If you had a VBAC, what was the reason for your c-section? - Page 2

[Aurora]

My first was an emergency c-section at 32 weeks. Ds stopped moving and I just felt like something was very wrong. I went into the hospital, they hooked me up to the moniters and found a heartbeat right away. I was so relieved but after he hadn't moved after 30 min in the hospital they tried buzzing him and not only did he not move but his heartrate didn't fluxuate. They called in my ob and sent me for an US. Turns out baby contracted GBS in utero and he was almost gone. He spent 3 weeks in the NICU and is a healthy happy 7yo now.

My second was a repeat for many stupid reasons. I was scared and my ob used that to get me to agree to the section. She is 5 now and just terrific.

I had my baby 14 months ago at home unassisted and is was amazing.

[elvispupy]

Originally Posted by stafl

hmmm.... internal monitors, perhaps? My DD had a small cut on the side of her head, and aslo a scab where the internal monitor was screwed into her scalp.

or amnio hook, with my VBAC my dr tried to break my water at 8cm, but I had labored at home in the water for a while and I guess it had broken in there because there was nothing to break, but my son had cuts on his head from that after he was born.

[thorn]

Originally Posted by proverbs31mommy

Some c-sections are necessary and some aren't, and I wouldn't waste emotional energy trying to figure yours out. Just look at your baby and thank God that you are a mother, no matter how it happened. Do your best to prepare for a vbac next time with good health and lots of info and great support. And whatever happens, you're a mom!!! And that's great!

I agree with that!

My c-section was because she was breech. I would have totally tried to have her turned (either webster or ECV) but we didn't know she was breech until they broke my water (I was being induced for high BP after 12 weeks of bedrest)

My doctor was very apologetic, both at the time and afterwards. She and another doctor both thought dd was head down, so I guess her ass just felt like her head!

Of course I didn't want a c-section but I am not going to spend one ounce of my time dwelling on it. She is here, she is wonderful, I am fine, and I will try my damndest for a VBAC next time! and insist on an u/s to make sure she is head down

[loving-my-babies]

My c-section was because dd was breech and she was in fetal distress. I had an uneventful VBAC almost 3 years later

[JayGee]

I had a VBAC last March.

My c-section was basically a failed induction/failure to progress. I was 10 days past my due date and I was showing signs of PIH (BP 140/90 and protein in urine), so they admitted me, started Prepadil and mag sulfate . 24 hours later I still had not progressed, so they began Pitocin. Another 16 hours on Pit and still only 3 cm, so I was rolled in for a c-section.

Inducing is a bad idea, especially when your cervix is not at all favorable.

[MarineWife]

My c-section was because of an infection I had that made it dangerous for baby to pass through the birth canal. I had a successfull induced VBAC almost a yeard ago.

[clewal]

My section was because my son was a footling breech. He was transverse at 37 weeks, and after that, they kept telling me he was head down. He was discovered to be breech when my water broke and I went to the hospital. The nurse on duty was checking the position or something, she said something doesn't feel right and went to go get the dr. Dr check me internally, asked if I had been told he was head down, I said yes, and she said well I feel a foot, not a head. He was born with a bruise on his butt in the exact same shape as my pelvis.

I vbac'd my daughter 3 years later. They started checking her position at 32-34 weeks. My original dr just barely felt for a head or a butt, and my midwives (it was a practice of 3), really pushed on my stomack to feel what was what. I was showing no signs of going into labor, and a c-section was scheduled at 41 weeks. I went into labor the weekend before my scheduled section and labored for 39 hours, my daughter had decided that she wanted to be sunny side up until the last minute.

[CortLong]

My section was for several 'reasons' but the biggest thing to the doc was CPD.

[Desdamona]

Originally Posted by E'smom

I've spoken to all 3 midwives in my practice and they are supportive of a VBAC. They just can't give me statistics on how likely it is but they have shared stories of women who VBACed larger babies with them after their first baby was "too large" or their pelvis was "too small." I don't plan to ttc for at least a year so I guess I'll think more about providers then.

Your baby wasn't LARGE at all. It sounds like you arrived at the hospital early and rather than trying to get you comfortable and letting you relax, maybe even sending you home, that the ticking clock was in full effect... Pit, Arom, ect...

