VBA2C
Hello all I am wanting to know if anyone here has had a VBA2C? My daughter was born in October of 2006 via emergency c-section ,with a lower transverse incision, after an induced 29 hour labor and failure to progress (truly believe the induction was to blame here). There were no complications from her birth but it left me feeling like less of a mother and woman because I had wanted a natural birth. I was in mourning for months after her birth and decided that I wouldn't be put under the knife again. I started to do all the research I could on VBAC and was determined to get one. I became pregnant with my son in March of 2008 and was excited to have my Natural birth that I wanted so badly. Being in Louisiana most doctors openly refuse to perform VBAC's and I really was only left with one option for a doctor, not that I am complaining because I ended up loving this doctor for all he did for us but I wish there were more options for me. I had a complication free pregnancy but around 28 weeks I started to have a nagging pain on the right side of my belly that lasted until the end of my pregnancy. My doctor told me we should go ahead with the VBAC but I was so scared by all the information that other doctors before him had given me that I decided to do a repeat c-section. My son ended up being born at 39 weeks and 1 day and immediately after his birth I felt relief that he was healthy and safe and I didn't have the same feelings of sadness that followed my daughters birth. These feelings did not last. About an hour after my sons delivery my husband came down from the nursery to tell me that things were not looking good for him. He had been born with premature lungs and they were having trouble getting him to breathe and keeping the fluid out of his lungs. He ended up being placed in the NICU where he suffered an Pneumothorax at 19 hours old and we were told he might not make it. He ended up making it out ok and healthy but the doctors kept telling me that if I had gone into labor on my own and had a vaginal delivery he would have been fine. So I DO NOT want this to happen again. Any advice on VBA2C and where I can get one would be fantastic. Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly James on -
Would you consider homebirth? Do you know if midwives work in LA legally or at least allegally? I truly believe that's your best shot at a natural birth.
Oo, check it out - http://louisianamidwives.net/. Also, do follow the link there to the CFM site.
"The Business of Being Born" really changed my husband's perspective on both hospital birth AND homebirth. You might want to watch that. I've heard good things about "Pregnant In America." Currently I'm rereading "Born in the USA" which was written by a doctor and is a critical look at the medicalization of birth. Other books I plan to read include - "My Best Birth," "Pushed," and "Silent Knife."
I'm pregnant with twins and have been risked out of homebirth. I know I have a battle ahead...
ICAN (www.ican-online.org) has been a huge source of support and info for me. You might also go to Birth After Cesarean (http://www.birthaftercesarean.com/). -
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Permalink Reply by Michelle Van Norman on -
All I can say is wow!! Your story is a mirror image of mine. I had my first son via c-section. He was induced at almost 40 weeks and i pushed for 3 hrs and he was stuck. But i learned afterwards had i allowed nature to take its coarse and not been strapped down to a bed he would have turned into the right position and been born vaginally. But i too didn't feel like a mother after he was born for the simple reason that he didn't come the way he was supposed to. I started then doing my research on VBAC's. I got pregnant again in 05 with my second son and thought a different Dr and different hospital would be a different experience. I beggen my Dr for a VBAC all the way until he set the day for the c-section. My son was born with a pneumo also he has asperated blood and they had to needle his chest a couple hrs after his birth to relieve the pressure in his chest. He was whisked away from the hospital by ambulance to another hospital where he was put on a ventilator and had 6 different chest tubes. He came home at 3 weeks but had high blood pressure for his first year. The NICU dr told my husband if we were to have another c-section there was a 60% chance that one would end up like my son. I had horrible post partum because i thought it was my fault. When we decided to try for a third baby i immediatly searched out a midwife. That was the best thing i could have done for myself and my daughter. My midwife told me that i was not broken and my body could deliver the way nature intended it to. So on Dec 31 2008 i went into labor. At 9:59am on new years day my daughter was welcomed into this world at home in a birthing tub. I recieved her right out of the water. She was so alert and calm it was amazing. She never had health issues and i never had the baby blues. I was sore but was up that afternoon taking care of her and visiting family.
