Any other VBAC-ers? - Page 5

[bignerpie]

Yes, it does talk about pain. A lot. I don't have any experience with Hypnobabies, so I can't compare.

The reason that I like BfW so much is that it doesn't tell you how to birth. I'm tired of reading about what I'm supposed to do. When I'm in labor, I don't want to have to remember what to do when or how to breathe or whatever. That may be perfect for some women, but it's not for me. I want to shut that part of my brain off, which is what BfW recommends. One of the things that really stood out to me was when the author talks about animals giving birth. They don't know how dilated they are, and no one tells them when to push. They haven't studied the stages of labor. They just do what they have to do. So if I have any kind of birth plan, it's "I'm going to do what comes naturally. Don't interrupt me!"

[Smurfy]

The prenatal class I took with my first was a Birthing From Within class.  I know I complain about the instructor, but I really did love a lot of the concepts.  Like Bignerpie said they don't tell you how to birth or how it should go, the entire theory is to birth how you feel you need to in the moment.  We worked a lot with holding ice and trying different pain coping methods while squeezing an ice cube for a length of time, which can become painful but you're only holding it for the length of a typical contraction so you shouldn't get frost bite.  They have a lot of great pain coping methods too, non-focused breathing was my favorite. 

[wombatclay]

BfW really is a love/hate book... I think in part because it's so "hands on".  You either really get into the birth art and activities, or you don't.  :)

In terms of philosophy, BfW is pretty much the gold standard of "birth hurts but you're strong and will survive this rite of passage" and then gives all sorts of ideas for becoming stronger and more aware before and during the birth.  It's more flexible than something like Bradley or Lamaze (where specific coping techniques are stressed over others, and where they is more of an element of "do this at this time, do that at that time") since it's goal is to help you find your individual unique strengths and helping you face your own specific fears.  BfW offers a doula training/certification program so if you really resonate with their philosophy you may be able to find a doula who has been trained in that specific manner.  It's one of the newer doula programs (maybe 5-6 years now?) so I don't know how many are out there, but it would be worth checking their website!

The self-hypnosis for birth programs (HypnoBabies, HypnoBirth, HypBirth, etc) tend to be at the other end of the philosophical spectrum, focusing on the idea that birth doesn't have to be painful and that much of the pain felt in the birth process is the result of pre-conditioned responses that can be changed through the use of self-hypnosis and related techniques prenatally and during the birth itself.  Some programs are more flexible than others in the number and variety of preparation and coping techniques they teach (HypnoBabies tends to offer more options than HypnoBirth, but in large part that's because HypnoBirth is supposed to be taught in a class setting where the instructor can provide customization but in reality many moms just have the HypnoBirth book and are working on their own).  There are doulas trained in various self-hypnosis for birth techniques too, so again, that might be something worth seeking out if you really resonate with this philosophy.

Anyway, the self hypnosis programs generally ask moms to stay away from books/programs that will reinforce the cultural assumption of birth=pain (even if that program is shifting the mentality to be birth=pain but you are stronger than the pain) so yeah... BfW has some wonderful ideas that would work well with just about any birth prep program (if you like crafty/birth art/visualization stuff) but it might be a good idea to have a friend or partner go through the book and pull out ideas for you if you're trying to avoid the "birth hurts" framework.

Hmmmm... I haven't really done much "birth reading" this time round.  I have a whole stack of books gathered over the years (this is babe #4, I've been a doula for 5 years, and an ICAN leader for 4 years and as a librarian?  Books galore!  lol) but none of them have really been calling to me.  I've flipped through the Sears Pregnancy book a few times to remind myself of various pregnancy milestones, but I just can't seem to find the time to pull anything else out.  Which is odd because last pregnancy I was all about books.

There are a lot of VBAC and CBAC stories on the ICAN forums and in various ICAN blogs.  In terms of VBAC prep I found those forums to be really helpful because there's such a wide variety of women posting... I love mdc but the unifying element of mdc is "natural family living" while the unifying element of ICAN is having had a cesarean.  It was somehow comforting to see the photos (vbac, cbac) and know that every single woman there had been through the same surgery as I had.  And the repsonses to that surgery were really varied... some were mourning, some were ok, some wanted a vbac and got one, some wanted a vbac and got a cbac, some wanted a rc/s, and so on.  So if you're looking for really varied birth stories that all start with a prior cesarean, that might be the place to go.

