VBAC Check-in Thread

[tannersmommy]

So who's planning a VBAC? I have forgotten...

How are you feeling? What's your plan? Have you run into any roadblocks? Any tips for how to feel at peace?

Hugs to all of my fellow January VBACers!

[blastomom]

I'm still gung-ho about the VBAC. I got some early resistance from my OB, but once she realized that I wasn't saying that I would REFUSE a section if it became necessary she hopped on the VBAC wagon. She has warned me that there are some docs in her practice who are not very VBAC friendly, but if I get one of them on-call they can just sit on the sidelines and let me do what I need to do.

[gamecaco4]

Im still on the VBAC wagon, too! My OB is perfectly fine with it and has been since the first time I saw him (I changed OB/GYN practices) when I was 6 weeks along. He has asked me if I was sure thats what I wanted just so he has confirmation, but really, hes pulling for me.

As for feeling as peace about it, I went through labor up to "fully dilated with a lip" without meds and with a ton of problems so I think Im feeling better about this labor/delivery than I did with ds. (I dilated fast, ds's cord was compressed between his shoulder and my pelvis, no detectable heart tones w/ internal monitor...STAT emergent section.)

My plan is to let my body do its thing. Im hoping labor doesnt progress quite as quick as it did with ds, but not so slowly that I get "bored". Im worried that if I do progress as quickly, we wont get to the hospital on time. We have more to do this time around with getting ds around or getting someone here to be with him. We also have a 30-45 minute drive to the hospital.

Im getting so excited!

[tannersmommy]

To answer my own questions, I am planning a home VBAC with the same midwife from my previous pregnancy. I have also been seeing an OB as a backup plan (but the OB doesn't know that she is a "backup"). The reason for the shadiness is that midwives in my state are restricted from attending home VBACs - in other words, I can't get in trouble, but she can. And I wouldn't want that.

I hate the decietfulness of the situation, but I'm not willing to lay down on an operating table again just because my state has unreasonable regulations for midwives.

Surprisingly, I'm finding that I'm not concerned at all about the risk of uterine rupture. I find that what I'm concerned about is failing at homebirth again. I really don't want to end up in the hospital, and I really really don't want to end up in surgery again. I'm just trying my very best to believe again that my body was made to birth babies naturally.

As far as what I'm doing to stay calm and prepare, I'm re-reading Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Immersing myself in birth stories about normal birth is helpful for me, because I'm able to feel like I'm preparing for a birth, and not necessarily a VBAC.

[Shenandoah]

As long as I don't see the ob I'm feeling fine. I have a hbmw and am planning hb, but have the ob on backup (not that they know this). They also have my edd as 6 days later, which I think is a miscalculation on their part but works in my favor so I left it.

The farther along I get the more I resent being called vbac. Can't I just be a pregnant woman who wants to labor without medical intervention? :

The plan is to labor at home. If everything is going well to birth at home. Any sign of trouble and I will grudgingly go to hospital. My mw will be introduced as my doula. I'll just have 2 "doulas" as I already have one for my hb.

Next week I have an ob apt and mw apt. Too many apts.

[annekevdbroek]

I'm planning a VBAC too. On my third OB now (third change) and I think I've found the right one. The whole practice she is in is VBAC friendly, thank goodness. Now the only roadblock is a breech baby - which I intended to discuss with the OB (she has delivered lots of breech babies). I'm taking Bradley classes and have a doula - as I did last time. Since I can't be induced this time my expectation is that it will be MUCH easier, not matter what.

[Fay]

I'm planning a VBAC. I have a doula with personal & professional experience w/VBACS. My OB is supportive of VBACs, and I am so happy that I can't be induced this time. I am listening to my Hypnobirthing CDs, which helps me relax and visualize the happy birth that I've always wanted. The hospital is 1 mile from my house, so I feel pretty confident that I can do much of my laboring at home. I feel great, I recommend prenatal yoga and relaxation exercises to feel at peace with this process.

DH is terrified of VBAC. He never recovered from the trauma of DS's birth and so he believes that vaginal birth = danger. He's also worried about leaving DS at home with his parents during the birth, DS has severe separation issues related to autism. I understand where DH's fear is coming from, and I want this birth to go as smoothly as possible...the goal I keep in my mind is a relatively easy recovery from birth with both children and DH by my side -- when we're all sleeping in the same bed, I'll be the happiest woman on earth!

[GoodMomma]

I'm going for a VBAC! The OB/midwife practice I go to so far has been good about it. The husband of the OB team explained that I can go as far as 42 weeks before they'll induce with Pitocin. But honestly... I absolutely refuse to be induced with anything because of my induction with DS. So I say if nothing's wrong with me or baby, he can wait. Plus, since I was temping to get pregnant and know exactly when I O'ed, so I shouldn't go to 42 weeks... but we'll see.

