idea that she can monitor baby while at home and if the labour is going well that I could possible stay there.

My first pregnancy I had a grade 3 placenta previa. Bleeding from 21 wks, which continued to get worse, hospitalised from 27 – 31 wks. My waters broke and Matilda was delivered by C-sect. At 31 wks. She didn’t really have any other complications and after 5wks in NICU was released. She did get Group B strep at 40 wks (9 wks after her birth). No issues with the scar and I recovered well & quickly.

My second baby was born 1 yr & 5days later. I had a great pregnancy. My water’s broke at 40wks, at 6am. I rang the hsp and was told to go up there when I could. I arrived at 8amish but was not in labour. I was given an IV with induction. From there I went into “labour” quickly, had regular contractions a couple of minutes apart. However I never got past 3cm dilated. I laboured on my back and it was horrible. I asked for an epidural after 13.5 hours however it only worked on one side. They then decided that baby was in distress (he had pooed, melicolin? I think it’s called, early on) and had to come out. They tried once again to get the epidural to work but it didn’t so I ended up having a general anasetic. Poor baby was born not breathing (they said due to the anasetic) and had to be resuscitated. He went up to NICU for about 8 hours. Apparently I had quite a bit of scaring from the first C-sect so I had two drain tubes in my c-sect, which when they were taken out a day or two later was just horrific. Poor baby was so upset as a new born and after my op all I wanted to sleep and he just cried and cried (probably had a huge headache after pushing for 13.5 hrs against an closed cervics! And I resented him and was so angry he wouldn’t sleep and I just felt that he had a horrible start to life.

Any advice/thoughts/your stories much appreciated