Overall I'm a big fan of Penny Simkin and Sheila Kitzinger.  I like the Labor Progress Handbook a lot (intended for birth support people, but readable by anyone) but it's not a birth story sort of book... it's mostly a flow chart sort of thing (if X is happening, consider these options and each of those options might lead to these downstream results) but I enjoyed the information overload.

Have you checked out the titles listed in the VBAC resource thread?

[konayossie]

Thanks for the many suggestions, Wombatclay. Penny Simkin's The Birth Partner was actually one of my fav books from last time (even though I bought it for DH??). If it hadn't been for that book, I would have known little to nothing about many of the interventions we ended up using to try to avoid a c/s (I never heard of amnio-infusion till her....). I will def. check out the Labor Progress Handbook. I will also check out the ICAN forums. I read a bit over there every now and then, but haven't paid much attention to birth stories.

[wombatclay]

Just took the one hour GTT (required for VBAC moms in my area)... it was a pain in the bum since I had to do the whole thing at the lab (from initial drink to blood draw) and the lab was adamant that I not "move around" during the hour. Thankfully DH was there with me to wrangle the three other kiddos, but it was annoying, took several hours (45 minutes to the lab, nearly an hour waiting to get in to drink the solution, then the hour wait, then 45 minutes home), and I discovered new heights (lows?) of crankiness as a result of nearly a half day of fasting and glucola binging.

I hope I passed... if not, I'll need to do the 3 hour test.  And if /that/ fails then my VBAC will be under pretty tight guidelines.  So fingers crossed for happy news at my appointment on Friday!

[Ms. B. Sprout]

 

Originally Posted by wombatclay 

Just took the one hour GTT (required for VBAC moms in my area)... it was a pain in the bum since I had to do the whole thing at the lab (from initial drink to blood draw) and the lab was adamant that I not "move around" during the hour. Thankfully DH was there with me to wrangle the three other kiddos, but it was annoying, took several hours (45 minutes to the lab, nearly an hour waiting to get in to drink the solution, then the hour wait, then 45 minutes home), and I discovered new heights (lows?) of crankiness as a result of nearly a half day of fasting and glucola binging.

I hope I passed... if not, I'll need to do the 3 hour test.  And if /that/ fails then my VBAC will be under pretty tight guidelines.  So fingers crossed for happy news at my appointment on Friday!

[konayossie]

Did you pass your GTT, wombatclay? Mine is scheduled for next Fri. Your experience sounds miserable--I am soooo NOT taking DS to that appointment!
 

Originally Posted by wombatclay 

Just took the one hour GTT (required for VBAC moms in my area)...  So fingers crossed for happy news at my appointment on Friday!

[wombatclay]

After all the drama on my end, it turns out the lab had their own "day o fun"... apparently shortly after my blood draw all their computer systems went down.  They've been processing the tests done that day sort of my hand and a GTT is way down at the bottom of the backlog pile.  At my regular midwife appointment yesterday they didn't have the results yet.  They said they'd call if anything looked off, but I've now moved into the "every two weeks" group meaning I'll be back in the office on July 1st and they were sure they'd have the results by then.

And very cool news... several of the local doulas have (over the past few years) started midwifery school.  And one of the former doulas, now shiny new midwife graduate, has been hired by the practice I'm using!  Now there will be 4 midwives (instead of 3) and two of them are bend over backward yay natural birth advocates!  w00t!

[konayossie]

Great news about the new midwife, wombat--that's awesome! Hope the test results are good when they get to them.

[bignerpie]

I'm back with my review of the Spinning Babies workbook. I just read through it today, but I didn't try belly mapping yet. It says to wait until about 32 weeks, so I still have a few weeks to go. I'd recommend buying it or borrowing it if you're at all concerned about fetal positioning. It is much more detailed and step-by-step than the website. I find the website difficult to navigate, but all the info is really spelled out clearly in the book. It has circles that you can fill in, and a transparency that you can line up your circle to figure out positioning.

