please help....

......i really need some advise and need to make my mind up as what i am going to do.....i have had a previous emergency csection two yrs ago.....im due the 19th of july........my ob is away from the 4th till the 13th july 6 days before im due........my ob wants me to have a csection for various reasons so i would need to have the baby on the 1st july and have two steriod shots.......and it would be just over two weeks early.........they said that he will only let me go two days over 40 weeks for vbac....cant induce me and wont let me labour for long and most cases will end in another csection...... he will let me vbac but his cover wont let me vbac at that hospital..........i wanted my body to go into natural labour this time and i wanted to at least try............im so confused i dont know which way to go and which is safest.....

Thanks

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........my ob wants me to have a csection for various reasons so i would need to have the baby on the 1st july and have two steriod shots.......and it would be just over two weeks early.........they said that he will only let me go two days over 40 weeks for vbac....

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Melster, what happens to your body and your baby should always be your decision- Your doctor can advise that you only go 40 weeks + 2, but if you choose to wait longer, you are 'allowed'. It is not up to the doctor to say what he will 'let you' do or not do.

Has the doctor talked about the risks and benefits of birthing bub 2 weeks early? the risks and benefits of the steroids? risks and benefits of waiting?

I would wait until your Ob gets back from leave rather than bring baby out before they are ready.

best wishes as you work through your options.

omg I will be back tomorrow to write more but GET ANOTHER OB!!!!!!! That guy has no idea :hug:

ETA- better yet, don't have an OB at all, problem solved :)

1st question melster, what do you want?

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omg I will be back tomorrow to write more but GET ANOTHER OB!!!!!!! That guy has no idea :hug:

ETA- better yet, don't have an OB at all, problem solved :)

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so well said!

yeah, find another OB.

How nice of him to 'allow' you only to go two days over. Its your body and your baby - if you want to go spontaneously (which is best for you and bubs) then thats what you do. I've heard of many ladies changing Ob's and hospitals at the very last minute when being dissatisfied with their Ob's - so don't think you can't change him now.

When an ob is talking about giving your baby steroids to develop their lungs before doing a c/s they r really acknowledging that they want to give you a c/s to deliver a premature baby:(. Just for the sake of fitting you into their schedule. That to me doesn't seem to be the kind of care that is focused on you and your babies best outcome. You really do need to ask yourself what you want and then go and get a health care provider who can meet your needs. Good luck.

thankyou

i have spoke to ob previously and altho he was keen for a csection he also said i could have a vbac.....this recent converstation was with the midwife and she let me know all the ins and outs. I have to speak to the ob at 36 weeks.....

Im really not sure which way to go. I have been researching the pros and cons and there are so many opinions for both sides.....i guess what it will come down to is whats best for bubs...

Assuming that you're having a normal risk free pregnancy and every thing is going to plan then a VBAC is a safer option for both you and bubs. Have you read 'Silent Knife'. Get your hands on a copy if you can. And also 'Ina May's guide to Childbirth'.

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they said that he will only let me go two days over 40 weeks for vbac....cant induce me and wont let me labour for long and most cases will end in another csection

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I have not found any evidence that going past your due date, having a bigger baby, or labouring for longer increases your chances of a uterine rupture. He is telling you that you will most likely end up with a c/s when in fact the statistics are something like 80% will have a successful VBAC. I would be asking him what makes his failure rate so much higher than a lot of other people.

Sounds to me like he doesn't trust birth, he doesn't trust your body, and he wants most of the control over your birth. He wants to give your baby steroids because he wants to put your baby at risk by taking him/her out early!!!!!!!! That is absolutely ridiculous unless there is some other medical issue that you haven't mentioned??

I would be staying as far away from him as possible :hug: Are you going public or private??

i lost my fluid with dd and had her three weeks early by emergency csection. Then i had a mc and curette and with this one i had bleeding earlier on but so far everything is good.

