Is trying VBAC worth it?

[Mummy_]

I had a really traumatic birth with my first and ended up with a crash CS under GA. I still get upset now when I talk about it - 2 years on! The hospital have said that there is no medical reason to have a CS, but I can have one for psychological reasons if I want.
I am thinking of just having another CS so I know that I won't have to go through what I went through before - my minimum criteria is to be awake this time!
I also don't know whether if I went for VBAC I would be able to totally relax after what happened last time, and weirdly whether I would feel guilty for having a natural birth with the 2nd, after the 1st was so far from it and really impacted me emotionally afterwards.

For those that have had a go at VBAC - was it worth it? Did it live up to expectations/hopes? If you ended up with another emergency CS, how did you feel?

 

[OmiOmen]

I think the answer is that it depends on how important a VBAC personally is to you. If you are desperate for a 'natural birth' then you'll always regret not trying a VBAC. If you have suffered birth trauma and emotionally you need the control then maybe a repeat c-section will give you a more positive experience.

You have had a c-section already so I don't need to tell you how unpleasant the recovery is. Personally I would have rather not to have gone through that if it could be avoided in any way possible. Plus there are a lot more risks involved with a repeat c-section than a VBAC but since I am in that minority of women who experienced complete uterine rupture I'm not the person who can really put feeling into those words for you.

For those that have had a go at VBAC - was it worth it? Did it live up to expectations/hopes? If you ended up with another emergency CS, how did you feel?

A VBAC was very important to me so I attempted one with my second after having a planned c-section with my first. I know if I had got my VBAC it would have made me very happy and if I had needed an EMCS for the normal types of reasons I would have felt happy that I had tried a VBAC. However due to the delivery I had and the damage my body went through I will for the rest of my life regret attempting one. However I have said it before and will say it again; my reason for feeling that way is down to hindsight of my personal situation and very few people would have that happen to them so I wouldn't advice people to base their decisions on my circumstances.

Only you can know what you feel most strongly about and know what is the right decision for you. Two months ago I would have given a pro-VBAC post but now I say make sure you are happy with you decision no matter what it is and good luck in making it.

 

[askdrtania]

Although I have not had a VBAC, I have had many, many patients who have come to me for chiropractic care specifically to increase their odds for a successful VBAC.

Since there is no medical reason to have another CS, I hope that you will consider a VBAC for the following reasons:
-Vaginal birth is truly healthier for baby (though a life-saving CS trumps that, of course, and I am so glad your firstborn in healthy!)
-Surgery and anesthesia carry significant risks to both mother and baby
-Recovery is longer and more complicated in CS births

Give yourself a pass from any guilt! We do the best we can, and when we know better, we do better! You might consider talking to a midwife and/or chiropractor who has experience in working with the VBAC community. There are many things you can do to increase your VBAC success.

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Banshee]

I too had a horrendous first delivery that ended in an ultra emergency cs under general anaesthetic. I was traumatised by what happened and felt robbed of the natural birth I had planned and seeing my son delivered. I remember feeling detached from ds1 for a while and thinking if he didn't have red hair like me I'd be questioning if he was mine due to neither me nor DH having seen him born. I know those were silly thoughts but that was my state of mind at the time.
I fell pregnant with ds2 by happy accident when ds1 was 9 months old. I wouldn't have planned to have them so close due to my anxieties after my horrendous first birth.
For me it was important to try for vbac and give my body the chance to deliver naturally. As it happened I ended up being induced and then after 36 hours of labour and a syntocinon drip I ended up with a second emergency c section due to failure to progress. To be honest it wasn't actually that bad for me. At least I got to have a spinal so was awake when ds2 was born and DH could be there too.
I have a friend who has just had her second baby and she too had a horrendous first c section experience. She also tried for vbac this time and ended up with a second emergency c section coz of LO having cord wrapped around his neck. She also said that she doesn't feel that bad about ending up with a second c section.

 

[tristansmum]

I posted in your question in labour and birth. But I had emcs with my first aft're forceps failed to deliver him. I was down about my section for about 6 months. Vbac was very important to me. With my second I went into Labour at 40+6. Painful contractions started just after 7pm and by 10pm I was fully dilated. He was born at 11.10pm. It didn't all go perfect due to shoulder dystocia but got him out very quick. I feel amazing having pushed him out myself. I did get a second degree tear due to his shoulders and he was a big boy at 9lb 3 but much easier than my recovery from the section. Good luck hun x

 

[Amalee]

I'm not a mother, but I wanted to share my mother's experience with VBAC. When she had my older brother 30 years ago, it was horrendous. She had an emergency C-Section, but was very sensitive to the medication, and became numb up to her chin and thought she was dying. She tried to tell the doctors, but was partially numb throughout the her face and could not form words, so they thought she was hysterical and they put her under completely. She still tears up when she talks about it to this day.

