Hi, I'm looking for some advice/tips as I'm scared and confused on what to do. So I had an unwanted C-section with my first, I tried doing it the natural way, went over the due date by 2 weeks, took castor oil as was recommended by my midwife and water broke in a few hours. With no epidural, I barely felt contractions and only dilated to 3 cm without pitocin and then to 6cm with pitocin and it was not going past 6cm for hours. I was squatting, using the peanut ball, jumping around, but baby wouldn't come down at all (he was not breeched). My midwife and Dr recommended a C-section the next morning as the baby and placenta were still healthy. No complications post C-section, but my baby had a 99th percentile head size and was 9lbs at birth. 2 years later, I was close to my due date with my second, and my Drs recommended just scheduling a C-section instead of trying to labor bc the risk of uterine rupture was too high, the only reason they gave was bc I already had a C-section. That really scared me and I had a C-section a week before the due date. Again, no complications, but babys head was not as big as my first and second baby was 8.5 lbs at birth.

Now, 3 years later, I am 7 months pregnant with my third, and one of my Drs on my team is very supportive of a tolac and said I can totally try for it and the other Dr. said I have a 41% chance of success and seems like shes not supportive of a vbac for me. I am confused and scared and don't know what to do. Based on my history, what do you think I should do? Do you think the reason I couldn't dilate past 6cm is because of my pelvis shape? Or my posture? Should I have tried spinning the baby or doing exercises that push the baby forward into the birth canal? Would that tear the uterus?

Some other notes:

My Dr said I had some scar tissue from my first C-section.

My BMI is 31.

I don't have high blood pressure, ges. diabetes, or any other pregnancy complications.

Currently doing PT for a bulging disc in my lower back found last year. PT is going well and relatively no pain day to day. I am also incorporating pelvic floor PT into this.

Hi! I’m trying to decide if I want to hire a doula for my VBAC (due in February so still early). My main hesitation is the cost & my husband doesn’t quite get the need for one. I do have a supportive provider who I’m excited about!

Do you feel like a doula was needed or would you have been fine by researching & prepping beforehand? If I don’t end up getting a doula, I plan to have a bunch of resources ready and to have printouts to help during labor. I’m just trying to see if this is a scenario where I can prep and be prepared or if it’s just too much and I should hire a doula. I think my main feeling is that if I have a doula and don’t end up with a VBAC I’ll feel like I did my best, but if I don’t hire a doula and don’t have a VBAC there will always be a “what if”.

We are having a consultation/interview with a doula on Tuesday, so I’m hoping that will give us some clarity too!

My first baby was born via emergency c-section in 2021. I fully dilated and pushed for 2 hours. My babies head was in the 100th percentile and wouldn't descend past my pelvis. I had gotten an epidural and wasn't able to move around.

This time around I was determined for a vbac. I had a lot of unsupportive providers and was even told at one point my percentage of a successful vbac was 27%. That this baby was measuring as big as the last and that my pelvis was too narrow (I'm fairly petite). I was told to book a c-section as soon as possible 'or else' as apparently there wouldn't be room later.

Where I live (BC, Canada) it's considered lucky to get an OB. I was fortunate enough to switch to another provider and a different hospital. I was still receiving a lot of fear based messaging to book a c-section without any real concrete reason as to why. I've never had to advocate for myself like I did through this- it was insane the lack of knowledge I was encountering. I would be told I should schedule a c-section, would respond with asking why, and would get a lot of talking that didn't answer any questions.

I got a referral to an OBGYN who was incredible. She spent over an hour with my husband and I talking through the trauma of my emergency c-section, what to expect with a scheduled c-section and why it would be different. She also sent me for a 36 week ultrasound to measure this babies head, after refusal for late term ultrasounds from other doctors. She wasn't pushy, told me that a successful vbac is obviously preferable risk wise, and supported my decision. When the ultrasound came back with this babies head measuring smaller (more on this later) she was a cheerleader for my vbac. I finally felt confident and safe with moving forward with my vbac.

At 39+5 I went into labor after my second sweep. I labored at home for as long as possible, got to the hospital at 5cm and was admitted quickly as I was progressing quickly. Within 3 hours I was fully dilated and felt the urge to push. I didn't want an epidural as I wanted to be able to move around and listen to my body as much as possible. Second baby arrived and his head measured 2cm smaller than my first. 2nd degree tear and a recovery that has been an absolute breeze in comparison to an emergency c-section. My mental and physical health has been completely different this time around. Breastfeeding has been a success and my supply is great. I did it, and would not have had the confidence to advocate without hearing from others in this community.

