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Originally Posted by Nate'sMama  Why do you feel like it's the best option? Very curious.
I would love a homebirth but after a cesarean birth it scares me out of my tree!
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It scares me too, but I feel like a hospital birth is going to end up as another c-section. VBACs in NY state are pretty dismal right now.
I've met with a midwife at a midwifery practice that delivers at a local hospital, and she gave me a rather grim rundown. First their consulting OB has to approve me for a "VBAC trial" -- basically he will examine my pelvis and look at my records from the last birth, and decide based on statistics whether he feels I have a better than 50/50 chance of a successful VBAC. She says the fact that my baby didn't descend past -3 station will likely be a red flag for them, meaning they might not approve me. If that hospital rejects me, I could go to a hospital in Connecticut with a different group of midwives. I'd have to drive 45 minutes or so one way for all my appointments, not to mention the birth, and I'd still be in a hospital, not a birth center. (There are no free standing birth centers in my state any more.
: ). If I went to either of those hospitals, I'd be under strict protocols for my birth. For one thing, they require constant monitoring of the baby. I remember HATING getting put on the monitor for my first labor, they told me I could move around but in reality they would lose the signal if I did, so I was flat on my back for 15 minutes every hour. If I had to do that constantly I don't know if I could manage without an epidural, and we all know what epidurals can lead to.
I'm still looking into birthing with the midwifes at the closer hospital. I really like the midwife I've met with, and she's even the leader of our local ICAN chapter. But I have to say, the whole vibe I'm getting from her and the other midwives is not very optimistic. I spoke with one of her colleagues on the phone, and she was very sweet, but she'd say things like, "Well, they do get worried about failure to descend. But honey, you definitely deserve a chance to TRY." She meant well, but to me it came off really patronizing. To me it sounds like, "We'll let you labor for a while so you feel like you did something, but we're probably going to have to cut you open."
Meanwhile, the HB midwife I spoke with on the phone agrees with me that my c-section was probably not necessary, and that I can probably birth my baby. She just sounded so tough and kickass. I don't want someone patting my hand and calling me dearie, I want someone fighting like hell to help me have a normal birth.
Luckily it's still early, so I have time to investigate both options.