I had a c/sect in 98 because of FTP, CPD, arrest of dilation... You name it, it is on my operative notes. After my BOW started leaking in the early AM, I was hooked to monitors, pit, IV by 12 noon. By 6pm I had an epidural. Started pushing flat on my back around midnight, FTP. Anterior lip began to swel... Have "negative" dilation. My cervix was so swollen that I was "back to 8cm". Finally after 16hrs of induction hell, I relented and had a c/sect. When DS#2 was born, everyone exclaimed, "THANK GOD you had hom surgically! He would have torn you to shreds". You see, my son was 9lb11oz. I am only 5'2" and pre-pg was about 120lbs.

In 2002, I gave birth at home to our 3rd son. The labor was long, almost 15hrs total. My ctx were close from the get go. 2-3 min apart, last 60-90 sec from 10am on. But I was still in a good mood, laughing and joking until almost 4pm. I swore with the way that the ctx were that I would have a baby by 2pm... Shame on me for putting a schedule on birth! :LOL My son was born with a nuchal arm (arm up by his head) which explained why my ctx were so intense and close together from the get go. He was 10lb 2oz with bigger head and chest measurements than his older brother who was delivered via c/sect. Right up to the moment of birth, the "What if's" played through my mind. I had doubts, albeit small doubts, that I could push this baby out of my vagina. It wasn't until I had his soft warm scalp in my hands as I continued to push every inch of him out that I really believed that I was going to give birth ON MY OWN!

I am now expecting our 4th child in the late spring. I eagerly await the journey to birth of this little being to unfold. And as "wierd" as it may sound, I look forward to the challenges of birth. I look forward knowing that I fully capable of birthing this little one.

Pelvises come in different sizes and shapes, just as we vary from individual to individual. Knowing what to do to increase our chances of sucessful VBAC is just as important as knowing that our bodies were perfectly designed. God, the goddess, Mother Nature, the fates (whatever you believe in) did not make us so that we could not birth our offspring. Pelvises loosen during pregnancy and expand during birth. Babies head's mold, rotate, flex and are born. We are not of a flawed design.

[thepeach80]

Originally Posted by elvispupy

or amnio hook, with my VBAC my dr tried to break my water at 8cm, but I had labored at home in the water for a while and I guess it had broken in there because there was nothing to break, but my son had cuts on his head from that after he was born.

No internal monitor, this could be an option I guess, but the sz of a golfball from it? It was a huge scab!

[tuffykenwell]

My c-section was due to a failed induction. They had already broken my water and the clock was ticking so off to surgery I went. Having my VBAC has healed much of my anger about my first birth experience but only if I don't dwell on it for too long :

With my vbac I was determined not to be meddled with during labour. I went into "labour" on Friday evening (contractions 6-10 minutes apart until very early Sunday morning then dropped to less than 5 minutes apart). At that point we went to the hospital for an outpatient consult with my mw because she was attending a birth there at the time. She checked me and I was 2-3 cms so we went home. She called around noonish on Sunday and I was still contracting so she came over to check on me. While she was here my contractions disappeared almost completely (like one ever 10-20 minutes). At that point she started talking about getting induced and I said that since I technically was no longer in "active labour" I would prefer to do nothing and I would call if anything new happened (at that point I was 41 weeks and they don't start getting to stressed out until 42 weeks at my practice).

I continued to have 1-2 contractions an hour for about the next 30 hours or so and then I decided to try a castor oil coctail. All of a sudden my contractions were every five minutes and STRONG!! Contractions started within 5 minutes of my drinking the castor oil "creamsicle" and were consistant. They started around 7pm. We called the mw at around 9:30 because I had decided that I didn't care what anyone did to me at that point so we might as well call the mw's in (ahem...I was in transition at that point but I didn't know it

The mw had me take a bath and said she would call back in 1/2 an hour and see if the cx's were coming quicker or slower at that point...20 mins later my DH was calling her back telling her I was starting to push....if you want to read the whole story LOL just click on "niamh" and go to the journal section of her webpage.

Anyway suffice to say that Niamh was born vaginally 5 hours after my first contraction AFTER the 30 hour stalled labour and 3 DAYS of prodromal labour. The problem with hospitals is they INTERFERE!!! Not all women labour on a pretty little curve but if you don't then they try to force you to.

