questions about vbac stuff ...

[*charmalea*]

what will a stretch and sweep do for me .. am getting one on monday ... starting to get mixed feelings about birth ..... have read the only way to be induced for vbac is with foleys catheter.. but my hossy said its the last thing they'd use to induce .. they will be usuing a cervix tape .. appartently its like a tampon with a cord hanging out so they can pull it out quickly if ctx are too srong ... and how long will i be allowed to go over , ive heard 3 different dates , 8, 10 and 14 days over ... so confusing .....

getting a bit deflated .... feeling like i should jsut book a c sec if my hossy is so adamant that its likely i will need one ... baby already 3.7 ish (not too big , but they think it will be bigger than that ... )

[BellyBelly]

I've not heard of a cervix tape before? The only thing I can think of that resembles that is cervadil and I certainly hope its not that, its an induction drug:

Cervadil Slow Release Pessary – Cervadil is inserted into the vagina and placed behind the cervix in the form of a pessary, which is similar to a tampon – it has a tape that hangs down for removal.

The pessary will be removed if:

* Hyperstimulation occurs
* Your waters break
* Labour establishes
* 12-18 hours has passed

Following its removal you may then be recommended to have your waters broken if they haven’t already and / or be put on a Syntocinon drip.
Side effects include:

* Hypertonic uterus
* Stillbirth
* Uterine rupture
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Diarrhoea

The system can beat you down, do you have a doula? Women who want VBACs in the hospital system really need a doula at the very least, as you can see, its so easy to give up with all the bullying and persistance.

[*charmalea*]

yes kelly , its the cervadil thing they will be usuing , doc said its not as intense as the gel ... and i dont have a doula as i cant afford one , and i havent even seen a midwife this entire pg ... its always been a reg or a student doc and occaisonally an OB after the student has done his checklist ...

so now what , all inductions sound scary to me ...

[~Aveta~]

i'm so sorry that i can't give much info about VBAC with intervention, but i can say i had a VBAC at 27 after c/s with one of my twins, (long story) 3 years nine months almost to the day after, no intervention, home birth with an experienced hospital midwife (my choice), long labour (14 hours from first hard cramp, mild for many hours to real push), cord wrapped around my girl's neck, hard to get the afterbirth out due to high placenta and my uterus folding over the scar.

please note:

i was young - 27.

i was very healthy - no complications, veggo diet, no previous medical or structural complications.

i had a vag birth with my daughter the twin and c/s of her twin brother because he was transverse breech and my locum panicked.

but...my scar did not rupture, and although my baby was 8.5 pounds she WAS born relatively easily.

i wish you all the very best luck!!!!

[BellyBelly]

Cervadil can result in hyperstimulation and increase the existing risk of uterine rupture - so you just say NO! Any medical induction drug runs the risk of rupture on top of other risks. Foleys catheter is not a drug at all. But you dont need any of it. They shouldn't be playing with your health like that, I don't know many places at all who will induce pregnant women. If you watch BOBB, lots of consumers talk about cervadil and their experiences. Its not too late to stand your ground.

Student doulas are free and often you can get one who has already been attending births but is formalising their experience. If you are open to it, email me and I can help you find one. You are a number to them, they will go home, have their dinners and not give a toss. This is the rest of your life and the start of your baby's life. It's worth the effort!

[Beach Mama]

Aw Lea, it is so hard, you hear so many different things, you are so close to the end of your pregnancy and you just want to meet your baby, and you have to make these decisions when you are emotional and unsure of what to do.

Firstly, I hope when you have your s & s on monday that they will find that your cervix is soft and effaced and all things are looking good for you hun. For some people the s & s is enough to kick start labour, for others it won't really do much.

Secondly, when you have your appointment on Monday I would be questioning what your options are as far as the Cervadil goes, what the risks involved with it are, and you can say NO hun. I would question why they would be using a medical induction when studies have shown the risk of uterine rupture increases, and why they wouldn't offer a Foley catheter, that doesn't pose the same risks.

Thirdly, if you have been given all of those days - take the 14 days over. I know it seems so far away but you can do this and you need to give your body the best possible chance of going into labour naturally, and hopefully avoid any type of induction at all. I am booked in for 9 days over for my c/s and am going to try and push them back further to 14 days because I really am not happy with 9 days. I know I will be waiting to meet my baby and feeling impatient like I did with Izzy but if a few days means that I avoid a c/s and can look after my 2 babies properly and be up and about then so be it.

Fourthly - trust your body. Our bodies are made to birth babies hun and a vbac is NO different to any other birth. Read some birth affirmations online and google vbac birth stories. Have lots of labour pain management strategies up your sleeve for DH and your midwives to use.
Good luck with it all and let us know how you go on Monday. Thinking of you hun.

[*charmalea*]

thanks tanstar, will let you know how i go , i am praying so hard the s&s gives her a good nudge !!

Kelly , i cant find a way to email you , but the idea of having someone who knows more than me about birth , with me , sounds good ...

i tihnk it would help me survive the overdue phase ..as im getting so antsy ..
yes my hossy books in vbacers alot earlier than others .. like you said im just a number to them and they make you feel that way too ..

*sigh* will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings ...

[Tobily]

Lea where are you?

