hmm worried VBAC?

ok, where do i start..I had a c-section with my daughter 3 years ago .im currently 39 weeks with bub no 2 and REALLY want to try for VBAC but every midwife visit i have they tell me different things..like one said to me they will let me go over my due date if so...and another told me they wont let me because of my previous c-section, that one that told me they wont let me go over said if my cervix is still hard and baby not engaged at 40 weeks they will have to do a ceza..but if cervix is on the soft side and or baby is engaged they will try to induce me...has anyone been in a similar situation?? Im worried about the dr just doing a ceza when its not really needed as i have had alot of doctors question why I had one with my first baby i want to avoid a c-section if i can........any opinions would be good..sorry for such a long post!!!

Tasha- i am almost in the same boat- only i am only JUST preg- i had an emergency c section a year a go (sadly lost bubs) and now i am preg again i am considering myoptions as i dont want to have to recover from c section and bond with new born at the same time- when i was ttc i was dead set on a c section- get it out and over with less risk than labour- but i can still remember the after effects of the c section and now i am starting to wonder which path to go down

:hug: it can be a bit confusing when all your care providers keep telling you different things.
I think the best thing you can do is research for yourself and tell them what you want.

Hey tascha...
I so know where you are at... I am only 32 weeks and have been considering my options for what seems like FOREVER now... But I finally decided that I am just going to go with it.... I am going to make some plans for the labour this time.. just little things like some ice for me to chew... some washers so I can have hot or cold washers on my face or back.. a heat pack for my back... a cheer squad :D I know myseld and I reckon the cheer squad will be one of the most important things I can do this time around.... Just a couple of girl friends/family and DH around egging me on.... Even to the point of saying... GO ON I DARE YOU TO NOT HAVE DRUGS!! HEHEHEHEH.
Worst case is I end up back on the operating table cause bubs turns up the wrong way or my cervix doesnt open...
Did you hook into the raspberry leaf tea at all??/ I have heard that stuff does absolute wonders for rippening the old cervix...

I have been told by my midwifs and docs that if I go over they will book me in for a cezer (like your spelling there:P) but if I go on my own then the choice is mine to go VBAC... there are risks either way you go... so i have come to the conclusion you just have to beleive in yourself and your determination.... but also prepare yourself that if you end up with another cezer for reasons out of your control thats ok too :)

Good luck honey... I know its so not an easy decision.
xoxoxoxoox

Tasha, i'm also in the same boat - however, my son is only 11 months old, and it was an elective c-section. I'm going to try for a VBAC wih this one however, and have discussed this at great lengths with my ob. She gave me great advice, was upfront and honest about how much risk SHE is willing to take as a care provider. She said that since there will only be 18 months between births (and that is the minimum amount of time that she would even consider doing a VBAC), then as long as I don't go overdue then I should be fine. this is because the medicine that they give you when inducing you can make the risk for uterine rupture even greater. She said also that I cannot go early, because it wouldn't be the 18 months (which you shouldn't have a problem with) and that she would not let me labour for a long period of time ie. 24 hours, or she wouldn't let me labour for more than 4 hours if nothing has changed in the dilation area..... so... besides all that... and the statistics of 80% of past c-sections will end up in repeat c-sections, I'm feeling very positive that I will be able to have a successful VBAC. If I think positive, positivity will surely breed!!!!!! :-) Good luck!!!

oooo... you have just scared me a little there Aricyns mum.... there will only be 16 months from when I had my emergancy cezer with Jacob.... I think I will need to have a chat with my doc about that one...
do you think there would be a bigger risk of complications??????
I am bit mad they havent mentioned that to me now :(

If you really really truelly want a Vbac then ditch the midwife.
42 weeks is the length for alot of pregnancies, but at hospitals and birth centres they shorten the time to 40 weeks then decide to use scare mongering tactics so they can induce,
once you have an intervention like induction, you really have no hope of a Vbac.
If you can find an independant midwife who will support you at home you increase your chances of a Vbac by heaps and heaps :D
Unfortunalty 39 weeks is pretty late to start looking at ways to increases your chances, but even researching optimum fetal postioning and ways to help your pelvis to move properly now will help.

sorry kitty, so didn't mean to scare you, was meant in a positive way!! thats just what my ob has told me, i dont' know anyone else's opinion.... sorry!!

supreme..yes they said to me that inductions are very limited after you have had a ceza..but they said to me that they cannot use gel they can only break waters manually(eekkk)lol. but if my cervix hasnt softened they cant do that at all and i will have to have a ceza..i have never head that...has any1 else?

