I would love to hear some of your tips on what you did to prepare yourself mentally. I am torn between wanting it super bad, to trying not to want it too bad, just in case. Did you visualise yourself giving birth vaginally? What could you say were the main things that helped you get through it? I'd love to hear everything!!!
I read as much info as possible. I searched and searched for as many vbac stories as possible. I only allowed myself to read up once and once only about *what could go wrong* just so that I had the knowledge and not to dwell on them. My only tip would be... ready as many vbac, hbac, ebac stories as possible. When you start and if you can do this everyday, your mind will start to really process what can happen and what is possible for the good of you and the good of your baby.
~ Affirmations (I'll have them to you asap)
~ Hypnobirthing
~ The book 25 ways to awaken your birth power
~ Reading all about other successful VBAC's
~ Birthrites website
~ Support people, family, friends, BB friends, my husband and my doula (you know who I had ). Ensure that those who support you also know how to beat their chests and roar if they need to. Knowing that Marc was there for me 100%, knowing that he would beat his chest and roar if he needed to, knowing that he understood the fundamentals behind VBAC's allowed me to relax and feel comfortable.
~ My amazing Ob.
~ I also focused on giving it the best go I could, my desire was to attempt a vbac, to go through the birthing process regardless of outcome. That way when I was birthing my baby I wouldn't be stressing over the final outcome but focusing on what I was doing at that moment. I wanted an empowered birth, that was what I was trying to achieve. To be able to be a part of the decision making process leading up to birth and during. And I believe this helped me to achieve it because I had NO fear. I just let nature take its course (to quote my ob) and went with it.
Thanks so much for all of that. It all sounds great. I have a fantastic support network, I also have some people (one in particular) who aren't so supportive.
I'm trying to read one birth story a day, either a VBAC one or just a natural birth one, to be prepared.
I'll check out birthrites too - thanks Cai!
I also have a support person!! I have a friend who is a nurse, who has had fantastic birth experiences & is very pro natural. AS soon as I started thinking about having someone else (apart from DH) there, she popped into my head. DH was all for it. So I asked her & she said she'd love to! So I am SUPER happy about that, as I know how important it is going to be to have someone there to support me through it when it really gets tough - & who won't be afraid to stick up for me!
My OB is fantastic. I changed OBs & it's the best thing I've done.
So I guess I'll just keep going with all of this & be positive aobut it all!
When I had my c/sec, the midwife said to me, "Next time you will have a VBAC," so that was always my plan. I was cared for by one midwife (a different one) throughout my first VBAC pg. Her calm assumption that everything was going to be smooth, that a VBAC would be simple & straightforward, made all the difference to me. The OB who worked with her saw me once, late in pg, & had the same attitude...told me that a VBAC had a very slightly increased risk which he would call negligible. So, I can't really tell you how I prepared myself because it never occurred to me that there was any greater risk! I was eager to experience labour & vaginal delivery. My delivery was not easy (baby born face up) but no one ever mentioned the words "caesarean section". I think having caregivers who support VBAC is essential.
Hiya, I went in there thinking that I was going to try but if it didn't happen I wasn't going to blame myself or feel bad. I needed to make peace with myself before it happened either way and in the end I was lucky! It was close though (very low BP) but we did it!
Linda, all the best for your upcoming birth! I see you're not too far away. I hope you have a great VBAC!
With mine, like Cailin I did hypnobirthing and with that comes affirmations. I think this was the best thing I ever did. Yes, I also did visualisation of my baby coming down through the birth canal and out and also my uterus muscles working together in unison to guide bubs down for a pain free birth. I was petrified of natural birth until I did this course and then every day I took time to relax and do my affirmations. As it got closer to my due date I then did visualisations (they recommend not to do these prior to around 36/37 wks as your mind is very powerful and you don't want things to happen too early). I ended up having a 3 1/2 hour labour and pain FREE, no drugs VBAC. We did need vacuum cos he wanted to come out so fast that he went into distress cos my waters hadn't broken and he couldn't get out...but other than that everything was what I wanted and I was amazed at my body and how it did what it was meant to do.
Trust your body and your baby they do know what they're doing. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had and has actually made me want another bub more than I did after c/s. It is such a beautiful journey - well it was for me and I hope you get the same.
Oh... and like Rachel said... I was ok if I needed to take a different path for the health of my baby. That's important, remain open in your mind in case things take you in a different direction.
Thanks for sharing that Cass - it's so good to hear positive stories! I haven't done hypnobirthing, but I have spent a lot of time in the last few days especially, just going through the whole experience in my mind. It's amazing, because it makes me so excited - and I would have expected it to make me scared. I just know my body can do this! That said, I can accept that if it doesn't happen, a healthy bub is the most important thing to me. I just want both
I talked heaps with Kelly & Cailin about what I wanted. I prepared mentally for labour by going through the stages in my head and talking about what I wanted. I did hypnobirthing as well and found that to be fantastic in teaching me how to train my mind As you know I had to fight to get what I wanted in a VBAC and that made the last few weeks a difficult struggle for me mentally, but it made me more determined as well.
Thanks Christy I am pretty lucky in that my hospital is very pro VBAC. A friend of mine had one there recently & said all the midwives were coming in & congratulating her afterwards! So I'm stoked about that.
Thats fantastic Linda, I had the midwives congratulate me as well & the OB who I had the hardest time with actually came in & said "Well... you did it, you got what you wanted".
Good Luck with your VBAC !!! I am relatively new to BB and saw this thread. I have had 4 successful VBAC now, just believe in yourself 100% and you will achieve your goals. I was so determined to have a VBAC after my first born ( he was an emergancy C due to toxemia), my doc at the time said that once you had one c-sec you would always have them!! Well i moved away when i was about 16 weeks and the hospital where i am now were only to happy to let me go trial of scar. They just said that i would have to be at the hospital from the onset of labour so that they could keep an eye on everything. So i did that aqnd after 11and a half hours i held my beautiful baby in my arms and got up shortly after to have my shower!!!! That is the best feeling being able to get up and walk to the showere straight after and then just because i could i walked back down to my room after my shower!!! I was so proud of myself, i went on to have 3 more VBAC and unfortunatley my last bub was breech and my hospital dont support breech delivery, so i had to have another c-sec, i hated it and all those old feelings came back!!
Anyway good luck i know you can do it, us women can do anything we put our minds to.
Cheers
Kath
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). Ensure that those who support you also know how to beat their chests and roar if they need to. Knowing that Marc was there for me 100%, knowing that he would beat his chest and roar if he needed to, knowing that he understood the fundamentals behind VBAC's allowed me to relax and feel comfortable. 
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