[*charmalea*]

im in ipswich ...and having bub a Ipswich hosptital ....

[Tobily]

Eureka!

Lea I know an awesome student doula who is looking for births at the moment.

If you're interested PM me and I'll put you in touch with her. I can really personally recommend her, she's great

[*charmalea*]

pm'd you

[Beach Mama]

Happy Due Date sweety!
Oh Tobily - you are a gem! and Lea hun don't let them bully you babe- I am booked in for 9 days overdue but have an appointment today and will be talking to them about the fact that I am not happy with that and I would like it pushed back...if they say no I will be telling them that they are wasting resources because I won't turn up. It is MY body and I say what goes when it comes to major surgery. Good luck today and let us know how you go!

[Arimeh]

Definitely don't let them bully you Lea (sorry only just saw this thread).

I went 2 weeks overdue and if it wasn't for my placenta and cord deteroriating I would have been allowed to go nearly 3 weeks over.

Hopefully you'll go soon and won't have to worry about them trying to talk you into "needing" something

Good luck!!!!

[~Aveta~]

i do wonder if by using medical interventions to start labour whether it is "setting up" the expectation that a repeat c/s will be inevitable? i know my decision to have a homebirth VBAC was decided by my OB telling me, just days after birthing the twins and the horrors of them nearly losing me and my son in the process (bad reaction to anesthetic, major blood loss etc) that i would "have" to have a c/s next time. my instant reaction was "like hell i am!"

there are reflexology points that have been known to start labour - maybe a treatment would help? Australian Traditional-Medicine Society has a search function for practitioners in your local area.

good luck and don't be bullied into anything you're not comfortable with!

[*charmalea*]

hi all ... well the stretch and sweep didnt go ahead as my cervix was tight and closed , doc said dont place any bets for her to come this week ...

and next monday if there has been little change they will book a csec as if my cervix hasnt changed induction would be too risky , and yes i do agree an induction is just a set up for a csec , well it feels like that in my hosp ..

i left the hosp in tears as i thought all the prep i have been doing to get my cx right hasnt worked , i had been taking and inserting EPO and sexing ... i just cried all day , now i jst feel deflated and wonder what my bodys actually up to ...

i think whats upsetting me is my emotional state and getting my head around another 2 weeks of pregnancy .. there is a limit to my uncomfortability , i can only take so much more .... i guess thats normal for an overdue woman to feel that ...

i still want my vabc , and i have thought about staying home to have her , but i have no idea what im doing so id just be being silly

[BellyBelly]

I'll share a little story with you. Saturday week, someone booked in at the BB Preg Centre for an induction massage for last Monday, she was 41 weeks. In the comments section, she wrote that she wanted a VBAC after having a c/s for twins (she was basically misinformed) and this preg had a singleton pregnancy and had been diagnosed with borderline GD, they wanted to put her on insulin from the start (whaaaaa????) and were booking her in for a caesarean on the Tuesday - especially since it was going to be a BIG baby! So I couldn't help myself and I emailed her. I apologised for contacting her and said does she know that she can say no. Anyway we got chatting and I saw her on Monday. She had an induction massage, I also suggested acupuncture induction which she hung around for a later appointment. During that time I showed her the Business of Being Born. After watching it, she emerged out of the workshop room and you could tell she had been crying. I found out that she had a very good friend since she was 2 - someone I knew - a private midwife! We chatted and chatted and she decided she wanted a homebirth, at 41 weeks - she ditched her hospital.

Forward to today, I get a call. She gave birth at home, with her Private MIdwife friend, a babe of 55cms long, 4.4kgs and not even a tear. She said she would do it again in a heartbeat. She feels so empowered and incredible, she is going to share her story in our birth stories section and in the local homebirth group. When she could have just had a caesarean and be trying to cope with twins and a newborn... it was just amazing that we crossed paths and BB was able to put 2 and 2 together for her. How awesome she is going to feel now about herself!

We talk about the aches and pains of pregnancy yet there is birth to get through! As Rhea talks about in the Birth Options workshop, these days we are so sedentary and have lower tolerance of pain. Women are having their crisis of confidence earlier - instead of having a major 'I can't do it' crisis at transition (7cm+), we are now seeing it more at 4cms - even earlier!!!

Birth is full on, it is a huge demand on the body, as is pregnancy. But the rewards and life passage that come with it are massive. You're a number to them. This is the rest of your life... 2 weeks is just a speck. A cervix can be fully dilated in that time!!!

[*charmalea*]

omg kelly , that is a great story ... made me well up

i have had accupucture and the lady told me i would have my baby soon ( like with in 24hrs of seeing her) and still notihng .. i would keep going back but seeing as each session she said i was getting closer and now i find im not , i feel a bit wary of going back and each session being $70 a pop i felt humiliated that my investment of over $200 didnt do any thing ..

but an induction massage sounds more like it ... wonder who does those in my neck of the woods ...

but her story sounds like whats in my "dream birth story" its great .... just about an hour ago i had the thought of ditching the hosp or finding another .. the bb center sounds like such a haven ..

[onlyone]

their is no way I would be stating at home just to have a vbac
my ob will no induce after you have already had a c-section far to risky he believes
why does it appear that everyone is no anti c-section on this site