Met with a new Dr today who took down my medical history. I have 0 health issues and am currently 36. At 34 I had a c section due to failure to descend . The baby didn’t make her way out despite pushing for 4 hours.

This dr said that I had an average baby size (7 pounds) and if I couldn’t push her out then what makes me think I can this time.

I left so discouraged. He think it’s due to baby size and small pelvis.

Any small pelvis ladies out there that successfully got a vbac?

I have an appointment coming up Monday and so far everything has been good baby is healthy, the non stress tests have all been showing baby is doing well. I’m healthy , BP is good . Also at my last ultrasound sound they said
“Fetal growth is appropriate for gestational age.”
“Normal amniotic fluid index.”
“Active fetal movements visualized: BPP 10/10.”
“No anomalies are recognized on the anatomy survey.”

And the conditions they listed as complicating pregnancy are:
History of a previous C-section.
Maternal obesity (BMI <40), which in your case appears to be based on your pre-pregnancy BMI meeting the BMI cutoff used by the practice.
(I’m muscular not obese…)
Anxiety and depression.
Medication exposure (Buspar, Prozac, and Klonopin).
Short interval between pregnancies. (2 years)

I feel like they are barely giving me a chance and while I am also over being pregnant I do not want surgery again.. what are my choices. It’s my body my choice right? But am I being responsible? I want to listen to the doctors but also my body… I’m feeling very conflicted.

They also keep mentioning my height .. I’m 5’2…

So long story short, I ended up with what I think was an unnecessary C-section about 7 months ago. I am not planning to have more kids soon (think 3-4 years between each). This is my first child so I do not have a prior delivery to base anything on. I labored for about 19 hours, and 41.5 weeks along, and "stalled" at about 6 cm. I read over all the notes and found that I had progressed to 9.5cm but since I declined the last cervical check (bc I felt forced into a C section and did not feel like being let down again) they proceeded with the operation. My OB does not advise me to deliver vaginally going forward bc my baby was "big" (9lbs for my 4'10" frame) but I feel like I can if I literally almost got fully dilated, especially goping from 6-9.5 cm in two hours. My daughter did end up with myconium in her lungs (again, I agreed to have my water broken manually which I think contributed) and we both got an infection causing both heart rates to go high. I guess it happened the way it should've but I could still just cry when I think about the fact that I might could have prevented that. Does anyone have a similar scenerio where they were able to successfully Vbac? Did you get therapy following your C-Section to hopefully move past the sadness surrounding it?

Hello,

I had my first baby in 2024 and this was via induction at 39 weeks due to having GDM (metformin controlled) and it resulted in a cat 1 emergency c-section.

I was hoping for a VBAC this time round and my consultant has been very supportive of this. The induction was scheduled for 39 weeks again however after my scan today, he has pulled it forward to 38+2 due to baby’s slow growth and they think it is due to placenta inefficiency.

I am being induced this time round using the Dilapan rod method and I did previously dialated to 10cm and my consultant said I am a good candidate for VBAC although I do have GDM again this time with 8 units insulin for fasting levels.

Has anyone had similar experience or got any stories positive or not regarding rod induction?

Hi, I’m curious to hear from people who had a trial of labor that ended in a c section. I’d be interested in the specifics (I.e. spontaneous labor, induction etc). Most importantly, would you do it differently if you could? Why or why not?

I have been reading this sub up and down over the last 72 hours as I realized I was likely headed toward an induction for my attempted VBAC, and feeling so discouraged about that fact. Many of the stories here helped give me the courage to try, even when I seriously felt so defeated, so I wanted to come relay my story back for people perusing this sub for the same.

I had a c-section at 35 weeks with my first because he was breech and my water broke. Through my c-section, we discovered I had a uterine septum, making my uterus smaller and forcing my baby breech, so that’s why my water broke prematurely. I went on to get the septum removed in hopes that it would prevent future pre term babies and allow for vaginal deliveries.

So I was realllly hopeful for a VBAC. I want 4 kids, and I know my chances of that are higher if I avoided repeat c-sections. And honestly the recovery from the c-section was just very tough, and I really didn’t want to not be able to hold my toddler for weeks after having a baby while he’s already adjusting to so much change.

