Going Back and Forth on V-back. Need to Hear from Moms.

Hi Heidi,

I had an emergency c-section almost 1 year ago, March of 2009, and I'm due in August with my 3rd child. My first was natural, beautiful, painless, quick recovery. My 2nd, the hosptial made a mistake and said i was dialated when I wasn't, and I had to go into an emergency c section at 34 weeks. My recovery was great. I was driving a week later even though i was told not to. I was going up and down the stairs because i had no choice!! I had a lot of help from my mom and husband. Also, I was a little bit on the active side before and during my pregnancies , which helped.
Yes, the scar is not that pretty, but i think the best think for the child and ur body is another csection. U just have to take it easy a little bit for a couple of weeks, and get moving right away. i thought about vbac, but i dont want to take the chance of anything going wrong with my baby or me.
I just look at it this way...What more to ask for than to schedule the day your going to have the baby! That way, you can prepare for someone to watch your first son or daughter. It's stress free and you can pick your day.
My scar is pretty much healed, and I know what to expect. Sometimes in life you have to look out for what's stress free for yourself mentally. With a vbac, there's risks, even though their less than 1%. At the same time, there's risk all the time.
So my advice is, go for the schedules csection, go in worry free, knowing what to expect, knowing when ur going in and when ur getting out. Put your faith in God and he'll take care of you either way :-) Best of luck!

Visit www.ican-online.org for medically accurate information.
There's a reason your hospital offers VBAC, and you can thank your lucky stars the hospital bureaucrats are putting the health of women and children before profit margins and fear of litigation! Surgical birth is a life-saving procedure when necessary, but it is not the biological norm and there are many benefits for both mother and baby to having vaginal birth.
Your concerns about a traumatized perineun can be alleviated through proper preparation--I loved my Bradley Method classes--no hype and tons of empowering info that will help you let go of your fears. Their Web site is www.bradleybirth.com. Kegel exercises will keep everything down there toned and healthy and responsive, and a caregiver who understands how unnecessary and damaging episiotomies are will also help protect your sex life.
Congrats on your growing family, and on being such a thoughtful mom. Best wishes!

I had an emergency c-section, then a VBAC 16 months later, then a scheduled c-section 7 years after that. If I did it all over again, the scheduled c-section would be my choice. Just make sure you take a FULL 2 weeks to recover and rest and you'll be fine

I had to have an emergency c-section with my first, too, and I hated the healing process afterwards. Not to mention that I didn't get to bond with my children after they were born because I had been knocked out completely. The epidural needle wouldn't go into my back. So, I was out for four hours before I woke up and got to see them. I wasn't happy about that. I've had two successful VBACs since then, and I loved them so much more. No drugs involved at all. The healing process was so much quicker, too. Now, I'm doing another VBAC, this time at home. I would never have another c-section unless it was an emergency situation. I don't like them at all. I like doing things the all natural way.

Our first was a c-section. She could not come down through my pelvis. It was a VERY tough recovery but I had gone through labor and then pushed for 3 hours before having it. Then we had like 60 visitors at the hospital and THEN my aunt came over and had ME help plan my baby shower! So, my family did NOT help very much with that fact.

Our 2nd was a VBAC. (9# 2oz.) The labor was great! I dialated to 10 in like 5 hours but then I pushed again for over 3. They used the vacuum to get him to crown but when I pushed his head out he got stuck (shoulder distocia.) It ended up being a very tramatic birth (no heartbeat, had to do cpr, ambulance him to another hospital, etc.) BUT IF I knew that my next baby would for sure be okay, I would do the vbac again. The docs, however, say that my pelvis is not shaped right and a baby can not fit through correctly.

I just wanted to point out to the people who say that there is less than 1% chance of uterine rupture with a VBAC and to book your c-section and be safe: SURGERY has problems too! C-sections are major surgery. My friends' sister-in-law just had a c-section and the doc cut something (uretha?) so it took her a couple extra weeks to heal. And she had to have a cathater in for a few extra days to let the cut heal. Plus you have to worry about blood clots when you have a c-section.

So, there are risks to BOTH choices.

Wow, I can see that everyone's experiences here are very different. I had an emergency c-section with #1, VBAC with #2, and scheduled c-section with #3 (only because my doctor/hospital would not do a VBAC.) There are 3 years between my #1 and #2 children, so my c-section had plenty of time to heal before the VBAC. I had a great experience with VBAC. I was up and about within 3 days, home from the hospital earlier, and had no changes in sexual pleasure. The scheduled c-section was better than the emergency c-section b/c I knew what to expect and could prepare for it. But my first choice is V-BAC.

I had a V-bac with #2 after a scheduled c-section with the first. It was Sooooooooo much better with the v-bac! My sex life hasn't been affected, and I recovered so much better with #2. Plus, I liked that nature took it's course and I felt more like a woman and less like a patient. Good luck with your decision whatever you choose to do! Congrats on the new baby!

I had my first daughter through vaginal delivery and my second by a scheduled c section. With my vaginal birth I progressed VERY quickly and I had no time left for an epidural so I delivered without anything. I can't say it was horrible but if I could certainly skip all the labor pains I most certainly would. My c section was a breeze in my opinion. My first daughter was 21 months old when my second was born. I had to make sure to sit on the couch and hold her but it was all really no big deal. I actually think having a 21 month old and a baby made me recover faster.

I would without a doubt schedule a csection and get it over with. Besides our main goal is to see our new baby. Take the stress off yourself and tell your doctor to schedule another csection.

My first c-section recovery was tough but my second was a breeze! I was shocked at how much better I felt for the second one. Of course I still had to take it easy but I didn't have much pain at all, didn't walk funny for 6 weeks like the first c-section. I had the baby on a monday night and was doing so well I went home on Wednesday afternoon. Your friend did not give herself the proper time to heal fully before doing something strenuous like picking up a 2 year old. If your first wants to be held post-op, then you sit on the couch and snuggle. My son was 3 when my second was born and it wasn't a big deal to care for him. Also, I cooked tons of meals ahead and popped them in the freezer. I didn't have to do any cooking for about 3-4 weeks after delivery which was great!

For me, the small risk associated with a v-bac is too much of a risk. Make sure you are well informed on that front before making your final decision.