To VBAC or Not to VBAC

I had an emergency c-section with my first baby, vaginal deliveries with numbers 2 and 3. I would say go for it. My second delivery was so much different than my first. I was thrilled. I wasn't even awake for my first baby; they had to put me under to get him out extra fast. It is worth it to try. They can always make a decision for a c-section if it becomes necessary. Even if you are unable to have a successful VBAC, the important thing is that the baby is healthy. Best wishes and update us!

E.,
I could have written your first paragraph. My son (now 5), was an emergency c-section, dropped heartrate and all is well now.

With my second, I wanted to have a VBAC. I did under the EXCELLENT guidance of the midwives at UIC. I would have 100 VBACs before I had another c/s.

Another mom said that if your cut is up and down then you can't have a VBAC. This is not entirely true. My cut was up and down, but my uterine cut was horizontal (and my midwife knew this because 1) she was there when I had my 1st c/s and 2) the information was in my chart).

As the other moms said, talk to your practitioner and see what's best for you. If you really feel like you do not want another c-section, then you need to find someone who will support that decision. Remember, you are paying them and they work for you.

If you have any other questions, I would be happy to share more.
B.

This is something only you and your doc can decide, but i have had 2 natural and then 2 sea secs. Both were emergency and both babies did not make it. The question is how you were cut side to side you could still have natural, but if you got cut up and down you can not have natural. I would still stick with natural if you can. That gives you the bonding time. I cant never have natural again because my 2nd cut was up and down so i will always have to have sea sec and that sucks, but i would want to have natural if i could.Sea sec healing hurts so much more and if the epi dont work you have to be put to sleep and when you wake up all you can do is wait to see the baby, when with natural you get to hold and see your baby right away. So talk to your doctor and make sure cut wont prevent you from having natural and if it dont go for the vbac, i was going to with this last one but it did not end up that way...Good luck and my prayers are with you for a very healthy pregnancy and a very healthy baby.......Best whishes Jenn

I had a VBAC under the excellent care of the midwives at UIC. I highly recommend them. I would say though that, while I'm glad that I did it, my daughter had to be kept for a week in the NICU because I was GBS+, my water had been broken for more than 24 hours, I contracted a fever during labor and my daughter came out and didn't cry for the first few minutes. These things separately might not have been a big deal, but together it made for them wanting to take her in for observation and then keep her so they could administer antibiotics for a week.

All of that said, that could have all been avoided had I had a scheduled c-section. But who was to know beforehand?

K.
http://westsidebaby.etsy.com

I had a VBAC last June and it was the best thing I ever did. The recovery was amazing compared to the c-section (mine was even a scheduled c/s because my son was breech). I was out of the hospital 36 hours after the birth and felt great and was out for a walk. My daughter was much more robust too - she had a lot less fluid and crud in her lungs due to the vaginal birth.

As to whether they are safe, yes they are safe and there is an excellent chance you will be successful. On average about 70% of VBACs end with a vaginal birth. The strongest predictor of VBAC success is the mother's motivation to have one and I truly believe that. Many groups in the city and surrounding areas have even higher success rates (some as high as ~90%). In general the most supportive hospital to have a VBAC within the city is UIC (this is where I had mine) - the midwives are excellent and do many of them. Family Medicine also supports VBACs, as does the regular OB folks. The Chicago ICAN group is an excellent resource and has many women who have had or attempted VBACs and they can help direct you to a care provider and hospital that will be supportive of your birth choices. Plus, there is no substitute for hearing other people's successful VBAC birth stories first hand.

Congrats on your pregnancy and feel free to email me if I can give you any more information/motivation. I really found my entire VBAC birth experience to be amazing and healing.

ETA here are some good websites to help you make an informed decision about the risks and benefits of repeat c/s versus VBAC:
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10211
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10210
http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10214

Hi E.,

I had two VBAC's after my first child was born. One after two years and one after four years. It was fine for me. I will admit I was pretty scared that I was tearing the first time but the second was no problem at all. Good luck!

I also had an emergency c-section with my first, and two VBACs. I would highly recommend trying the VBAC if you can. The recovery is so much easier, which I especially appreciated with babies number 2 and 3.

I had a VBAC last year-9 years after my first were born via c/s due to infant distress. As was your case, one had a dropped heart rate. When I first visited the OBthey asked if I wanted to schedule a c/s. I told them I wanted to try a VBAC and they were fine with it. Since there was no reason I couldn't, we went forward as though that is how it was going to be. But they were ready just in case it had to be changed. If you want to, talk to your doctor about it. I am glad that is the way it was. I was able to watch my younget be bron, something I missed the first time around.