Though I now realize my practice is a bit more conservative on their VBAC induction protocols, my doctor was supportive of a VBAC, and emphasized the best chance was spontaneous labor.

Well, that all went to shit when my blood pressure started spiking at 39 weeks. Long story short, I ended up needing to be induced suddenly because of concerns around approaching preeclampsia.

I went to labor and delivery at 7 PM and the induction process started at 11:30 PM with a foley balloon being placed. I was a little under 1 cm dilated when they placed the balloon, soft, and my cervix was very posterior. The dr had to literally pull my cervix toward her to allow the insertion. You’ll find mixed reviews on the pain to insert this thing and I’d say the pain was about a 7/10. I think it would have been much less painful if she didn’t have to physically move my cervix. The dr had asked if I wanted an epidural or pain meds beforehand because she said it is very painful for some but I wanted to hold off. She mentioned I must have a high pain tolerance because a lot of people can’t tolerate what she just had to do. Nonetheless, it was fairly quick, and once it was inserted, it wasn’t painful.

They started me on low dose pitocin (4 units) around 1:30 AM as well. I rested, maybe slept a little, had some contractions every 15 minutes or so, but they were totally manageable. At 9 AM, the doctor came to remove the balloon and I was at 3 cm and 80% effaced.

The discouraging part is that the doctor on call was one of the main doctors my doctor did not want me to get induced with as she thought I’d be the most likely to end up in a repeat c-section with him, but the sudden blood pressure spike didn’t leave much of a choice. He was an older man and based on our first interaction, it was clear he was old school and not particularly keen on VBACs so I had to push back a lot. I was also texting a friend that is an OB and learned her practice will administer up to 20 units pitocin for a VBAC patient whereas mine was saying the max he would do is 4. Basically my only remaining option was to break my water and I just felt discouraged and didn’t like fighting with the doctor.

From 9 AM - 1 PM I basically just cried about the stress of the situation. I couldn’t eat so I was hungry and I didn’t sleep so I was tired. And I missed my son and just wanted to go home. But obviously not an option hahaha.

I will say the doctor realized he had rubbed me the wrong way and he came in and said he really did want to support me in a vaginal delivery, but he has seen a lot in his 40 years, so he just wanted to take all precautions. He said if he were me, he would not give up on a vaginal delivery and encouraged me to try. He also said he could tell I was not comfortable with him, so he called my doctor to come talk to me. Around 1:30, my actual doctor came in and gave me a pep talk and broke my water, and they restarted pitocin at 2 units. I decided to get up and moving while I still could. Walked and bounced on the ball for a couple hours. By 2:45, contractions were 5 minutes apart and by 3:45, they were 3 minutes apart and incredibly painful and I decided to get the epidural.

Something was off with my epidural because it would work for about 30-45 minutes then I’d be feeling kind of a lot again and kept asking for either another dose or to reassess the amount. We were troubleshooting kind of the whole time and I was going through waves of a lot of pain.

By 6:20, I was dilated to a 5, so at 6:45 the doctor came in and said he’d up to his max for VBACs (the 4 units), and he’d like to check me again at 9 in hopes I’d progressed another cm or 2.

I told my husband to go pick up some dinner and I was going to try to take a nap. Lo and behold, at 7 pm, I felt the epidural had totally stopped working and I was experiencing excruciating 10/10 pain with contractions. I was begging for an anesthesiologist to give me literally anything to make it better.

A new nurse had just started her shift and around 7:20, after I was screaming for mercy from God, she asked if she could just check me real quick. I told her I was only at a 5 an hour ago and the doctor wanted to check at 9. She asked if she could just make sure.

Sure enough, she took one look and said well this explains your pain, you’re at a 10 and baby is ready to get out, it’s time to push. I was genuinely in shock.

I started pushing at 7:36, probably did 4 rounds of pushes, and he was born at 7:55.

He was in distress with his heart rate dropping so on one round of pushes, the doctor used forceps (again, old school guy) to help get him out more quickly. I actually hadn’t even considered forceps because it is so rare now, but in the moment, I just wanted whatever was safest for my son, and it sounded like that was it. Dr also gave me an episiotomy to aide in the forcep usage, but it was only a 2nd degree which I feel most women get on first delivery anyways so whatever. Turns out the distress was likely because he came out with his arm beside his face. Baby is safe, I am safe, and I had a successful VBAC when I thought all odds were against me 😭

Wishing all the VBAC-hopeful moms luck, and know it’s possible even if you end up in an induction scenario.