I know alot obs have different opinions and different sets of rules..apparently one ob there wont even deliver vbacs at that hospital after csections...yeah im private......he has been good so far....but i could just tell he was more for csection coz he said of the risks but that he would vbac me...it was the midwive talking to me but she knows what he is like...she also said it was up to me........

im not even sure the baby would need steriods because it would only be two and a bit weeks early which everyone has said is not premmie..

If i new what i wanted i would push him to do what i wanted....but i can seem to make my mind up.....

Steriods have NO use after 34weeks :) He is just making you feel better about his dumb practise

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When an ob is talking about giving your baby steroids to develop their lungs before doing a c/s they r really acknowledging that they want to give you a c/s to deliver a premature baby:(. Just for the sake of fitting you into their schedule. That to me doesn't seem to be the kind of care that is focused on you and your babies best outcome. You really do need to ask yourself what you want and then go and get a health care provider who can meet your needs. Good luck.

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I agree with this. Obviously he doesn't have your baby's best interests at heart. I'd run a mile personally.

Hugs

Get a few other opinions - you would if any other sort of surgery was being recommended, so why not for this? If you talk to a few obstetricians and they all believe that a repeat CS would be the best option for reasons that they can explain to you clearly and that make sense then you will be happier. If you get a range of opinions then you have some more options.
There are lots of valid reasons for an early CS (I had one for a baby that was determined to lie sideways across my tummy), but they don't seem to be articulated here.

thanks ladies....

UPDATE......well i had a good chat with ob and he will support me on a vbac.....we have a csection book in for the 14th July for when he gets back just incase but i can cancel it and he is finding me an ob that will do a VBAC at that hospital why he is away. He also said they can induce you if you're dialated if needed....

So at least i have more time to think now

Hey melster just do a little research on inductions for vbac mums. Induction increases the risk of uterine rupture by 11 times. I wonder why he thinks your baby needs to be born by a certain date? Perhaps if he suggests you go ahead and have an induction you could ask him if it is necessary. Apparently just asking a dr if something is necessary reduces c/s by 50%. Amazing huh!

But yeah have a look on the ICAN website which is the international c/s awareness network And see what they say about inductions. Remember your body is like a beautiful unbloomed rose. Prying open the petals just bruises them. Waiting reveals the full flower in all of it's glory.

Good luck :) Bella

I know how confusing it can all be. I have had 2 c/sections, this time having a HBA2C. Firstly the one thing my midwife and the hospital OB agree on is that induction for a woman for a previous C/Section is going to increase the chances of a rupture.

I had my second C/S at 37.5 weeks so 2.5 weeks early and she was not given steroids beforehand. I don't understand why they would feel this was necessary but leads me to ask, is one of your factors Gestational Diabetes? I ask because I have had this in all three pregnancies and it sounds like they are applying GD criteria for you? Feel free not to answer but I know they are very picky with going over due date with GD mums.

There is a lot of conflicting information. I suggest finding a doula or independent midwife, give them a call and have a chat, they might be able to shed some more light on your situation as they aren't required to follow the guidelines the hospital sets down. I am very glad your OB is VBAC supportive as it can be so rare these days but you want to be sure you feel comfortable with what they are proposing. For me pre-booking a C/Section immediately seems odd if they are so supportive and believe you can VBAC.

I have done lots of research on VBAC if you want to ask anything please let me know!!

So he still wants you to have a c/s before you even reach your due date?? I'm sorry but that is just ridiculous and I would be staying as far away from him as possible. Especially considering he's already talking about induction (which without a doubt greatly increases your chances of a rupture).

This OB has no faith in your body or ability to give birth. It sounds to me that if by some chance you're lucky enough to get your VBAC you're not going to escape without some sort of interference from him.

Knowing all this, it's now up to you if your happy to go ahead with whatever he has planned, or start looking for some better support for your birth.

Hey hun... my first bub was c/s, breech and they told me it was safest (well if I'd known more then I'd probably have tried other options first), then 14 years later I had my first VBAC.. he was 4 days over, spontaneous labour when my body didn't labour the first time at all. That labour was pretty short and I was 9cm on arrival at the hospital but did have a vacuum assisted birth as his heart rate was dropping very low and they think it may have been a cord issue. No problems for me or bub. Second VBAC was 2 years ago and my biggest baby at 8lb 8. My labour was again spontaneous 2 days early and my waters actually broke on their own this time and labour was pretty much 12 hours to the dot from start to finish.

