My search for a midwife for #2 (VBAC or HBAC)

[pants]

So I thought I would do a thread on my search for a midwife (home delivery or hospital delivery) as we plan for #2 TTC next year. For anyone interested. Even if it's just me reading this stuff. LOL It would help if I can just get some encouragement. I thought I could just update one thread instead of having to post a whole ton of threads.

Here's the back ground. My dh and I are TTC #2 next summer. My first was a picture perfect pregnancy. But I was the unfortunate product of too many interventions, an OB that was just finishing his on call duty and probably wanted to go home, L and D nurses that left me to labor on my own and honestly could care less or were just burned out, and no real help with laboring when labor got hard. So I had a C section. My goal for the next pregnancy and delivery is for a VBAC or HBAC with very little intervention. So my search is on now for just the right midwife and doula before we TTC. I interviewed the midwifes at the pro-vbac hospital about 40 minutes from my house in Dec (UPDATE ON THIS SEE POST #2). I start my interviews with homebirth midwives in the spring of next year. Then it's decision time. Keep us in your thoughts as we go through this journey.

[pants]

hospital midwife interview. So we had the hosptial midwife and labor/deliver tours last night. it was interesting. But my first impression brought me right back to the same feeling I had when delivering DS. It was way to medical. The MW did do a great job of trying to show us that a hospital delivery can be calm and not invasive. But with the monitors, screens, mirrors, uncomfortable lights, it just reminded me of my bad first experience. But I didn't let that discourage me. If I have to give birth in a hospital that would be the only one (out of 5 in my area) because they are the only one with midwives and the only one that is pro-vbac. Here are some stats on the midwives at the hospital.
( They do not do any home deliveries.)
The good: Their stats: 75% successful VBAC. No routine episiotomies only a .05% of them being done. BF 99% still at 6 weeks postpartum. Have a less than 10 % c section rate (hospital is around 30%). They encourage skin to skin before the baby is cleaned, they allow for delayed cord clamping and BF immediately after birth. Pushing is allowed and encouraged in any position!! (they have had a few births on the toilet, a few standing by the sink, a lot on hands and knees)

The bad: They will send to physician for a counseling session about the risks of VBAC. for VBAC they require continuous monitoring during labor (it is using a telemetry/mobil monitor that is waterproof). IV must be established but no fluid needs to be hook up. Can not eat during labor. Need the operative report from prior c-section to prove the scar is not a classical scar. Will do a VBAC only if the scar is not classical and will not do a VBAC on more than 2 prior cesareans. Other info: Will not deliver breech (some ob docs in the hospital will allow breech delivery). Will not deliver multiples. Will only allow up to 2 weeks past due date. High risk includes gestational diabetes that requires medication. High blood pressure that requires meds, baby growing slow, still born

The major plus for the hospital is that they have a free/volunteer doula service.

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 1/3/11 at 12:19pm

[pants]

Originally Posted by GoestoShow

Did you ask how many they see each year and of those many, how many are risked out before labor? A 75% VBAC rate is great, but I'd also be concerned that it's too great and that not as many women are being "allowed" to try for a VBAC with the midwives with a success rate that high --- as in, how many women started with the midwives but never got the chance to labor with them?

well I asked if I started my pregnancy as low risk what would it take to put me at high risk. And they answered with a lot of normal stuff, Extreme GD, Blood pressure issues requiring meds, baby not growing, multiples, breech presentation But I didn't get a full list from them printed. But good thought on that. I didn't think of that.