I'm finding that the further along I get with this pregnancy, the more I feel like an idiot. My chiropractor will say, "Ok, now turn onto your right side" and it takes me a minute to figure out what she's saying. That's just one example, but it's happening constantly. I told my midwife about it, and she said it's a good sign. It means my left brain/intellect is taking a backseat in preparation for labor. The reason I bring this up is because the workbook is easy to use, even if you feel like a big dummy like I do right now... 

[konayossie]

Thanks for the Spinning Babies Workbook review, bignerpie. I may look into it was this new LO seems to flip a lot more than DS1 did.

I had to do the GTT today. Is it normal to be told "no water" after drinking the nasty glucola? I had brought a big ice water with me to drink while waiting, and the woman who gave me the glucola told me absolutely not....that it would dilute the sugared stuff. Just thought it was strange--no one told me that last time.

I also found out that I will have to have a VBAC "consult" with an OB (I am seeing a CNM group) so that I can be "fully informed of the risks and benefits--mostly the risks."   Anyway........she said that would be a good time to talk to the OB about my wishes if I do end up with a c/s although it was no guarantee of compliance since I'd just end up with whatever OB is on call when I go into labor. The CNM also seemed really doubtful about my convincing the OB to do delayed cord clamping in a c/s situation. I guess I need to go to the consult prepared with the all the studies about it and tell them other hospitals/OBs are doing it (Dr. Fogelson from Academic OBGYN has great info on his blog about it, even in surgery situations).

I also have gained about 17 lbs to date (27 weeks), and the CNM was like, "Hmm, well, you need to start watching what you eat and maybe asking yourself if you really need it...." Sheesh......Now to be fair I have gained almost all of the 17 pounds in the last 2.5 months, which I understand can be concerning, but I just find it annoying that she was suggesting my eating habits are out of control, when I actually lost weight early on (with the same eating habits and no morning sickness). She did admit that she had no idea where the weight was hiding since people can't even tell I'm pregnant . . . Sorry about all the complaining! It was just sort of a grump-ifying appointment for me.

[wombatclay]

I was actually expecting a lecture on weight gain (29 weeks I've gained roughly 30lbs) but the midwife I saw never even commented on it.  LOL  One of the midwives in the group is very weight-focused so I know I'll hear the lecture eventually but till then I'm safe!

Of course, I'm not thrilled to have gained that much already... I gained a LOT of weight with my first pregnancy and was very uncomfortable/unhappy.  With my last two pregnancies my gain has been much lower (in the 30-40lb range) and I really hoped this time would be similar to that.

[Smurfy]

I've sunk into a really bad place right now.  Baby is still breech and my instincts tell me she's not going to turn, things already feel too tight.  I'm completely devastated by the probability that I'll have to have another scheduled, surgical birth, which will pretty much take away my chances of ever experiencing the aniticipation and excitement of going into labor, not to mention any part of the labor experience.  To make matters worse the OB I had last time, whom I liked because he shared a lot of the same opinions as me, is moving in October and may not take me as a patient, I'm still waiting to hear back from them.  To make matters even worse all the fun aches and pains have increased, hip pain, heartburn, leg cramps, leg and feet swelling, Braxton Hicks, and now unbearable eczema in all areas, yes even down there.  Now the Braxton Hicks are coming on stronger and more frequently and I'm having back aches, I may start timing the contractions just to see if there is any regularity.  My friend is currently at 4 cm and patiently waiting for labor to start, maybe it's all just sympathy labor. 

[Ms. B. Sprout]

Smurfy, I am so sorry you're feeling so crappy. Those are some very challenging circumstances. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself permission to feel bad without thinking you *need* to feel better. Anybody who wanted a VBAC would be hard-pressed not to be upset by the prospect of a repeat situation.

That said, it's been my experience that I cycle into a birth funk and then come back out of it -- so I hope the same is true for you and that you are feeling better soon!
 

