how does VBAC work?

I am currently 32 weeks with my second baby, I had a nightmare birth with my first baby.....I had contractions for two days, unable to have an epidural for medical reasons and when I finally went into hospital spent about 7 hours on gas with horrible contractions heading into my second night with no sleep, not dilating past 4cm, so I ended up having an emergency caesar.....my current ob (different to the last one) said that it was probably because I had a larger baby (4.2kg). My usual ob wasn't even on duty the last time, the midwives were cold and hardly there and not at all supportive and I was so out of it on gas (which didn't block out the pain at all really) that I had no idea what was happening around me anyway.
So I'm thinking, if the first baby didn't come out the way it was supposed to, what makes anyone think this one is going to??? Much as a vaginal birth sounds like a nice natural idea, my bad memories of the first time - lots of agony with no result - are hardly incentive to even try?? I'm convinced I'd still be there if nature had been left to its own devices.

i know how you are feeling i too am 32 weeks pg (well i will be tomo) i am going for a VBAC and am petrified as i had a bad exp with my first and ended up with an emergency CS i didnt make it past 6cm. The reason for my VBAC attempt is mainly for my DD, i do not want to spend 5 days in hospital and then to come home and not even be able to pick her up, she is only 18months old. Also my DH works for himself so no work no money and i dont want to put any extra pressure on him or family who would have to help me with DD. If i need another emergency CS then so be it but for me the thought of the recovery period is just off putting plus after my CS i was disappointed with myself even though it coulnt have been avoided so i guess i also want to exp birthing my baby.

I would discuss these fears / thoughts with your OBS. I too had an emergency c-sect after a failed induction and only dilating to 6cms. My OBS is all for VBAC the next time we are pg. I remember him saying that there is no medical reason why I can't try for a vaginal birth, and no reason why this one won't be successful. You need a supportive OBS, carers etc... which would make this labour a better, more positive experience. Kelly, Alan or some of the Doulas might pop in and give you some great tips on helping you through this VBAC.

Prepare yourselves beforehand. I had a VBAC last November and I can totally understand your concerns. My first birth was long & full of intervention and ended in a c/s. It was a traumatic experience. My second birth was amazing. I prepared with reading heaps of books about VBAC's. Silent Knife and A Thinking Woman's Guide to Better Birth. I made sure we had extra birth support, a doula to help both my husband and I prepare. We also did private antenatal classes with calm birthing which is like hypnobirthing. I think the combination of all of them is what got me through. It was an amazingly empowering experience having the birth I wanted to have (you can read our birth story on the main site ;)).

Great advice above :) Also read this thread: am i being naive to think i can have a natural birth? especially page 4.

This is a reflection of the current state of birth, women aren't having the experiences they hope to. I'd recommend a doula too, you have much less chance of longer labours and interventions including 50% less c/s. Many of my clients are VBAC clients who have had similar experiences. Read the books on the BellyBelly recommended reading list and support yourself with a cheersquad! Birth can be awesome. My first was a loooooong labour which was augmented, epidural and I was already planning an epidural from go when I had my second... but at the end of the day, with my second, I rocked up at hospital at 9cms and nearly ready to push my baby out, no time for drugs! And so glad I did. Did wonders for my confidence and heck, look at what I am doing now LOL :)

Thanks everyone for your replies and support, however, i am convinced that I am one of those women who, before they had caesareans, died in childbirth cos that baby wasn't coming out anytime soon. Given the horrible labouring beforehand, I just wanted to know why anyone (especially me) would think that it would go any better the second time. After all, if I didn't dilate the first time, why would I dilate the second time? After all I didn't have any 'intervention' like pain relief. If anything the pain was excruciating and much more likely to inhibit the birth than anything else. And it wasn't the kind of pain that hypnobirthing could have any effect on i'm sure.
Also, as for staff at the hospital at the time of labour, I will have no idea who will be there on the day, much less making sure they are 'nice' midwives who will spend more time with me and give me more encouragement??
So I guess what I am saying is that given the first experience I am really struggling to find a compelling reason not to have a caesarean the second time around and thought someone here could provide one.
also doulas are a new thing to me - are they covered by private health insurance? will that mean I am condemned to labour for days on end in agony to avoid that caesarean?

There are things that can shorten your labour, and as I mentioned a doula is one of them. Also is a homebirth, being upright and active (i.e. off the bed), and reducing anxiety and fear. Having a known carer like an independent midwife or doula is the only way you will get continuity of care - Obs dont hold hands during the birth and as you know, midwives are unknown to you and change shifts. So you really do have to pay for your own support these days. Sad but true.

I think the thing you need right now to give you confidence in your body's ability to birth is information and aducation. What state are you in?

I would get the Pink Kit so you can understand the pelvis and your body better in the privacy of your own home (it's a DVD/multimedia kit) which covers VBAC in a section too.

I would also look into calmbirthing courses, if I know where you are I can refer you to some practitioners. But do inform yourself and I see plenty of women who have had terrible first experiences and have low self esteem yet turn around and have an amazing birth. You'll never know if you give it a go, and at least you'll know you did all you could rather than wonder 'what if' for the rest of your life.

Thanks I would like to look into more options. I am in Sydney.
By the way, before the first time I actually did think that midwives stayed with you throughout the labour! And I didn't realise the OB didn't turn up until the grand finale either!!
I don't have any family (ie mother or sisters to speak of) to help me through the labour either.

I was petrified until I did the hypnobirthing course same as Christy. My second birth was the most wonderful experience of my life. One thing I learnt was as Kelly said, you need to have faith/confidence in your body and it's ability to birth your baby. Once I understood it better it certainly made so much sense! All the best.

There could be many reasons your first labour was slow to progress - some babies just need extra time to get into the right position - if he was posterior some position changes may have helped to turn him. (or her).

I agree with Kelly that having a support person just for you right from the start would definitely help you. Labour doesn't need to be horrific - often our fear and anxiety makes it so - and that's where a doula/private midwife may help. The hypnobirthing techniques are based on the fear-tension-pain cycle - ie that more fear leads to more tension which leads to more pain.

I can completely understand where you are coming from - being in labour for a long time feeling unsupported and unsure of what is going on is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

Your body did not fail you - it sounds like the unsupportive hospital system is what ultimately let you down.

There is a wonderful hypnobirthing course in Sydney - Sutherland Shire - PM me for details if you like.

Cara

I totally agree with Kelly and Cara, go for a Doula, they will be there your entire labor, just to support you and your partner, they can help to alleviate your fears and develop your birth preferences (plan) and help you get the birth that you are after.

You can find Doulas on this forum or you could try a student Doula who usually charges nothing as they are still training.

My first labor was a bit of a horror, I can understand your fears, so do yourself a big favor and get as prepared as you can, sounds like you have started to prepare by asking questions.

You will be great!!!!:D

Meagan

a PLAN? what a joke. you can't really have a plan for something you've never experienced before. I guess that's why this Doula thing is becoming popular. We women have so lost our way, that now we pay for someone to come with us in childbirth. I took my mum and husband, both pretty useless - would have loved a no-nonsense Italian styled nonna with me! but one thing my mum said to me during the birth of number 3, the "natural birth" (with drugs:) ; she said: "{pointing to window} look, there's the outside world, going on as usual."
She reminded me that there are a million women doing the same thing every day, it's natural and you will get through it.