How did your first VBAC compare to your second?

[bensgirl1222]

I had a pretty rough delivery with Zachary and I'm hoping history won't repeat itself. I don't regret a thing but I can do without the 3rd degree tear, the vacuum extraction and the major loss of blood that caused me to pass out on the toilet right after birth. It also made me extremely weak and pale for weeks. I also would rather not push for 1.5 hours again.

I know none of this can really be avoided if it's what needs to be done but I was just wondering how your VBAC's compared to one another. Time in labor, time pushing, tearing, etc...

[MNHall]

I'd be interested to hear as well, as I too am preparing for my 2nd vbac.

My c/s was because I was pushing for 2 hours and my "time was up". Blah. So, in my VBAC, I went natural and expected the upright positions, movement, and so on to help with that pushing time. Instead, a pushed for 2 1/2 hours, after 90 minutes I got the epi so the doc could manually rotate baby's head, had an episiotomy, foceps, and fundal pressure. No regrets since it got me my vbac, but I'm really really hoping for what I want this time, not purely, "get the baby out vaginally"!

I've since done a lot of research about malpositioned babies and misalignment and found that I have really uneven hips and severely tight muscles in my right side in the pelvic/butt area, the side both of my babies got stuck on and never rotated down the birth canal. So, I'm stretching like CRAZY and visiting the chiropractor (just started this last week at 29 weeks after my first visit). So my hope is that my body will be in line and my baby will not have so much trouble decending. The way the chiro explained to me was my muscles are so tight on one side, the possibly were keeping my hips from spreading completely. We'll see, I'm hopeful!

So, I can't tell you about my second VBAC experience yet, need a couple more months of baking for that one, but I'm really hoping now that I know about my misalignment and tight right side and I'm doing something about it. Combined with being natural, not on my back, having the most supportive OB I've ever heard of, having a doula and the confidence to know I "CAN" birth a baby vaginally...this time will be the birth I've been dreaming of!

[minbad]

My first VBAC I pushed for an hour and 15 minutes, and they threatened the vaccuum extractor but ended up not using it. They did do an episiotomy. Second VBAC as soon as I was complete I felt the baby coming down on her own, w/ no effort on my part. I pushed for maybe 10 minutes? No episiotomy but I did have a 2nd degree tear along the scar from the old episiotomy.

Hopefully you guys will find the pushing stage much easier the 2nd time around as well!!

[wombatclay]

My first VBAC... SROM at 40 weeks and a few days. Labor was 12 hours from start to finish with ~4 hours of pushing. Used hypnobabies the whole time, pushed "on dry land" but used a tub before that. DD2 arrived while I was squatting but there was a shoulder dystocia that didn't resolve with the Gaskin Maneuver or McRoberts. My care provider had to reach in and manually rotate DD2's shoulder... dd2 suffered oxygen deprivation and I got a 4th degree tear. DD2 recovered well (they left the cord intact and put me on O2, did room air and massage on dd2 till she pinked up). I'd birthed med free but they hooked up an IV narcotic for my 45 minute long surgical repair. The repair was the single most painful experience in my life, but I don't regret the rest of the birth!

My second VBAC was 4.5 hours from start to finish! AROM at 42 weeks, I pushed for about 1 hour out of the 4.5. I did have a single shot of some narcotic that did absolutely nothing IMO but other than that there were no medical interventions. I again used a tub, then pushed side lying on the bed. (side lying being good for avoiding tears and SD) I had a small 2nd degree tear along the scar and ds's shoulders were "sticky" but there was no dystocia. That vbac rocked as soon as he was out. The actual "o-babe" experience was horrible though. I will never ever again envy a woman with a fast labor. The hypnobabies did nothing for what was essentially a 4hr long contraction. But I felt 100% fine within 2-3 minutes of his birth. So yay!

oh... dd1 was a c/s after a long labor in which I stopped dilating at 7cm no matter what we tried. 42+ weeks, pSROM, asynclitic, posterior, and 9lbs 6oz.

DD2 was 9lbs even at 40 weeks.

DS was 9lbs 8oz at 42 weeks.