If I had already been in the hospital or if I had agreed to "augmentation" when my labour stalled I truly believe I would have had a repeat c-section but because I stayed home I ended up with a rather exciting but very safe vbac (you'd have to read the birth story to get all the juicy details LOL!)

Anyway...I talked to my mother during and after my birth with Niamh and she had 2 labours exactly like that when she had her kids (ie long "prelabour phase" followed by a stall of a few days followed by a really quick "active labour") so I guess that is just the way my body needed to labour this time. Next time I will try not to monkey with the process and just be patient

You are not broken! There is a very long healing process (at least there was for me) after an unwanted c-section and there were times when I felt so betrayed by the mw's that had provided my care because I felt that vital details hadn't been mentioned about certain things (like the fact that induction on a first time mom increases your chance of section by almost double!) My mw's still insist that my DS was just "too large" to be delivered vaginally by me but I think they are wrong. I chose not to argue with them about it though because it didn't affect my birth this time (my DS was 9 pounds 11 ounces but my DD was only 8 pounds 3 ounces).

It will take time for you to get to a place where you can feel "okay" about your birth. I won't say that it will ever completely go away (it hasn't for me yet and I am approaching 3 years) but it won't always be so raw and painful (though you may go back and forth between being "okay" and being raw as you process your experience).

Please be gentle with yourself and realize that you did the best you could in the situation and mental state that you were in. Educate yourself yes but try not to tear yourself apart with what-ifs and if-onlys (I know that is easier said than done though).

Steph

[Electra375]

My 1st c/s was the cause of managed labor. I was put on pitocin for not going into labor with my water broken (fear factor -- Ian May Gaskin addresses this issue). I was told not to get out of the bed b/c I would throw off the EFM that was strapped to me. Not being able to move and being on pit made dealing with contractions near impossible, so I had an epidural. I was told to push before all the cervix was out of the way. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and he was still floating, he never engaged in the pelvis, I was never allowed to work him down during labor.

My 2nd c/s I was told to have a c/s b/c I had CPD and would not be able to birth a baby.

My 3rd I had learned a lot on these boards and talked with my doc about vbacing and subsequently I was terminated from the practice. I hired a mw, had a home birth and birth a baby almost as big as my first -- no cpd!!!

Birth weights
9.9
8.15 (schedule c/s, too early)
9.1

[Rachelsmom]

My first was c-section for footling breech. The doctor swore up and down she was head down. I thought something was up so I asked for a u/s, he refused to give me one. A week later my water broke @ 2AM. It was an hour drive to the hospital. When they finally checked me it was about 3:30AM and I was 6cm almost 7cm. That is when it was discovered she was breech. It sooo ticked me off but it didn't upset me until a few months later when I remembered the doc saying after the c-section that he wished we would have known she was breech! :

My 2nd was a very uncomplicated hospital VBAC(except for the 2nd degree tear). I had to fight hell and high water for my VBAC. We were living near the NC border in SC at the time and no doc or CNM within an hour of me would let me have a VBAC. So I went to NC and had my VBAC with a CNM!

NOW...I am planning, praying and anticipating a HBAC in June! I can't wait...neither can my oldest dd.

Here are their birth weights:

Rachel (c-section): 8 lbs 5 oz
Elisabeth (VBAC): 8 lbs 8 oz

[NoraB]

My c/s was for a breech baby and my amniotic fluid was too low to turn my DD. I didn't know anything about vaginal deliveries of breech and my OB told me the baby's head could get stuck and she could die. Sigh. I wish I'd done a little more research and at leat gone into labor before the c/s. At any rate, we're planning a VBAC w/ this baby.

[Orangey]

My daughter Alexin was born by c-section. She was still very high up when I reached 10 cm. When they checked me they felt her nose and eyes instead of the top of her head. After hours of pushing and trying to change her position she wouldnt budge. So, they did a c-section. Im glad I had the c-section, I feel I needed it, her face was pretty bruised and swollen when she was born. But with my second I saw a chiropractor to make sure the same thing didnt happen to my son. We wanted to make sure he was in the proper position. And he was and we had a successful HBAC.

