Vbac - Encino,CA

I had a VBAC! I read, read and read, and decided it was safer for myself and my baby.

I had a horrible c/s after an unnecessary induction in May '05. The doctor basically induced me for his convenience.

I went the total opposite route with my 2nd baby. No internal checks, no being restrained to bed, no induction!!! I allowed fetal monitoring at 9 days past my EDD, and he was doing great! It was hard to stick to my guns when I was that huge & pregnant, but I'm glad I did, because later that night I had a VERY easy VBAC... completely unmedicated, 4 hours from 1st contraction to birth! My theory is that as long as baby & I were fine, I wanted to let the process happen naturally.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any specific questions!

An awesome book about birth in general is "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer.

Hi O.,

I don't know why you had a c-section the first time around, but the only reason why I had one was because I needed an emergency c-section because my baby's umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's body and my baby was losing oxygen.

If it wasn't for the emergency c-section I would not have needed a c-section at all, so because of this when I got pregnant with my 2nd pregnancy I knew that unless I had another emergency, that I would deliver vaginally just like I had planned to with my first pregnancy.

I didn't do any research or look anything up because the doctor told me it was safe since my scar was low and horizontal. I had no problems in my 2nd pregnancy and was able to deliver vaginally just fine, just like I would have if they hadn't have had to do an emergency c-section the first time around.

So if you had an emergency c-section due to some fluke thing that happened, like in my case, then I would say go for the VBAC no problem it's a no-brainer. But if you had a planned or scheduled c-section then I would say you probably need to check it out since there was probably a good reason for scheduling the c-section and whatever that reason was might be a reoccuring problem forcing you to undergo future c-sections, no matter how you plan to give birth.

Unless your scar is vertical you really have nothing to be afraid of having a VBAC. Lower horizontal scars pose very little risk of rupturing or causing any other problems during a vaginal delivery.

I will continue to have VBACs with my future pregnancies unless of course I have another fluke thing that causes me to undergo another emergency c-section. But I doubt that will happen.

Good luck and don't be scared to have a VBAC. I know what it is like to heal from a c-section and a vaginal birth and let me tell you it is way easier and faster to heal from a vaginal birth than a c-section and if there is any possible way to avoid having another c-section again I would do it. I was in complete misery and pain for atleast 6 weeks after my c-section and it got infected and was very painful. However, my vaginal recovery was quick, within 2 weeks, and had little pain even though I underwent an hour long stitching of my vagina from massive tearing. It still wasn't very painful compared to the c-section and only took a couple of weeks to heal.

I would choose vaginal birth over any kind of c-section anyday if you have a choice and your baby and you will be safe.

Good Luck!

O.,

I had a VBAC in October 06. I had a c/s in Sept 03. If you want a VBAC, you should start talking to your doctor about it well in advance. Not ever doctor is supportive of a VBAC and some hospitals don't allow them for liability reasons. I did a lot of research and a lot of thinking about it before I decided I wanted to have a VBAC because my husband was not supportive about the idea at all. Once I really looked at the data I came to the conclusion that my risk of a uterine rupture was only slightly higher than anyone else having a vaginal birth (previous c-section or no) and that the risk of dying from a c-section (scheduled or not) was considerably higher than the risk of dying from a vaginal birth even with a previous c-section. Everyone talks about a c-section like it is a walk in the park but it isn't. It is major surgery. If I need one, I need one but if I don't, I can't imagine why I'd want to sign up for one six months in advance. I have both a regular OB and a perinatologist because I have high risk pregnancies (lots of preterm labor problems and I'm over 35). Both my OB and my perinatologist were supportive of me attempting a VBAC. My OB delivered my son. The only "requirements" for the VBAC was that both my OB and the anestisiologist (sp?) had to be at the hospital the entire time I was in labor (hospital rules). That way if something did go wrong, I could have an emergency c-section in 5 minutes or less. Everything went fine. It was a pretty easy labor and delivery (gotta love the epidural!). I did have a pretty nasty 4th degree tear but the recovery was still so much easier and so much more pleasant than with a c-section. I could get out of bed, I could move around and I could actually enjoy my baby. I was a bit sore but to me, the afterward soreness was very minor. I had my son at 4 a.m. Saturday morning and I went home at noon on Sunday. Basically the big deciding factor for me was that I really, really didn't want to have a c-section again. It was painful, gross and the recovery was horrible (my first child was breech). I pretty much figured that in most circumstances the female body is built for having babies. Barring any sort of problems (like another breech baby) that would have made a vaginal birth unnecessarily risky, I just didn't see any reason to put myself through another c-section. Also, my first child had mild breathing problems after he was born because c-section babies don't have the advantage of being squeezed through the birth canal (which helps clear their lungs of fluid). I don't know. I just can't think of any good reason to sign up for a c-section if you don't need one.

