37 answers

Vaginal Birth After Cesarian.. Good or Bad?

Has anyone ever had a V-BAC? I heard that having a repeat cesarian is far more dangerous than a vaginal birth. My son is turning three in January and my husband and I want to try for the second child. I had a c-section becuase I was afraid of a vaginal birth, but now I am hearing horror stories of women who have had more than one c-section. But then theres that slim chance that the scar opens during labor. Also, most doctors won't perform v-bacs now. Can anyone shed some light on my parade?

What can I do next?

Featured Answers

I had two c-sections less than 3 years apart. The first one because it had to be, too big a baby and a last minute decision. The second was with a different Dr. in a different state and he believed in "once a Cesarean always a Cesarean" which not that way today. He cut into the same as the first operation and removed excess scar tissue and he did a great job. I got a Bikini line cut.
My daughter on the other hand had her first child by c-section and the other 2 vaginal delivery. She had no problem what so ever. I was there for her 3rd delivery and she was up and out in no time. So don't believe what you heard...Good Luck whatever you decide.

Hi:

I had a vaginal birth and then 2 c-sections and I had no problems. Don't be afraid, you know what to expect and it will be just fine.

Good luck

I had like this: 1 c-seccion, then two years and 4 months later a vaginal birth and, two years later another vaginal birth. Now the isuue is that you can not take occitocin or any thing that stimulate contraccions because can be too strong for the scar. also, the doctor used a sucker to help the babies go out faster in each contraction so the scar wil not be too much time being streched, my third baby came out with the head like a skwash for two days, I was very upset but the third day was round again!! my second came whit the head ok in spite of the vaccum sucker...I gave birth in Panama central america. sorry my english, good luck!!

More Answers

Hi, Y.! I haven't had a c-section, just two vaginal births, but I know that there is a lot of false, scary information out there. Make sure that your doctor or midwife is on your side, and doesn't have an agenda of his or her own. Ask if they've done VBACs, how they feel about them, how many the hospital handles, how their back-up doctor feels about them....Ask every question you can think of and do research! ICAN is a great resource.

There is always a risk to mother and baby in every birth, but we can be smart about it, and choose the risks that we can live with. There are lots of great benefits to mother and baby from vaginal birth, too.

Make sure you get your information and make a decision you are comfortable with!

1 mom found this helpful

First of all, I myself had two c-sections, 23 months apart, without any problems. This was almost 40 years ago, so I have an vertical incision, if that makes a difference.

But my daughter is the one with the VBAC experience. Her oldest, now 18, was a section because she was ready to push when they realized that he was coming butt first. She was in a tiny hospital in upstate NY, so I was always glad they just went for the section. But she went to midwives for her second baby, 2 1/2 years later, and had a totally natural childbirth. Then a divorce and remarriage had her ready to deliver again 8 years later, and the doctor said that since she'd had one natural birth after her section then he guessed it would be okay to do it again, even though the theory had changed back to once a section always a section. Again, everything went well. The problem came in when she delivered her 4th child 2 years after that. She had moved each time, so she had different doctors for each delivery. The new doctors were totally opposed to VBAC, and they were at a stand off because my daughter said that if they thought she was just going to march herself into the hospital for a section they'd better think again. She said she knew how much easier recovery was after a vaginal birth. So the doctors made a huge production out of getting the info from the first delivery, but eventually relented and she had the 4th child natural. I'm sure they have statistics to justify each trend in childbirth, but once you've seen the trends go back and forth, and seem written in stone at each point in time, you start to wonder. Don't know if this helps since her good outcome doesn't guarantee your good outcome. I always thought that it had a LOT to do with why you had a section in the first place. Mine was because my birth canal was "flat" and nothing they did helped, so I think that I would have been foolish to think that I could try VBAC myself. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Y., You have a TOn of responses already, but I just wanted to let you know my experience. My first son was c-section due to him being breech. For my second, I wanted a VBAC more than anything. My doctor agreed but said she would not let me past my due date. Due date came and no labor so repeat c-section it was. Her and the nurses were abnormally quiet during the c-section. She told me after the surgery that my uterus was so thin she could see the amniotic fluid swishing around inside. She said she is so glad I didn't go into labor because I would have been in that 0.5% or whatever the rate is of uterine rupture. I JUST read in one of the parenting magazines I get that there is a new ultrasound that can determine the thickness of the uterus and they can tell you if you are a good canidate for a VBAC. Maybe you could ask your doctor about it? Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

