I have been given the all clear for VBAC - 29 days and counting!!!!

[MoonLove]

I had a lousy labour with my first and it resulted in an emergency c-sec after 20 hours and failed forceps. I went into labour naturally and i got to 10cm dilated pretty fast, but my daughter's head was truly stuck and not moving.

I was ABSOLUTELY MOST DEFINITELY going to go for an elective c-sec this time round, but at about 28 weeks, i started having dreams where i had had my baby, and i couldn't move much because of having a c-sec. It reminded me of how i felt after my emerg c-sec and how limited my mobility was. It made me consider why i am going elective c-sec and i know it is because i am so frightened of going through all of that labour business again, but ending up having the surgery anyway!

Yesterday i had a 36 week growth scan and my consultant had all of the elective c-sec papers out on the desk. I told him i have been seriously considering and quite excited a VBAC birth, he was very pleased and said there's no reason i need to go for a c-sec this time round, and the fact i went to 10cm naturally before is fantastic and gives me about an 80% chance that i will be able to birth naturally. The only complications that will arise are if i don't labour naturally, as induction can cause problems after a previous c-sec, and they probably wouldn't go as far as bothering with forceps again, they'd just go straight to c-sec if it obviously wasn't progressing.


Oh i am so scared!!! He scribbled out the elective c-sec form and today it has sunk in that it's all actually going to happen and i'm actually going to be sitting in a hospital room with those pains going through my belly, and i might actually just squeeze a baby out!!! I'm so excited, but soooo scared Ahhhh it's really going to happen!

 

[Sass827]

So excited for you gem! I'm hoping for the same for myself and would love to hear how things go for you this time around.
What are you thinking for pain management?

 

[MoonLove]

So excited for you gem! I'm hoping for the same for myself and would love to hear how things go for you this time around.
What are you thinking for pain management?

Last time I went about 15 hours with only gas and air, and because I wasn't allowed to eat anything - because they knew I might require an emerg c-sec at that point - I was utterly exhausted. I was laying on my back feeling like you do when you're half asleep between alarm clock snoozes, so about 16 hours in I had an epidural just to give me a break. When they told me to push and got the forceps I couldn't feel a thing, and I was just too tired!

This time I would honestly just like to stick to gas and air, it's so wonderful at first, and it's something to do to distract you in the earlier stages of contractions! I won't go epidural again because I know it hindered my ability to feel my natural urge to push, I think if my labour this time round even gets to the point where im laying on my back feeling half concious, they'll suggest we just go c-sec instead. They hesitated for a very long time last time and it was far more traumatic and rushed than it needed to be. My midwife said they wouldn't bother with forceps or such this time round. I am a little nervous about being so closely monitored, I'll have to wear the heart beat monitor and it's very daunting and scary when baby gets a little distressed.

What are you thinking in terms of pain relief? I see you're due an August baby, my daughter is an August baby too

Ah heck I'm so nervous!!

 

[Sass827]

Oh I'm so jealous of you UK girls with your gas and air and tens! You have all the good stuff.
I was in "extended early labor" for 36 hours. I had very hard contractions the first 8 hours or so, was totally affaced but never progressed past a 3. So they broke my waters and they came out black. They gave me an epi and loads of pitocin. I eventually got to a 7/8, but 17 hours after breaking my water, I developed a fever so they gave me an emergency c section.
I really struggle with how many interventions I had last time, but I also think maybe dd would have had damages from being in all that meconium. I'd love to go without the epi and the pitocin this time around, but there's no low end option for pain that I know of. The only option they gave me last time was IV narcotics.
In all though, I think a vbac is so much healthier for mom and baby and better for you both in the long term as well. I just hope I'm successful at making it happen, you know? And if not, at least we tried!