T.

Yes, I just recently had a vbac. Six weeks ago to the day. I decided to have a vbac for one reason. I wanted to see my baby born. I had to have a c-section with my first because she wasn't coming down the birth canal. My epidurals didn't work, and neither did my spinal, so I had to be put to sleep. When I finally met my daughter, she was over 2 hours old. That was so upsetting to me. Then, I developed epidural headaches and didn't get to bond with her like I wanted for the first week of her life. I had a couple of post pardum complications after my son, but nothing serious, and not because I had a vbac. There are certain circumstances as to why you should or shouldn't attempt a vbac. Your doctor will explain things to you. It all depends on why you had your c-section in the first place. I have friends that had repeat c-sections and it just didn't sound appealing to me. Actually, the risks of having a vbac are less than having a repeat c-section, since a c-section is major surgery. There is only like a 0.7% chance of uterin rupture. That is very low. I was fine and I'm sure you would be too. Hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions that I can help you with.

I had my 1st baby by c-section and went on to have my next three VBAC. I personally highly recommend vaginal over a section. Here is how I came to the decision... I did a ton of research. I found that all the risk they refer to about uterine rupture is really more statistical than real threat. A woman with no prior pregnancy (and therefore no prior uterine incision) has a 1 in 1000 risk of uterine rupture. The risk for a woman who has a prior vaginal delivery is slightly higher than that. A woman who has a VBAC has a 3-4 in 1000 chance of uterine rupture. Now uterine rupture is not a good thing but even if it does happen it can be handled safely if you choose a facility that has the ability to do a c-section in under 15 minutes. This means that you should choose a hospital with a 24 hour emergency staff dedicated to Labor and Delivery. They should have an anesthesiologist and OB at the hospital at all times. Once you have that covered the risk to mother and child is really minimal. The hospital will probably want to monitor you and the baby more closely than someone with no prior history of c-section but that is really a good thing as it further reduces the risk. Good luck with your decision and what ever you do decide please be confident about it. Nothing can hamper labor like fear and indecision!

Hi,
I have 4 kids. 30,28,14,and 11. Mine have all been c-section. I was offered natural birth with my 14 and 11 year old, but I am a chicken a heart. Why go through the pain? It is much easier to schedule a c-section than to endure several hours of torture when you don't have too. My first labor was so painful that I do not think I would have had anymore children if I thought that I had to go through labor again. They say that you forget, but I never did. My fist c-section was an emergency one after 28 hours of labor and only dialating to 7.

Continuing with c-sections was a no-brainer for me.

Good luck with your decision,

D.

I just had my 2nd successful vbac 2 wks ago, my other was March 1 2005 with my daughter. My first (now 13) was breech so I had a scheduled C-section. I decided based on the confidence that my C scar was horizontal (not an emergency) and based on the success of my hospital with vbacs and the desire to avoid the risks of major surgery. I had to change hospitals to go with one who could accommodate the vbac protocol which is to be ready for emergency surgery with 24/7 staffing for that. I am thrilled with my decision and never felt worried about the risks of vbac vs those of major surgery. Good luck!

