VBAC SUPPORT

Hi M, would you mind if I phone you, I am due 23 Oct and also want to use Ciska and Dr Dumbrill at Vincent Palotti, have you met them already? Was Dr Dumbrill in favor of the VBAC or did he emphasise on the risks more?

Hi again everyone!

I'm sorry the other reply was in afrikaans - I realised after I typed the whole piece!

I've contacted someone in my area about hypnobirthing and will make a plan to do a few sessions when I go to the city for my check-ups. I'm realistic about it ending in a c-section again, but I'll do everything I physically can to be prepared in every way to have a VBAC! I agree that 1cm/hour is rather unrealistic, but there is much to discuss still with my docter! I won't be bullied into anything! He is known though for adhering to what instinct a women might have in a situation, and I feel sure that he'll give me a fair chance!

Had my foetal anomale scan today @ 22wks, and everything looks super!

@Joybaby, I've come across a site last night called spinningbabies.com (maybe Google it, there is no www!) I've learned lots in the time that I spent on the site and a world will open up for you! I agree with Hasie - maybe go for a massage first and then see a chiropracter. I myself believe in both treatments and my chiropracter has shown me a way to manipulate my back fairly well on my own (I have an old hip injury), and my body is so used to it that I do it daily! (I have been going for YEARS though!) How well it works depends on how "loose" my muscles are, and any stiffness will keep it from "clicking" nicely all the way down! My pregnancy is much different this time also because I'm still active and last time I couldn't "click" my own back as I was too stiff and weak from not getting excercise! I'm determined to keep in shape to help things be different!

Please keep in touch and keep posting here! We can motivate each other! My husband is also hesitant and thinks funny of this "hypnobirthing stuff", but I'm determined and will get him there - I know how far I can stretch his co-operativeness and he's still stretchable!

Joy baby, have you seen a chiropractor? Often your ligaments of muscles are just a bit out of line, causing your uterus to sit funny and make it hard for baby to turn and a visit to the chiro can fix that.

Otherwise, the HypnoBirthing breach turn script can be wonderful, but would work better if you have done the course as you would be more used to going into a deep state of relaxation, thus finding it easier to reach that state.

I also think that in your specific case, HypnoBirthing would be beneficial to help you get over any fears that you have from the previous pregnancy, I know you have done a great job dealing with your little girl and all that you have been through. But it would be only natural to be afraid that something like that would happen with the next one as well. So it might help you have less stress during the rest of your pregnancy.

With regards to Hypnobirthing - I have asked hubby for us to do the course however he's not one that's easily convinced and we did a normal antenatal class last time and feels if we land up with a c/sec it'll be a waste of money. I've obviously explained the benefits one way or another but he has to decide too.

In 2009 I was a doula with my friend's homebirth and I went along to her antenatal class who was absolutely amazing! In Cape Town northern suburbs her name is Rosemarie Gauld.
She was really pro natural birth and explained a lot about the hormones released during birth and what we do when we tense up and actually cause the pain on ourselves and for dilation to become so much harder on ourselves. Her advice on pain meds and having a birth plan etc will always stick with me which is why I'm even more keen especially as I dont know how I'll react in the situation without sufficient preparation.

At the moment baby still feels breach! I really hope she will play nicely for us so we can try our VBAC safely!!!

Welcome Kiewiet! Very glad you managed to find our group!
Please excuse my English. I have read and understood all you had to say, but it'll take me all night to retype in afrikaans and it may make no sense anyways !

Shew what an insane first experience you had! And after all that to really have to suffer with your CSec too! My CSec experience was okay except for some part which sounds very similar to yours where they caught a nerve on stitching me up and I was in intollerable pain for the first week until the stitches were removed! At the time my baby was in surgical ICU after an operation and I was standing by her bed hours at a time. I lived on Synape Forte pain meds cos I just couldn't survive any other way!
Shew what a pity your experience has so many bad memories

It's awesome that your pregnancy is going so much better this time and amazing how different 2 pregnancies can be! This one I also had MS for 5 months and it was full blown vomitting 2-3 a day bleh! But now that it's past I hardly remember it thankfully! We are a week apart - my due date is 27 Oct I'm now 23 weeks!