I'm really glad your OB has changed tune and if all is ok with baby and you, there is NO reason for you to not VBAC. I did have the OB at one stage say (half an hour before Elijah was born) that I wasn't progressing fast enough blah blah and I'll come check on you in half an hour...lol... I was really really tired but I think it just kicked my body into gear more, cos out he came half an hour later on his own ;) He did get stuck on my pubic bone for a bit, but the midwife fixed that up and he was born with his hand on his face (little monkey). I don't get on here too much anymore, so you can send me a pm here if you like if you want to chat or anything. Most important thing is you and bub, but also, don't be bullied into something you aren't comfortable about without sufficient evidence! If you haven't already looked into, my other suggestion is hypnobirthing or calmbirthing... you would start that now. It was something I think was the best thing I did in preparing for my VBAC's.

Hi Melster
Firstly as someone who has had a VBAC I would highly recommend it. I don't want to try and convince you one way or the other as it is such a personal choice and you seem to be unsure of which way to go, so can only share my experience and what I have learned through my own research.
The recovery is so much better, especially with another little one to look after. Your best chance at achieving your VBAC with be to go into labour spontaneously, not only because of the increased risk of rupture but also because if the cascade of intervention that often follows induction.
Staying at home as long as possible increases your chances too. But again you need to feel comfortable doing this.
I cant give any advice on 'fighting' to go past your due date as I was lucky enough to go into labour on my own in my 38th week, so I dont know how I would have handled it if I did go 'over-due'.
I would also recommennd hiring a doula. They can take away a lot of the stress of having to deal with hospital staff while you are in labour and make sure you get what you want.
If you do decide c-section is the best choice for you, the 14th of July sounds much better than the 1st that you originally mentioned. That sounded way too dodgy to me.
Not sure if my rambling will help at all, just my two cents.
Good luck, I hope you have an amazing birth what ever you decide. :goodluck::)

Thanks ladies for all you're opinions...

When i was talking to him i said "oh i cant have an induction can i" and he just commented that you can but only if you're dialated..i dont know what form tho whether he meant the gels or the drip...or something else.

It was actually the midwife that was telling me all the ins and outs and what he will and will not do, but when i actually got in there to talk to him it was quiet different. He asked me what i wanted and said he will support me with a VBAC if thats what i wanted, but booked me in for a csection just incase i want it and need it...previously i lost all the my fluid and had an emergency c-section with DD, so i think he is keeping an eye on that as well

No matter what happens at least now i have more time to think and have someone that will do a vbac at that hospital if he is away..so i feel alot more settled.

I will probably just let nature take its course and see what happens.

I have been really sick lately and feel absolutely terrible...and been getting period pains down low.....so it will be interesting to see what happens

5 Weeks to go!!! :D

Glad you're feeling more settled.
P.S tried to PM you but your inbox is full :)

Hi Melster,

Good luck with it.

I'm doing my research for a VBAC in August - first baby was brow presentation and an idiot ob insisted that my labour be augmented after 'failure to progress' after 30hrs and an ultrasound where they identified that he was brow. 12hrs on a drip and we had to have an EmLUSCS and he was severely impacted into my pelvis that it took three people to pull him out - AGPAR of 2 and a very long time of resuscitation - The Ob then did have to enlarge to an inverted-T scar in order to get my first son out which means I probably fall into a higher risk category than you, if your scar is a normal low horizontal c-sec, but it is still a low risk.

As people have said, the research shows that the greatest risk of scar dehissance and (far less often) full on uterine rupture, comes when labour is augmented (a drip, after you go into labour spontaneously), and also if you have an epidural as you are less likely to be able to feel something starting to happen. My Ob has said that in order to VBAC I must go into labour spontaneously, which means no gels or ARM. I got the impression that that was a standard "no" for VBAC.

I wish you all the best,

Chrissy.