Inductions can be done in various ways. The reason they may not want to use gel is because it can over stimulate contractions. You need to have a ripe cervix and be atelast 2 cm's dilated for them to rupture you membranes which doesn't autimatically induce labour anyway and puts you at very high risk for infections. Putting a hand inside you, other than being extremly painful, violating and dangerous is very unnatural. Once your membranes are ruptured they give you a time limit on when contractions should start and then give you drugs through an IV which can and usually does, cause extremely strong painful contraction which usually requires pain relief such as an epidural. Once you have an epidural you may not be able to push porperly and baby's heart rate will drop dramatically. This will lead to a certain c-section.
Interferring in the process in any way shape or form will cause complications and the fact they you have had a precious c-section, it will put you at a very high risk for a repeat.
What were the circumstances for your previous section?

ETA - you need to avoid an induction at all costs.

thanks for that it scared me alot...hehe.Um so really either way if i dont go naturally there is a 50-50 chance of having a c-section anyway..possibly? i had a c-section with my daughter because a few days before she was due she had a very high head still..which is unusual with first baby..the dr at the time thought that giving me a c-sect would be best because if i had of gone into labour the cord could of prolapsed..

Ok, so they aren't saying your pelvis isn't working which is a good start :lol
The head not decending probably means she wasn't due yet..as i said before, 40 weeks isn't full term.. it's just what they tell you at hospitals.
You most likely didn't need the section last time and won't need one this time either, as long as you don't get an induction. :)
Being scared is good, as long as you do something with the fear instead of sitting with it and allowing your fears to come true.
I would really urge you to try and find an independant midwife who will allow you to stay pregnant for as long as your baby needs you to ;)
As long as you avoid the induction and refuse intervention you should be more than capable to birth vaginally.

Oh and cord porlapse are as rare as hens teeth ;) there are plenty of ways to reduce the risk of that and surgery is the extreme.

Have a read of this: VBAC - On Whose Terms?

Don't be frightened, I don't think the risk of infection after membrane rupture is very high but it is a risk. You don't have much time, but I would get an independent midwife or doula, or if finances cannot manage, a trainee doula - but who it is needs to be experienced in VBAC.

Even in first time babies (its not unusual) their head can be high and not engaged right up until labour, to me it really seems the doc was jumping the gun for the c/s. I know of babies that don't engage until labour and bub was fine. If they start labour and break the waters with a high baby yes there could have been a prolapse (have heard it a few times and one of our members just had this happen) but a much better option I think would have been to give baby an extra 16 days at least to get into position... some docs just don't like to wait.

yes i was very annoyed when i was told that by my new dr with this pregnancy...now i am just going to our public hospital and i have had soo many doctors say to me 'tell me again y u had a c-section' if i had of known a bit more about it when i was pregnant with my daughter i could of fought it..oh well not to worry its done now...now i have to try to take control of this current situation

Good on you! You can only make things better from where you are now if you take control. Email me if you would like some more help getting support

info@bellybelly.com.au

soooo interesting, I just had a friend who was given a c-sec 2 weeks early because her OB said bub was still too high...

Let me guess.. she was in a private hospital?
Obstericians are surgeons they'll usually jump at any chance to operate..

Its very normal not to be engaged at 38 weeks - which could even actually be 37 or 36 if your dates are out. Even worse if they are as they can have breathing probs too.