With regards to VBAC I must say it's quite a huge thing to convince myself I'm going to go for it. Because from week 20 my girl was breech, and she never turned, I never went through that process of preparing myself mentally for a natural birth, so I feel like this is my first in that sense!
My gynae has thankfully not gone into any detailed discussion about it yet, and wants to wait till closer to the time to assess the possibilities.
At my 32 week scan I will mention to him that I am planning on having a hypnobirth and hopefully that will give him an idea of where I am in terms of birthing expectations and desires. Ive never heard of the comment of having to dialate 1cm an hour before. And I personally would rather request heart monitoring to ensure baby's heart rate is stable rather than focus on dialation unless absolutely nothing is happening.
Also, I'd like to find out whether a stretch and sweep is a viable option for VBac's. I know my gynae does do them on occasion.

Shew so many questions!

Re the bedroom afterwards - just from my CSec experience I found I was extremely tight for about 4 months post my daughters birth. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure its from all the hormones to bring everything in tight again after birth but since my birth canal didnt stretch it just got tighter and tighter. So by that assumption, I'd think you'd be back to normal by the time it's safe again but certainly with breastfeeding, lack of sleep etc, I'm not sure I'd be ready for it that soon anyways!!! As they say, breastfeeding is a natural contraceptive hehe!

Hallo Kiewiet, en welkom by moomie, ek sien jy is nuut.

Mens kan baie doen om jouself te help ontsluit, jy is welkom om my te kontak vir raad, anina@beautifullyborn.co.za

Dit help ook baie om jouself regtig goed voor te berei op die proses van normale kraam, daarvoor sal ek voorstel dat jy 'n goeie voorgeboorte kursus doen wat fokus op natuurlike kraam. Ek kan HypnoBirthing sterk aanbeveel aangesien ek dit self gedoen het en die baie voordelig is vir mammas wat 'n VBAC beplan. Ek gee ook self die kursus, so dit klink dalk of ek my eie goed aanbeveel, maar dis regtig wonderlik.

Jou dokter is reg oor die induksie, dit is nie 'n goeie plan vir 'n VBAC nie. Maar daar is baie goed wat jy sal leer in 'n goeie kursus wat jy kan doen om jou liggaam te help voorberei op kraam sodat jy nie 'n induksie nodig het nie.

Ek sou ook aanbeveel dat jy dalk kyk na 'n vroedvrou bevalling aangesien hulle heelwat meer geduld het met iemand wat nie 1cm per uur ontsluit nie. 1cm per uur is in my opinie 'n onrealistiese doelwit omdat meeste vrouens nie teen daardie tempo ontsluit nie.

Wat jou man se vrese aanbetref, dis heeltemal ongegrond. 'n Vrou se liggaam is gemaak om te kan ontvou (nie rek nie...) en weer terug te vou. Dus is daar 'n paar weke na geboorte gewoonlik geen verskil in die "tightness" van jou vaginale opening nie. Dis 'n algemene opinie wat mans het, maar dis sommer 'n simpel mite wat mans vir mekaar vertel omdat hulle nie die geboorte proses en 'n vrou se liggaam verstaan nie.

Geniet die res van jou swangerskap en die geboorte!

Hi julle!

