[Pod4One]

I have been prepping my mind for an impending c/s seeing as how labor does not seem to be coming and I am approaching the cut-off for VBAC at my hospital. It's been a tough week trying not to think about this.

According to my dates (LMP) I was due 12/6 and my dates were solid, had sex once and a +OPK 2 days later. My early u/s's pushed my date back though to 12/17. What a big difference! I am sure of my dates so I never I thought I'd go that long anyway - but here it comes!

At first we were using my 12/6 EDD - up until about 36w when we discussed the whole 40.5w cutoff date for VBAC's. That's when my OB pushed my date back to 12/17 using my u/s and gave me extra time. Great! I'm never going to go that long - but here it comes!

Now I feel selfish with this next part. I really never thought I'd go this long - and christmas is around the corner! I can probably push for a few more days and have my c/s 12/22 or so, but that puts me in the hospital for christmas and I want to be home for my DS. If I schedule it early, like this Friday 12/19, I feel like I'm cutting my time short: "What if I would have gone into labor tomorow" thoughts dance through my head.

My next appt is Tues 12/16 and I think I'll schedule the c/s for Friday that way I can be home by Monday and have christmas at home. If I hadn't had those early u/s's I would have gone by my 12/6 EDD and I'd be close to 42w at this point.

I'm still going to "try" to go into labor. I had my membranes stripped on Friday and I'll do it again on Tuesday. I'll try to have sex a couple more times and I think on Wednesday I'll try castor oil - can't hurt and it might help, right?

If nothing else then I know this. I recovered very well from my last c/s, no big deal really, so I can hope for the same here. Having been through this before I know of some different things to ask for and since it's at the hospital where I work (I work in the OR) I'll be surrounded by people who really know me and care for me. They all know how I feel about my first c/s and how badly I want a VBAC, they will be understanding and supportive.

Come christmas morning, I'll be home with my baby and get to watch my DS go crazy over his new train table, and that sounds good to me.

 

[alegna]

FWIW you do NOT have to agree to a section just because of their policies.

I'm not a VBAC mama but ds didn't come until 43 weeks 5 days.... they come when ready.

-Angela

 

[thorn]

what is their reasoning behind a 40.5w cutoff? i definitely wouldn't agree to that.

 

[ErinsJuneBug]

are you going to regret being in the hospital for 1 christmas, or are you going to regret maybe having a c-section earlier and never even giving your body a chance to vbac?This is the only birth that this baby will have, and you have many many more christmas's together. Do you think you are looking for an excuse, or do you really feel its THAT important to be home for 1 day out of the year that you might be home for anyway. What happens if you have complications from the c-section and end up hospitalized for christmas anyway? Not trying to scare you, but think of everything. I personally wouldnt do anything to avoid being in the hospital for a specific day. Its 1 day out of the year and i garentee the only thing your DS will remember about this Christmas is getting a new sibling.

 

[meatloafkend]

40.5 weeks isn't very long to wait for a VBAC. They're really putting a lot of pressure on you pretty early. That being said, I completely understand your feelings about Christmas. My thoughts...push "Christmas" back a day or 2. If he's younger than 5 or 6, he'll never know. You don't have to miss anything with your son, just make Christmas fit into your schedule and wait for your labor to begin. "Christmas" can be celebrated on any day when you come home.

 

[MsBlack]

Excellent Idea, meatloaf!

and I want to add--ok, so you feel being home a xmas is more important than having a vag birth. Hey, that is your own call and no one else's. But I just wonder--is this your last baby? Because if not, you are most extremely likely to continue to have csecs for all your future births, once you've had 2 sections. Even many homebirth mws are pretty cautious about helping a woman VBAC with 2 csecs behind her. VERY few med HCPs are even going to think about it.

Are you SURE this is about Christmas, and your ds....and not about a little bit of fear that needs to be addressed? Just asking...

 

[Patrick's mummy]

I second what others have said.
There's nothing to stop you having Christmas whenever is more convenient. even if you are in hospital for Christmas, your DS could have his gifts when you get home etc.
I think part of what you are going through here is nothing to do with VBAC and maybe more to do with the transition from 1 to 2. The slight guilt attached to prioritising the baby above the child who is already here. Your DS will not suffer from his Christmas being slightly changed. He *may* suffer more in fact from you having surgery and needing to care for a sibling. A vag birth will enable you to be healthier and more present for both of them sooner. Just a thought.
What is to say you can't hang on? The WHO says you aren't even overdue til 42 weeks. 40.5 has no scientific evidence basis, it's just a matter of convenience. Are you okay with that?

 

[kltroy]

I agree - for our family, Christmas is when we're all together. Dec 28th for us this year. And that's fine. Write a note to Santa with your kids and tell him that he should wait until you and the new baby come home. Then wait as long as you can. My VBACX was 9 days past my EDD and boy am I glad I didn't agree to anything at 41 weeks! Good luck with everything and be at peace with whatever decision you make.

 

[paintedbison]

If you pushed your section to the morning of the 22nd, you could still be discharged by the 25th. I've seen lots of sections leave in 3 days. They'd probably be even more willing to push discharging you with the holidays. You could probably even leave after 48 hours.

You never know what can happen in a few days, though. I had no signs of impending labor with DD. Was closed/thick/high at 41 weeks with basically no contractions. She came at 41 and 3.

 

[rhiandmoi]

FWIW, in your situation I would do the same thing. Going by your original dates (which IMO are more accurate than your dating ultrasound since you know when you DTD and the ultrasound machine does not) you are already postdates. Try what you can before Friday, who knows maybe something will work.

