Good news from OB. Thanks for your help

[AmandaUK]

I saw the consultant surgeon yesterday, having asked you ladies for input and it was a valuable chat. I took my notes from when Tom was born and she went through every single detail with me, telling me why what was done and when. She has a brilliant, quick mind and made me feel a whole lot better about the experience.

As I dilated to 7cm the first time and I have had no health problems in this pregnancy she is reasonably confiedent that I will delivery vaginally this time. The only downside is that I will have to be continually monitored, in case of a scar rupture. :(

All in all I feel so much better about this, and would like to thank you once again for your input when I asked for help.

You're the best. :)

[Celia]

I am so glad you had a positive visit. Your remarks caught my eye, though, because I left my first OB when she insisted on standard continuous monitoring.

You might want to see if you can negotiate for intermittent monitoring....say, monitor for 20 minutes out of every hour or keep someone around like a doula who can monitor with a fetoscopr or doppler. Most pro-VBAC info I've seen discourages continuous monitoring as it limits movement, restricts you to bed or a chair which can hinder the progression of labor which may lead to pitocin, etc. THAT'S where VBACs get more dangerous. It's the continuous monitoring which can lead to the interventions which make VBAC riskier according to what I've read. VBAC Checklist (http://www.ican-online.org/resources/wp_vbac_checklist.htm). Probably any book on a VBAC reading list would advise the same thing.

OK, so you were feeling pretty positive, and I had to bring this up. But I did feel I ought to mention this. :o

If she agrees to a VBAC on the condition of continuous monitoring, and you can't find an OB who would agree to a more individualized approach, then she's probably the best you'll manage. I was fortunate to find an OB who would agree to the 20 min. out of an hour arrangement.