She was traumatized and never wanted to go through that again. At the time, it was difficult to find a doctor who would do a VBAC (at least around her, not sure how it was elsewhere), and she got multiple opinions, all of whom told her she would have to have a C-section with all subsequent births. About halfway through her 2nd pregnancy, she found a doctor who said there was no medical reason for her to not try to have a vaginal birth, so she switched doctors. She had 3 healthy vaginal births thereafter, and she has said that switching one of the best decisions she's ever made.

 

[nanamoon]

I think it depends what is most imp to you. I had the same two yrs ago giving birth to my son, an emergency cs under GA and it was v traumatic, still upsets me now that I didn't share the moment with my husband, that I missed the first two hrs of his life, I had problems breast feeding as was so preoccupied with just being in shock I think and the after affects of the GA that I don't want to risk that happening again. I have an appt in 5 weeks time with a consultant to request an elective cs. I do keep swaying back and forth between cs and vbac but at the end of the day I want to be pretty certain that I'm going to see my son when he's born this time and have my husband with me and have a certain amount of control over the situation. Good luck with your decision, its such a hard one but try and listen to whatever your gut instinct says xxxxxx

 

[LDC]

I can't give you an answer but I know how you're feeling surrounding the confusion.

I had an emcs following a non progressive labour (I got to 9cm and went back to 6cm), baby was back to back and big (10lb 1oz). My labour was unpleasant; I'd planned this natural birth and then I'd been left for so long because they pushed for a natural labour that my epidural wasn't topped up enough and I was crying in pain. I was passing in and out of consciousness and didn't even know what was happening half the time; my husband said after that he was really worried because of the change during the labour. They later told me that because of her size and position I wouldn't have gotten her out myself, which scares me now thinking what could have happened because the midwife kept saying "no you'll do it yourself, you don't need a section". 16 hours after breaking my waters they agreed a section.

My section was a positive one and my recovery wasn't too bad but I didn't get the whole skin to skin etc because of the circumstances and I didn't get to hold lo until I got back to the recovery ward about 1.5 hours after she was born. At that time I was so tired and uncomfortable on the bed that I wasn't interested in looking at lo, which I feel horrendously guilty about.

I feel like I didn't have the emotional aftermath from birth that I'd dreamt of and it took me a long time to know that, actually that's ok. My bond with lo now is perfect despite this, but I think it's always hard when things go completely polar opposite to what you expected (we all know labour isn't predictable).

We're not ttc for a while yet but I've spoken to oh about vbac or elective. My HV said I'd be pushed for vbac and that she believes the reason for lo being big was GD... Which I think is a load of tosh. The midwife checked for this. Whilst I dream of a vbac because I want the pushing and the feeling of lo coming out and being placed directly on me, the fear of them pushing for natural and the next one being big or back to back again scares me. I think now what would have happened if I'd had gone natural with my lo now and I dread to think what would have happened, to both of us.

For me I'd rather another section (I'm glad I got the feeling of labour with lo) and know everything is planned and calm.

It's really something only you can decide, good luck

Xx

Sorry for the extra long reply!

 

[JessPape]

The risks of uterin rupture is 0.05-1% the risk of death with that is 6% and the risks of dying during a csection is higher than the risks of dying during a VBAC. Not to mention all the health benefits to mother and baby while having a vbac. The issue is finding a support doctor who won't feed u full of mixed info or not true facts.

I'm having a VbAc in march

 

[LDC]

The risks of uterin rupture is 0.05-1% the risk of death with that is 6% and the risks of dying during a csection is higher than the risks of dying during a VBAC. Not to mention all the health benefits to mother and baby while having a vbac. The issue is finding a support doctor who won't feed u full of mixed info or not true facts.

I'm having a VbAc in march

Do you have any figures for the number of women that die during vbac and the number for those that die during a section? I'd imagine that they're both pretty low.

Yes risks are higher with a section as its an operation, but I don't think a scare tactic of dying during child birth should impact on choice of a vbac or not, particularly due to the op having an emotionally and mentally traumatic time during her previous labour.

I do agree that a supportive doctor is essential, to help you come to the right decision for you.

Xx

 

[JessPape]

I wasn't saying that as I scare tactic I was saying the risks of anything fatal happening in both situations are very low.

All I was stating was that the risks of. Uterine rupture is only 1% (which is not much higher than in a first time mom). The risk of a person dying with a uterine rupture is only 6% again typically low and probably won't happen to you.

Than I pointed out that more people die during a csection than a vbac. The amount of people though again is typically low. Off the top of my need I believe fatality with a csection is around .015 and a vbac is like half that. Obviously the odds are extremely low and rare. I used that as a suggestion because the real big concern with VBAC is uterine rupture which is a very small risk.

 

[JessPape]

I believe making an informed choice on a vbac means you need to k ow the risks, and knowing the risk of a UR and the risk of death associated with them is preparing yourself. It's not scar tactic I 110% support vbac over a csection. But I rather not hide the. Facts

 

[LDC]

I get the rupture stats for sure, just not the death ones that's all, that's why I asked.

X