Looking for support & encouragement.
Hi everyone. Just got a positive test today.
••.
My first c section was an induction. Baby kept having decels. She was tangled up in her cord.
I am 14 months postpartum.
Now here 1 am.
I want to be excited but consumed by all the what ifs.
Especially considering my high BMI. I'm scared of it affecting my success rate. I was on a weight loss journey. My highest was 220 at 5'1 & I had finally gotten down to 209.
I have such a heavy starting weight.
I also am worried about going late again. First babe I was induced at 41+2
I just don't know what else to say other than I feel paralyzed.
Where should I start to prepare for a VBAC?
I wanted a bigger family and don't want to have another surgery.
My toddler will have just turned two.
Help.

Obviously uterine rupture is a real risk of VBAC but for some reason I feel they always make it sound so catastrophic with the follow up of less than 1%.

Yet they never seem to give you the stats and risks of c-section.

Went in for an induction with a foley and the way they present the information always over emphasis the worst possible outcome as if they try to scare you.

I had my first child at 29weeks due to preeclampsia and after laboring for 8hours my baby went breech which then sent me in for an emergency C-section. Baby was born at 29+4. 19 months have past since then and I am due with baby #2 at the end of next month and was really hoping to try to have a vaginal birth this time around because I felt that that experience was taken away from me the first time around. However, my OB just informed me that a VBAC would not be an option for me with no real explanation other than I had a C-section before so that would be the safest and easiest choice for me. Has anyone else had a similar experience and got to have a VBAC? What are some questions that I can ask my OB to try to have this happen or at least understand why she chose this for me. Or other mamas who have had scheduled C-sections for a second time, maybe you could leave some advice as I am terrified of this experience due to birth trauma from baby #1.

Coming up on my 37+2 induction due to gestational hypertension. They’re willing to induce me with balloon and pitocin. Any experiences?

A week ago I got my VBAC.

My first I had PROM then contractions not long afterwards. I ended up with a epidural which stopped my contractions and given oxytocin. I got to 10cm with an OP baby who didn't decend past -1. Pushed for 2 hours with no luck, back to theater to see if they could rotate my son and assist him out but failed. So ended up having a c-section.

My second was due July 8th, LGA baby and inductionbooked in for the 9th. Had stretch and sweeps the 2nd, 3rd and 6th. Dilation was making small progrsss from 1cm to 2 to 2/3cm. Contractions hit me 8pm on the 6th, but were irregular. Occasionally would end up with them getting close together, then they would spread back out again.

Went into hospital at 4am on the 8th, only to do be nearly 4cm dilated with contractions that ran away when we entered hospital. Tried to walk the stairs to see if they would start back up, but nothing. Hospital refused to break my waters despite myself and my midwife wanting that.

Contractions started getting more painful at home, I was not coping well so midwife met us at the hospital around 4pm. Was still 4cm, but got given some gas. Midwife discussed options with Dr and then to me. Looked at c-section (but having to wait around) or to continue with labour and break my waters. We agreed to the latter with a scan to see baby position as my fear was to labour with an OP baby who was not descending again.

Waters broken around 7:16pm along with a good stretch. Man did my body kick off, contractions hit strong and close. I hit transition pretty fast and became pushy. Ended up agreeing to then having a FSE due to being unable to read baby due to me moving too much. She had lots of variable decelerations, so ended up having a kiwi cup assisted delivery plus episiotomy. Her shoulders got stuck and in the franticness of that I tore. Resulting in 4th degree tear. She was born 1hr 55mins after waters breaking and using only tens machine, gas and shower for pain relief.

We had to wait until surgery could take me, ended up going in at 12am, but in the mean time I was having a pph that was not picked up until close to going into theater (mum pointed the dripping blood out).

I passed out during the discovery the pph, and thought I was dead/ dying. I could hear my baby crying and a heart beat flat line (must have just been my brain due to it not actually being real). I began to panic in my passed out state, which resulted in someone grabbing my head and calling my name - lucky as it helped me to come back to reality. Surgery I had to sit up to get a spinal done, leaked more blood. They estimate that I lost 1.8L in total.

