Cesaren vs. VBAC

[bri28]

hello everyone, I'm new here. I am looking for any type of suggestions and advice. I am pregnant with my second baby 21 weeks and worried about the choice of VBAC vs. another cesarean. I had my daughter by cesarean after pushing unsuccessfully for over three hours. She was only 6 pounds, but wouldn't come out. The doctors (I've spoken to doctors and midwives) all feel that if I can't push out a 6 pound baby (I am 4' 11") then this birth will probably be the same. I'm not nervous about another cesarean, but would like to hear about any of your experiences and maybe about anything that you would have done differently given the choice. Thanks for listening.

[born2birth]

First of all, let me just say that their comment about you not being able to push out a 6 pound baby is completely idiotic. I was fed the same line after my first baby was born by cesarean weighting 8lb 14oz. Well, my VBAC babies were 10lb 2oz and 9lb 7oz, respectively. It all boils down to positioning. More than likely, something was wrong with your baby's position in your pelvis, not your pelvis size.

What did I do differently? I hired a midwife and had a homebirth! Now, I know that's not for everyone, but I still highly recommend finding someone else that has a lower cesarean rate and isn't scared of "big" babies (if you can call a 6 pounder big). Also hire a doula. A doula can lower your cesarean risk by 50%. Wow!

[bri28]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitly look into it.

[KiwiZ]

I recommend reading "Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: The Smart Woman's Guide to VBAC" by Elizabeth Kaufmann. She presents medical research stating risks and benefits of both c/s and VBACs. A lot of articles I read seem biased one way or the other depending upon the authors viewpoint; this book avoided that.

Best of luck to you, whichever way your next baby arrives :)

[stargirl]

Here, here. I'm not pg, but very interested in what you find out. I have a similar story - had cs after 5hrs of pushing, but baby only weighed 7lbs. To this day, I have no clue what I could have done differently. And I did all the positions, had a doula, had no meds, etc. I would like to know what else to do, in case I'm pg again someday.

[miche]

I would order your OB and hospital records and see if there is anything in there about the baby being posterior or otherwise positioned in an unfavorable manner. Also there may have been other reasons for having difficulty pushing such as an epidural and/or being flat on your back. My first baby was 9lb 15oz born by c-section after a failed induction. I was told my pelvis was too small for the baby to descend far enough to put pressure on my cervix which is why it never dilated past 4cm (after only 13 hours - was scared into the c-section). Well my VBAC baby was only 8lb 6.5oz, BUT his head was larger and I only pushed for 25 mins and he had NO moulding of his head. Pelvis not large enough my foot! :) I still dilated extremely slowly so that is just something my body does it appears. The real reason for my c-section was that I was induced when baby and my body were not ready and he was completely posterior (head facing straight forward) and my water broke very early on and he got jammed in a way he shouldn't have been.

During my second pregnancy I read and followed the advice in the book "Optimal Foetal Positioning" (on the reading list in the VBAC cubby - that link is in my signature). It is possible to help with the positioning of your baby which can make labor easier. I had back labor with my first and none at all with my second. I also knew from an ultrasound that Sean was in perfect LOA position (left of anterior), but had I not seen it I would have known from the difference in where I felt labor.

Obviously I am a huge supporter of VBAC and would highly encourage you to read as much about it as possible. The cubby would be a good starting point with lots of links to other sites. My recovery was so much easier after the vbac than after the cesarean, and I had an easy cesarean recovery compared to many! I couldn't imagine having to care for a 2 yr old after a repeat cesarean.

[bri28]

Thank you so much for your inspiring story "miche". That is exactly the reason the doctors have now told me that I had a c-birth. My water broke 3 weeks early and my daughter was facing up and angled. I now feel more encouraged to try a VBAC with this baby. thanks again