 

[Pod4One]

Thank you for all the responses. Some of them are very blunt and hit me pretty deep, but I know that around here you don't ask the question if you don't want the answer. And some of it I really needed to hear

to make myself ask the hard questions.

Am I worried about putting the baby ahead of DS and christmas? No, I don't feel that's getting in the way. For some reason I didn't even think about moving christams (DUH!) - when I mentioned that to DH he was like "Well, yeah, we're not to open gifts and stuff without you!".

Is there a fear factor involved? Yeah, I can admit that. I'm scared to go into labor and I'm scared not to! Not a ton scared, just apprehensive, I don't know what to expect. Sounds silly, since I've done this before, but last time I was in back labor and I have decided that back labor is not natural or normal - it plain sucks. I don't want to go through that again. I just want to expereince a normal labor pattern - but I'm not sure what that is.

I've accepted that there's fear and now I'm trying to dispell it, and I figure if I can really accept the idea of a scheduled c/s I will relax about the whole thing and labor will come anyway. Does that make sense?

I think Rhiandmoi got more of my point. I all ready think I'm past dates. The 40.5W cutoff is a new change and it's knee jerk reaction to a relatively recent rupture - there have been a couple this year actually. The other new rule is no pit - which I'm ok with. The funny thing is, if the new rule is to prevent or minimize macrosomia the point is moot with me - I grow big babies anyway. If that was the idea then they should have sectioned me a couple weeks ago

.

I'll have a talk with my OB on Tuesday and discuss some options. I'll make the best decision I can at the time.

Jennifer

BTW - Last appt I was 90% effaced and a figertip dilated, we'll see what happens. I will continue the RRL tea, EPO, sex, and try castor oil on Wed.

 

[Patrick's mummy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi FWIW, in your situation I would do the same thing. Going by your original dates (which IMO are more accurate than your dating ultrasound since you know when you DTD and the ultrasound machine does not) you are already postdates. Try what you can before Friday, who knows maybe something will work.

By her own dates, she is 8 days past her EDD now so by Friday she will be 40+13 days past, which is not postdates. Even when you know your dates, you can go way past them. Babies aren't library books.

If baby is well on Friday, would having a prelabour cs be the best option? Only the OP can know.

FWIW, my VBA2C was at 43 weeks. My first VBAC attempt was at 42+5.

ETA: Apologies if the above sounds abrupt. Wasn't meant to be. Simply to say that I don't see a contraindication to a VBAC at the moment *if that is what you want*....

 

[jess152]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pod4One I will continue the RRL tea, EPO, sex, and try castor oil on Wed.

And lots of nipple stimulation! (with or without the sex, lol) It brought on tons of contractions for me. Good luck!

 

[thorn]

have they offered you NSTs/BPPs to see how the baby is doing? if your concern is that you are getting far past your original due dates, that would give you some additional info to base your decisions on.

I don't think there is any evidence that uterine rupture is higher at 40.5w or 41w or 42w. I know that hospitals get scared when they have ruptures but they still need to practice evidence-based medicine.

 

[Pod4One]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorn have they offered you NSTs/BPPs to see how the baby is doing? if your concern is that you are getting far past your original due dates, that would give you some additional info to base your decisions on.

That's one of the things I'm going to talk to my OB about and ask for.

 

[MsBlack]

Just wanted to send hugs, prayers, positive thoughts. Asking oneself the hard questions is...well, it's hard! Trust yourself, open your heart, you will make the right decision for you and your family.

 

[AlexisT]

My understanding is that VBAC success rate declines after 41 weeks, but ruptures do not increase. So putting in place a 40.5 week cutoff doesn't do anything to decrease the rupture rate--it's just a backdoor way of cutting the number of VBACs since a decent number of women won't go into labor by then.

 

[ShwarmaQueen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick's mummy By her own dates, she is 8 days past her EDD now so by Friday she will be 40+13 days past, which is not postdates. Even when you know your dates, you can go way past them. Babies aren't library books.

:

I would wait it out if I were you- it would be so sad if your babe had to go to NICU for prematurity for breathing problems or something because he was a tad early, kwim? Is being home for Christmas really more important than having a VBAC? Even if you'll be recovering from MAJOR abdominal surgery? Or in case you went into labor on your own, would your DS even know if you did Christmas presents a couple days late?

 

[kdtmom2be]

I don't have any more opinion to add, I think you've heard everything that I was thinking anyways. I just wanted to say good luck with whatever you decide!

Also, FWIW, we wrote a letter to Santa one year and had him come on the start of his trip rather than at the end and he came Dec 24th for us since Dec 25th wasn't a good day for us. Reindeer and sled tracks in the driveway and everything.

Didn't make one whit of difference to the kids.

 

[Storm Bride]

Other posters have already made a lot of good points, and the suggestion about pushing Christmas back a few days is a good one, imo.

However, what I really want to address is this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pod4One If nothing else then I know this. I recovered very well from my last c/s, no big deal really, so I can hope for the same here.

I recovered very well from my first c/s, both mentally and physically (I was absolutely sure I'd be pregnant again within 2 years and have a VBAC, so that helped emotionally). I didn't recover so well from my next one. The one after that was in 2005, and I still have numbness and related problems from that one. My last one was hellish, but my son was also stillborn, so there were other factors there.

I'm not saying that you'll experience anything like I have, in terms of the pattern of recoveries. You may be just great again. It just makes me edgy when I see women talking about knowing what a c-section recovery is like because they've done it before. They're not all the same.