[GoodMomma]

Originally Posted by Shenandoah

As long as I don't see the ob I'm feeling fine. I have a hbmw and am planning hb, but have the ob on backup (not that they know this). They also have my edd as 6 days later, which I think is a miscalculation on their part but works in my favor so I left it.

The farther along I get the more I resent being called vbac. Can't I just be a pregnant woman who wants to labor without medical intervention? :

The plan is to labor at home. If everything is going well to birth at home. Any sign of trouble and I will grudgingly go to hospital. My mw will be introduced as my doula. I'll just have 2 "doulas" as I already have one for my hb.

Next week I have an ob apt and mw apt. Too many apts.

According to my LMP I should be due 1/4 and that's the due date my OB and midwifes were going by and I had to explain to them every since visit that I was temping and KNOW I O'ed on CD 24 and not the textbook CD 14. This would make me due 1/10. The u/s I had in the beginning gave me a EDD of 1/13. Luckily after awhile they FINALLY put it in the computer that I'm due 1/13, I would want to pull my hair out everytime a midwife would come in the room and say "So, you're due on 1/4" : Got annoying... glad they finally listened!

[blissfish]

'Nother VBAC-er here! Or HBAC-er? Those terms confuse me.

But my plan is to have a HOME BIRTH for this baby out of my VAGINA. VB@HAC?

The weirdest roadblock I had was finding a caregiver. I'm 36, and my "Advanced Maternal Age" (or AMA, because gawlly, acronyms abound) combined with the c/s made me seem like a bad candidate to support in the wishes I had for this birth with most caregivers. Is that an insurance thing? It certainly doesn't match the numbers for VBAC success that ~I've~ seen...

It was frustrating, but fortunately after a zillion interviews, we found Ellie, our VBAC/HBAC-cheerleader midwife.

My biggest trick for feeling more-or-less at peace is taking care of my toddler and working full time. Who has time to fret over the birth? I'm so not ready to HAVE the baby because I'm so busy doing everything else. At some point I guess I'll slow down a bit, right? Like when my water breaks?

[*~Danielle~*]

My ob is onboard with this vbac and has no problems letting me go weeks overdue. I thought that was a miracle. Her partner just came on board and was the backup doctor at a free standing birth center, so she is all for vbacs as well.

My ob started off with saying well if your baby is big like the last one and if you are uncomfortable...and I just cut her off and said that I really wanted a vaginal birth and I didn't want all the interventions that could lead me down a section road again. So vbac here I come...except lately I've started to feel a little anxious about the unknown of birthing vaginally. I labored drug free with my son up until the end but it is a distant memory and not a very good one. I was totally out of control and on pitocin, so this time I want to work with my body, not against it.

[ibusymomto5]

I'm hoping for my 5th home VBAC. My first 2 were c/sec, and the last 4 have been VBACs at home. The first one was the hardest mentally, trying to trust in my body after feeling like I had failed with the previous birth.. failed induction, stalled labor turned into c/sec. My first VBAC did wonders to heal me as a person and my general outlook on life. My biggest fear this time is that should I need to transfer to a hospital for any reason that they would give me grief with their silly no VBAC rules. I think there is currently only one hospital in our big city that allows them, and it's not the closest to our house.. so if it was a big emergency transfer chances are I'd be going to a non-VBAC friendly hospital. But.. what it all boils down to for me is trusting in God no matter what lies ahead even if it means a c/sec. Thinking along those lines helps me to be at peace in my mind, and that's the best I can do.

[Electra375]

Checking in for the first time here!
I'm planning my 2nd HBA2C. My first hb was fantastic and I'm gearing up to go through it all again.
Having done it once, means mentally I know what I'm in for again. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but I often find myself thinking I really don't want to go through this again... As great as it was, it was very hard work, they don't call it labor for nothing!
I just remind myself it's less than 1 day, it isn't all bad, and the end result is my precious baby in my bed with me nursing. And compared to stitches of a c/s, swollen Yoni is nothing b/c I can still get out of bed pain free without help, even holding my baby.

[chantald]

Hello
Checking in for the first time too. I am planning an HBA2C here..

Roadblocks.. well my mother is a big one http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=563418
and my sister is a smaller one.. both are not very supportive..

Other than that, the uncertainty just gets me.. I wish I knew how it would go.. I think part of that is I am afraid of failing again..

I have a great MW and doula and support network though.. so I am trying really hard to stay positive!

