VBAC info/support

[NickyNack]

Ooh I've just come across this thread, hi!

I'm Shannon, 20 and I have a 13 month old named Victoria (Tori)! To summarize my birth story, induced at 40+1 for hidden preeclampsia. Basically LO was stuck in my pelvis. "Insufficient pelvic space", they said. They brought up c-section. I begged them to let me try to labor. 5 tminutes later LO's heart rate dropped to almost 0. Emergency c-section.

(You can read my full birth story here.)

I'm dying for a VBAC but I don't know how it'll happen.

This sounds similar to me - last time I was induced due to PE but Amy was a big girl and that plus dilation stopping dead at 8cm meant she was never coming out on her own, so when my kidneys started shutting down due to the PE I was whisked off for an EMCS.

Despite my history my consultant has said there is no reason why I couldn't try for a vaginal birth like any first time mum this time.

I can see benefits in both options but I have gone for a ELCS but have said if things start off naturally before then (which is starting to feel likely) that I will try for a VBAC.

My main fear and the reason I opted for the ELCS is the chance of it not working and ending up with another EMCS. I have already told them that I will not consent to being induced again.

My LO was small. 6lbs at 40+2. But I am petite. My OB/GYN warned me my stature might result in a c-section but I forgot about it. I'm hoping now that because of pregnancy my hips and pelvis will be a little wider and I might have the slightest chance of a VBAC. I don't want to be induced either. I know if I have to have another c-section though, I'll be okay with it because it's not an EMCS.

Have you read "guide to childbirth" by Ina May Gaskin? There's techniques for ladies with small pelvises to help with VBAC. it also has a VBAC section and an ELCS section, with stats although mostly for USA....still, it's a very interesting read.

 

[opalfruits]

When I gave birth to my baby boy who was big weighing 10lbs and 10.5ozs he was born with a small ring of moulding on his head t was right on the top of his head as he was back to back the whole time, His heart rate dropped a few times to 40bpm and they rushed me in for emrc I had pre elampsia and had full body odema too, so much so they could barely examine me.... anyway when my baby boy was born at "42+1" my dates say 41w they looked at him looked at me and said youd be lucky to birth a 6 pounder love... charming! How can they tell this? they told me he was too big to come out?
I am 5 ft 3in and "big boned" when I am the same size as my friends in clothes I always weigh 14-18lbs more than them? my feet are a size 5-6.
I was told all the way through (as I measured 4 weeks+ most of the time) that "your body will not grow a baby too big for you to birth"
I did have the diabetes test both pregnancies and they were negative.
Thanks for listening xxxx

 

[chuck]

That adage your body wont grow a baby too big to birth is usually true, it may be a difficult birth possibly but women birth bigger babies all the time...they VBAC them too.

Often women will birth a baby in proportion to their size I guess but not always, mind you I only talk form experience reading birth stories and and from birthing blogs.

It is actually very difficult to state categorically that a baby is too big to come out of your vagina. The key factors are the size of the opening of your pelvis and the circumference of babies head and shoulders (bearing in mind babies head is designed to squish A LOT!). Now the only way these can be found out is via ultrasound - which is you are an NHS patient even your green notes will tell you can be up to 20% out.

So if 1 US scan says well your baby is big a second person the same day may scan you and measure you differently...same goes for fundal height measurement - notoriously unreliable.

But anyway, you did have a bigun in there you could expect to have another biggun but no reason why you couldn't VABC at all...unless of course you suffer the same complications again. You had very good reason for you EMCS last time - a back to back baby and the extra complications do not make for a good labour do they.

Given that you laboured last time you would stand a really good chance of a VBAC hun.

I have some stories of VBAC big babies somewhere..I'll see if I can find them.

 

[chuck]

Here are 2

https://www.bigbaby.org.uk/vbacs_with_a_big_baby.html

 

[MrsPOP]

Yeah thats another worry for me for VBACing. Alice was a big girl 8lbs 14oz when she was born at 41+3 and they always say dont they that the second babies are even bigger? I was never offered a GD test but I will be demanding one next time. However Im not a small girl (although short) and Ive got a fat ass so always assumed I had good ol 'childbearing hips' as they call em. I got to 8cm but Alice was OT presentation (Occiput Transverse) and wouldnt come down at all into my pelvis, that and 4 fetal blood samples and all the fun that comes with a pre-eclampsia induction...*shudders*

The more I think about it, the more I am determined to VBAC in a pool. Women deserve the birth they want! I was so naieve when I was pregnant and never realise why ladies on here were so anti-NHS (I work in the NHS) and it used to piss me off but now...oh gosh now do I realise why a good birth experience is so important and why ladies feel the way they do when the maternal care in this country is an utter shambles.

Ahem...rant over. lol.

 

[chuck]

Both my sons were the same weight to the gram

4050g
6lb 11oz

DS1 was 41+3
DS2 was 40 (on his EDD)

weird eh?