I had an emergency c-section with my son, 5 weeks early. I had no contractions, no loss of my plug or my water, never even had a cramp before he was born. I was loosing amniotic fluid slowly internally and that's why I was never able to experience child birth. I sometimes think back and wish I was able to have a little something that would tell me he was coming, however, in the long run, I was blessed to not have those pains.. I wouldn't trade my healthy son for the possiblity of something going wrong the second time bc I wanted to try VBAC. There are too many documented cases of complications with that. Yes, I know there are a ton of cases showing complications after a c-section as well, but we live in a day in age where there are so many new technologies that help the patients experience a wonderful birth through c-sections that are safe and harmless. I would just make sure you know all the facts before you start weighing in on them. I n the end it is only your decision and you are the only person who can decide what is right for your body. Good luck with trying for #2, I'm also trying for #2, so I feel the anxiety and happiness of trying, good luck again!!

Hi O.,
I have 3 kids, all c-sections. My first I was fully dilated within 4 hrs. My contractions started 5 min. apart. I had an emergency c-section, where I was put all the way out. Later the Dr. told me there was absolutely no way I could have delivered naturally and that if I ever had a child lgr that 7 1/2 lbs. My frame is just too sm. My second child I had a different ins. They made me do VBAC. My water broke 4 weeks early and I wasn't progressing of softened yet. After being induced and relaxed I closed back up. I had another emergency c-section. My third I scheduled the c-section for several reasons. First, I didn't want to go through all the work and then feeling like I failed b/c of a c-section. 2nd I had 2 boys and knew it was a girl. I was done with babies, I wanted my tubes tyed and I knew my ins. would pay for it all. With my daughter I was dilated at a 7 within 2 hours. I still opted for the c-section even though she came a week earlier. If you get your paperwork turned into the hospital on time it won't matter if the baby comes before it's scheduled. Up until the very end I still had a choice. When my water broke w/my daughter. The nurse asked me if I still wanted my c-section. With my last one I had a very good positive experience. I believe that's what is most important. I doesn't matter how you have a baby as long as it's a positive, rewarding experience and as long as your baby is healthy no matter how they get into this world. The decision is totally up to you. Good Luck.
K. F

Like everyone else, I was given the option of VBAC with my second child. Which I was excited at first about, but then they told me that I had to sign waiver forms stating I do not hold them responsible for anything that happened during labor. I have heard of success stories with VBAC, but the idea of the possibilty of something going wrong, scared me enough to not to!

Good luck on your decision!

I decided that I was cheated the first time with a c-section. I set my mind on VBAC. I wrote a little labor plan for the nurses and doctor to see that I was serious, But not willing to risk lives. The hospital was very supportive and my daughter was born naturally. My children are four years apart.
There were minor complications(large baby). But a nurse came in and worked her magic, if you can call it that. In the end I have a healthy 22month old, and isn't that what is really important.

Hi O.. I had three successful VBACs after an emergency cesarean because my daughter was breach. Of course, she is almost 15 now and my youngest is 7. Doctors have started practicing "CYA" medicine instead of evidence based because of all the lawsuits that have come from unsuccessful VBACs that were botched. In some cases, if they had left the woman to go into labor on her own instead of inducing her, there would not have been complications. Some complications are caused by inductions drugs and do have a higher complication rate when used in VBAC patients. I would definitely do ALOT of research on VBAC, cesareans and induction BEFORE I made a decision about it. The best patient is an informed educated one. That allows you to take an active role in the planning of your birth and also in the care you receive. If you do decide you want a VBAC, I would research the healthcare provider that you are using. My doctor basically "allowed" me to have VBACS my way because I was educated and wouldn't take no for an answer. I had no reason to sue because I was actively taking responsibility for the decisions made in the birth of my own child. I did not think "doctor knows best" at any time in my birth. I trusted my doctor but understood that ultimately, the hospital and the doctor are not allowed to do anything without my informed consent. My other suggestion would be to contact a doula who will have many resources for you on VBACs along with suggestions on what you can do to make yours successful. She will also be there through your pregnancy for emotional support. I was a doula and am now a nursing student and I can tell you from experience that the doula is the ONLY person in the delivery room that will be solely focused on YOU. Even dad gets side tracked when the baby is born but the doula still focuses on your needs and do their best to make sure that your child's birth is exactly what you wanted it to be. If you email me privately, I also have some resources on VBAC of my own that I would be glad to share with you. :) Best of luck to you. Ultimately, the decision for a VBAC or a cesarean is your own and don't let anyone make you feel rotten about your decision. It is yours and NO ONE else's.