[Lisa1970]

I am a bit frustrated. I had a csect that never should have happened. Basically, the doctor induced me a week and a half early which caused the need for the csect. He tried to tell me to never try to give birth vaginally ever again. Fortunately, I did not listen to him and I went elsewhere. It took some looking, but I found a doctor who was fine with vbac. I had a vbac with no episiotomy and such. She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and my healthiest child ever. The next baby was vbac too. But then with the next, the doctor changed his mind when I went in to labor and lied to me and told me I had previa. I believed him and consented to the csect only to find out after the delivery, from a different doctor (the perinatalogist) that I never really had previa. So, I searched hard for the next doctor. Found one that agreed to vbac. But, she pulled the rug out about 4 weeks before my due date and said they would not do vbacs anymore so consent to a csect or be dropped. I always have regretted to giving in to her. DH told me not to, but I did. I was sooo stupid. stupid stupid stupid. I hate her. So that was my 3rd csect.

Then 3 yrs ago, I was in a car accident which broke my water. I was way too early to have the baby so they spent many hours trying to stop the labor and get my fluid to refill. Instead, the baby died inside and once they stopped trying to stop the labor, which was not working anyway as I was having huge horrible contractions every 3 minutes for 18 hrs...I gave birth right away vaginally then. It is very sad that he died. But in the experience, I remembered how much easier vaginal births were to deal with and how much I cannot stand to be sliced open when I do not need to be.

So now I am desparate to have a vbac and not a csect. I am scared of dying from a csect. My last csect, they put the epidural so high that I could barely breathe. Each one of my csect babies ended up needed extra help after the birth related to the csect, fluid in the lungs and jaundice (csect was done 3 weeks early) and so on. My incisions never heal well. If I am forced in to an unwanted major abdominal surgery, I know I will have postpartum depression, something I have only had after csects. And people die from csects. I don't want to die.

To top it off, dh and I would like 1 more child. I will be 39 when this baby is born. So, dh and I do not want to return to birth control after the baby is born. But if I have a csect, and I get pregnant again right away (which has happened before) then the pregnancy will be extremely high risk. So basically, I would be forced to use birth control if I have a csect. Whatever happened to my body, my choice?

Anyway, I am having a hard time finding support groups now and vbac info. I have already been to ican-online, but I was also hoping to have a comparison of vbac risks vs repeat csect risks. I have noticed when people list risks of csects, they only list initial csect risks and stats. Even then, you are hard pressed to find any stats. I have not found any actually. But with vbac, they include stats from women who were induced and even women who used cervidel (cervidel has a 5% rupture rate in women who have never had prior csects). Since I do not plan to induce and I have had prior vbacs, I am at one of the lowest risks for vbac possible. Why do doctors, when pushing csects on you, ignore the risks of csects? They are risky!!! And I have never had one without complications. And the recovery is awful.

Anyway, so if anyone can help, that would be great. With links to info or support groups or so on. Thanks!

 

[rockdoctor]

I was told by my doctor that noone was performing vbacs in our town anymore either. Something to do with malpractice insurance I am sure. I am not sure of the medical community where you live, but could you do an hbac in a birth center near a hospital or would you be comfortable with an hbac at home? Maybe there is a midwife in your area who has experience with hbacs, or do you think you risk out?

 

[Lisa1970]

I have a doctor north of me that is known for his vbacs. He actually speaks for..I think it is ican. I saw him already and he sees no problem with me doing a vbac. I have not switched to him as my current doctor said she would consider allowing a vbac. I also have/had a midwife picked out. But she is currently expecting and due any day now so I would need to call her back sometime after her baby is born to see if she is taking new patients yet. That midwife does homebirths. But we have no hospitals near us. But my insurance covers hospital births at 100% but does not cover homebirths at all. The doctor north of me, I already called them this pregnancy and they told me as long as I am getting prenatal care now, I can switch to him at any point in my pregnancy. They are an hour away where as my current doctor is 1.5 miles away. The hospital is more like half an hour away. But I did not want to switch doctors if I did not have to. The one north of me is an hour away, but it can take longer to get there in rush hour. He is basically my backup plan.

 

[octobermoon]

wow you have been through a lot mama!! i don't have advice as i haven't been through what you have but i just wanted you to know i am rooting for you and sending you good thoughts! good luck finding what you need.

 

[murphysaangel]

I feel for you. I am hoping for a VBAC with this pregnancy as well. It is frustrating to even be in this situation; I never thought I would have had a c-section with my 1st to begin with!

Is there any home birth midwives near you? Any midwifery practices you could interview with? I know its a little different because I have only had the 1 section, but you do have a "proven pelvis" by having vaginally delivered as well. Maybe you could seek out the hospital first (a nice, natural-birthing friendly place with a hands-off philosophy) and then inquire as to which providers there support VBAC's. That's essentially what I did. I'm still frustrated with the midwifery practice I'm going with because they weren't my 1st choice (my insurance didn't cover my 1st choice), and they won't let you go over 41 weeks which for me might be a big problem. But I know that they have a very good reputation for VBAC's and the hospital where I'll be delivering is amazing. I'm hopeful. But still scared.

So, good luck to both of us I guess! Here's some links:

don't know if this is relevant:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/345/1/3

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/

 

[darcytrue]

I have had all c-sects so far. I'm planning to have another one with this last baby as well because I was told years ago I have an abnormally shaped pelvis. My first baby got stuck in the birth canal and suffered many complications, including seizures. I never wanted to go through that again. Although sometimes I wonder if my second child "could" have gone VBAC. But I'll never know. I'm planning a tubal this time around so it only makes sense to do it at the same time as the c-sect.

I'm sorry for what you have been through. Some people have it rough when getting c-sects.

I have always had it pretty easy recovery-wise. I also go to an OB that says they automatically do a c-sect after a mother has had 2 or more already. They wouldn't have let me try VBAC this time around even if I wanted to. And I live in a small town.

 

[livnanismama]

ICAN has a new brochure out called "After a Cesarean". It's awesome! I would see if you can get one from your local group or by contacting ICAN. They have a really good diagram of the risks of vbac and repeat cesareans. I'll post some of the info but see if you can get a copy! (major complications are defined as one or more of the following - uterine rupture, hysterectomy, additional surgery due to hemmorhage, injury to the bladder or bowel, thromboembolism, and/or excessive blood loss)

1st C-section
risk of hysterectomy 0.65% or 1/154
risk of blood transfusion 4.05% or 1/25
risk of placenta accreta 0.24% or 1/417

2nd c-section
risk of hysterectomy 0.42% or 1/238
risk of blood transfusion 1.53% or 1/65
risk of placenta accreta 0.31% or 1/323
risk of major complications 4.3% or 1/23
risk of dense adhesions 21.6% or 1/5

3rd c-section
risk of hysterectomy 0.9% or 1/111
risk of blood transfusion 2.26% or 1/44
risk of placenta accreta 0.57% or 1/175
risk of major complications 7.5% or 1/13
risk of dense adhesions 32.2% or 1/3

4th c-section
risk of hysterectomy 2.41% or 1/41
risk of blood transfusion 3.65% or 1/27
risk of placenta accreta 2.13% or 1/47
risk of major complications 12.5% or 1/8
risk of dense adhesions 42.4% or 2/5

1st VBAC
Chance of successful vbac 63.3% OR 2/3
risk of uterine rupture 0.87% OR 1/115
risk of hysterectomy 0.23% OR 1/435
risk of blood transfusion 1.89% OR 1/53

2ND VBAC
chance of successful vbac 87.6% or 9/10
risk of uterine rupture 0.45% or 1/222
risk of hysterectomy 0.17% or 1/588
risk of blood transfusion 1.24% or 1/81

3rd vbac
chance of successful vbac 90.9% or 9/10
risk of uterine rupture 0.38% or 1/263
risk of hysterectomy 0.06% or 1/1667
risk of blood transfusion 0.99% or 1/101

There was a recent blog post that linked to a study on maternal morbidity increasing with subsequent cesareans. I can't find the study online now but the post still has it here.

Here's another article about cesareans being linked to future birth risks.

 

[dmariev]

Sorry to crash your DDC, but I had to pop in on this.
Mama, what you need to remember is that even if they say they do not "do" vbacs, NO ONE can force you to do a c/s. I am hearing all the same from my doc, oh we don't do vbacs here, we will have to schedule a c/s. To which I nod, and say, well, I will come in when I am in labor, and I will not consent to a c/s unless I have proof that baby or myself are in danger. Like I said, NO ONE can force you to have another c/s, and if you show up in the hospital in labor, they aren't going to turn you away. Make sure you have DP/DB/DH on the same page as you.
'Not doing vbacs' is more of a precaution for their (the docs) practices. If you have docs telling you that you are a candidate for vbac, then you should go with it if you are comfortable with it. Now of course anything can happen between now and then, and things could change, but make sure that if things do change, you ask for proof of any "complications" they may be worrying about. And never be afraid to ask for a second opinion. I am not saying all docs lie about a woman's ability/likelihood of having a successful vbac, but this is your body and your baby and you need to be aware and informed at all times of all things.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lisa1970]

Quote:

Originally Posted by livnanismama ICAN has a new brochure out called "After a Cesarean". It's awesome! I would see if you can get one from your local group or by contacting ICAN. They have a really good diagram of the risks of vbac and repeat cesareans. I'll post some of the info but see if you can get a copy! (major complications are defined as one or more of the following - uterine rupture, hysterectomy, additional surgery due to hemmorhage, injury to the bladder or bowel, thromboembolism, and/or excessive blood loss) 1st C-section risk of hysterectomy 0.65% or 1/154 risk of blood transfusion 4.05% or 1/25 risk of placenta accreta 0.24% or 1/417 2nd c-section risk of hysterectomy 0.42% or 1/238 risk of blood transfusion 1.53% or 1/65 risk of placenta accreta 0.31% or 1/323 risk of major complications 4.3% or 1/23 risk of dense adhesions 21.6% or 1/5 3rd c-section risk of hysterectomy 0.9% or 1/111 risk of blood transfusion 2.26% or 1/44 risk of placenta accreta 0.57% or 1/175 risk of major complications 7.5% or 1/13 risk of dense adhesions 32.2% or 1/3 4th c-section risk of hysterectomy 2.41% or 1/41 risk of blood transfusion 3.65% or 1/27 risk of placenta accreta 2.13% or 1/47 risk of major complications 12.5% or 1/8 risk of dense adhesions 42.4% or 2/5 1st VBAC Chance of successful vbac 63.3% OR 2/3 risk of uterine rupture 0.87% OR 1/115 risk of hysterectomy 0.23% OR 1/435 risk of blood transfusion 1.89% OR 1/53 2ND VBAC chance of successful vbac 87.6% or 9/10 risk of uterine rupture 0.45% or 1/222 risk of hysterectomy 0.17% or 1/588 risk of blood transfusion 1.24% or 1/81 3rd vbac chance of successful vbac 90.9% or 9/10 risk of uterine rupture 0.38% or 1/263 risk of hysterectomy 0.06% or 1/1667 risk of blood transfusion 0.99% or 1/101 There was a recent blog post that linked to a study on maternal morbidity increasing with subsequent cesareans. I can't find the study online now but the post still has it here. Here's another article about cesareans being linked to future birth risks.

Thanks. I am going to bookmark so I can keep coming back to it while pregnant and closer to the delivery. These are the exact stats I was looking for. Looks like, with a csect, I would have a 4 times higher chance of ending up in hysterectomy.

 

[dancemama23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by livnanismama ICAN has a new brochure out called "After a Cesarean". It's awesome! I would see if you can get one from your local group or by contacting ICAN. They have a really good diagram of the risks of vbac and repeat cesareans. I'll post some of the info but see if you can get a copy! (major complications are defined as one or more of the following - uterine rupture, hysterectomy, additional surgery due to hemmorhage, injury to the bladder or bowel, thromboembolism, and/or excessive blood loss) 1st C-section risk of hysterectomy 0.65% or 1/154 risk of blood transfusion 4.05% or 1/25 risk of placenta accreta 0.24% or 1/417 2nd c-section risk of hysterectomy 0.42% or 1/238 risk of blood transfusion 1.53% or 1/65 risk of placenta accreta 0.31% or 1/323 risk of major complications 4.3% or 1/23 risk of dense adhesions 21.6% or 1/5 3rd c-section risk of hysterectomy 0.9% or 1/111 risk of blood transfusion 2.26% or 1/44 risk of placenta accreta 0.57% or 1/175 risk of major complications 7.5% or 1/13 risk of dense adhesions 32.2% or 1/3 4th c-section risk of hysterectomy 2.41% or 1/41 risk of blood transfusion 3.65% or 1/27 risk of placenta accreta 2.13% or 1/47 risk of major complications 12.5% or 1/8 risk of dense adhesions 42.4% or 2/5 1st VBAC Chance of successful vbac 63.3% OR 2/3 risk of uterine rupture 0.87% OR 1/115 risk of hysterectomy 0.23% OR 1/435 risk of blood transfusion 1.89% OR 1/53 2ND VBAC chance of successful vbac 87.6% or 9/10 risk of uterine rupture 0.45% or 1/222 risk of hysterectomy 0.17% or 1/588 risk of blood transfusion 1.24% or 1/81 3rd vbac chance of successful vbac 90.9% or 9/10 risk of uterine rupture 0.38% or 1/263 risk of hysterectomy 0.06% or 1/1667 risk of blood transfusion 0.99% or 1/101 There was a recent blog post that linked to a study on maternal morbidity increasing with subsequent cesareans. I can't find the study online now but the post still has it here. Here's another article about cesareans being linked to future birth risks.

THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!

 

[midwestmeg]

Lisa, I just wanted to give you a big hug and tell you to stay strong!!

It's no fun to be stressed out like that.

My gf recently had her midwives, who had done her last 2 vbac's tell her they couldn't do them anymore. And in another hospital the dr who has a GREAT reputation for vbacs and vaginal twins is being pressured. Hearing that just bothers me so much and it sounds like it is happening everywhere.

I think you should dedicate time to finding a place where you will really, really be supported. Even if it costs extra or you have to travel, it will be worth the peace of mind.

And I agree- don't consent. It's your body, your birth.

GL finding that special someone to help you with delivery!!

Keep us posted.