Dystocia Patient Seeking VBAC

[canadianhippie]

I had dystocia, or failure to progress in labour with my first, I had a emergency c-section after 36 hours of induced labour.

My case is tricky, mentally-I was prepared and fine. I made it through 33 of those hours without pain relief, until my body went into shock and began to shake uncontrollably and I could not stand or support my weight and was given an epidural

I had 2 cervical gels, 1 foley catheter and 8 hours of oxytocin drip.

After the foley cathedar I continued until the surgery contracting every 1min to 2 1/2 mins, with no stop of contractions.

The foley catheter painfully...very painfully, stretched me to 3-4cm and i never dilated more  

The ruling was that my pelvis did not expand, therefore the babies head could not push on my cervix to dilate it.

My son had two red impressions on his forehead and the back of head where he was being pushed into the canal but could not fit, he was only 7pounds and I am not a tiny framed women

None of the conventional birth methods for a VBAC apply to me, it was strictly a physical problem, I was 2 weeks over my due date on his b-day, I fought to extend induction but it didn't pan out

I am terrified to have another section, it was a terrible, terrible way to have a baby. I wasnt even fully frozen when they made the first incision, and my son spend 4 days in the NICU for wet lung as a result

I am scared I wont be able to under go another epidural (It took 7 times, no exaggeration, to get the needle into my back) and then the surgery that Ill need the anesthesia, then wake up to my baby instead...thats terrible, but so is the h*ll of a c-section

WHAT CAN I DO!!??

[Cynthia Mosher]

 Have you spoken to your doctor? Do you have a VBAC friendly doc?

[knittinmama82]

I would check to see if theres a local ICAN chapter near where you live.  It's a great way to get ideas on doctors/midwives from other women in your area and you get to tell you story to others who have been there and get support from them. HTH : )

[pokeyAC]

You can't tell how a baby will fit through your pelvis just by looking at someone.  It has nothing to do with how big or small you are or your hips are.  Also, every birth is different and the next time your labor could move along just fine.  It sounds like your first birth was pretty traumatic.  A big part of it could be getting back that confidence you had the first time around.  I agree with what the other folks said about talking to your doctor or midwife about your options for VBAC.  Maybe you could use some help getting the baby in a better position before birth.  You could check out the spinning babies website or see a chiropractor who has experience with positioning babies in the pelvis.  And if you still need to have a c-section, maybe you can talk to the doctor about how to make it go more smoothly this time.  Talk about how difficult the epidural was and see if there's some way to make it easier or if you can have a different Doctor administer it.  I hope everything goes smoothly!

[womenswisdom]

First, I would suggest cross-posting this in the vbac forum, as you will probably get more feedback on that aspect.

The way your body acts during an induction is not indicative of how your body might behave during a spontaneous labor. The primary cause of dilation is not the pressure of the baby's head on the cervix, it's the hormones that cause labor to start and continue. Those hormones soften your cervix, and then contractions help it to thin, move forward and dilate. If your body simply wasn't ready, no amount of drugs was going to make you dilate. There is a reason that for first-time moms having an induction the c-section rate is 40% and it's not because 40% of women have babies too big to fit through. True CPD (cephalo-pelvic disproportion-baby's head too big to fit through the pelvis) is very, very rare. It's far more likely that your body simply was not ready to labor and also that your baby may not have been in an ideal position.

If you are interested in exploring a vbac this time around, connect with ICAN. Start with their website at www.ican-online.com and join their forums. Post your story there and see how many other women have the same exact story as you and have gone on to have successful vbacs. Look through the vbac subforum here and you will find the same thing. Story after story of women who were induced, never got past x amount dilated and were told their babies were too big then went on to birth even bigger babies vaginally.

Here is my story: I was induced by having my water broken, labored just fine to 10 cm and then pushed hard for over three hours with no descent. My baby would NOT come out. I had a c-section and he was cut across the nose during it due to his position. He was 8#2oz but he was face-up (posterior), presenting a wider diameter of his head. Three years and 10 days later I gave birth to my daughter at home after 3 hours of labor and 1.5 hours of pushing. She was 8#2oz and was able to rotate to face-down (anterior) during labor thanks to chiropractic care and leaving my water intact, which gave her the space she needed and didn't drop her down to where she couldn't turn.

The key here is going to be finding a vbac-supportive provider who will give you every chance. I would also suggest you find a good chiropractor and a massage therapist experienced in prenatal massage to help make sure your body is well-aligned and will allow the baby all the room it needs to navigate your pelvis. Check out The Pink Kit for lots of information about how your body works during labor and what you can to do work with your body.

It doesn't sound like you are going to be okay with just scheduling a repeat section, so start now with finding out how you can make this time different. Do everything you that's within your power to make things go the way you think is safest for you and your baby this time around. Choose a provider and birth location that is compatible with what you want. Work with and on your body to ensure you are in the best shape physically to give birth. Have no regrets about not doing something you thought you should because you didn't educate yourself or believe in yourself. Believe me, it's much harder to come to this place having had 2+ cesareans, so this is your chance.