Anyway here is a story that'll have you getting misty eyed...I nearly justcried my heart out

A VBA3C...LONG labour with a fused sacrum, massive fibroid, forcps, episiotomy, NO PAIN RELIEF and very very much awesome

https://birthwithoutfearblog.com/20...-needed-interventions-and-pure-determination/

 

[heavyheart]

hi there i would really love to join this thread having a vba2c is my goal. I had emsc withmy first daughter due to her being stuck in an awkward position and the ended up in distress. Aw it was awful id never even read up on c section id just never thought id need one . The recovery was the worst thing ive ever gone through in my life, i ended up with an infection but the thing worse than the physical pain was the emotional trauma which lead to pnd.

When i was pregnant with my my 2nd daughter i longed for vbac i read up on it and went in with facts and loaded with information expecting a fight but to my surprise they agreed to it. However due to medical neglagence iwas told my diabetes testing was fine when infact it wasnt so i went weeks with gd with no treatment. When my bump measured so big they then discovered the error and i was put on insulin for the last few weeks but the error caused me to have a big baby. From that point they still agreed to vbac but told be basicaly i would probably end up with another section! I went into labour myself 7days late, lasted hours at home till contractions came so strong they ended up 90secs apart iwas 6cm on arrival, i was strapped up and not aloud to get off the bed and from there things went down hill. Hours later i got an epidural so i could rest iwas 9cm then suddenly i had doctors in telling me to give it up and have a section cause she just was too big to come out, so i did. I felt like an utter failure the only positive was that physical recovery was SLIGHTLY better and no infection so was healed quicker.

Ive already had it confirmed that i have the startings of diabetes but thankfully will be monitored closely from next week, this has scared me slightly as i know with 2 sections and gd against me the hospital arent going to be supportive but iam going to to my best.

sorry for the long post, i sure can go on xx

 

[chuck]

Welcome heavyheart!

What's your EDD I'll add you to the front page. Always good to see more VBAMC's!!

Keep that GD monitored and all will be fab!

 

[opalfruits]

That adage your body wont grow a baby too big to birth is usually true, it may be a difficult birth possibly but women birth bigger babies all the time...they VBAC them too.

Often women will birth a baby in proportion to their size I guess but not always, mind you I only talk form experience reading birth stories and and from birthing blogs.

It is actually very difficult to state categorically that a baby is too big to come out of your vagina. The key factors are the size of the opening of your pelvis and the circumference of babies head and shoulders (bearing in mind babies head is designed to squish A LOT!). Now the only way these can be found out is via ultrasound - which is you are an NHS patient even your green notes will tell you can be up to 20% out.

So if 1 US scan says well your baby is big a second person the same day may scan you and measure you differently...same goes for fundal height measurement - notoriously unreliable.

But anyway, you did have a bigun in there you could expect to have another biggun but no reason why you couldn't VABC at all...unless of course you suffer the same complications again. You had very good reason for you EMCS last time - a back to back baby and the extra complications do not make for a good labour do they.

Given that you laboured last time you would stand a really good chance of a VBAC hun.

I have some stories of VBAC big babies somewhere..I'll see if I can find them.

I've had another baby since this first time, my daughter, she was born at 38w0d and was 58cm long and weighed 9lbs1oz, they scanned me a few days before and predicted 10-11lbs
She was so dinky tiny it was unreal! the worse thing is I was in slow labour all by my self at 37+6 I had a run of contractions and a few of them felt "different" so they told me to come in for a trace, everything was going great they were gettin ever so slightly stronger and i was walking around and bouncing on the ball trying to get the head to press down to dilate me, I could feel the difference between sitting back and using the gravity.

THEN they plonk me flat on my back fr 20 minutes to trace the babys heart and bam they stopped, she checked me before I left I was 70-80% effaced cervix was very short very soft and easily 2cm, so on the brink of active labour, they told me it probs stopped coz she was too big.

so a few hours later the next morn I came in for my "elective" (forced, scare mongured into) c-section which Im really pissed off about

If they'd had faith in me I would have been fine to vbac, but during my pregnancy both my grand parents had died (the only ones I have) and my Dad in a coma to come out of it, to be told he was terminal I was not mentally in a place to stand up for my self, they can watch out this time!! lol!

I do believe I can have a natural birth, thats got to be a start
and I'm losing my grief/ after baby PND weight 60lbs by sept (when we TTC) to give me the best possible chance!

 

[heavyheart]

Welcome heavyheart!

What's your EDD I'll add you to the front page. Always good to see more VBAMC's!!

Keep that GD monitored and all will be fab!