Originally Posted by Smurfy 

I've sunk into a really bad place right now.  Baby is still breech and my instincts tell me she's not going to turn, things already feel too tight.  I'm completely devastated by the probability that I'll have to have another scheduled, surgical birth, which will pretty much take away my chances of ever experiencing the aniticipation and excitement of going into labor, not to mention any part of the labor experience.  To make matters worse the OB I had last time, whom I liked because he shared a lot of the same opinions as me, is moving in October and may not take me as a patient, I'm still waiting to hear back from them.  To make matters even worse all the fun aches and pains have increased, hip pain, heartburn, leg cramps, leg and feet swelling, Braxton Hicks, and now unbearable eczema in all areas, yes even down there.  Now the Braxton Hicks are coming on stronger and more frequently and I'm having back aches, I may start timing the contractions just to see if there is any regularity.  My friend is currently at 4 cm and patiently waiting for labor to start, maybe it's all just sympathy labor. 

[rareimer]

Aw, Smurfy *hug*  I really hope your little one decides to turn around.  there's still time!

[Smurfy]

Thanks, I'm trying so hard to shake myself out of this but it's been over a week and I am just so depressed, it's not only emotionally but physically exhausting as well.  I know there's still lots of time but I thought that with my son too and he never did turn, so I'm finding it very hard to have any hope that this baby will either.  I'm still doing everything possible, because I need to be able to say that I did, but I'm just having such a hard time coping, and I've still got 10 weeks to go.  I would give anything to be in my friends position right now, playing the waiting game of when will baby come, when will labor start?  Maybe that's why I'm having so many strong Braxton Hick's, I'm just that desperate to feel some sort of labor.  I see my midwives this week, I'm opting for a private appointment instead of the group ones, and it'll be the midwife I had for my sons birth so I'm comfortable with her so I'm hoping I can talk to her about this a bit.  Thanks for the support, I don't want to bring anyone else down but I really do need the support, hopefully I can shake this soon.

[Ms. B. Sprout]

You can always vent here without worrying about bringing anyone down! VBAC is an intense emotional experience and it's crucial to have support along the way.

I hope your conversation with your midwife brings you some peace of mind. Hoping for a good week for you!

[Smurfy]

Thanks!

Slightly more positive news today, my chiropractor thinks she may have turned, though she said that after I told her how doubtful and down I've become so maybe she was trying to bring back some positivity but who knows.  I see my midwife on Wednesday so she should be able to tell me a bit more.  I also got an appointment with the OB that delivered my son, SO happy about that, not only does he have an open mind and give me choices but the scar from my first c/s is literally gone, I actually have to feel to find it and even then it's only a slight bump.  Not that that's my biggest concern but it is a nice plus if that's the road I ultimately have to go down.  Finally I managed to get in to see my dermatologist today for all of the troubles I've been having with eczema.  He's booked until December right now so I lucked out and got a cancelled appointment. 

[Ms. B. Sprout]

I hope your midwife can confirm a turned baby for you! Glad to hear things are looking up a bit.

I have fallen into a birth-risk worrying funk yesterday and today. I am worried about GBS, even though it's too early to test and I am just borrowing trouble. I don't know, it's just one of those things that is complex and my brain seems to love to just hold onto it and think through every angle of the statistics. Even without IV abx, I am still statistically slightly more likely to experience UR than I am to have a GBS infection in my baby -- so why am I considerably more worried about GBS than UR? Ugh. So illogical, the pregnant brain.

So, my game plan for popping myself back into a less funky mindset -- which is important because I have two kids to parent (and mama has been really irritable for the past 2 days!) --  I am going to mindfully and intentionally put these worries in a box and revisit them when the time is right (35 to 37 weeks, not now). I am going to listen to my hypnobabies and try to return to more positive feelings about birthing. I have an appt with my chiro tomorrow morning, and with my doula after that. I can really talk my fears through with my doula; she's like a therapist to me! I am also going to get a lot of exercise today through Friday.

Hopefully that will do the trick.

[konayossie]

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better, Smurfy. Keeping my fingers crossed for a nice vertex position when your MW checks on him.

My little guy has been flipping and flopping in there--I know he's been breech b/c I've felt some giant kicks in my cervix. OWWWW...... MW said he was kind of transverse the other day at my appt. DS1 was vertex all the way, so I am telling myself there's no reason to worry about position at this point. (As if I listen to my more reasonable self....)