[chantald]

Hello
I am beginning the thought process on baby #3. I am not currently
pregnant.. but we are thinking of ttcing in 10 to 17 months..I have a
6 month post partum visit (anyone heard of that?!) in mid June and
wanted to go with some questions to ask the MW about a vba2c... I am
certain the answer will be a resounding NO.. the climate is so
unfavorable here for vbacs and the birth cetner was considering
banning them.. so I can't see that I will get any encouragement for a
vba2c.

My first c/s was for posterior arrest.. my son was facing sideways,
head down. My second was for OP, my daughter was head down and facing
front, front forehead presenting... It was a herculean effort on my
part but I couldn't do it..

My doula, and friend, feels that I should try again.. that she will
work with me to get the baby into the optimal position using various
things.. my other friend wants me to talk to her lay midwife about an
hba2c. This lay midwife is familiar with my situation (via my friend
who has shared many things with her with my permission) and she (the
mw) feels confident that with a lot of hard work and attention.. baby
could be gotten into the correct position..

As far as I know, there are no longer any OB backups here for lay
midwives.. CNMWs cannot attend home births...Shadowcare seems so
dishonest to me.. is that the only way to go?

I am very torn between wanting to try again.. afraid of trying again
and failing.. again, dreading a third section, and afraid that I will
be taking too many risks with an hba2c. Am I just being selfish to
even want to try?

My DH is totally on board.. he says an hba2c is fine with him, as long
as I get all the info on risks etc so that we can make the best
choice. He knows how much this has meant/means to me and wants to
support me 100%. He also knows how hard my recovery was from the last
c/s.. and we both worry that a third would be worse...

I am not sure why I tend to have malpositioned babies.. lately I have
been wondering if there is something physical wrong with me or
something.. I am tall, not stick thin but not overweight.. and while I
dont' go to the gym.. I am in pretty good shape..I tend to have BIG
babies.. 9 lbs and 9 lbs 2 oz.. yet with my last pregnancy I only
gained 25 lbs...

I will be 34 this year.. and if we wait until DD is nearly 2.. I will
be 35.... this also worries me.. Twins run in my family too..
hereditary twins.. if I do a home birth.. how will I know if I am
carrying twins?

so much to think about...I guess I am trying to just get some feedback
on my options and hear others experiences..

thanks!

Chantal
ds age 4
dd age 7 months

 

[Persephone]

I can't tell you what I think you should do, but I certainly don't think it's selfish to try for a homebirth! In fact, I think it's great! I don't know what to tell you about the malpositioned babies, either, but I do hope you give it a try!

 

[Electra375]

I can tell you I did it. It was the best choice for me. I did not have doctor back up, but I did have a plan and my lay mw would bring my records and stay w me at the hospital if a transfer were to happen. I also live 4.3 miles from the hospital which takes about 14 minutes calmly to drive and in an emergancy 30 minutes is sort of the limit from rupture to cut (of course, there are different medical opinions about this as with nearly everything).

I had the positioning thing w ds1, didn't try a vbac w ds2, then at 28wks pregnant my OB terminated my care and after a few days of shock, I decided I wanted a vbac and the only place that was going to happen for me was at home away from medical interventions.

I could not get a CNM to attend even a hospital vba2c, it would have been OB only and the environment for vbac mothers is so regimented here I'm surprised anyone has a successful vbac in a hospital, not many do.

www.spinningbabies.com is great
and the book entitle Sit Up and Take Notice: Positioning Yourself for a Better Birth by Pauline Scott it is available through Midwifery.com and ICAN.com. This author co-wrote Optimal Fetal Positioning as well.

There are not a whole lot of stats out there on vba2c. Pluspregnancy.com has the only articles on the multiple c/s vbac out there that I have come across.

ICAN local chapter would probably be useful for support and information.

A good lay midwife with vbac experience is a jewel. I trusted my mw and knew she trusted and believed in my body to do what it was made to do. She was really a hands off and watch kind of mw, only touched me to do vitals at regular intervals.

BTW -- my babies were 9.9lbs (c/s "CPD", sideways turned and somewhat sunnyside up, he wasn't coming down, I do believe with all my heart that an experienced mw could have saved me from a c/s), 8.15lbs scheduled c/s, 9.1lbs HBA2C

Ian May Gaskin's books really gave me reassurance that my body could do what it was meant to do. I had Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth check out serveral times from the library during my pregnancy and it was with me during the birth -- not that I read it, it was just there. It was my nightly empowered reading.

Try to make your babies 24 mo apart at least. There is some question as to whether that number is from birth to birth or from birth to the beginning of the next pregnancy. I took it to mean birth to birth and mine were 23 mo apart.

Also get copies of your operative reports from the hospital, there is a general dislike of single layer surturing of the uterus when wanting to do a vbac. This is also not agreed upon by everyone. I felt lucky, both my c/s were double layer surtured, but the last one c/s before the vbac is the most important one.

Whatever you decide, best wishes to you and your future baby. HB isn't for everyone and not everyone feels comfortable at home and that is certainly okay. For me I wanted to be at home for number 1, so home for me is the best place for me.

 

[Artisan]

I don't think you're selfish at all. The risks of a VBA2C are low if your birth is unmessed around with.

I can't answer all of your questions, but to address the twins issue: there are many signs of twins -- increased fundal height begin among them. A good midwife is skilled with her hands and can palpate to see if there is more than one baby. You would feel increased movements -- the MW could probably hear two heartbeats. And if twins were suspected, you could always get an u/s to be certain.

 

[sarahwebb]

It sounds like a homebirth is definitely a possibility for your. Good luck.

Both of my babies were malpositioned. The first was head down but halfway between posterior and anterior. After five hours of pushing, my midwife manually turned him and he was born a happy, healthy 10 pounds 2 ounces.

My second son was posterior and my midwife used the article at this link:
http://www.naturalchildbirth.org/nat...or/labor29.htm
to do a diaphramatic release. It was amazing. We watched the baby turn across my belly in about twenty minutes. He was born a healthy 11 pounds 2 ounces about six hours later with less than an hour of pushing.

With my first, I had paralell care and the doctor didn't know I was planning a homebirth although he wasn't really surprised. After the birth, I wrote him a letter thanking him for his kind care and apologizing for not being honest with him. I told him that I felt like I was in a difficult situation where I had to choose between being fully honest or creating the safest environmnent for birthing my baby and I chose the latter.

My second, I was fortunate enough to have a doctor who was willing to see me at the hospital if I transferred. I'm not sure he would have gone on record saying he was my backup, but essentially he was.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Sarah