When I was 37 weeks pregnant with my son, I had an emergency C-section due to decresed fetal movement and decreased heart rate, after it was all said and done, we had a healthy 8lb 4oz boy. 7 months later, I got pregnant again, this pregnancy was uneventful. At 39 weeks I had a scheduled C-section, and we were blesssed with a 9lb 6oz girl. Looking back on it I wish I would have been more proactive in finding a doctor that would deliver our 2nd baby naturally.
My husband and I are trying for baby number 3 currently, and Im finding myself thinking about this again. I feel cheated and I want to experience a natural delivery. My concerns are that I had 2 C-sections within 2 years, and our youngest is only 16 months old. Should the scar on my uterus have more time to heal if I am going to do this? As badly as I want this I am scared that the scar will rupture. So my question is to all you Mommies out there, if you have done this how was your experience and how did you go about finding a Doctor or Midwife , I will have to go out of town. I am also worried about size, I obviously have big babies. Will having a big baby causes stress on the scars during contractions. I have alot of concerns, but I can't get this thought out of my head, my husband thinks it would be great as well. If anyone has any OB/Midwife reccomendations in my area (KC Mo, Overland Park, Columbia, I am willing to travel but not a great distance) that preform VBACs I would love to hear them, like I said before I will be looking for a new Doctor.
Try out Dr. Anthony Heit at KC Women's Clinic in OP. He is amazing and I think he would feel safe about doing it! My BF is in the same situation, and planning on a vbac!
I am a midwife. There is not much difference in rupture rates for one vs two previous c-sections. Somethink like an 8th of a percent. And the actual rupture rate anyway less than 1%. It is perfectly safe to try for a VBAC and actually healthier and safer for you and the baby than doing another c-section. The mortality rate for the mother is much higher for a c-section simply due to the fact that it is major surgery and you have all of the associated risks for that alone.
If it were me though I would wait a full 2 years to get pregnant again. 2 years gives your body the ultimate time to heal from the previous pregnancy and birth.
You might want to read Pushed by Jennifer Block and The Thinking Woman's Guide to Better Birth by Henci Goer.
Also, your best bet for a VBAC is a midwife and a doula.
Take Care,
Lisa
P.S. I wanted to comment on the previous posters comment about insurance. Do not let a big corporation dictate what kind of birth you can have. You are the consumer and you pay them money. No one has the right to tell you how to birth your baby, especially an insurance company.
Have you thought about having a home-birth? It will be very hard for you to find a OB/CNM that can legally attend a VBAC after 2 c-secs. Read Open Season and Silent Knife- both written by Nancy Wainer Cohen- both of these books deal with having VBAC's and how to find a provider that you are comfortable with. You might also consider doing it yourself- unassisted- there are quite a few groups- Yahoo- that deal with this topic- Best of luck-
S.- mom of 9- 3 unassisted.
The American College of Gynecology and Obstetrics has updated their recommendations for VBACs, and, although they encourage much more liberal usage of VBAC, it is not recommended for all women. One of the first criteria to be a viable candidate for a VBA2C is that you must have already had at least 1 previous successful vaginal delivery. Bummer!!
I had c/s with babies 1 & 2 too, and now I'm pg with #3 and was pretty sad when I found out it is not even an option anymore. I did feel robbed, and like I should have done things differently with #2 to help increase my odds of a successful VBAC, but I can't change that now and in the end, what is important is not whether your child passes through the birth canal or is delivered surgically, what matters is that you have indeed given birth to a unique human being.
Unfortunately, you have probably missed that opportunity. I am a nurse midwife. Several years ago I did deliver a few women that had 2 previous csections. However, that is no longer the case. I don't know of any practioner or hospital that will agree to a VBAC post 2 Csection unless you have already had a vaginal delivery. I know most of the groups in this area and don't know anyone who would be willing to go with you on this one. Good Luck.
K.
You also need to ultimately see...if your medical Insurance will cover a VBAC. Some will not.
I would definitely wait two years after your last section. A homebirth may seem risky, but the problem is that most doctors and hospital-based midwives are anxious to intervene, and many interventions increase your chances of a cesarean. At home, you would be allowed more freedom in labor and increase your chances of a natural delivery. I am not saying I would recommend a home birth, but you may have trouble finding a hospital-based doctor/midwife who will assume the low risk (less than 1% to 1-2% chance) that you could rupture.
I had a cesearean and then a hospital VBAC, but when I got pregnant with my third, even the hospital based midwives whom I had specifically chosen for my second birth because of their low cesarean rates were much less willing to let me have another natural birth. I chose a home birth and it went well.
Try Midwest Midwifery (part of Midwest Women's Healthcare) at Research Medical Center (Kim and Sheila).
If you are interested in home birth, contact Suzanne Ryan at Midwives of Kansas City, 1.877.551.0001.
Good luck.
I had a VBAC with a 10 lb 3 oz baby after only one c-section. Mine was done in a different state. The first doctor on call wanted to give me a section, but when the shift changed an older, more experienced doctor let me continue to dilate and then push for 5 hours. A lot depends on the doctor and, obviously, on your body and the baby's health and stress level. I am currently seeing Dr. Magee at Women's Care, PA. He has said that he will support a VBAC, though I haven't made it that far and can't speak from actual experience. Plus, I have already had one successful VBAC, which might make a big difference. VBAC aside, he's a very nice doctor.
I don't think we give our bodies enough credit. I can't tell you whether or not it is safe but after my second c-section my uterus became attached to my bladder and the wall of my abdomin. I had surgery to detach the uterus from the wall of the abdomin but the doctor could not detach the uterus from the bladder. Six years later, I became pregnant again. Though I did have another c-section, I write this to you because I think our bodies can do amazing things. With that second pregnancy, I had had five rounds of Clomid so even getting pregnant the third time without any additional help was special.
Is there a chance something can go wrong? Yes, but go in with as much information as you can get and make sure you have the best staff and doctor.
Though I totally support your desire to want to have a VBAC, I do want to give you a different perspective. I have had two emergency c-sections. However, my last c-section was not an emergency. The doctors took their time, carefully sewed me up and placed the baby on my chest as they did so. It was as close to a 'natural' delivery as I will ever have. So the question you do have to ask is, if I get back information that says I have a high chance of having a c-section, would I want it to be an emergency operation or just a standard c-section?
Good luck, I hope that you find peace with whatever way your next child is delivered. Enjoy your family!
Hi,
I am interested in the answers you will be getting. You are telling such a similar story to mine- I hope that you get the VBAC that you want. I really hope that I can do one too-- Good luck.
M
My sister's Dr. (keep in mind, we are in a different state) said that she could not and would not do a VBAC, after 2 sections. It was her (and in her opinion, most doctors) policy. Her insurance wouldn't cover it, anyway. In fact, her insurance wouldn't cover a VBAC at all. I would check into your insurance. A VBAC after 2 sections could be possible, but you might not be able to find a Dr. After my sis's First section, the Dr. told her to always wait 2 years before getting pregnant after a section. You might wait until 2 years, since you have them so close together.
In response, to someone who said a company can not tell you what kind of birth to have...that's partially true. Unfortunately, they can and do tell you what kind of birth you can't have, at times. If it is written in your policy and you signed off on the policy, you are out of luck. It just depends on your policy. If the policy doesn't cover VBAC, that's the policy you're stuck with. The policy only has to cover what you signed up for. Sad, but true
