C-section or VBAC?

My friend just had a successful VBAC and is very happy with her decision. My sister has had two vaginal deliveries after a c-section. She's never had a problem with them.

I had a c-section with my first and VBAC with the the next two. I am very glad I did the VBAC. But I would have been ok with c-sections as well . . . the end result is the most important thing.

With my second son my doctor's support made all of the difference - she told me there was no reason to not do the VBAC and was a cheerleader right through the process. As you know some of the benefits are being able to lift and hold your oldest child right away, faster recovery, a lot less pain, etc. I also think it will help heal your last experience, which must have been so scary for you. I also had a scary experience with my c-section and the vaginal birth of my second son was such a nice experience in comparison. I was actually proud of myself!

I am a big supporter of VBAC. But I am also a big supporter of "do what you think is the right thing for you." With my third I had a diff OB who tired to scare me into a c-section due to risk of tearing and my age (I was 40) . . .in my heart I knew it would be fine. I found an OB in the same practice that supported my decision and she ended up being the one that delivered my baby girl - fate! The birth of my third - my daughter - was even easier!

Good luck - M.

You are very lucky if your doc is suggesting VBAC. Many moms aren't given that choice anymore. In general, a successful VBAC is much easier, less trauma for you and baby, faster recovery, and allows you to have more children easier. Not too many people mention the risks to having more than 1 major abdominal surgery when discussing this topic. The risk of rupture of uterus in natural labor (no induction!!!) is less than 1%. The risk of complications for you & your baby & future babies is much higher. Go to the ICAN website, it is about VBAC. Do much more research than this website, it is a MAJOR decision. If you do have a repeat section after being fully informed, do not schedule it- go into labor, then have the surgery. This will ensure that your little girl is ready to be born and give her the hormonal advantages of labor that we do not completely understand yet. Babies born by c-section in labor have much less complications than those born by schedule.
Hope this helps.
And congratulations on your impending birth.
L. MS RNC CNM

I had a C-section with my 1st and then 2 VBACs! I was so glad that I had my VBACs! My 2nd baby was 27 hrs of labor with an epidural and my 3rd was a 6hr labor, water birth! The recovery with a vaginal delivery is so much easier that the c-section. An added bonus is that you get to eat right away after delivery.

A.,

Research 'til your heart's content. Know what you will be going through every step of the way.

I am curious - how long did it take you to heal?

I am hopeful for this situation too - I hope to do the same if I am blessed with another pregnancy.

Off-topic, but what is CHARGE syndrome? I'd like to know. Thanks,
Good luck!
M.

A.-

While I have no c-section experience, having a birth experience where I felt out-of-control was one of my biggest fears the first time around. I would recommend that you spend sometime working with a neutral grounded Bradley instructor (Bradley can be extreme and also make you fee like a failure). The instructor should be able to empower you with knowledge and information. I trained with Joanne in Monroe, NY in Orange county. She was wonderful!! She never ever made statements or comments that made me feel like if I had a c-section then I would have failed the whole "natural childbirth" concept. She would be an excellent resource for a VBAC.

The other thing I would do is see if the Hospital you are birthing at supports the use of Doula. Valley Hospital of Ridgewood, NJ does and she helped make my brithing experience wonderful. Her services were invaluable and we plan on using her services again for my second birth in September. She was able to suggest things to help my labor along and keep me calm. She also allowed my hubby to take a break and leave as needed. I never felt alone or scared. It was great too.

Lots of luck. With the right support team, especially your doctor, a good hospital, and lots of knowledge about VBAC, I am sure your next experience will be everything you want it to be.

~C.

I was planning on a vbac delivery until my daughter turned breach 4 weeks before I delivered. At that point my body had been put through the ringer and I was just like schedule it. So I ended up with the repeat section. This I can tell you about repeat c-sections. I was very disappointed with my first delivery. I went through 21 hrs of labor, including 4 1/2 hrs of pushing and ended up with the c-section. I felt like I let myself down. Woman for millions of years have been having babies and I couldn't do it. However, with my repeat section. I knew going in that I was having it done. And within 6 hrs of me going into labor (I was scheduled for July 31 and woke up July 30 and went into labor on my own) my daughter was born. I felt great afterwards. I wasn't exhausted from going through the whole ordeal of labor and I wasn't as sore after because it was (sort of) planned. Labor is very stressful on the body. I would say plan for the vbac. But keep in mind that it's not set in stone. And even if you start going through labor you can change your mind at anytime. There are dangers either way. Your uterus can rupture, putting both your lifes in danger. But a c-section is MAJOR abdominal surgery which carries the same risks. Talk to you doctor about vbacs and what will happen (I know the first thing they do is insert an IV so if they need to knock you out they can do it immediately, and you will most likely be in bed the whole time because the baby needs to be constantly monitored). But discuss this option at great length with your doctor. This way you will know what your getting yourself into.