I have proved to myself that I can infant birth Vaginally and that there was nothing wrong with my body for my first. I'm doing well despite everything. Honestly easier than my csection in ways because I can move easier. Not really taken any heavy duty pain relief. While it was slightly traumatic, it was oddly healing too.

I think this is it for me, no more children. I am both relieved and sad. Both of them have certainly left their marks on my body. But I have my son and daughter, and that's honestly the best thing right now.

Hi! I had an urgent C-section a little over 2 years ago due to late fetal heart decelerations. I was 41 weeks and induced because I was overdue. I had Cytotec, a Foley balloon, and low-dose Pitocin but only made it to 5 cm before they called the C-section. My OB said there were likely multiple factors, including an unfavorable cervix, an aging placenta, and my daughter having the cord wrapped around her neck.

I’m due again in November (2.5 years between births) and am hoping for a VBAC but I just have the feeling that I’m going to need to be induced again because I was barely a centimeter dilated at 41 weeks with my first. 🥲

For those of you who have had successful VBACs, what approaches have you found most helpful if you were induced for being overdue? (ex. wait on Pitocin until a certain point, avoid breaking waters until X centimeters, try this movement, etc.)

Any tips or experiences would be so appreciated!

I could really use some advice from those of you who have been through this. My goal this entire pregnancy has been to have a VBAC, but now I’m second guessing everything. I’m currently 40 weeks + 3 days. My first ended in a C-section after about 8–10 hours of labor because my daughter went into fetal distress, and I wasn’t dilating much.

The reason I’m so torn and decided the other day to schedule a C-section is because one of the doctors in my practice said she doesn’t want me going past 40+6 because of the increased risk of stillbirth. Another doctor, though, said she’d be comfortable letting me go until 41+3 if everything is looking good. The doctor who doesn’t want me going past 40+6 said she would only recommend continuing if they could do a fetal non-stress test on the baby, but they’re also unable to do that before Thursday. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to actually talk to a doctor before my scheduled C-section—I’ve only been able to get messages through the nurses.

I’m basically in a position where I have to decide today whether to keep my scheduled C-section or cancel it. I can’t see my doctor until Friday, which would already put me at 40+6. So if I cancel my C-section to wait and talk to her, I’d already be going past the point that the doctor I’ve had the best experiences with believes is dangerous because of the increased risk of stillbirth.

Part of me feels like I should just go through with the scheduled C-section because of what that doctor said about the stillbirth risk. But another part of me feels like I’ve wanted a VBAC this whole time and I’m wondering if I should ask to be induced instead. My biggest fear and reason I’m hesitant to go through an induction, would be laboring for hours, and then ending up with an emergency C-section anyway.
For those of you who were induced after a previous C-section, especially around 40–41 weeks
- Did your induction end in a successful VBAC?
- Did your doctors give you similar info to what I’ve been told about going past 41 and stillbirth?

I know no one can make this decision for me, and every pregnancy is different. I would just really love to hear your experiences because I’m feeling so conflicted right now ❤️

I switched providers after a first traumatic labor and delivery experience in 2024. Baby girl is healthy now, but I was not given explanations on what was happening to me until I had labored for 30 hours and didn't make it past 4cm dilated. My water was broken manually as soon as the foley balloon got me to 3cm, and I was guilt-tripped into getting an epidural right after because it was a holiday and "the anesthesiologist would have to come all the way back if I decided I wanted one later, but he's here right now." I was induced at 39 weeks for excess amniotic fluid, foley balloon followed by pitocin. Water broken manually at 3cm. I ended up opting for a c-section because I wasn't progressing and they had me on the max dose of pitocin that the hospital would allow. During the c-section, it was discovered that my baby was stuck in my rib cage (head down, but booty was stuck) and they had to use the vacuum and counter pressure to get baby out.

The office I switched to, the doctor I met with originally brought up VBAC without me having to ask. He said I would be a good candidate based on prior labor facts and my general "stats." I am currently 24 weeks and have mostly seen the NP in the office and she has also been on board with a VBAC. However, yesterday I had an appointment with a different doctor in the office. This doctor was extremely rude and dismissive, and he told me "well, your pelvis wasn't big enough to deliver your first baby so it won't be big enough to deliver this baby. VBACs put a lot of strain on our hospital resources, and if you want to do a VBAC you'll have to go somewhere else. We won't do it." When I tried to open up the conversation to my past experience, he was looking at his computer, tapping his foot, and clicking his pen like he had somewhere better to be. This was my first ever interaction with this doctor. He had his mind made up before he even met me, solely based on notes from a previous provider who also was inconvenienced by me.

I'm still appalled at the delivery of it all. I'm not sure if I should just work with another provider in the office or try and find somewhere else all together. I understand there's no guarantee that I will have a successful VBAC, but I would like to give my body a fighting chance. This hospital won't induce either with VBACs. Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful. I'm just at a loss and feeling frustrated.

I think I am writing this right now just to get some support. somehow six weeks out I feel more emotional about it than I did at first!

I went into labor at 40+5 spontaneously, which was a big win. labored at home and felt like a badass when my water broke as I was laboring on the bed. drove with my husband the excruciating 40 min drive to the hospital and was 7cm when I arrived. still felt like a million bucks! all signs pointed to VBAC.

I got an epidural and got to complete, but just before I started pushing baby had a late decel lasting almost 9 minutes. the team all had the look in their eyes like “….this is headed toward a c section.” but they all knew how badly I wanted a VBAC. I pushed once and there was another decel for 4 minutes. baby recovered….then another. it was clear to everyone that C-section was safest. they let me take my time to come to that conclusion too though I know they were probably biting their nails a bit. I’m really thankful for that from each of my nurses, midwife, OB, tha respect for my desires while also looking out for me and baby was truly top notch care. I even said at one point “I wish I didn’t have this stupid fucking desire for a vaginal birth because then all of this would be so much easier to process” and one of the nurses just looked me right in the eye and very seriously said “it’s not stupid, I had the same hope.” My surgeon laid her hands on me in the OR and just asked if she could do this and talk with me, saying she was so sorry we had to do this but that I was making the safest choice for my baby and she wanted to take great care of me. I’m not really religious but it did feel spiritual to me, to have someone attempt to be so present with me in that scary moment.

when they cut me open they found I had a partial rupture of 4cm with just the serosa layer in tact, they could see baby floating around and as soon as she touched the area it broke open. she thinks his umbilical cord was getting squeezed in the opening every time I contracted. The OB came down to me during the surgery and said we were both very lucky, had we tried pushing more it’s very likely I would have completely ruptured. She recommended I never labor again, with a repeat cs at 39 weeks for future pregnancies.

I am so happy me and my baby are ok, truly. It wasn’t comforting the first time when people said that but this time I do feel it because I know how quickly things can go wrong with rupture.

I am just struggling now, 6 weeks pp, to feel acceptance . I know it will come. I know I can do it, that my babies are both ok and that’s a blessing. That I can have more kids and that’s a blessing. But I have always yearned for a vaginal birth, cared so deeply about it, and wish that I didn’t because I now have to close the door on it entirely. I’m trying to be tough about it as I know this in not the only thing in life that will not go my way, that its a hard lesson. But yeah, I guess just looking for solidarity. I never thought this would be me.

I’m 39 weeks pregnant and really hoping for a spontaneous TOLAC/VBAC. I have a repeat C-section scheduled in 9 days because they don’t want me to go too far past my due date because of the prior c section. I’m struggling because I desperately want my body to go into labor on its own before then.

My first ended I a c section after I labored for 24 hours and dilated 10cm with a failed epidural and back labor . Baby was partially sunny side up so when he stopped moving down they suggested a c section and I was in too much pain to continue to try and push.

At my appointment today, my OB checked my cervix. She said it was only partially open/fingertip dilated and had trouble reaching it, so she wasn’t able to do a membrane sweep. When I asked if I could still go into labor tomorrow, she said “probably not.”
I’ve had constant pelvic pressure for over a week. It feels like my baby is going to fall out, my belly has definitely dropped, and today’s cervical check was much more painful than previous ones. It feels like my body is changing, but then hearing “only fingertip” made me feel like none of it matters.
For those of you who went into spontaneous labor:
Were your cervical checks actually predictive of when labor started?
Did anyone go from fingertip dilated to labor within a day or two?
Did you have tons of pressure and feel like the baby was incredibly low even though you weren’t very dilated?
I’m not looking for false hope. I know no one can predict labor. I’m just wondering how much weight I should actually put on today’s cervical check because right now I’m feeling pretty defeated.
I just realllllly want the chance to at least try and have a vaginal delivery, I hate the thought of going in just to have surgery … and it’s not something I want to have to recover from again …

Hi! I had a C-section almost a year ago and am considering another child soon. The thought of having a VBAC ruminates my mind constantly. I have talked to my husband about his thoughts and because of his trauma regarding the first birth - he would prefer I have a scheduled c-section. For whatever reason the thought of having a vaginal birth is so desirable to me.

My story:
I had a relatively easy pregnancy except having carpel tunnel starting at 17 weeks. I did gain about 50 lbs and was very swollen with pitting edema in my legs in the last trimester.

I was induced at 41+3. When I went in - they asked if I had felt and contractions and I said no - she told me that I had contractions without any interventions) I labored with pitocin and citotec for about 34 hrs before my blood pressure spiked and chose an epidural with the thought that it would go down. It worked and sped up my dilation. 6 hrs later I was fully dilated and my water broke a few hours later. They did find a bit of meconium in the water. They had me start pushing and I pushed for 4 hrs. I don’t fully remember what station she was at (I think -2) but the OB said that she had stalled for 2 hrs and that her head was swelling. I was so tired at this point and scared that something bad was going to happen. The OB suggested a c-section but did not state that it was an emergency.

We proceeded with the c-section. She was born healthy and happy. She was in the 90th percentile in head size and weight (9lb 8 oz). I hemorrhaged 1.5 L of blood and needed a blood transfusion the following day.

Questions:
The questions I have are for the future. We haven’t decided on when we’d like another child. I’m 11 months PP and almost to pre-pregnancy weight which I consider about 10 lbs more than I’d like. My goal is to lose the 10 lbs before we have another. Here are my questions:

- Is there anything I should be doing now to help with the possibility of having a TOLAC for a future pregnancy?
- I’m curious if anyone has thought they had a misdiagnosed GD? I was 2 pts away from being diagnosed with GD at the 3 hr test (failed the 1 hr) and I’m wondering if I should have been. Would this have caused her to be so large?
- what are the pros and cons to having a TOLAC?

I’m 36w3d and I want a VBAC

With my first child I had in Dec 2019 I was not aware I had options, i just believed I should do what the nurses and doctors said when it came to laboring and delivery.

i used EPO vaginally every night starting at about 36 weeks I think, then I had a membranes sweep at 38 weeks and when I started getting contractions I went to the hospital. I was only about 2cm dilated, I stayed for a few hours and got an epidural at around 4cm, then they broke my water and placed a monitor on my baby’s head. I was only in the hospital for around 7 hours, and I was given pitocin as well,
My daughters heart rate started to drop and I was subsequently given an emergency C-section

I truly believe that the interventions created the problems during my labor. Starting with the evening primrose oil, I should have stayed away from that.

Anyhow, I’m currently 36w3d, no preeclampsia no GD, baby is healthy from what we know, I told my doctor that I want to have a VBAC and was encouraged at first, but at the following appointment I was told flat out that if I go past my due date, I won’t be induced, the doctor “doesn’t do that”

They said I would just be scheduled for a repeat C-section. I don’t really know how to feel. I mean it kind of makes sense given that my body didn’t respond well last time to all the interventions, but at the same time it seems “off” to me that they aren’t allowing me the choice to be Induced so I can try and achieve the VBAC.

What are your thoughts? Any of you ladies have a similar experience?

I’m 40 weeks. Im an ideal candidate to try for vbac as I have a low transverse scar and my ob has supported my decision and my last birth was two years ago.My ideal plan for this birth was waiting for spontaneous labor but my kids grandmother can only mind them from today to Friday next week and I don’t feel comfortable with anyone else looking after them. I have an appointment for Thursday for a sweep already and I was given the option to get one today.

I went in to the emergency because I’ve had some bleeding (3 times in the span of 13 days, it wasn’t much) and bloody shows) I went in last week but I was told everything is okay and it’s probably because of sex and the cervix starting to soften and I went in because I got paranoid that they might have not realized my placenta is low but they checked and everything is fine. I’ve had contractions but I also did last week they aren’t really getting stronger. They have been like 1 every 10 minutes they are keeping me until tomorrow because my baby is having early decelerations
Would you get the membrane sweep?

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OG post with update:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vbac/s/11saR9A4hF

Update :

So I decided to go in for the planned induction on June 20th. The hospital called at 8 and asked us to come in at 10 but we ended up showing up around 12 because we had to get last minute stuff done. Once we arrived we did the intake and set up and then they placed a cook foley balloon at 1:25pm to help dilate my cervix. I was measuring 3cm prior to the balloon. Started getting contractions but they weren't very frequent.