[Electra375]

First off, don't talk to those who are not supportive, shut them out, disassociate, etc. I simply did not talk to my mom about it PERIOD, it's not her body, it's mine and she KNOWS how horrible the c/s were on me -- she was there!!!

Second, visualize the birth happening, go as far as you can -- I never could see the birth itself, but I tried repeatedly every night. I could get as far as I had gotten before my first c/s which was pushing. And then I would just tell myself the baby comes down and out, even though I could not "see it in my mind".

HTH

Originally Posted by chantald

Hello
Checking in for the first time too. I am planning an HBA2C here..

Roadblocks.. well my mother is a big one http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=563418
and my sister is a smaller one.. both are not very supportive..

Other than that, the uncertainty just gets me.. I wish I knew how it would go.. I think part of that is I am afraid of failing again..

I have a great MW and doula and support network though.. so I am trying really hard to stay positive!

[JJ'sMom]

Hbac here too. Happily, I am surrounded by supportive people. If they are not supportive, i've not heard of it. My midwives live in teh same building or a 15 min walk away, so they are pretty available for any questions or concerns that I have.


Like a previous poster said, I am preparing for a normal, vaginal birth. I am trying to ignore the whole vbac mentality I could get caught up in.:

Julia

[chantald]

I am trying hard to stay focused.. it seems so close now yet so far away

With my first birth (and first c/s) I never dreamed about the birth before hand. With my second (failed vbac) I had a vivid dream about 1/2 way into my pregnancy... shortly before we found we were having a girl. I dreamt I was at the birth center and had a lovely labor and then my baby, a little girl with a head full of dark hair, was handed to me. I never saw the birth in my dream.. she was just handed to me. I remember feeling both happy and sad in my dream.... and after laboring beautifully at home, pushing in every manner possible for 4 hours.. she was delivered by c/s.. having been completely impacted in my pelvis from her attempt to come out forehead first. She had a head full of dark hair...

This pregnancy.. shortly before DH and I decided on a homebirth, I had another birth dream.. that I had this baby at home.. a beautiful labor and pushing stage and he arrived (in my shorts no less) with the help of a midwife. I saw the whole birth in my dream...It was beautiful and I woke so filled with peace..

I am holding onto that image every day.. and envisioning it.. I do hope that it will be what happens..

:

[oregonbound]

Hi ladies, Even though I'm not "due" til the first week of February, I thought I'd post here and say hello because I am really hoping to have a January baby. Great to see so many VBAC moms (Ok I guess it sucks that you all had c-sections but you know what I mean). I had a c-section with my first baby and a VBAC with my second, and am planning a second VBAC. Having done it already, it really annoys me to be treated like a VBAC, I had to sign my hospital consent form last week and it actually said that I choose a "trial of labor" for Vaginal Birth after Cesarean. I was tempted to cross out the "trial of labor" part. Anyhow, my biggest roadblock these days is that my husband is starting a new job so we have new insurance and my midwife and hospital are now "out of network" so now at 31 weeks pregnant I am out looking for a new care provider. Hopefully, I will find someone soon or else I'll have to pay the dreaded "out of network" premium. Yuck! Anyhow, just wanted to say to everyone stay positive and hope you all have peaceful, easy births.

Minta
mom to 2 and one on the way

[Electra375]

Originally Posted by oregonbound

Hi ladies, Even though I'm not "due" til the first week of February, I thought I'd post here and say hello because I am really hoping to have a January baby. .... I had a c-section with my first baby and a VBAC with my second, and am planning a second VBAC. Having done it already, it really annoys me to be treated like a VBAC, I had to sign my hospital consent form last week and it actually said that I choose a "trial of labor" for Vaginal Birth after Cesarean.

HI
I am "offically" due in the first week of Feb too -- but I have never gone near my offical due dates. I've always gone early, so I have been telling ppl IRL very end of January. If I go into Feb I'll be surprised.

I too have doing my 2nd Vba2c (well hba2c). It also annoyed me that the medical profession and hospitals still consider me a vbac, so much so, that a few hospitals and docs would not even see me for a vbac given I've had 2 c/s prior. It's the main reason I'm at home giving birth, also I like the freedom at home -- I don't do well with authority!!! And there are vbac bans all over the country that INCLUDE women who have done it before -- makes you want to hide that you ever had a c/s!

[chantald]

sigh
I read the rupture thread.. shouldn't have read the rupture thread...

How much weight has everyone put on so far? Last night I saw the number on the scale and freaked out.. 35 lbs.. ( I gained 40 with my first and 25 with my second) and sat in bed crying.. Does maternal weight gain correlate to big babies?? This morning I had lost 5 lbs.. go figure