Hi Ladies!
I know I have talked about vbac before, but have been getting more and more info on it. Ok, so with my first, I had her vaginally, but she was only 7lbs and it took over 2 hours of pushing and a vacuum to get her out. So, with my second baby, he was 9lbs, and my doctor, knowing my body was pretty convinced I wasnt going to be able to have a 9 lb baby vaginally. So after lots of consideration, I decided to schedule a c-section. My doctor told me he would induce me instead of c-section with my big boy, but told me it probably wont be successful and if I go through labor first, and have to have a c-section, my recovery would be worse, and I could also have to have an emergency c-section if he got stuck. So, like I said, we decided c-section was the way to go.
So, Im preggo with number 3, my doctor said there is only 1% chance of serious complications with vbac, and he said if this baby is small, I could probably have a successful vaginal delievery since it will my second vaginal. What do yall think? I wish I just knew what to do! Im scared!! Vaginally sounds pretty good to me considering the recovery will be a lot less and I will have 3 kiddos to take care of. Shoot!
I don't have any advice since I haven't been there, but I had a scheduled c-section with my twins. I am expecting baby #3 and I am opting for a scheduled c-section again. I had 8 lb twins, so I can't imagine how large of a singleton I can grow. For me, I think a c-section is best. I'll bet you can make the decision as you get closer and see how big this baby is growing and expected to be. That will probably better help you to decide.
I am a midwife. The big baby line is a load of BS. Your body can push out a big baby. Don't lay on your back. Don't have an epidural. Stand up, squat and push that baby out. Two years ago I attended a birth and the mom was only in labor for 2 hours, stood up and pushed her 13 lb 8 oz baby boy out without even a tear. Yes, you read that right, 13lbs! Two days ago a midwife friend of mine attended a birth. The baby was 11lbs 12oz. The mother birthed the baby into her own hands. Last year I attended a birth of a little bitty 5 foot tall mom. First baby, she pushed over an hour which is common for first time moms but she delivered her 9lb 6oz baby, and again no tears. So, yes you can do it. Don't buy into the OB and political BS that they will throw at you. Hire a good doula, write a birth plan, don't let them induce you (dangerous since you are a VBAC) stay at home as long as possible in labor and push your baby out. You can do this!!!
Lisa
I say go for it but ignore those silly big baby comments. You'll never know what your body can do until you try. There is a LOT you can do both before and during labor to help ensure a different birth than your first. First and foremost being that you need to STAY OFF YOUR BACK while pushing. It is the absolute hardest way to push a baby out. It narrows your pelvic and forces your baby to work uphill in oder to be born. The ONLY reason that most women are put on their back is for doctor convenience. Second, avoid the epidural at all costs. You need to be able to move during labor and delivery especially if you are laboring with a larger baby. And being able to feel what's going on while you are pushing can make the difference between a two hour vacuum extraction birth and a 30 min 5 push birth. Start reading all you can now about the different ways to labor and push and find a doctor/midwife that is on board with working with you instead of doing what is most convenient for them.
Now for the before labor stuff. Seek out a good chiropractor with experience with pregnant women. Making sure your spine and pelvic are in perfect alignment will help so much both with your pregnancy and with L&D. Check out www.spinningbabies.com to read about optimal fetal position and what you can do to ensure it before and during pregnancy. Start drinking red raspberry leaf tea. It is a uterine toner and will help make your uterus strong and your contractions more efficient. I've heard that you drink a cap a day for each trimester you're in. So one cup a day during the first tri, 2 cups a day during the 2nd tri and cups a day during the 3rd tri. You may feel yourself having braxton hicks after drinking the tea. This is perfectly normal and it's your uterus exercising (exactly what you need any muscle to do in order to be strong). RRL can NOT put you into labor.