My advice to you is before you get pregnant find a midwife. Meet with as many as you need to till you find the one that meshes well with you and your family. Luckily i found Jill on my first visit. Get a doula and put together the most supportive birth team you can. And make sure any negative influences are out of your life at least till after the baby is born. You will be amazed at how bonded you get to a baby that is never taken from your arms after they are born. My daughter and i have this amazing bond that is unlike anything i felt with my boys. She is now 4 months old and i want to do it all again already. Good luck and remember it's your body your baby and your decision. -
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Esparza on -
My ideal would be homebirth but in the state of LA it is illegal to deliver at home after a c/s. And I know of a midwife in Tyler named Thalia .
Wow michelle hearing your story gives me hope that I can do it. I am already looking for that special team of people that I will need to get the birth that I want. For my first VBAC I would feel the most comfortable with a Midwife assisted birthing center/hospital water birth. My son was just born on Nov. 28 so I have time to get things sorted out. I already know that I will have to move in order to get it right. And after seeing BOBB I am so much more sure of my bodies ability to do this. In March I saw my friend have a natural birth and that just refueled the fire for me ... so thanks for sharing! -
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Permalink Reply by JH on -
You can do this, it's very possible for you. I'm rooting for you! I'm sorry for my lack of information on this subject but I would like more information if you are willing to share; it is actaully illegal in some places to birth as you choose? I'm stunned by this fact. It's so sad and so unfair to do this to a woman, birthing should be a choice not a rule.
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Permalink Reply by Linda Llone Hinchliffe on -
Hello
Please email me driectly on vbac.information@ntlworld.com as I have had VBA3C (x 5) with no ill effects and the last 4 have been home water births...
I also run the VBAC Information & Support Group and have fantastic information leaflets for you (all emailable)
Regards
Linda Hinchliffe
Mum of 9 &
Chair/Founder
VBAC Information & Support
Est. 1990 -
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Esparza on
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Well I have found 2 midwives willing to attend my birth ... one in Houston Texas where my inlaws live (if they will let me HBA2C) in their home ... and one in Lucedale Mississippi my mom lives in Perkinston and has already welcomed me with open arms to deliver in her home ... the only reason I am leaning towards Houston is the fact that my inlaws live about 10 min. from a hospital so if something goes wrong I feel secure in knowing we are close. My mom lives 25 min from the nearest hospital so I need some advice. What would ya'll do?
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Permalink Reply by Adrienne H on -
Jennifer - I hear your dilemma, it seems like 10 minutes and 25 minutes is a big difference. I know I'd feel better too with the 10 minute option. But I know there are other factors too, so that's a tough one. I'm sure you will make a good decision whatever it is. Hey what is the name of the midwife in Houston?
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Permalink Reply by Briana Manthei on -
Hi there. I live in Houston and delivered two of my three children at home with a midwife here, most recently in March. I don't think she will do HBA2C but surely there are some midwives in Houston who would. Thalia, the midwife in Tyler that you mentioned, delivered my second baby and it was a wonderful homebirth as well.
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Permalink Reply by Adrienne H on
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Hi - It's great to read your stories and feel supported in trying to plan for a future VBAC. Jennifer or Briana - do you know of any freestanding Birthing Centers in the Houston area who will accept VBAC patients? My first son was born by c-section for 'failure to progress.' I got induced at 10 days late and was really rushed into the section, without any signs of fetal distress or any other problems. We are really wanting to stay out of the hospital next time. I have the same problem as you Jennifer that we ourselves don't have a house in TX so it's not so easy to invite yourself to deliver a baby in someone else's home! That's why I was wondering about birth centers... thanks for your help!
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Permalink Reply by MommEase on
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In 1987, I was 19 and I was basically dragged through the garden with my daughter's birth. Every intervention that could be done was done. I didn't know any better. A RADIOLOGIST, of all people, decided I would have a cesarean! He said I was 'too small'. I am 5'2", and yes, I am small. However, I would later learn that when you squat, your pelvis opens up by at least a third more than laying on your back. Leora was my first cesarean.
Forward to 1991. I decided Travis would be born naturally, though it had to be in a hospital. There were no midwives in South Dakota who attended homebirths, so I chose a female OB/GYN. I thought she would be more sympathetic to my plight. WRONG! She was horrible. She was hell bent on my having another cesarean. My husband and I actually ended up driving an hour and a half to Sioux Center Iowa to see a midwife! Her husband was the resident OB/GYN, and they had a nice little team. This time, I was armed with education, compliments of Nancy Wainer (-Cohen at the time)'s book, Silent Knife. I still didn't have a lot of support, but my husband was good for going along with what I wanted to do. Unfortunately I still wasn't ready, emotionally, for this birth to go as planned. I labored for 24 hours and finally they sent me back to Sioux Falls to have a cesarean. The hospital was more progressive, and I was able to nurse Travis while they stitched me up, and he never left my side.
1993 was the one I swore would go the way we planned. I was pregnant with Sky, my second son, and final birth. We now lived in Florida. This time, I became militant. I joined my local ICAN group, and got very involved. Again, Silent Knife was my bible. The law at the time stated that if you had a cesarean, you could not have a laymidwife (one who isn't a nurse) attend subsequent births at home. I found a certified nurse midwife (CNM) who would attend our homebirth. When we went to see her, she was a little flaky, at best, but we didn't have many choices. The second visit was even more ridiculous. She actually lost my file...and this was her office in her HOME! I decided that if she was that unorganized, I really wasn't comfortable with her attending my birth.
I began to explore other options. After much studying, info gathering and talking to people in the know, I decided on the "extreme" and "crazy" idea of unattended homebirth. Just like any other birth or parenting choice, it isn't for everybody. It was definitely for me. I had been a natural birth educator and doula for years, so I had quite a lot of knowledge. I had a doula who was in nursing school available by phone. I educated myself and my husband, got all the supplies together, and we were ready. I labored over night, and Sky was born at 9:35am. The birth was perfect, though my perineum tore. I went to the hospital and had it stitched up. I didn't bring my baby there though. He was fine in his dad's arms for a couple of hours.
This isn't a story for all, nor is it a popular choice in our medical society. I am convinced my body would've continued to try to complete the process it had been robbed of twice. I probably would've had more babies. Instead, I felt no need to become pregnant after Sky was born.
Oh and did I mention Sky's size? Well, my two c-secs were- Leora 8lbs 15oz 21", Travis 7lbs 13oz 19". Sky, my homebirth after I would "never pass a baby through my pelvis" was 9lbs 7oz 22" long!!!
The moral of the story is this;
Never underestimate the power of your own body. Babies know how to be born, and moms know how to give birth. We've been doing it for thousands of years.
No one has ever stayed pregnant forever! Trust your body, and your baby. -
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***two things to add to this:
1) Nancy Wainer (www.birthdaymidwifery.com ) is a midwife in Mass, and a dear friend of mine. She wrote Silent Knife and Open Season, which are two of the most eye opening books in the history of VBAC information sources. Not everyone is as rebellious as I am, or as Nancy is, but don't be afraid to trail-blaze and stand up for your birthing rights.
2) the CNM I fired because she was a flake, ended up attending the homebirth of my dear friend, for whom I was her doula. My friend ended up with a stillbirth, because the midwife was not there, checking her or the baby's vitals during her lengthy labor. My point is to TRUST your gut instincts! I just felt uncomfortable with her. I was so thankful I had not gone through with the birth with this negligent person, though my heart broke for my friend.
Just goes to show that having that nursing degree doesn't necessarily make a person a better midwife -
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Permalink Reply by Deep South Doula on -
Hey Jennifer. I'm in Ruston and going through the same thing as you (hoping for VBA2C in the future). I have contacted several midwives in TX since there are NONE in North Louisiana and like you said they are not able to attend a Homebirth after C-section. I found a place in Marshall, TX right outside of Shreveport...Edenwaybirth. They are the closest to me but I've also looked into some in the Dallas area since my sister lives there. All the ones I have contacted have been very supportive of my desire to VBA2C. Just the opposite in my search for supportive OBs. My current OB will "allow" me but I would have to be in the hospital with all the monitors, no tub, no food or drink, and not supported by the rest of the staff (at least this is how it was for my VBAC attempt). NO THANKS! I'm glad you have found some places close to family. I honestly think that a VBA2C is the safer option to a 3rd section...especially after what happened to your son.
On a side note...I'm looking into starting an ICAN chapter for North Louisiana. I will keep you posted if you are interested.
Peach!
Brandi -
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