VBAC Hopefuls

[panda]

I know there were a few of us who are hoping to have a VBAC. Let's talk about it. 

What is motivating you? 
How are you mentally and physically preparing?
Recommended any reading?
What are your general thoughts and feelings on giving it a try?
Questions?

[panda]

I'm motivated in a lot of ways, but one of the top motivating factors is not wanting to have an unnecessary surgery. The recovery, potential for more children, and just wanting to give my body another chance at a vaginal birth is mixed in there too.

I have the kind of general knowledge you could get from a pamphlet on VBACS at the moment. I've perused a handful of sources of information like the APA, ICAN, VBAC facts...etc. I have also stumbled across some blogs with successful VBAC stories that I like to read for encouragement. Other than that I have been pretty avoidant about any in depth research. I can go overboard at times, and maybe I'm trying to prevent that...? I won't have a doula and I've never been to a chiropractor, but I know those are things other moms have done to prep. A good part of my mental preparation has been reflecting on my first birthing experience. For brevity I'll just say it was a long unmedicated labor that ended in a failure to progress due to fetal positioning. It's good for me to get my thoughts and feelings sorted out as I move closer to round 2.

I'm excited to see how it will go this time. I'm excited for the opportunity to attempt a VBAC, and also a little nervous about the unpredictable nature of labor.

Q: Anyone planning an unmedicated VBAC or concerned about getting an epidural?

[honda13]

I am not a VBAC hopeful, but my bff just had a successful VBAC. She hired a doula and found that very valuable. She had an unmedicated vaginal birth which is exactly what she wanted. She was able to submit a claim to her insurance to try and get reimbursed what she spent oop on the doula. Basically she just has to prove they saved the insurance company $$$ so it's well worth it to pay for a doula. I hope you all have the vbac you're hoping for.

[sdlaura]

A couple friends of mine had successful VBACS and said that having a really supportive doctor was the most important thing for them. Good luck to everyone trying for one!

[brandiewine11]

Me! I had a very complicated recovery from my first section (an emergency) so that's what is motivating me more than anything.

I have a midwife and a doula and a lot of knowledge from my first labor.

I'm honestly trying not to think too much about it. But I am making sure I get all my questions answered and that my husband has a good list of my concerns so he can better advocate for me.

I wanted an unmedicated birth last time but I ended up get an epidural after 24 hours of prodromal labor followed by another 20ish of active labor. I'm hoping to avoid the epidural this time as I did not like it and believe it contributed to my complications. I also had 2 subsequent surgeries due to those complications. An epi was attempted for both and failed.

My hospital offers the nitrous oxide gas this time so I'm hoping that does the trick for whatever I need. I am, however, meeting with anesthesia prior to my due date to go over my epidural experience and make sure they are aware in case I do need one for any reason.

[honda13]

Apr 19, 2017 10:00:21 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

A couple friends of mine had successful VBACS and said that having a really supportive doctor was the most important thing for them. Good luck to everyone trying for one!

Yes! My friends dr kept trying to schedule a c-section for her.  At one point he even had one scheduled, but she got it cancelled.  He wasn't on the same page as her, but her doula was a huge help.

[iris1264]

I'm so glad there are other people here that are interested in attempting a TOLAC!

What is motivating you?
My previous successful vbac, and the fact that my recovery from my cs was so much worse than for the vaginal delivery.

How are you mentally and physically preparing?
This time, I haven't done too much. I've actually been busy enough with life that I haven't thought much about the delivery yet at all.

Recommended any reading?
I don't have much I can recommend right now. I had a bunch of medical journal articles and studies saved on my old computer which died.

Before my successful vbac, I was really, really anxious and worried about uterine rupture, and so most of the reading I did beforehand focused on that. Although the risk of rupture is very small, my anxiety went into overdrive (which is what I tend to do). The reason I was so worried is that the risk of rupture goes down as time since c-section increases. Many studies group rupture rates in 3 categories: less than 18 months, 18-24 months, and 24 months or more. And DS was born less than 18 months after DD, putting me in the 'highest risk' category. However, the overall risk was still very small. I basically tried to put into context my risk of rupture versus risks of other unavoidable issues, such as shoulder dystocia. Looking at the numbers this way helped me a lot.

I did also look into success rates, which were encouraging. From my reading, it seems like 60-80% of women are able to deliver vaginally after attempting a TOLAC. That's a pretty big number.

What are your general thoughts and feelings on giving it a try?
I am very optimistic this time. Since I've already had a vaginal delivery, I'm a good candidate. And since I've had a vbac, my anxiety about uterine rupture is much more under control.

Questions? I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have! I don't have any of my own.

I just wanted to add that I've told a couple people here the story of my vbac, and while it wasn't an ideal birth, it was still much better than my c-section. I deliver at a large university medical center, and all the staff were all very supportive of my TOL during my pregnancy and labor. I had thought about hiring a doula, but decided not to. I'm glad now that I didn't hire one, as my labor was so fast that I don't think it would've been worthwhile for me.

[iris1264]

panda I had a failed epi during my first two deliveries, so I am planning on not even trying this time. For my c-section, they tried to dose up my epi before the surgery, but it didn't work. I was able to get a spinal instead of general anesthesia though. My hospital prefers women attempting a TOLAC to have an epidural in case a c-section is necessary, but they don't require it. After my failed epi with my vbac, I spoke to anesthesia and they told me that there may be an issue with my anatomy which doesn't allow the epi to work properly.

honda13 I have to sign all the consent forms for c-section by around 36 weeks into my pregnancy, so that's all taken care of in case of emergency. I also schedule a c-section at 41 weeks with my OB in case baby doesn't come on his/her own before then. My Dr. doesn't want me to go beyond a week late, and I don't want to be induced (as some induction methods can increase your chance of uterine rupture). Luckily DS came on his own before 41 weeks, and I hope LO will do the same.

[panda]

Apr 19, 2017 5:30:55 GMT -5 honda13 said:

I am not a VBAC hopeful, but my bff just had a successful VBAC. She hired a doula and found that very valuable. She had an unmedicated vaginal birth which is exactly what she wanted. She was able to submit a claim to her insurance to try and get reimbursed what she spent oop on the doula. Basically she just has to prove they saved the insurance company $$$ so it's well worth it to pay for a doula. I hope you all have the vbac you're hoping for.

I was so on the fence about the doula. I guess I didn't miss one last time, and I worried about it being helpful but overall not worth the money. I've never heard of anyone regretting having one, I'm just being weird about it. Getting reimbursed would be great, I am curious to know if that's an option for me.

[panda]

I'm in a different position with the Epi because it worked for me. I'm just hoping this little boy is in a good position and my labor is shorter, so I can avoid it. I will have to ask my doc about whether it's preferred like your hospital iris1264, I didn't think about that.