kit603
Pregnant with #2
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Hi ladies :wave:
Sorry for a really long post, but I'm in two minds about whether to go for a VBAC or repeat c-section and I'm hoping some of you could share your stories or any advice? I'll share the story of my last birth as well.
I'm in the UK and with my DS I was in slow labour for a few days at home with contractions that started about 4/5pm about 30 mins apart and lasting 30 secs and gradually increasing in intensity with less time between them until the early hours of the morning (3/4am) when they'd suddenly stop again having reached about 8-10 mins apart and lasting a minute. This continued for 3/4 days starting a day or so before my due date. My midwife told me they were braxton hicks despite being painful, regular and increasing in intensity They didn't go when I changed position, had bath etc either.
At 40+3 I woke up with bad back pain at around 5am, didn't think much of it and we went shopping. We were walking around the shopping centre when I started getting more contractions. We got a few bargains in mamas and papas closing down sale as they were closing our local store that day. The contractions continued and I kept stopping and leaning on railings/walls for support and my poor hubby kept suggesting I time them as seemed to be coming faster and me (in denial) kept saying they'd stop again in a minute It got to about 2pm and we were having some lunch in the food court and my husband pointed out they were every 15 mins or so, and lasting longer, so we went home after lunch. My MIL popped over and I was telling her that I'd had more braxton hicks but they'd stopped again (as not had one for about an hour) and then as she left I went to the toilet and lost my plug and had a slight show. (6.30pm ish)
The contractions started back up every 15 mins after that and were every 10 mins by about midnight. Phoned hospital about 2.30am and went in just after 3am having contractions about 4-5 mins apart lasting just over a minute. I was 4cm so they admitted me... carried on using my TENS for a while then had gas and air from about 6.30am. At 8.30am I was still only 5cm and they broke my waters and there was meconium in the waters. Then by 10.30 I was still only 5cm and they wanted to give me a drip that they said would make the contractions more effective... I declined for a couple of hours then had it just after 12.30, it didn't go very well and I ended up over contracting and having rapid contractions with little time between and by 3pm requested an epidural. It worked but I did still feel the contractions in the back due to son being back to back.
By 7pm, I was still only 5cm Then consultant came round at 9.30 ish and he wasn't happy that I'd been over contracting on the drip, baby was having decelerations during contractions and I had meconium in waters and was still only 5-6cm when he examined me. So he said I needed to be prepped for an emergency c-section.
I had no issues with the surgery itself - I suffer with anxiety and had full on panic attacks whilst being taken in for surgery as c-section in my eyes was the worst thing ever, but in the end being awake etc didn't bother me at all, the epidural was converted to a spinal without issue and procedure went well. I did lose a fair amount of blood after and felt very light headed, nauseous and tired but put a lot of that down to exhaustion as well. DS was 10lb 8oz and surgeon said he was stuck in the pelvis and he didn't think he'd have been born naturally.
Recovery wasn't too bad - DS ended up getting poorly and was in NICU for 9 days so I stayed in hospital anyway. I also got an infection in my wound but it cleared up with antibiotics. I've had no complications since my c-section or from epidural or anything like that so far. I was disappointed that it took so long to get skin to skin, but my son did end up breastfeeding for 16m so don't feel like that was a barrier to that.
This time, I very much wanted to try for a VBAC - ideally a water birth, but last time I wasn't allowed one as required monitoring so had to stay in bed the whole time I discussed with my midwife and consultant and the plan was to have a growth scan at 36 weeks and then see consultant and make a decision (the plan being if she was huge like DS I'd do planned c-section and if she was smaller then I'd look at VBAC).
I've already had two growth scans as fundal height has been all over the place. At 32+1 she was measuring a week or so ahead and estimated 4lb 6oz, but by 34+1 she was measuring 37+3/4 and estimated 6lb 4oz. Her estimated birth weight is going to be over 10lb at 40 weeks based on this and it's looking like she could be bigger than my son
I see my consultant again in just under 2 weeks for a growth scan and then he needs my final decision but I'm just so torn.
We aren't planning more children so I don't need to worry about future c-sections but this will be my last chance for a VBAC and I think the recovery could be easier (especially with a toddler at home too - he'll be 2 on 6th June and I'm due 29 May) and DH only gets two weeks off work and then I'll be on my own so to speak but I'm concerned that if he got stuck and I'm expecting a bigger baby then I'll put myself through all of that to have a repeat experience. If I've got to have one I'd much rather it was planned... I don't want to go through another long labour to feel like I'd failed by having a c-section at the end of it I know I shouldn't look at it that way... but..
If I do have a VBAC then I think I'd probably go for an epidural anyway - if I'd not had one with my son I'd have had to have been put under for the c-section and I really really don't want that. I definitely don't want to be induced - the drip I got given last time is the same as they give during inductions and it didn't go well at all.
I think DH is very much hoping I'll go for the c-section - he found watching me go through it all before very traumatic and we didn't find the c-section so bad in the end. He likes knowing exactly what will happen (and roughly when) so we can arrange childcare for our son and be prepared for everything at hospital and know we aren't going to have the same labour experience as before.