Lastly do not fall into the trap of being told that you can only VBAC if you go into labor by a specific time (a lot of docs like to say by 39 weeks since they know that most women will not go into labor that early). Let them know that you will no allow yourself to be induced before 41 weeks at the earliest (going 42 weeks with monitoring is better if you are comfortable with this option) and only if you have a favorable bishops score.
www.ican-online.org
www.vbacfacts.com
www.childbirthconnection.org
I'm pregnant for the 4th time and like my other 3, this will be a c-section. My first two were planned to be vaginal but things changed and a c-section became necessary. Since I already had had 2 previous c-sections when I became pregnant with my third baby, my OB refused to allow me to have a VBAC....and the only hospital in my area does not allow VBAC's. So I am pregnant with my 4th now and like my third, this will be a scheduled c-section. I guess it depends who you ask about which is better. I've never had a vaginal birth so I don't know what it's like (though I DO know what labor feels like, and I know what the urge to push feels like...) but I DO know for sure what major abdominal surgery feels like and you WILL need help afterward. Since I don't have a choice, I have no options. There are plenty of women who have had successful VBACs. Hope for the best but plan for what could/might happen if it doesn't turn out well.
I will tell you that my second c section was WAY easier than the first if you are afraid of the recovery.
Ultimately... you NEED to check with your medical insurance, if they will cover for a VBAC.
THEN, you need to check with the hospital you will be having your baby at.... and see IF they do 'allow' VBAC's. Some will not.
Do what is right for you. If you want a vbac, go for it, if you are uncertain, don't. I suggest reading the VBAC companion & hiring a doula. I think education myself, using a midwife (in the hospital) & having a doula all lead to a successful VBAC for me. My labor was 22+ hours, I don't think without all these factors I would have been "allowed" to labor that long.
I left the hospital 24 hours after my delivery (as soon as the hospital would allow) & had a much easier recovery (than my first child which was 23 hour induced labor followed by emergency c-section). Either way I was blessed to have 2 healthy children : ) ! Good luck with whatever you decide.
Check out your local chapter of ICAN - ICAN of St. Louis. They hold monthly meetings at Kangaroo Kids. The next one is coming up this Monday, January 10th at 9:30. The St. Louis leader is a great person to talk to. ICAN promotes moms educating themselves using evidence and research. This is something that is sometimes lacking in some members of the modern medical community. You will find a lot of support in whatever you choose. Leaders can direct you to what the studies actually say.
Two hours of pushing is not out of the ordinary for moms to push with their first vaginal birth. If you are pushing in a position that is going against gravity or your baby is malpositioned it could be more. Posterior position babies or babies whose heads are asynclitic (tilted) might need either a little more patience or possibly help with instrumental delivery. Many moms seek out chiropractic care and practice optimal fetal positioning (spinning babies.com) to help with baby position.
The biggest risk of a VBAC is uterine rupture. This risk of this is less than 1%. With non induced VBACs closer to 1/2 percent. The majority of ruptures will not result in a catastrophic rupture. The exact percent would depend upon what research you look at. I would have to look this up. There are also risks to repeat cesareans. One factor to consider is how many more children you want to have.
I know this is after the fact but a primary cesarean or induction for a 9 pound baby does not follow the ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist) guidelines. With a VBAC, inductions increase the risks of a rupture not astronomically but unless it is for the health and safety of you or your baby why risk it. The amount it increases depends upon the induction method and the study you look at. Ripening agents such as prostaglandins i.e. cervadil carry more risk. Primary induction with pitocin less; augmentation even less. If your body is not ready for induction it is less likely to be successful. Induction also decreases the success rate of a VBAC.
There are some very tiny moms that I have know that have had over 9 pound babies easily. There are moms who have problems with 6 pound babies. There was just a mom who had an almost 12 pound VBAC in the ICAN group. This mom had a primary c/s for big baby with her first. Another who had a 9 pound 8 oz VBA3C. Statistically, you have an excellent chance since you have already had one vaginal birth. Only you can decide what you are comfortable with. I can say that my cesarean was not too hard but my VBAC was so much easier. I was willing to take the small risk of a VBAC vs a RCS.
Personally, I would get a second opinion. Care providers make all the difference in the world in your chances of VBAC. If this was an OB that I was interviewing there would be a few red flags for me.