My first child was a c/s for failure to progress, I didn't dilate. My recovery was not traumatic, nor was I really that uncomfortable.
I had a VBAC with my second child and had a wonderful experience! I would highly recommend it to anyone. My labor and delivery experience went smoothly and without complications (epidural or drugs). If I have another child, there will be no thought - I will have another VBAC.
Keep in mind, that a c/s is MAJOR abdominal surgery and having one shouldn't be taken lightly. You run the risk of infection (to both you and baby) and bleeding, blood clots, stroke, death, etc. Also, doctors like to schedule c/s about two weeks before your 'due' date and unless you were a IVF pregnancy, you due date can be off +/- two weeks, which means you could be delivering a 36 week premature baby. A 36 week baby can have breathing problems, feeding problems, jaundice, etc. All of which could mean baby is on IV fluids/antibiotics - - meaning you go home from the hospital with NO BABY, because baby has to stay longer for treatment. Even if baby is term, baby has an increased risk for infection, a NICU stay, and feeding difficulties.
Please consider the possibilities and do lots of research before you decide what is best for you. Check out your doctor, ask him what his c/s rate is (if it's over 30% - the national average - RUN). Also, some doctors/hospitals will not perform VBAC's due to insurance restrictions, you may have to switch care providers or hospitals. Also, if you have 2 c/s, you can NEVER have the possibility of a VBAC again.
Hope I didn't overwhelm you and I answered you question.
C., NICU RN.

Yes, yes, yes VBAC!! I had a C w/my first for failure to progress (after 50 + hours and every intervention possible) and had to search far & wide to be able to VBAC w/my second (which I did & wouldn't trade the experience for anything!). We were living in NY at the time & I had to switch practices twice & travel to CT over an hour to find a place that would let me go without interference (the hospital I was at originally wouldn't let me deliver there because the head OB told me that there was "clearly something wrong with my pelvis" - he didn't even examine me - and that he "saw this all the time and no one he ever denied a VBAC to went on to deliver somewhere else sucessfully" - so glad to say I changed that statistic so he could never say it to another mom!) . Honestly, I think a home birth is probably your best bet, but I don't know if that is feasible for you. Good for you that you are starting research early - it sounds like you have some good suggestions of places to try from folks below. I would say a midwife is definitely the way to go, but I know they are scarce around here. If you want to go ahead with it, find Dr. & a place that has the lowest possible C/s rate around. Make sure your Dr. isn't saying things like "well, we'll see how it looks at the end & if the baby is bigger..." (my second was over a pound bigger and i only pushed for 1/2 hour - most second babies are bigger!!) or we'll let you "try" for a VBAC but want you to be monitored, and won't let you go past your due date. My experience is that many Dr.s seem supportive at the start but the tune changes later. I have a comprehensive list of Dr. interview questions that I would be happy to send you if you are interested. I would start reading Silent Knife and Pushed, and see the Business of Being Born if you haven't already. there is also an active ICAN group that meets downtown - you can find them online - they will be a great resource for you. BTW, someone below said that after 2 c/s you can't ever have a VBAC - but this is NOT TRUE at all - I know 2 women personally that had VBAC's after 2 & even 3 c/s! I have lots more to say on this topic so please feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

Here is a great source of info for you... http://www.ican-online.org/

I also had a C-section with my first where the epidural did not work! It was, indeed, an experience. With my second and third I had VBACs- one with a proper epidural, and one without any pain medication whatsoever. I would definitely recommend a VBAC, and, if you're up for it, without the pain medication (I wanted an epidural with my third, but he came too quickly, and there was no time!). After my 2nd child was born (VBAC with epidural), I was a bit surprised with the swelling down there, but it was completely normal. I think I was under the impression that after a vaginal birth, everything went back to normal immediately because everyone told me how much easier it was than a C-section.
However, there is some recovery time involved with any method of delivery :D
My third, VBAC w/o epidrual, was by far the easiest recovery- immediately after birthing and in the weeks following. After he was delivered, I was up and walking around and showering within a few hours without any problems or too much pain. It was a remarkable difference from after my second.
Hope that's helpful!
Send me a message if you want to ask me question!
Good luck!

E. - a couple people have mentioned ICAN. ICAN of Chicago has a monthly support group for women who want to VBAC and we have Yahoo Group: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ICANofChicago/

Congrats on your pregnancy! Unfortunately, women do not have freedom of choice when it comes to delivery--you gotta want a VBAC to get it. That's my experience.

I went with a midwife, which statistically has a higher rate of success with VBAC. Your provider is very important and so is your hospital. I had a VBAC with Kathy Puls CNM at Evanston Hospital. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so grateful for it. I wish more women could have the same opportunity.

I too had an emergency c-section with my first child-he had an abnormally large head....kind of like Chicken Little. :) I had hoped for a v-bac with my second but due to my blood loss with my first and the fact that I would be giving birth only 17 months after my first my OBGYN strongly suggested another c-section. I went into labor 2 weeks early, was dialted to 5 when I got to the hospital and of course my OB was on vacation in Hawaii-in February!! Anyways, I had the head of my OB clinic ask me if I'd like to try a VBAC since my baby's head was "right there" and I was too scared to try and have regretted it every day since :( I will say that the recovery for my 2nd c-section was a BREEZE but I really feel like I missed out on something special by never giving birth vaginally. You really need to have a long discussion with your OB and do lots of research on your own, but if you have the option I say take it!!

I think vbac is wonderful if you wish to do it. I could have gone vbac, but chose not to, as I really didn't have any problems with a c-section the first time, and I am basically lazy by nature and didn't wish to go through labor. I know that's terrible, but I was given an option and I chose what I felt was the easy way out for me!