VBAC After Tradional C-section.

I would verify if you actually have a vertical uterine incision... Alot of women have vertical skin incisions but have a horizontal uterine incision. If you find that you do have a vertical uterine incision- most physicians would tell you to opt for the scheduled repeat. HOWEVER, I do know some OBs that if you go into labor on your own, they may allow you to labor. The real question is, why did you have to have a c/s the first time anyway. Was is because of an anatomy thing that you can't control the way your body is made or was it emergent due to a condition with the baby. The reason you had to have the c-section in the first place may shed some light on your ability to potentially have a successful VBAC. Hope I helped- I too, know how much fun it is to research the whole VBAC vs repeat C/S questions and deal with other people's opinions regarding this very opinionated topic! Good luck to you and your family!

My second son was born by VBAC last year and it was by far the most wonderful, and empowering experience of my life. I started my pregnancy with an OB who said that he would "allow me to try" a VBAC. At each appointment, I grew more and more uneasy, because deep down, I knew that he really wanted me to have another C-section. Finally, at 30 weeks, I made the switch to a certified nurse midwife, who was completely supportive of my desire to have a VBAC. My son was born in a hospital, with her present, and it was an absolutely perfect birth.

Although this opinion may ruffle some feathers, I believe OBs push repeat C-sections because 1.) They are convenient for them, 2.) They bring in more money for themselves and the hospitals, and 3.) They're afraid of lawsuits. Hands down, for women who are good candidates, VBACs are far SAFER than elective repeat C-sections. As some others have mentioned on here, the risk of uterine rupture is less than 1%.

My recommendation is to join the ICAN yahoo group. There are some great, supportive ladies on there who can provide you with names of VBAC-friendly OBs and midwives. If you want to chat, please feel free to contact me. Spreading the word about VBACs has become a passion of mine, so please let me know if I can help in any way!

-M.

Not to scare you, but I had a repeat C-section about 15 months ago and am so thankful I did. If I would have gone into labor on my own, my uterus was SO thin it would have ruptured. That would have been very dangerous for myself and my baby. But as you'll see, there are success stories as well. I just didn't think it was worth risking!

The other responders don't mention if their C-sections were horizontal or vertical. It is possible that the risks of VBAC are different depending on the type of C-section. I also believe the risk factor is greater if it has been less than 2 years since your C-section. I had a horizontal C-section with child #2 but went VBAC with #3, but there was over 7 years in between.

I highly suggest you consult with your OB/GYN. If he/she is not at all receptive to the idea of VBAC, then consult with a doctor who is, because I think they will be more honest with you. My doctor was great! She was totally open to my desire to deliver vaginally but made it clear there are always circumstances that may crop up and require another C-section. A couple of things she explained were that being induced is generally not desired for VBAC vs. going into labor naturally (puts more stress on the uterus), and also if dilation isn't occuring quickly enough and labor is too slow/arrested, the pressure/stress on the scar may be too great in which case they won't risk it and will perform a C-section.

So anyway, look at the facts, consult with the experts, but ultimately go with your instincts. Good luck!

K.,
I just had a VBAC last week and it was great. The risks are actually more like 1% about equal to the risks associated with a repeat c-section (and surgery in general). OBs love to scare people about VBACs because they don't want the liablity. I found it really hard to find an OB/hospital that would let me VBAC the way I wanted to so I opted for a homebirth with a midwife and it was wonderful. Please feel free to message me if you have more questions. Good luck with your decision.

I know this doesn't conform to exactly what you wanted, but my midwife has delivered multiple VBAC babies and I will give you her information, if you are interested. Best of luck to you and yes it can be done.

I also researched this quite a bit with my second baby too. I found the following helpful:
*the risk is about 1%
*the deliveries need to be at least 24 months apart
*the labor needs to be unmedicated so you can feel if anything is happening

I was up for all of it. The issue for me was my deliveries were less than 14 months apart and this concerned me---10 months of healing would not take place, so I did opt for the second c-section. Even then though, I went into labor on my own and then rolled in; I resisted the scheduled c-section.

There are OB's that will. I know the doctors at Craig Ranch OBGYN will; they also have midwife on staff.

I encourage you to follow your desires. I felt good about the decision we made, however that would have been different if a doctor forced it on me. I am old fashioned. I labored unmedicated with the first, pushed for over two hours, but she was OP and a "star gazer". I opted for the c-section when I felt pain that I had not been prepared for....good thing too, she was tearing me internally and it took 45 minutes just to repair that after the c-section. She had not moved in station at all in over two hours, so we opted for that and I am glad I did. With that said, I treasure the labor and partial delivery experience that was all natural. Two things helped prepare me for the natural method:
*The book "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" AWESOME AWESOME BOOK.
*13 weeks of Bradley classes (which we signed up for after reading the book)

If you have questions.....I love talking labor, delivery, etc.

K.

Hey, I was one of those that was going for a vbac and last minute decided not to. If your pregnancy is going well and a vbac is what you want, go for it! If you're like me and your having premature contractions or if you had a lot of pain from your previous c-section for an extended period of time, then don't. I didn't know until my second c-section that my uterus had attached itself with scarring tissue to my abdomen wall AND do the the premature contraction my uterus was paper thin and needless to say, I would have ruptured. You just have to trust your instincts. If you have any more questions, feel free to let me know.

FWIW, I planned for a VBAC with my second and ended up scheduling a c-section for the week after I was due. I got scared. My doc understood.

All of the research I did while planning basically said it was reasonably safe with a low transverse incision - but the risk was still there, and standard of care required that the OBGYN be in the hospital the whole time due to the risk, small though it was.

Having had that second c-section, even if the risk were the same for VB2C as VBAC - I wouldn't do a vaginal delivery again. The first c-sec, I felt like I had been ripped apart and run over by a truck before they put me back together. The second one was so much better - I went home 28 hours later (my own choice) on ibuprofen. Two weeks later, I was back at work.

S.

I am surprized your doctor said you "have" to have another c section. I had two c sections but the second was because my son was breach and too big, I did have the choice of doing vbac if I wanted to my doctor said we would try our best, in the end we didnt have a choice but MANY women have successful vbac's. good luck.