Intro into pregnancy group

[NinaS]

I'm not sure if I've ever introduced myself here or not.

I am 21 and 11 wks pregnant. I had my dd 12/05 c-secton. My ds 12/06 repeat c-section. I have had 3 miscarriages one being twins which I had to have a d&c. I am trying for a hba2c this time. I have blessings from my midwife to lc during pregnancy. When I am low carbing my blood pressure is down and my blood sugar stays stable. It is a whole lot healthier that what a non low carb diet would be for me.

I am really excited to meet you all.

Christina

[jschwab]

I wish you so much luck with your hba2c. I've had 3 homebirth pregnancies (2 born actually at home; one was a direct transfer) and they are so wonderful. If you have any questions about anything, let me know!

Janine

[NinaS]

Janine, So glad to find someone who has had a homebirth I'd love to hear all about it when you find time.

I was in labor for 32 hrs with my daughter and then we had a section for failure to progress and prolonged rupture of membranes.

My doctor told me I had a 80-90% chance of failure if I tried a vbac with my second pregnancy. ( which I have found out to be a toatal lie) so I elected to have my second c-section.

With a little more knowladge and deep desire for a different type of birth I have chosen to go with a midwife and homebirth. Lord willing everything will go well.

[ReginaW]

Janine, So glad to find someone who has had a homebirth I'd love to hear all about it when you find time.

I was in labor for 32 hrs with my daughter and then we had a section for failure to progress and prolonged rupture of membranes.

My doctor told me I had a 80-90% chance of failure if I tried a vbac with my second pregnancy. ( which I have found out to be a toatal lie) so I elected to have my second c-section.

With a little more knowladge and deep desire for a different type of birth I have chosen to go with a midwife and homebirth. Lord willing everything will go well.

I think it's great you'd like to attempt a VBAC....and just want to suggest adding an OB to your birth team just in case, since you have had multiple c-sections and that does slightly raise your risk for complications in a VBAC.....your midwife should have an OB (or family doc) she works with and you might want to meet with them in advance of the birth to discuss your preferences should you need medical help if something does go wrong.

[NinaS]

I'm not irresponsible, of course we have a back up plan, but the chances of something going wrong because of my c-sections (as compared to other complications any woman can have) are very, very slim.

As I have had two c/s I have educated myself greatly on all risks. Thank you

[NinaS]

Also, and not to rant and rave, family doctors have less training in delivering and managing birth than a CNM.

[ReginaW]

Also, and not to rant and rave, family doctors have less training in delivering and managing birth than a CNM.

First - I didn't say you were irresponsible - in fact, I said it was great that you were going to attempt a VBAC, didn't I?

Second, I don't know where in the country you live - in some places there are NO OB's and family doctors are it, so a family doc was included ONLY because in some areas there are no OB's....and when that is the case, they deliver many babies and are often darn good at it too!

Good luck to you and enjoy a happy healthy pregnancy!

[NinaS]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound gruff. I am having to fight a lot of prejudice toward VBAC. My two c/s were because I went to a family doctor and he didn't know what he was doing, so I'm a little irritated. I'm sure there are good ones though. Thanks for the well wishes. Sorry if I seemed snippy, I didn't mean to.

[bcdevany]

Good luck on the VBAC! I had one after 2 c/s and it went great. It really helped that I found an O.B. that was willing to do it. He is a rare find. ;)

[jschwab]

My homebirth stories:

First birth - I had low amniotic fluid so agreed to direct transfer to the hospital. I refused induction against medical advice, but when into labor at exactly 42 weeks. I labored at home in an Aquadoula until I was 8 cm. I walked into the hospital in a black velvet evening gown (only nonpants item I could find). My doctor was very pro-homebirth and was unofficially acting as backup. My midwife became my "doula", but continued to do all the monitoring. At some point, I kicked everyone out except the doc. She fell asleep on the chair and I duck walked to get the baby to descend. I gave birth without pain on my hands and knees after just 3 or 4 pushes. No tears, just some bruising. 24 hours of pain-free labor (felt funny, though).

Second birth - I threw up my entire pregnancy and was on bed rest for a couple months because of it. I had more pain but again used the Aquadoula to manage it. My contractions were very far apart, like 10 minutes, for most of the labor even when I was in transition. I was so calm that I planned my garden on paper at about 7 centimeters. At ten centimeters, I took a nap for 1.5 hours. I think my midwives were so shocked they didn't make an issue of it. They had to ask me to tell them if the baby was coming out, I was so calm. Eventually, my daughter essentially fell out after two pushes. She was born in the water and swam to the surface. We had planned performances at our house that evening, so while I was lying in a sheet I was receiving different performers on the way to the bathroom to get changed. There was a belly dancer! 17 hours of Buddha zen labor.

Third birth - This was my most "normal" birth. It was quick with a very clear progression and a real transition with me yelling, losing control, real pain, etc. Two pushes and she was born in the water, too. But I recovered most quickly from it, maybe because I was on anti-nausea meds the whole pregnancy and could actually eat. The baby was 10lbs, 10oz and I had not one tear. Five hours of textbook birth.

With my second and third births, if I didn't know I had had a baby, I would not have been able to tell. I had no bruising, no trauma, just felt completely normal down there right away. It was amazing!

You are going to have a great birth!!!

[Koalaty]

Your midwife will advise you if the VBA2C is safe or not. The evidence suggests it is safer than another C-section, and the only way you're likely to get one in the US is to do home birth. Theoretically, after 3 c-sections you're at much higher risk for uterine rupture, and most docs will advocate for having your tubes tied, so if you want more children or want the possibility of more children, you'd be best to continue as planned. Your local hospital should be able to deal with you if you need to transfer and hopefully your midwife will go with you in that case and turn into a doula/advocate for you.

Most midwives err on the side of caution and won't take a risky patient on. They have as much to lose if something goes wrong. Trust me, I know. Most midwives won't take me, and the hospital based practice that did take me on was always threatening that if I had one more complication I would be transferred to their doctor. I've been very fortunate under these circumstances to have 2 normal deliveries.

[NinaS]

Koala,
There are only a few states who have outlawed vbac. My local hospital in Chariton Iowa does them and so do some of the major hospitals in Des Moines. There are a lot of states that are more open minded than Iowa. The key is to explore your options in full. There are doctors who will tell you vbacs are illegal just because they don't believe in them. There are no sound studies that show your uterine rupture risk increases substantially with each sucsessive c/s. There is a lot of propoganda that says this. Make sure you look at solid facts. To be safe lkets say my rupture rate is doubles because I have had 2 c/s that is still only 6/10,000 chance. I have a website with extesive studies done on this, I'm not finding it this moment but when I do I'll post it.

And you are so right about midwives screening high risk patients. Most don't consider vbac as high risk, not the experienced and educated ones. :wave: