Hbac?

[mommy2jonah]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I have a VBAC and homebirth question.

Anyways, we have been planning a VBAC in the hospital. They are very supportive, I have a very supportive midwife as well. So we go this evening to do the tour and I see as we are walking in restrictions on visitation. So I ask immediately what this means for my 23 month old son. No way he can visit or be there right after the birth much less participate if we decide to do that. Of course it is because of the flu and h1n1.

I am 7 weeks away from my edd. I have been toying with the idea of having this baby at home for well over a month now. I just felt though that I had already made this plan and I should stick with it. Oh and my midwife group only does vbacs in the hospital so I would have to find a new one which I think I can.

Am I crazy? I just can't imagine that my 23 month old is going to be ok without seeing us at all for 48 hours and then we come home with a baby that is taking all his attention away. I am afraid it would be more of a disaster this way. We are very much attachment parenting and he is rarely away from us so it is going to be a tough time for him when we do have this baby. I am scared of scarring him with being away. He is very sensitive and loves his mama/papa. Please encourage me so I can figure this mess out. Oh and DH is totally supportive.

[LiLStar]

I had an HBAC and it was wonderful! If its what you want, contact a couple midwives for an interview

[MsBlack]

Not only do I agree that it will be better for your toddler (and the baby and the whole family) if you have a homebirth, IMO it will also raise your chances of actually having your vbac if you stay home. It's totally not too late! I know one vbac mama who didn't switch to hb until 38.5 weeks, when she finally realized how hard it was really going to be, to get her vbac in the hospital.

If you know how to reach midwives, then get on the phone ASAP! And have a lovely birth.

[mommy2jonah]

Thanks ladies. I read a book about a month and a half ago and that seemed to be the theme ... hbac or fight to get your vbac and mostly likely have a c/s. That got me wanting it more and more. Now this so I am feeling a huge peace. I am calling today to set up interviews.

[LiLStar]

I loved how the transition went for my 2 year old with the HBAC. After I'd called the midwives and started prepping the tub (between ctx! lol) I just started talking to her, that the baby is going to come out soon, and tonight (and only tonight) I wouldn't be able to read books or give her nursies before bed or sit in her chair (like I always do until she falls asleep) but that S (doula) would read her books and sit in the chair. She played in the tub with me once it was filled for a few minutes, then one of my doulas put her to bed, telling her that when she woke up she'd have a baby brother (not a promise *i* would have made, lol, but she did turn out to be correct) I think me explaining to her what was going to happen and why helped her to go down pretty easy for someone she didn't know well. And I know she could sense that something was going on! when she woke up, dh brought her into bed with us to meet and tandem nurse for the first time. Such a natural, normal transition with minimal disruption to her routine.

[ErinsJuneBug]

Go for it! I had an awesome HBAC in July (and i switched to my midwives at 38 weeks!)

[ShwarmaQueen]

Ability to switch MWs AND a supportive DH? What are you waiting for??

I knew I was up against the odds when my OB office wanted to schedule my RCS at 7 weeks. I made my MW my one and only and haven't looked back since!

[Nikki74]

I switched from a hospital birth to a homebirth with an independent midwife, at 38 wks pg. It was the best decision I could have made. The birth was fantastic, and my in-laws were upstairs with my oldest child the whole time, and he was brought down about half an hour after the birth to meet his new sister.

I'm having another HBAC this time round with the same midwife...

[sweetpea_119]

Good luck!!! I had an awesome HBA2C & will never attempt to deal with a hospital again (barring actual medical reasons!)! Although we did send the older two away last time, it was great that my mil brought them back right away to see the new baby & we didn't have to worry about hospital rules for them...or me!

[AmmiK]

Originally Posted by ShwarmaQueen

Ability to switch MWs AND a supportive DH? What are you waiting for??

[liberal_chick]

I had a HBAC in March and it was such an amazing experience. Go for it!

[gabeyho]

I had an HBAC with my dd2. It was wonderful, and I didn't have to deal with any of the 'hospital policy' stuff, which was the main reason we chose HABC in the first place. All natural, at home, ds never even missed us; he woke up and there was a new baby!

[ACsMom]

Have you been able to set up interviews yet? I'm glad you decided to call.

I'm planning an HBAC, also. I set this up in the middle of my pregnancy after weeks of being exhausted and stressed out from fighting with OBs, nurse-midwives, and nurses about getting my VBAC. Now that I'm disconnected from all that, my stress level is waaaaay down, and all I have to do is take care of myself and my baby and my 3 y/o and enjoy the pregnancy. What a novel feeling!! And btw, I'm ecstatic that my daughter will be there for the birth, however she wants to be, and I don't have to send her away. She's been so interested in the new baby, so excited to be getting a little sister, always asking me questions. It would be really sad if she couldn't be a part of the birth experience.

[kltroy]

Of course posting this in the homebirth forum, you will get a sample of replies that encourage home birth. Just wanted to share some of my decision making process with my VBAC last summer. I too planned a hospital VBAC and had a very supportive place to do it. We made arrangements to have some close friends come over to take care of my 24 month old son when the time came. We made a pretty concerted effort to make sure my son saw a lot of these friends in the weeks leading up to the birth, and my mom was in town, though she planned to attend the birth with my husband (mom was my doula/labor support). Anyway, the reality is that it was nowhere near 48 hours that we were away from our son. I ended up at the hospital earlier than planned due to a worrying NST - but was in early labor at the time. DH picked my son up from daycare and met our friends back at our place while my mom stayed with me in the hospital. Once my son was all settled and fed, he came back to the hospital and our friends put him to bed and stayed the night (with their 1-year-old son). Claire was born at 3:26 AM the next day - I had a fabulous natural VBAC with no interventions - and my mom went back to our place at around 5:00 AM to sleep. Our friends stayed around until noon that day (so my mom could sleep) and then headed home. I was perfectly content with a few hours to myself and my new baby at the hospital that day while my husband, son, and mom did a little shopping (to buy a gift for the new baby) and my son met her for the first time around 12 hours after her birth.

So... I'm not remotely anti-home birth - I think they're great if that's what you want - just wanted to point out that it CAN work and work well. You'll find a solution that works for you. Best of luck.

[Mom2SammyJoe]

These were my thoughts as I considered my HBAC...

I know how things happen in the hospital. I have experienced that, and it was a lot of work without the best outcome. Maybe if I do things a different way, I will have a different outcome.

And out she came, out of my vagina

[tracymom1]

I had my HBAC in July. I am a registered nurse and have worked in L&D. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I would have ended up with another c-section at the hospital. I ABSOLUTELY cannot imagine having to go through labor hooked up to anything, having people in and out of my one tiny room, being restricted on food and drink, not being able to have my son there, etc... In the hospital they set you up to fail - at home, everything works in your favor.

HBAC is such an amazing and beautiful thing. I cannot imagine my life right now without having that wonderful experience. It was peaceful and private, comfortable and joyous.

[mommy2jonah]

Thanks ladies! I got the number to a midwife that I really want to use, I just need to call her. Maybe tonight. I will call tomorrow if I don't get a chance away tonight. For some reason I am so nervous. I know it is silly to be nervous but I just can't help myself. I guess I think she is going to say no and then I won't be able to find anyone. Silly I know.

[mommy2jonah]

I just wanted you guys to know we are officially home birthing! We "left" our provider and have already seen our new midwife. She is wonderful and we are oh so happy with her already. When we told our previous midwife group that we were having a home birth they were excited for us and wanted us to have the birth we desire. And we get our VBAC fee back! Yay! Anyways we are on our way now all we have to do is get it all together! Thank you again for the encouragement!