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View Full Version : VBA2C? Any success stories? Feedback




sesta
03-01-2006, 10:47 AM
Hi,

I am new here but have lurked in the past and have enjoyed these message boards and found them to be very helpful. I found out a month ago I am pregnanct with number 3. Originally, I was devastated, mostly because it meant a third C-section. :( I've had horrible experiences with both my previous C sections and wondered what you ladies thought. Would I be a candidate for a VBA2C?

My history:
Baby number one was an emergency C-section at 36 weeks. She was in distress, her heart rate plummeted to 40 -50 bpm with no explaination. I stopped feeling fetal movement which concerned me so I went to the hospital for monitoring and that is how they discovered her to be in distress. At this point I was having no contractions and wasn't even dilated. They told me that baby had to come out now, or else I would ultimately lose her. They didn't have time to induce me as they needed to get her out stat, and prepped me for an emerg C-section. As they were prepping me for a spinal her heart rate dropped to zero, they could not locate it. They then opted to put me under general. The last thing I remember is praying to God to please let my baby live. When I awoke 3 hours later I was told I had a healthy baby girl. Of course, I was not present at her birth, neither was my DH so all I know about her birth circumstances is what the Dr's and nurses told me. She was in the NICU for 3 days under observation at the time and today she is a happy and very healthy, bright 4 year old. The only explaination for her distress was the cord possibly being wrapped around her neck snuggly? Because of the urgency of the C-section they cut me vertically as opposed to horizontally. I was told however the my uterus was cut horizontally.

Fast forward to birth number 2, 23 months after birth number 1. I was brainwashed into doing an elective C-section. Because of my vertical incison I had an increased chance of uterine rupture? They scared me into this thinking and of course after the nightmare birth first time around I wanted a more predictable birth second time around. Plus, I didn't want to deal with the possible loss of a baby or leaving my first motherless because I opted for a VBAC with chance of something bad happening. For my second schedueled C-section they used the same incision (vertical) to take my son out. I'm not positive but i'm sure they cut my utuerus horizontally. It was a horrible birth and I was left with an infected incision site and was on bedrest for 6 weeks after the birth and had a home nurse visiting me every day to clean and dress my insicion. I don't want to go through that again!

What do you all think? After all this would i be a good candidate for a VBA2C? Am I fooling myself? I have never been in labour, never felt a contraction, never been dilated. People tell i'm not missing much. Still, that's not that point. The main reason I want to do a natural birth is becasue of my previous bad post op experiences. With 3 kids under 5 I can't afford to be on bed rest after another c-section!

Oh, I've already contacted a midwifery agency and they won't even consider me as a client. In their eyes I am considered high risk (as mandated by the ministry) and can't be considered. :( I'm not giving up though, I have faith that my body will know what to do when the time comes and really want to push for a VBA2C.

I'd appreciate any advice/feedback. :hug

Oh, I am 31 years old and will be 32 when baby #3 arrives.




stayathomecristi
03-01-2006, 11:06 AM
Well, first of all--CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Yikes! I was all ready to encourage you to go for the VBAC (I did a VBA3C two years ago), but I'm a little nervous about the vertical incision.

There was absolutely nothing (IMO as a non-doctor person) that you could have done about that first section. I think you made the right decision and that the docs did the right thing by getting her out quickly. That first section probably saved your baby's life.

Now, about the second one. I'm not sure either way whether it was necessary. My understanding is that with a vertical uterine incision the uterus significantly raises the rupture rate in subsequent pregnancies. I'm not sure that your docs made a bad decision pushing you into an elective section. OTOH, everything may have worked out fine and perhaps you could have done a VBAC with supervision.

Please know that I'm EXTREMELY pro-VBAC, but I'm not sure what is right in your situation. I think that more research on your part is warranted (especially regarding rupture rates after vertical incisions).

After you've done some research, perhaps you can talk with a doc about a trial of labor in a facility with 24 hour anesthesia available. Under no circumstances would I personally (even with a horizontal incision) allow myself to be induced or augmented with pitocin.

Hopefully someone more knowlegable about this aspect will pop in with some information for you.