I just really can't decide
Sorry for a really long post, but I'm in two minds about whether to go for a VBAC or repeat c-section and I'm hoping some of you could share your stories or any advice? I'll share the story of my last birth as well.
I'm in the UK and with my DS I was in slow labour for a few days at home with contractions that started about 4/5pm about 30 mins apart and lasting 30 secs and gradually increasing in intensity with less time between them until the early hours of the morning (3/4am) when they'd suddenly stop again having reached about 8-10 mins apart and lasting a minute. This continued for 3/4 days starting a day or so before my due date. My midwife told me they were braxton hicks despite being painful, regular and increasing in intensity They didn't go when I changed position, had bath etc either.
At 40+3 I woke up with bad back pain at around 5am, didn't think much of it and we went shopping. We were walking around the shopping centre when I started getting more contractions. We got a few bargains in mamas and papas closing down sale as they were closing our local store that day. The contractions continued and I kept stopping and leaning on railings/walls for support and my poor hubby kept suggesting I time them as seemed to be coming faster and me (in denial) kept saying they'd stop again in a minute It got to about 2pm and we were having some lunch in the food court and my husband pointed out they were every 15 mins or so, and lasting longer, so we went home after lunch. My MIL popped over and I was telling her that I'd had more braxton hicks but they'd stopped again (as not had one for about an hour) and then as she left I went to the toilet and lost my plug and had a slight show. (6.30pm ish)
The contractions started back up every 15 mins after that and were every 10 mins by about midnight. Phoned hospital about 2.30am and went in just after 3am having contractions about 4-5 mins apart lasting just over a minute. I was 4cm so they admitted me... carried on using my TENS for a while then had gas and air from about 6.30am. At 8.30am I was still only 5cm and they broke my waters and there was meconium in the waters. Then by 10.30 I was still only 5cm and they wanted to give me a drip that they said would make the contractions more effective... I declined for a couple of hours then had it just after 12.30, it didn't go very well and I ended up over contracting and having rapid contractions with little time between and by 3pm requested an epidural. It worked but I did still feel the contractions in the back due to son being back to back.
By 7pm, I was still only 5cm Then consultant came round at 9.30 ish and he wasn't happy that I'd been over contracting on the drip, baby was having decelerations during contractions and I had meconium in waters and was still only 5-6cm when he examined me. So he said I needed to be prepped for an emergency c-section.
I had no issues with the surgery itself - I suffer with anxiety and had full on panic attacks whilst being taken in for surgery as c-section in my eyes was the worst thing ever, but in the end being awake etc didn't bother me at all, the epidural was converted to a spinal without issue and procedure went well. I did lose a fair amount of blood after and felt very light headed, nauseous and tired but put a lot of that down to exhaustion as well. DS was 10lb 8oz and surgeon said he was stuck in the pelvis and he didn't think he'd have been born naturally.
Recovery wasn't too bad - DS ended up getting poorly and was in NICU for 9 days so I stayed in hospital anyway. I also got an infection in my wound but it cleared up with antibiotics. I've had no complications since my c-section or from epidural or anything like that so far. I was disappointed that it took so long to get skin to skin, but my son did end up breastfeeding for 16m so don't feel like that was a barrier to that.
This time, I very much wanted to try for a VBAC - ideally a water birth, but last time I wasn't allowed one as required monitoring so had to stay in bed the whole time I discussed with my midwife and consultant and the plan was to have a growth scan at 36 weeks and then see consultant and make a decision (the plan being if she was huge like DS I'd do planned c-section and if she was smaller then I'd look at VBAC).
I've already had two growth scans as fundal height has been all over the place. At 32+1 she was measuring a week or so ahead and estimated 4lb 6oz, but by 34+1 she was measuring 37+3/4 and estimated 6lb 4oz. Her estimated birth weight is going to be over 10lb at 40 weeks based on this and it's looking like she could be bigger than my son
I see my consultant again in just under 2 weeks for a growth scan and then he needs my final decision but I'm just so torn.
We aren't planning more children so I don't need to worry about future c-sections but this will be my last chance for a VBAC and I think the recovery could be easier (especially with a toddler at home too - he'll be 2 on 6th June and I'm due 29 May) and DH only gets two weeks off work and then I'll be on my own so to speak but I'm concerned that if he got stuck and I'm expecting a bigger baby then I'll put myself through all of that to have a repeat experience. If I've got to have one I'd much rather it was planned... I don't want to go through another long labour to feel like I'd failed by having a c-section at the end of it I know I shouldn't look at it that way... but..
If I do have a VBAC then I think I'd probably go for an epidural anyway - if I'd not had one with my son I'd have had to have been put under for the c-section and I really really don't want that. I definitely don't want to be induced - the drip I got given last time is the same as they give during inductions and it didn't go well at all.
I think DH is very much hoping I'll go for the c-section - he found watching me go through it all before very traumatic and we didn't find the c-section so bad in the end. He likes knowing exactly what will happen (and roughly when) so we can arrange childcare for our son and be prepared for everything at hospital and know we aren't going to have the same labour experience as before.
I just really can't decide