Thank you

My EDD is 17th july xx

 

[chuck]

I've had another baby since this first time, my daughter, she was born at 38w0d and was 58cm long and weighed 9lbs1oz, they scanned me a few days before and predicted 10-11lbs
She was so dinky tiny it was unreal! the worse thing is I was in slow labour all by my self at 37+6 I had a run of contractions and a few of them felt "different" so they told me to come in for a trace, everything was going great they were gettin ever so slightly stronger and i was walking around and bouncing on the ball trying to get the head to press down to dilate me, I could feel the difference between sitting back and using the gravity.

THEN they plonk me flat on my back fr 20 minutes to trace the babys heart and bam they stopped, she checked me before I left I was 70-80% effaced cervix was very short very soft and easily 2cm, so on the brink of active labour, they told me it probs stopped coz she was too big.

so a few hours later the next morn I came in for my "elective" (forced, scare mongured into) c-section which Im really pissed off about

If they'd had faith in me I would have been fine to vbac, but during my pregnancy both my grand parents had died (the only ones I have) and my Dad in a coma to come out of it, to be told he was terminal I was not mentally in a place to stand up for my self, they can watch out this time!! lol!

I do believe I can have a natural birth, thats got to be a start
and I'm losing my grief/ after baby PND weight 60lbs by sept (when we TTC) to give me the best possible chance!

Over 9lb dinky!!!! LOL you do grow em big LOL they would have dwarfed my under 7lbers!

The last bit I've embiggen is the key...you have been there you know how it goes and you now know what you can do! Read the newest story i posted about the VBA2C mama with super long labours due to her fused sacrum - she had forceps and delivered vaginally all without any pain relief! If she can VBAC we all can!

 

[opalfruits]

I've had another baby since this first time, my daughter, she was born at 38w0d and was 58cm long and weighed 9lbs1oz, they scanned me a few days before and predicted 10-11lbs
She was so dinky tiny it was unreal! the worse thing is I was in slow labour all by my self at 37+6 I had a run of contractions and a few of them felt "different" so they told me to come in for a trace, everything was going great they were gettin ever so slightly stronger and i was walking around and bouncing on the ball trying to get the head to press down to dilate me, I could feel the difference between sitting back and using the gravity.

THEN they plonk me flat on my back fr 20 minutes to trace the babys heart and bam they stopped, she checked me before I left I was 70-80% effaced cervix was very short very soft and easily 2cm, so on the brink of active labour, they told me it probs stopped coz she was too big.

so a few hours later the next morn I came in for my "elective" (forced, scare mongured into) c-section which Im really pissed off about

If they'd had faith in me I would have been fine to vbac, but during my pregnancy both my grand parents had died (the only ones I have) and my Dad in a coma to come out of it, to be told he was terminal I was not mentally in a place to stand up for my self, they can watch out this time!! lol!

I do believe I can have a natural birth, thats got to be a start
and I'm losing my grief/ after baby PND weight 60lbs by sept (when we TTC) to give me the best possible chance!

Over 9lb dinky!!!! LOL you do grow em big LOL they would have dwarfed my under 7lbers!

The last bit I've embiggen is the key...you have been there you know how it goes and you now know what you can do! Read the newest story i posted about the VBA2C mama with super long labours due to her fused sacrum - she had forceps and delivered vaginally all without any pain relief! If she can VBAC we all can!

Heya coughs* @dinky comment, Yeah well dinky to me maybe then he he he I did read it, I thought there was so many times where if someone popped thier head round the corner they would have said "Ohh bad things going on, quick section!" and I think its really great that diddnt happen and yes she did it bless her!! very inspirational she is amazing

I can post some pictures of my two, do I have a profile or anything on here where I can add some pictures? xx

Thank you Chuck for taking the time for me

 

[chuck]

New birht story up on front page.

HBA2C baby born in the caul

 

[opalfruits]

New birht story up on front page.

HBA2C baby born in the caul

I can't find it, do you mean page one of this thread?

I just found a lovely one its a vbac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMPuL8vDovk&feature=related

 

[chuck]

yup yup the first page, in the spoilers

Lovely Video!
X

 

[Melissa_M]

I'm hoping to add my VBAC birth story to this thread in the near future

Had my doctor's appointment today and I'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced...baby is definitely engaged...so that's promising that she's in the right position!!! Oh and the nurse said she could also feel the baby's hair
My doctor seems very confident that I will have a successful VBAC and he didn't even utter the word "c-section". That makes me very confident Okay, off to bounce on my yoga ball Wish me luck!

 

[mrsraggle]

Titch is now head down (was breech) so I'm all go go go for a VBAC! Full term tomorrow

 

[NickyNack]

Ooh how exciting ladies!! Good luckfor VBAC's soon!!

 

[Lownthwaite]

Just watched OBEM and scared myself silly with the though of baby #2!!

I wonder if they'll show a VBAC??

 

[opalfruits]

Oh LADIES!!!!!! HOW EXCITING

All the best with everything just believe in your self and stick to your gut feelings! no pun intended