Very sad scenario... but until women educate themselves and make themselves the experts and in control (not leave themseves to the mercy of the medical system) then this will happen :(

Sadly as a doula who works in hospitals I see bullying on a regular basis and women having to fight for very basic rights.

I have been noticing a common theme recently here on BB in regards to VBAC's and due dates. Why are women being told if they don't have their baby by 40 weeks they need a c-section? I know there are risks with a chemical induction in women who are having a VBAC - I understand that. But then why not wait until full term ie., 42 weeks, and then decide on what course of action to take? It is so incredible that Dr's and midwives are saying that. What exactly are they scared will happen after the magical 40 weeks number has been reached? Uterine rupture? Is there any research to support this? Sirhokko, Alan, Schmickers is there any research which supports automatic second c-section after reaching 40 weeks gestation?
No wonder the failed VBAC rate is so high and it's not the women who are failing incidentally, it's the system and women's choice in care providers who are letting them down.

Hi Tasha, like you my DS was born via an emergency CS (but under a general anasthetic) 21 months ago. I had my darling DD by VBAC 3 weeks ago and it was the best decision I've made in a while. My OB was fabulous and very supportive. She didn't want me to go too far over either but as my bub was engaged and my cervix soft at 38.5 weeks she was happy to let things run their course. I was due on the 14th and was booked in for a stretch and sweep for Thursday the 22 December, with an induction (via ARM only, no gel for the day after) but went into labour myself on the Tuesday night. Paisley was born at 12.02pm on Wednesday 21st.

It was a totally amazing experience, I got to see my Princess being born, got to have her on my chest within a few minutes (she needed some help and oxygen as her APGAR was only 5) and had our BF together very soon after.

I will admit it was hard work, in fact I didn't realise it would be so hard! I pushed for 2 hours and ended up with a forceps delivery as the little monkey was posterior and flexed her head the same as her big brother. My OB didn't panic though, she gave me time to try and push her out and then asked if she could try a manual turn with the forceps before we discussed going down the CS route again. The manual turn worked a treat and she arrived about 8 minutes later after 2 more contractions.

Keep focussed on what you want for your birth experience. Stay positive, do as much research on VBAC's as possible, be confident that you can acheive it and you will be just fine.

It is REALLY hard work but so worth every bit of sweat and pain.

P.S Having said all that please don't beat yourself up if you don't get the outcome you want. Having a healthy baby and healthy Mum is the most important thing. GOOD LUCK!

Samantha, I think you will find this is not just a theme on BB but also around the world. Not quite the phenomena here. We do have many pro-vbac women here and resources to point them to, but like anything, women will only do things in their own time and/or when something has happened to make them feel otherwise.

Of course I know it's around the world Kelly! I was just reflecting on the fact that I have read it on BB a lot recently in VBAC threads. I was hoping somebody could provide me with the rationale behind that line of thinking, or maybe ask their CP 'why'?

I think its what we already know, same old, same old. Women looking to Obs as experts of their bodies, women scared of facing mortality issues and threats - huge power disparity.

Oh and it is almost Christmas. :cryinglaugh:

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Of course I know it's around the world Kelly! I was just reflecting on the fact that I have read it on BB a lot recently in VBAC threads. I was hoping somebody could provide me with the rationale behind that line of thinking, or maybe ask their CP 'why'?

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I think CP's are paranoid about going past 40wks with a vbac for the same reason they're paranoid about any other pregnancy going post dates - it's not so much the risk of rupture (though I'm sure that gets trotted out as an excuse as well), as the fact that 40 weeks have rolled by and so they start getting VERY antsy about placental deterioration.
Rather than offer monitoring to check placental function if the mother wants it, the attitude is "well the baby is full term, no reason to wait anymore with this (perceived) increased risk hanging over our heads, so let's just get it out before something catastrophic happens". :rolleyes:
It all comes back to their basic MO - intervene to avoid possible complications, so you don't have to deal with real complications when they happen.
Stupid logic but that's how they're trained and that's how they think.