My dogtertjie is gebore Januarie 2010. Ek het op 40 weke gegaan vir 'n induksie en wou VREESLIK graag normaal geboorte gee, maar na amper 12 ure was ek net 1cm ontsluit! My swangerskap was vir my aaklig (ERG morning sickness tot op 5mde, maagsure opgegooi van al die sooibrand en kon baie dinge nie eet nie. Ek is 'n buite mens en my lewe het nie geleidelik verander soos die swangerskap toeneem nie, dit was baie skielik! Moes op 3mde ophou werk want ek was te siek en was tot op die einde vreeslik moeg! My maagspiere was vrek seer soos my maag gerek het want ek ry baie perd, en alles was net aaklig!) My teorie is dat ek eenvoudig te gespanne was om te kon ontsluit. Het ook nooit gevoel sy wil kom nie! Ek was baie kwaad toe ek nie anders kon as om 'n keiser te moes hê nie en toe ek daar onder die ligte lê en hul my prep kon ek nie eers vir my man kyk nie! Toe die pediater hom kom voorstel het ek onthou waaroor dit gaan!
Die hele keiser ondervinding was vir my aaklig en ek het opgegooi en erg kouekoors gekry kort nadat hul my dogtertjie uitgehaal het! Dis nog nie die ergste nie - my sny het ontsteek en ek moes na 'n week weer terug hospitaal toe vir 3 dae! Sussa was 2wke oud toe ek vir die eerste keer lank genoeg kon staan om haar self te bad - soveel pyn het ek gehad! 'n Vriendin het haar elke middag kom bad totdat ek dit self kon doen!
Ek is gladnie kwaad vir my dokter nie en ek neem hom nie kwalik vir die ondervinding nie. Hy is uitstekend en baie gewild en ten gunste van normaal kraam, so as ek 'n kans gehad het sou hy dit vir my gegee het! Ek dink al die skok, stres en teleurstelling was net te veel vir my lyf!

Boetatjie is nou due 4 Nov - ek het op my knieë gegaan en hom "bestel" om in te pas by my en my man se werksomstandighede en dat ek op die presiese tyd sal swanger word sodat hy kom wanneer dit 'n stil tyd vir ons altwee se werk is. Ek het mooi gebid dat dit nie weer so erg sal wees nie, en dinge gaan BAIE goed! Ek werk nog steeds op 22wke en gaan werk tot einde Aug, maar van nou af skaal ek af dat dinge minder hectic is. Meeste van die tyd vergeet ek dat ek swanger is, behalwe wanneer hy skop , en ek is nie meer moeg as wat ek normaalweg sou wees met die hoeveelheid wat ek slaap en besig is nie. Ek kan ook enige iets eet solank ek genoeg groente/vrugte inkry - dinge ruik of proe nie snaaks nie en ek kry nie sooibrand nie solank ek reg eet.

Ek is baie rustig en relaxed hierdie keer en wil nie myself hoop gee nie, maar sal gefokus kan wees as ek 'n VBAC poging kan aanwend - nie bang vir daardie soort pyn as dit net resultate oplewer nie! Wil ook nie weer epiduraal hê nie, want laas het dit 'n spasma in my rug veroorsaak en ek kon nie op my sy lê en borsvoed nie. Het laas 'n epiduraal op aanbeveling geneem voor hul die drip gekonnekteer het om die kontraksies aan te help. Ek was toe al moedeloos omdat niks gebeur nie en het oorgegee! Die drip het in elk geval nie gehelp nie, want sussa se hartklop het geval sodra hul die dosis opdraai! As ek nie kan VBAC nie moet hul my "uitsit" en vir boeta uithaal - ek gaan nie weer "kyk" nie!

Ek wil VREESLIK graag 'n VBAC hê en dokter het gesê dis moontlik, maar daar is voorwaardes. Bv kan nie induksie kry, moet 1cm/uur ontsluit.

My man is baie skrikkerig, want hy is bang as ek normaal gekraam het gaan ek forever "gestretch" wees en dinge gaan nie meer so lekker wees in die slaapkamer nie. Het enige iemand eerlike kommentaar te lewer daaroor? Sussa was 2.9kg by geboorte, so ek glo darem nie ek gaan skielik 'n 4kg baba hê nie..? Soos ek sê, ek ry baie perd, so my pelvic spiere is redelik sterk - help dit nie dat alles terugkrimp nie..?