VBAC SUPPORT

Hello ladies,

Thanks Widget for the well wishes, the closer it gets the scarier its becoming but i'm hoping i'll have a good birth experience.

Widget, i'm hoping that you'll be able to go into spontaneous labor within the next 2 weeks so you wont have to go through another C-Section. But if a C-Section is the best for you and your baby then its a good decision.

MummyAbby, I was also lucky with my gynae, she seems quite pro-natural and she's never even brought up the subject of a C-section since our initial discussion. maybe it's because my baby is on the smaller side, or she really believes in natural births. i've heard that there's no such thing as having a C-section because of a big baby so i really hope they are right

Marijke, i really hope that the gynae doesn't change her mind at the last minute! i think the worse thing for me will be rushing into theatre without being mentally prepared for it!

Thank you Marijke. It's definitely reassuring hearing about other mums doing it!

I would have preferred a midwife, but unfortunately they are a little far out My friend goes to the same gynea and had a vaginal delivery with her and told me this gynea is pro vaginal births, so I am really hoping she stays supportive even if my baby is estimated on the big side.

With my little girl her last scan a week before the c section she was estimated to weigh 3,6kg so yea those things can be quite off! I do know should this baby be born via elective c section and weigh a lot less than 4 kg I would regret not giving a vbac a try.

Widget, I understand your concern as due date seems like D day and anything past that is 'overdue' but here's my experience:

B was 'made' on the 4th of November, she was ejected at 31 July (40 weeks 3 days). I'm thinking she would have been born by the 4/5th of August on her own which would have been 41 weeks/41weeks1 day because;

A was 'made' on the 15th of February and she was born on 15 November, exactly 9 months, but 41 weeks.

Not directed at you Widget but for anyone reading here preparing for their options.

When I went to see a chiropractor at 40 weeks however many days he said something interesting: his wife went to a gynae when she was pregnant with their first. The gynae said to her when do you want to have your baby, his wife was stunned and said when the baby decides to come, that's when she will be born. The gynae said I didn't study for x amount of years to be called out in the middle of the night, I keep office hours, choose a date in your 38th week. She went to her house doctor and had natural in a state hospital at exactly 42 weeks. The chiro said to me; think about it, the gynae wanted to c-sec at 38 weeks, baby was born on 42 weeks, had they c-sectioned her the baby would have been 4 weeks early. Can you imagine the lung development that still had to take place, every extra day counts.

Hi everyone,

It's nice to see some new life on this thread!

I was 38 weeks yesterday and waiting patiently for my little guy. I won't be waiting past my due date though as I booked a c-section on the 26th of March, which is my due date. My gynea first calculated the due date to be the 21st of March, but since the scan said 26 March at 12 weeks we decided to stick with that date as the actual one.

Should my baby boy decide to come on his own I would like to attempt VBAC but I am not holding my breath. My little girl was born via c-section at 41 weeks due to failed induction - I did not dilate at all after two lots of gel and 8 hours of contractions...which put my little girl into fetal distress.

With my last visit to the doctor on the 5th of March, all was well and healthy. Baby measured just under 3kg so we estimate him to be around 3.2kg at birth. My doctor never does internals but I am pretty sure that this baby is not near ready to come out on his own! Doctor did ask if I would like to wait until I go into spontaneous labour, which came as a bit of a surprise taking into consideration that I actually wanted to leave at some point during my early pregnancy and find a midwife because I felt he wouldn't support me. Anyway, as it was he didn't want to commit and set me up for disappointment should there be a problem or complication which would make a c-section the safer delivery method, e.g. breech or pre-eclampsia.

Unfortunately I am just not prepared to go overdue with this one again, and am very happy with the decision that me and my husband made with regards to elective cesarean.

I know I probably repeated information but I thought I would just update for those who don't read ALL they way back.

Good luck to you guys who are attempting natural and VBAC soon (Zee and Win ) holding thumbs for you guys and looking forward to reading your stories! I will post an update as well should anything happen...

Hi MummyAbby,

Gosh I'm so scared/careful of gynaes, they really seem very supportive and then in the end comes up with some excuse, although the gynaes at Vincent Pallotti seems to be different but I will tell you, even tho my back up gynae was supportive, had she not trusted my midwife I would have possibly ended up with a repeat, because she said afterwards "I didn't think you could do it"

A fb friend of mine had a home water birth after c-sec on the 1st of March and her son weighed 4.3kg's posterior birth and she's tiny tiny. My scan with A estimated her at 3.7 - 3.9 and she came out 3.3. I don't think you should let weight be a deciding factor unless you have gestational diabetes.

Hi Zee13

Thank you very much! I am in cape town. Seeing a gynea, she is quite supportive, since the first visit I have never had to remind her of my wishes and there are no talks of a repeat c section. My previous gynea (back in jhb) suggested I have a c section as she predicted my daughter to be on the big side. I just hope she stays supportive though since this baby is starting to measure big too

Hello MummyAbby,

Congratulations on your pregnancy, wishing you a healthy and a successful VBAC. You came to the right forum for VBAC support. where are you based? are you seeing a midwife or gynae? if you are seeing a gynae, is he supportive of the fact that you want a VBAC? What were the reasons for your previous C-Section?