My first daughter was an unplanned c-section...she is great and 12 years old now. I now have 4 children altogether and the 3 after her were all vaginal deliveries. I feel that sure if you can avoid surgery why not but the ultimate goal is a baby in your arms...so go with your gut and the doc's advice. I recall the c-section 12 years ago as okay but I did not have to also run after a toddler when I got home...because she was my first. When I had my 4th child
2 1/2 years ago, I labored at home for awhile and when I arrived at the hospital I was 7-8 cm...that was a smooth delivery! And...remember you will be sore whether it is your gut from the c-section or other areas from a vaginal birth. Enjoy your "birth day"...it comes and goes so quickly and it can be soooo exciting and fun

Hi A.,

Just wanted to share my exprience in case it helps you make your decision. With our son, he was 2 weeks early I labored for a few hours, but he got into a little trouble and I wasn't progressing, so we did an emergency c-section. 15 months later our daughter was born VBAC 2 weeks late after I was induced. With her I labored about 9 hours and at 9lbs, 10oz, I did have to have rather significant episiotomy. With both I had an epidural. Here is what I would say -
(1) I think I actually recovered faster from the c-section. The episiotomy was very painful and was a bit more complicated to take care of if you ask me.
(2) I liked laboring both times and the adventure of that with my husband. Good stories for the kids. Really one of my favorite memories working like that on behalf of my children.
(3) I didn't know at the time that there was much risk going VBAC. My doctor was confident and I just trusted him. I was 26 when I did the VBAC, so not sure if that played a role, but I didn't really know until I went to the hospital and they made kind of a big deal out of it that it was not just the normal way to go. We did agree with the Dr. that we would just give it a try and if anything looked wrong at all we would be prepared to call it off and go c-section. At the hospital, everyone knew I was VBAC and I was checked often and monitored carefully.
(4) With having epidurals both times and laboring both times, I really don't have any sense that the births were any different. In the end, it didn't matter how either of them came out, it was just the joy of getting them there I remember.
Hope that helps. Take time to listen to yourselft and trust your own gut. Enjoy!

I too had to have an emergency c-section, just less than 5 months ago, although my situation wasn't nearly as traumatic as yours. During a follow-up appointment, I asked my doctor what would be the likelihood that I could have a VBAC next time. He said that the chances were 70% and recommended that if I wanted to have more than one more child, I should try for the VBAC. With each c-section, risks increase. Just another thing to consider while you make your decision. Good luck!

Hi A.
I only have one daughter, and she was delivered vaginally. For some reason I assumed I would wind up getting a C-section (I guess because they are increasing in "popularity" these days), and when I asked the doctor about it, she said there was no reason to not have the baby vaginally. She also said that when women are thinking they will probably end up having C-sections, a lot of times their bodies actually dont mentally accept the delivery process naturally and as a result a C-section becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. (She's from Eastern Europe, so she tends to be more holistic I suppose than other doctors might be).
So when I was three days overdue, the doctor suggested induction because my placenta was becoming calcified. I went in the hospital and took the first dose of the induction medication at about 3am, and my daughter was born at 921am vaginally. Even the doctor was shocked at how fast the baby was born. I think I pushed for about 2 hours. Because the process moved so quickly, I really dont remember very well.
Also as a result of things moving so quickly, I didnt receive any pain meds or intervention. I can tell you (which is something you might not hear very often) that vaginal delivery really does not hurt that much - the body naturally numbs itself to a large extent in that area. I remember being tired and feeling like I wanted to stop pushing for a contraction or two, and then I was like for what? the longer I put it off, the longer it will take!
My only advice (which was what the doctor told me even months before my daughter was born) is to just let the process take over your body - dont fight it and dont be nervous. The body will naturally open up to deliver your baby, just like it has been doing for millions of years! I found that counting backwards from 15 during every contraction helped me - by the time I got to 1, the contraction was over. I think a lot of times we minimize the effect our mindset can have on our bodies.
Don't get me wrong, I was glad when it was over! But it really wasnt bad. I should mention that the doctor had cut me (I think it's called an episiotomy?) to give the baby more room to come out, but I truly barely felt it and at that point, there were so many other things going on that I really didnt care. But afterward, she stitched me up and gave me a medication spray for the area, and it was fine - I think it bothered me (it didnt hurt, but it bothered me) for maybe 3 or 4 days, and the stitches came out on their own. Like I said, my daughter was born at 921am, and I was eating pancakes and drinking my coffee by 10am, was in my pajamas wandering around the hospital while others were walking the hallways holding on to the railings, and the day I came home from the hospital, walked to the supermarket to buy dinner. The only restriction was that I was told I shouldnt walk my dogs for a week or two, just because they are large-breed (100 lbs each) and in case I needed to pull them, etc, it could cause the stitches to tear. I am glad your doctor didnt just assume you should have another C-section because you had the first baby that way, because a lot of times that is the case.
GOod luck! You will be fine! I didnt actually see the baby come out (I'm not really into that type of thing - haha) but my husband did and he said he had never experienced a more beautiful sight in his life - and he is by no means a mushy person.

Either way, you are unlikely to have a birth experience like that again! (How awful for you!) If you choose a c-section now, it will be planned. Not an emergency. That's a huge difference, in terms of your stress, fear, and physical reaction to it.

There are a lot of benefits to a VBAC, however, including not having major abdominal surgery! It's so much easier to pick up a baby, nurse, and play with a toddler when you aren't recovering from such a big operation. A vaginal birth is really painful at the time, but doesn't take too long to recover from. And it's better for the baby, at the time of delivery. (My son was an unplanned c-section baby though, and he's fabulous and healthy! I'm going for a VBAC with the next one, assuming all goes well.)

Lots of women have VBAC's, and are so happy they did! If you choose that method, you probably won't want to let your doc induce you, however. Inductions increase the risk of a problem with VBAC's, and increase your risk of another emergency c-section. (Especially with the use of a cervical gel.)

Talk about your feelings with your doc, and also do a google search for ICAN. Find a group in your area, and talk to other moms. You have a huge decision to make here, and a lot of doctors will try to make it for you. Yours seems open minded and cool- lucky you! :)

Good luck with your decision!

Amanada, I had VBAC 13 years ago and it was well worth trying it. The recovery period is alot shorter, I was able to take care of both of my children right away they are almost 3 years apart. You might want to consider getting help with household chores and meals or make and freeze them before if no one is around to help you for the first couple of weeks. This is only so you can devote your time to both of your children. Good luck in delivery I pray that everything turns out well.

Hello, A.. I VBACed. My first was breech - I got to the hospital and I was 5 cm. My second child was also breech, but she turned toward the end of the pregnancy. I was induced with her, but I VBACed. I preferred vaginal delivery as the recovery was easier for me. With the c, sneezing and sitting up and laughing hurt for weeks it seemed. My three children are now 12, 10, and 8. My son, who was my third born, was also vaginally delivered. I tell my oldest she took the escape route. Good luck!

First of all, I was so glad to read that your son was able to be recussitated.

I had a successful VBAC 2 months ago. Previously I had a vaginal birth and then a c-section. I changed doctors to find one in support of VBACs - and it was the best experience. If your doctor is supportive, I'd go for it. If you would like more details, feel free to email me.
Best of luck!

I was sitting on this fence most of my second pregnancy. I tried for a VBAC but ended up with a second c-section due to the baby's heart rate being irregular (she was wrapped in the cord). The baby is now 3 months and is doing well.

It is worth trying if you have a supportive doctor or midwife. I also had a great doula who got me through the 6 hours of labor (my midwife was in and out until close to the end). We took the attitude that we would try for the VBAC and do the c-section if anything was questionable. I was at the point of being almost ready to push when the c-section happened. The cord problem had nothing to do with it being a VBAC as opposed to another vaginal birth.

Also, the book Birthing from Within may be a good way to process your past traumatic birht experience. Some people teach birthing prep classes based on it. I liked it better than Bradley though Bradley teaches you a lot about the physical process of labor.

I agree with the last poster that the second c-section is vastly different than the first. The slight chance of uterine rupture freaked me out too much to try a VBAC. But my husband and I were both amazed at how much smoother things went.

The only down side with my scheduled c-section is my HUGE son had not dropped yet, so when I bent over for the epidural (is that the same drug they give you?) he was kicking me in the ribs the whole time.