VBAC info/support

[bodi26]

Hi ladies. Update on me
I'm on hospital bedrest with a partial seperation of placenta, the other part fused to my previous scar, and there's a clot on another portion of it. I am here at the hospital until I have her. Goal is to not bleed. Out and to not have to do a csection until atleast 28 weeks! I won't be able to vbac, but I want to wish you ALL great vbacs and I will be stalking you!!!

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! Thinking of you

 

[stepmummy]

Hi ladies. Update on me
I'm on hospital bedrest with a partial seperation of placenta, the other part fused to my previous scar, and there's a clot on another portion of it. I am here at the hospital until I have her. Goal is to not bleed. Out and to not have to do a csection until atleast 28 weeks! I won't be able to vbac, but I want to wish you ALL great vbacs and I will be stalking you!!!

You poor thing! Sorry to hear your VBAC is out the window but so glad you're in the right hands and I hope LO can keep cooking for as long as possible. xxx

 

[proud mummy]

Hi all,

I have been lurking in here for a little while now so thought I would stop by and say hello.

I have found this thread brilliant and has gave me the confidence to tell my consultant exactly what I want.

I have two boys, my first was a natural delivery. My second was born by csection as he was breech the entire pregnancy.

This time I've said I'd like a vbac. At the minute baby is head down but not yet engaged so I know I'm in a good position.
I have consultant again in 3 weeks and after doin research I don't want to be induced. I'm not comfortable with the fact the risk of UR increases. So really it's a waiting game for baby to arrive. As I've experienced both vaginal and csection im happy to go with whatever. I'd just prefer not to have a section to avoid the recovery.

 

[proud mummy]

Sorry my post posted my message twice.

 

[stepmummy]

Hi all,

I have been lurking in here for a little while now so thought I would stop by and say hello.

I have found this thread brilliant and has gave me the confidence to tell my consultant exactly what I want.

I have two boys, my first was a natural delivery. My second was born by csection as he was breech the entire pregnancy.

This time I've said I'd like a vbac. At the minute baby is head down but not yet engaged so I know I'm in a good position.
I have consultant again in 3 weeks and after doin research I don't want to be induced. I'm not comfortable with the fact the risk of UR increases. So really it's a waiting game for baby to arrive. As I've experienced both vaginal and csection im happy to go with whatever. I'd just prefer not to have a section to avoid the recovery.

Hey! Hope everything goes well with your VBAC. I'm off to be induced in the morning and scared sh*tless if I'm honest, but trying to be positive! There are the gentler inductions methods of gels/pessaries and manual membrane rupture - one of which will hopefully work for me.

I'm not sure what my hospital's policies on using the pitocin drip on VBACers are, but I have read many successful VBAC inductions have included the very careful use of a bit of pitocin.

It seems the increased risk of UR demonstrated with the use of pitocin stems from overuse and lack of care by some hospital staff. In other words, they turn it on and whack it up to full! Very dangerous on any expectant mother.

From what I've read, the use of prostaglandin to induce doesn't seem to increase the risk hardly at all: It's pitocin that gives VBAC induction its bad name.

Hope some of that helps - well, hopefully you won't need to be induced at all! Best of luck

 

[proud mummy]

Aww thanks for that I will ask my consultant how they can induce etc.

Good luck for tomorrow hoping everything goes smoothly for you and quick too x will be looking out to see how you get on x

 

[NickyNack]

proud mummy, welcome

 

[bodi26]

proud mummy - I can't offer much advice on induction as it's not something I've looked at yet but you're already in a much stronger position for a VBAC purely because of you've already laboured and birthed naturally.

I hope you get the birth you want this time round and good luck with your consultant - I hope you get an understanding one




I have my first appointment with the VBAC guru/midwife at my hospital on Saturday; it's a group discussion and my one-on-one isn't until June. Not sure what to expect - I keep thinking she's gonna repeat all the risks associated with VBAC and how important constant monitoring is and all my own research is gonna slip out of my head and I'll end up doubting my decisions

 

[Jmommy]

Hi ladies! Can I join you please? I had my first child last July and am due again this July. Unfortunately I had to have a c-section last year because my son was breech and had other complications.and I was really hoping for a VBAC this time. I have been extremely excited about it but the more I read and think the more scared I am getting. I would just hate if I put my baby at any risk by trying for a VBAC. Sometimes I think maybe its not worth it. I mean the health of my baby is the most important thing, but I would really like to try! My doctor is fine with me trying for a VBAC, and she says that it should be fine, but I worry because I only had the c-section a year ago. I am just so unsure of what to do! Any advice would be wonderful! Thanks!!!

 

[NickyNack]

Hi jmommy. Welcome to the thread

The best advice we can give is arm yourself with knowledge and decide what's best for you. Only you can decide!

There's a wealth of info on page 1 - get stuck in

 

[1ouise]

Hi guys

I recently found out I'm due on Christmas Eve. Early days but I'm determined to have a VBAC this time. My son was breech so a c-section was a given.


My hospital is very keen on intervention so my chances of a VBAC aren't great. As I have never had a vaginal birth I don't think they'll want me to try. It's too much hassle for them.

What do you guys suggest? I live in the Midlands, UK, so if there's anyone vaguely local who has fought the system and won, I would love to hear from you.

 

[NickyNack]

There's no need to fight. In the uk we can decide and they have to abide, simple as. There's loads of info dotted throughout this thread, educate yourself and you will be more assertive about your choice, this will communicate to your docs and midwives. Don't let them scare you, double check everything they tell you as its been known for them to scaremonger, and take someone supportive with you to any meetings with docs, that's all the advice I can give you really!