I can't tell you anything about a V-Bac, but I can tell you this. I have had 2 c-sections. The first one was because my daughter was basically "stuck," for lack of better terminology. The second one I wasn't given the option. My first was born here in Clearwater, my 2nd in Orlando. I obviously had 2 different doctors, and the one in Orlando was not about to let me have a v-bac since she wasn't the one who performed the 1st c-section. That's one thing to consider. I have had more than one friend in that situation as well. I had no problem with either c-section. Recovery was about the same. The challenge is helping the older one understand that it will take some time for you to recover. But everyone is different. Definitely talk with your doctor. If you are using a different one, then they most likely won't give you the option, though I could be wrong. I will say this, and this doesn't have anything to do with the "health" portion of this. Being that my 1st was almost 2 1/2 when my 2nd was born, and we had no family in Orlando, it definely helped having a planned c-section, because we were able to tell family that was coming to help us out come in exactly when we needed them the most. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Once you become part of the ICAN of Florida yahoo group

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ICANofFlorida/?yguid...

You will be able to post questions about your situation, concerns, advice,etc all directed to a group of moms and health care professionals involved with VBAC. You will be able to find a birth care provider that will accept/perform VBAC whether you are looking for a hospital or home birth. You will get all your questions answered and be confident of seeking the birth you are looking for! Best wishes!

My vote is good. I had a cesarean with my second child, and then had two more children after that. The c-section was with my daughter, and 2 years later got pregnant. My doctor suggested natural birth only because it had been more than 2 years. Which is adequate time for the utureus to heal completely. So I did have him naturally and then 6 months later I got pregnant again and also had him naturally. They were the easiest births of all four of my children.

I do recommend for you to do research, educate yourself as much as you can so that you can feel comfortable with your decision. I don't know about you but I had a very difficult time mentally with my cesaean and with the pain.

Good luck,

I had like this: 1 c-seccion, then two years and 4 months later a vaginal birth and, two years later another vaginal birth. Now the isuue is that you can not take occitocin or any thing that stimulate contraccions because can be too strong for the scar. also, the doctor used a sucker to help the babies go out faster in each contraction so the scar wil not be too much time being streched, my third baby came out with the head like a skwash for two days, I was very upset but the third day was round again!! my second came whit the head ok in spite of the vaccum sucker...I gave birth in Panama central america. sorry my english, good luck!!

I know of lots of people who had VBACs. Yes, there's a risk, and yes there are great risk with C-Sections too since they are Invasive surgery. There are less docs that offer VBACs but that isn't really an indication of much other than the Docs wanting easy "cut and dried" procedures and births and of course surgery is money money money. Breast is best and a lot of people who have scheduled C-sections and never go into labor can't produce milk or have problems and give up. Some of the risks of not breast feeding mean allergies, asthma, diabetes, and obesity for the unbreastfed child.
I had a C-section with my first child because I had to due to complications with the birth. I had a 2nd pregnancy that ended up in miscarriage but I had planned for a VBAC. Go for it.

Required Fields

Our records show that we already have a Mamapedia or Mamasource account created for you under the email address you entered.

Please enter your Mamapedia or Mamasource password to continue signing in.

Required Fields

, you’re almost done...

Since this is the first time you are logging in to Mamapedia with Facebook Connect, please provide the following information so you can participate in the Mamapedia community.

As a member, you’ll receive optional email newsletters and community updates sent to you from Mamapedia, and your email address will never be shared with third parties.

By clicking "Continue to Mamapedia", I agree to the Mamapedia Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.