HBAC mamas? I know there were some here

[paradoxia13]

Hi HBAC mamas!

At 39 weeks 3 days I'm getting antsy! I don't have a time limit on me, so all is good there, I'm just ready. My son was born at 42 weeks via c-section and as we get closer and closer to 40 I get a little worried of the same scenario again. Not horribly so, but ya know...these last couple of weeks the crazy things our minds do...


Anyway, link me to your HBAC birth stories if you've already had your babe, tell me what you're doing to pass the time and stay positive if you haven't. I'd love to hear what the other HBAC mamas are doing!

I need some warm squishies today. LOL

~heather

[redorchid]

I also have no time limit that I know of. I've heard of my midwife doing 44 week babies. I have a hospital VBAC under my belt, so that helps a little. This will be my first homebirth and I'm starting to get anxious. Both my girls were born at ~42 weeks, so I don't know why at 40 weeks 2 days I'm feeling so wound up. I guess I've just had the feeling that this one would be earlier.

I don't know if it helps or not that I've been having contractions on and off all week. Especially Sunday night, they were timeable and everything. I'm trying to look at it as a good thing, that every contraction counts. I was feeling down on Monday and Tuesday. I was telling DH that I was just going to lay in bed until the baby came. He was very sweet and just smirked and made dinner those nights.

I'm lucky to have a group of friends that are sympathetic (in the right way). I meet with someone or another a few times a week and they know better than to have the "have you had that baby yet" conversation.

Some of my other friends aren't so helpful and they do make those calls. I've started telling them as they call a second time that they will be taken off my "notify list" if they call one more time before September!

One thing that really helps, since I felt so fussed with in the hospital, especially for my c-section baby, is the thought that baby gets to run things this time and gets to pick the very moment (s)he enters the world. I'm really excited for the homebirth and to meet baby!

[~Megan~]

I had a HBAC last time and am doing it again this time.

I'll give you the quick version of ds' birth. I woke up really early on Saturday morning which is not my norm. I felt annoyed and like I couldn't sleep. I hung on the computer, cleaned the house a bit, and eventually woke up dh at 8am and told him I wanted to go for a walk.

We walked about 2 miles to a coffee shop and I kept having to slow down every 6 minutes or so for contractions. I could still talk and walk though. Then we came home and I continued normal activities while still contracting (and lots of pooping!). I was tired from being up at 4:30 so I took a nap and my contractions died off while I slept. When I got up the contractions were still there but they were spaced out a lot more. My midwife said that sometimes labor slows down during the day and picks up again at night. Being impatient as I am I did nipple stimulation to help things along and it worked.

Contractions from 7pm to midnight stayed pretty evenly at 5-6 minutes apart but were no more intense than the ones in the morning. My midwife came over to check on me before she went to bed. She just talked with me and observed me and said she thought it would be a while and I should sleep.

I tried to sleep but couldn't, dh on the other hand was snoring away. I decided to take a nice bath and things got more intense. I yelled for dh, yelled louder and louder but he couldn't hear me. I was really annoyed because I didn't want to get out of the bath and remember thinking, "Thank God I'm not dying because he'd never hear me!"

Around 3am I finally got out of the tub and got dh to wake up. I spent the next hour laboring on the toilet. He kept asking if he should call the midwife and I told him I didn't know. He did it anyway. She got there in 10 minutes and right after my water broke on the couch. I had been pacing from couch to toilet waiting on the tub to fill.
I'm guessing that was transition because I started to have feelings of being overwhelmed. Once the pool was reasonably full I got in. The water was pretty cold but it immediately called me. I didn't want anyone to talk to me or do anything for me. I didn't know what to ask for anyway.

My body started pushing but I didn't help it along because I didn't like the sensation. I could feel my bones grinding and moving to allow him to pass. I was on my knees leaning against the side the whole time. My knees were hurting and my feet were numb but I kept falling asleep between contractions so I never moved.

I pushed about 45 minutes and he slipped out really quickly and easily.

All in all the difficult part lasted about 4 hours. I think that's pretty good! I hope this labor is as easy.

[bfw0729]

40+2 and still waiting. Nothing really going on with exception of bhs. Still feel pretty good so I'm thinking I have some time. I'm really hoping and praying to have a beautiful hbac and hope the same for all of you as well!

[yamilee21]

I sent you a message (e-mail). My son was extracted at 41 weeks, 5 days, after a second failed induction, supposedly for PIH/preeclampsia, which I actually did not have. I wanted to avoid induction, even with natural methods with this one, who was born at 42 weeks, 5 days. My midwife had vowed not to drop me for an arbitrary date, so that eliminated a lot of stress for me. Most of the anxiety I felt at the end was from so much prodromal/pre-labour - 10 or so days of feeling as if birth was imminent, only to have things slow down, but never quite stop altogether. Anyway, feel free to ask me questions.

[blessed_mama]

I just had my 2nd HBAC. My first one was 19 mo ago with my dd.

The short of her birth story is I was 39w6d and woke up in labor with ctx every 4-5 min that were very mild around 6:30am. I went throughout my day cleaning the house while labor was very manageable. When I needed to concentrate on them I called my mw and when she got to my house I was a 5-6cm and got in my birth pool. That was around 5pm or so. I labored in there for quite a while. My mw checked me a couple of times. I was progressing each time she checked and then I was at 9cm. I was still contracting, but didn't dialate for about an hour. So, I got out of the pool and she held back the lip that wouldn't move and my dd moved down and I was complete and ready to push. I pushed for about 6 min and 4 pushes later she was out! My labor was a total of 16 hours, but it wasn't hard until the last couple of hours. It was a very gentle labor, just long. I had a couple of tears since I pushed her out so fast. It was so wonderful having her at home! The recovery time was so fast compared to my C/S.

I just had my 2nd HBAC July 11th. My ds2, Noah John's birth is posted in the birth stories sticky in our DDC. It was quite different from my first with dd. My total labor was less than 2 hrs. It was fast and intense.

I hope this encourages you for your HBAC. Both of my home births were amazing and special! I wish you the best for your labor/birth with your LO!

[islandmama143]

Yamilee21: I'd love to talk w/you. My son too was extracted at 40 weeks (according to me/41 according to my midwife) anyway I was "diagnosed" with "severe" pre-eclampsia that I really didn't have. I had gone for a 6 mile hike that day and I came home to a message from my midwife saying she needed me to go over to the Dr.'s office right away to ask permission for more time. (She had wanted to "naturally" induce me which I was against). My blood pressure was up and I had protein in my urine. Could it have been all the excerising I was doing this past week as was recommended to me by my midwife to "get the baby out." No. No one believed my hike that day had anything to do w/it or that excerise in general or sex had anything to do w/it. I caved and went to the hospital --I felt cornered. Anyway come to find out you can spill protein and your bp will rise w/excessive excercise. Though I don't blame anyone --I should have listened and trusted myself. My body said rest my midwife say excercise. My heart said you're fine stay home, rest, let your baby come when he's ready the doctor told me my only choice was to get this baby out as fast as possible. I could really go on and on but I'd love to talk w/you b/c I'm writing an article of the controversy of pre-eclampsia and I'd love to hear your story.