[KariM]

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[mollyeilis]

KariM, I just wanted to say that I don't believe it was your anger that prevented you from vaginally birthing, but rather the people and situations that were causing you anger. Saying it was your anger is just another way of believing that you were broken, and I get sad when I hear people saying forms of that.

I had anger in my labor too, but it was simply a reaction the idiocy of those I trusted and hired...

But I think I saw in your sig, before I hit reply, that you already had an HBAC, so you know you're not broken, and that's good.

[NoraB]

Originally Posted by mollyeilis

KariM, I just wanted to say that I don't believe it was your anger that prevented you from vaginally birthing, but rather the people and situations that were causing you anger. Saying it was your anger is just another way of believing that you were broken, and I get sad when I hear people saying forms of that.

A lot of the reading I've done states that the laboring woman's emotional state can profoundly affect the progress of labor. It's the fight or flight response. Labor cannot progress when fight or flight is activated (evolutionary survival mechanism). Being angry or afraid can slow and even stop labor. It doesn't mean the woman has done anything wrong. I believe some of my deepseated emotional issues led to my c/s, but saying that doesn't mean I blame myself in any way. It's just part of the truth of what happen. Knowing that will help me work through them so that I can have a good birth this time. KWIM?

[mollyeilis]

I agree that the fight or flight response stops or slows labor; I just worry when people say it's their fault, like it's something they could control. I know I certainly could not control my response.


Background so you know where I'm coming from:

In my labor's case, my hubby recently described it as being "dropped at the dip".

I had a very long labor, but I loved it all (until I got to transition). I did feel like it was a dance. But all along the "midwives" I chose were trying to ruin the dance...turning up then down the music, changing the tempo, cutting in...Then transition hit and my husband lost his own footing...just when things should have finished beautifully and properly, they (the midwives and my husband), dropped me during the dip.

(I'm so glad my husband takes his share of responsibility, otherwise I doubt I'd still be married to him...but he's actually a part of a yahoo group for men who support UC!)

After that drop I was freaking out. It was like I was a deer dropped into the woods near a mountain lion's den, but no one would let me get away from the lions. In fact they wanted me to go IN to the den (AKA the hospital). I fought and fought but they won. And of course after that labor was completely messed up...I'd go in the bathroom and the mountain lions, I mean nurses and OB, were knocking on the door, wanting to jab me with sharp things, wanting to berate me...

Even before we got there I had the LOVELY moment of my so-called midwives (they actually are, but they treated me as though they were OBs even during my pregnancy...not what I expected from LMs) trying to FORCE me to take Rescue Remedy.

If there's one moment (OK there are a lot of moments, but if I had to choose one and it couldn't involve the choosing of those women) I could take back it would be fighting against the predators, I mean midwives, when they were forcing Rescue Remedy on me. I'd never tried it until after it was all over, and when I now realize how calming it is for me, I wish I hadn't fought them. Perhaps I could have gone Zen and birthed in the car.

But they'd given me SO many herbs over the course of my labor that completely messed things up and caused me panic attacks, then they fed me *disgusting* food (I think they InaMay'd me with castor oil in scrambled eggs, but WITHOUT my knowledge or even implied permission) and they let me down even before transition hit...I just couldn't trust anything from them at all by that time.

So anyway, all that background is to say I understand the phrase, but I worry that someone reading might get stuck in only blaming themselves, when perhaps blame needs to be shared a bit.

Gosh I need to print out my letter to the "midwives"...they've already gotten another friend the way they got me...it's been over 8 months.

Hilariously, they left a message the other day, wanting to know my son's name to include him in their newsletter. ha ha ha, like THAT'S going to happen! :

[NoraB]

Molly, I'm so sorry about what happened in your labor. That's awful. I agree w/ you about not blaming oneself. We can't control our emotions very well under the best of circumstances...I can olny imagine what it would be like in labor. For me, understanding how my emotions played into my c/s will help me be stronger and better prepared next time. My c/s was scheduled b/c DD was breech. I am sure that my intense fear played into keeping DD from turning and making the c/s essentially inevitable. I want to work through that this time, instead of letting the docs and the fear lead me. I hope there is something you can do to get the word out about those midwives. They sound worse than many OBs I know.