If I can do it after three, you can after one.

Congratulations on your pregnancy btw!

 

[bodi26]

Jmommy & 1ouise

As NickyNack has said, knowledge is your power when going for a VBAC - do your research, be prepared and put the questions on them - they often can't answer with legitimate facts because procedures are there to make it easier for THEM, not for the best interests of you or your baby (sad, but true - everything's about saving money and doing things as quickly as possible, hence the sudden support for homebirths - every hospital birth costs about £600 more than a homebirth).


My group discussion with the VBAC midwife went well - she is lovely and I'm much happier about going to see her for my one-on-one. She did go over that we wouldn't be able to have water births, only when you're on VBAC #2 can they "allow" it but I didn't mention anything as other girls there were interested and I didn't want to jeopardise my own position by becoming the trouble maker

She also reiterated that the UR % that consultants like to throw around really isn't as bad as they make out and she refuses to call it a 'rupture' because that makes it sound catastrophic when really it isn't. In her 20+ years of midwifery, she says she's only seen it twice and both times mother and baby were absolutely fine - so that was reassuring!

 

[NickyNack]

Bodi are you not "allowed" in the water at all? Or just to give birth?

I was told I can labour in the water no problem, as long as I wear the fetal monitors, but incase I need tending to while pushing, it's easier for them to do so of I am out the water. Blood loss and rupture, for instance, so I gave in and compromised

 

[bodi26]

Yep, general policy is no water/pool/bath anything what-so-ever. I have argued my case in private with them including HoM, the midwifery panel, the VBAC specialist and the water birth specialist - it seems very much in my favour at the moment for them "letting" me have a water birth but their general policy is absolutely not because of constant monitoring - something I've again argued with them about lol

I guess I'll see for sure in June when I have my one-on-one..! The midwife I'm seeing has already changed guidelines from no water births for VBACs to water birth allowed after 1 successful VBAC so I'm hoping she'll help me..

I don't mind compromising and labouring in the water but getting out to deliver, I'd just like that option instead of feeling like I'm being sat in the medicated rooms (have to labour on delivery suite which isn't like the midwife led unit at all, where the rooms are nice and homely - the delivery suite is very sterile and medicated looking!) and being hooked up to god knows how many machines with everyone around me waiting for me to "fail" so they can cart me off to theatre...

Sorry, derailed a little but it irritates me when they won't 'let' you have options available to you that every other woman has, just because you've had a c-section and there are zero complications with the current pregnancy. Grrr lol

 

[NickyNack]

Yep, general policy is no water/pool/bath anything what-so-ever. I have argued my case in private with them including HoM, the midwifery panel, the VBAC specialist and the water birth specialist - it seems very much in my favour at the moment for them "letting" me have a water birth but their general policy is absolutely not because of constant monitoring - something I've again argued with them about lol

I guess I'll see for sure in June when I have my one-on-one..! The midwife I'm seeing has already changed guidelines from no water births for VBACs to water birth allowed after 1 successful VBAC so I'm hoping she'll help me..

I don't mind compromising and labouring in the water but getting out to deliver, I'd just like that option instead of feeling like I'm being sat in the medicated rooms (have to labour on delivery suite which isn't like the midwife led unit at all, where the rooms are nice and homely - the delivery suite is very sterile and medicated looking!) and being hooked up to god knows how many machines with everyone around me waiting for me to "fail" so they can cart me off to theatre...

Sorry, derailed a little but it irritates me when they won't 'let' you have options available to you that every other woman has, just because you've had a c-section and there are zero complications with the current pregnancy. Grrr lol

The HoM in the labour ward at Edinburgh royal infirmary - her name is mardie.

Tell your midwife to talk to her if you don't get any joy - she is very, very, pro vbac, and has offered to oversee my labor and agreed I can stay in the Ayer as long as I like, as long as I come out to deliver.

Some hospitals are so strict though, I'm a much higher risk apparently than a one time cs, so there shouldn't be a problem for you to at least labour in the water!!

Keep fighting and don't they have wireless monitors you can use underwater?

 

[chuck]

Helloooo ladies, just dropping by and I am chuffed to see so many new names popping up and you helping each other out, makes me smile.

 

[bodi26]

The HoM in the labour ward at Edinburgh royal infirmary - her name is mardie.

Tell your midwife to talk to her if you don't get any joy - she is very, very, pro vbac, and has offered to oversee my labor and agreed I can stay in the Ayer as long as I like, as long as I come out to deliver.

Some hospitals are so strict though, I'm a much higher risk apparently than a one time cs, so there shouldn't be a problem for you to at least labour in the water!!

Keep fighting and don't they have wireless monitors you can use underwater?

Thanks for that - I'm pretty confident in her response, I wrote to HoM directly and she consulted everyone else to script me a well rounded response which is generally very promising, she's asked me to keep her informed of how I get on too.

They told me in the response that they've ordered a wireless CTG monitor which can be used in the pool and that should be ready for when I'm due - keeping positive and if I don't get anywhere my one-on-one VBAC app then I'll be going straight back to the HoM lol

 

[bodi26]

Helloooo ladies, just dropping by and I am chuffed to see so many new names popping up and you helping each other out, makes me smile.

And thank you for creating this thread! It's so hard to find others in the same situation at times, it's good to chat and exchange experiences

 

[chuck]

I know I needed something like this when I was pg the second time, thankfully I found the support I needed in the natural birthing homebirthing and hopefuls thread - I planned to HBAC so it was great.

I figured I could make a thread that there always should have been and share some of the info I had put together.

Dont forget to PM me and links etc you want added