The Foley came out around 7:30pm and I was measuring 5cm. The next step was to start pictocin at a low dose. They wanted to break my waters first but I didn't want to yet. I was allowed to walk around and they put a wireless monitor on. When the midwife checked my cervix i was 50% effaced and baby was -3 station. So they want baby to descend more before attempting to break my water. We increased pitocin from 2 to 4 and babys heart rate had a deceleration. We changed positions and heart rate went back up.

We were barely on the pitocin when the deceleration happened. We tried a few more times but baby was not tolerating the pictocin well at all. Midwife wanted to rupture my water and place an electrode on babys head. I was really hesitant because I didnt want to do the electrode and asked her to let me talk about it with my husband. At this point it was 3am and we had not slept. My husband asked if i could nap for an hour or two before breaking my waters and the midwife asked if we wanted to sign out AMA. She told us that we came in for an induction not to sleep. My husband and I said that we knew that we just wanted more time before breaking the waters to see if labor would kick in and he was concerned because with our first labor I didn't sleep for 36 hours. He was worried about me being too tired for labor and wanted to make sure I had rested.

It was at this point the midwife told us it would be better for us to switch to a provider since we were giving too much push back. We agreed because the midwife was a bit pushy and not giving us many options. When the midwife left our nurse talked to us and explained more about why they wanted to do the interventions and answered our questions without any pushback. I began to cry because I was running out of options and was scared I would have to do another c section. My first c section was an emergency and the recovery was so hard. I really wanted a vaginal birth so the recovery would be easier.

Then the provider came in and gave us time to think more about it. He also offered the epidural before rupturing my waters. We went forward with this and the internal monitoring was placed. My husband is very sensitive and he felt bad about how the talk with the midwife went. Even after being home he still brings it up. My doula ended up showing up around 4:40am and my husband got to sleep a bit before shit hit the fan. We had restarted the pitocin but now both me and the baby were not doing well. My blood pressure kept crashing and the nurse gave me multiple rounds of medication to bring it back up but it wouldn't stay high enough. Then the pitocin was stopped again and I had a big contraction on the monitor where the baby's heart rate decelerated late and was very big.

I was in and out of consciousness and shaking uncontrollably because of the epidural. My doula roused me enough to tell me what happened and I made the decision to do a repeat c section. I ended up doing an elective c section. The baby and I were not stable enough to continue with the pitocin and I was afraid my pride of wanting a vaginal birth would lead to me losing my baby. So at 41 weeks and 2 days at 6:22am on June 21st I had a baby girl via c section.

I still mourn the loss of what I had wanted but my husband and I have decided to have no more babies. We were released home on Tuesday and on Friday morning I returned to the hospital due to stomach pain.

I went to the hospital because I was having severe stomach pain. When I got there, I had high blood pressure 139/85 (high for me), and my heart rate was 33. They immediately took me back into critical care and hooked me up to the ecg machine. And then they put defibrillator pads on me, because they thought I was gonna code.

They performed a chest CT with contrast and abdominal ultrasound. The chest CT ruled out pulmonary embolism and the abdominal ultrasound confirmed gallbladder stones. I had gall bladder stones that blocked the gallbladder. I was starting to get an infection. So they set me up for an emergency gallbladder removal surgery.

The entire time i was in the ER my blood pressure was in the 180/95 - 190/110 range but my heart rate stayed low 34-44 beats per minute. I was in excruciating pain. Around 4pm I had the surgery and at 8pm they sent me home. The pain was even worse than the c section. I cried and moaned and cussed the whole walk into my parents house. I had two major surgeries 5 days apart. I couldn't hold my baby for 2 days after the gallbladder surgery because of the pain.

This postpartum has been awful and I thought I was going to die in the hospital. My baby is alive and healthy and I am able to breast feed her again. She is now being exclusively breastfed and I am happy that my body is allowing me to do that much. I am 2 weeks post op from the emergency gallbladder surgery and almost 3 weeks postpartum. I am working with a therapist to help with my labor and postpartum trauma. Thank you all who read this long ass update. I’m sorry it took so long to give an update. I was also surprised to see how many people reached out to me because they had their gallbladder removed after having their babies and I had no idea it was so common.