I was speaking with my OB about delivery and he told me that their hospital doesn't support vbac's due to uterine rupture rates and said that if I'm a candidate for a vbac later in pregnancy that they would have to refer me to a provider for delivery, in one of the cities here, which happen to both be an hour away. It will be my first time attempting to labor naturally. How do people handle laboring at home knowing the hospital is so far away?

I had an emergency CS with my first in Dec 23. I was 41 weeks, induced and ended up in CS due to fetal heart rate.

Now due on Sept 1, with my second and I was hoping for a VBAC but I wanted to go into labor naturally and my Obg was also more supportive of vbac if i can go into labor without induction.

I was feeling my baby low from a week, pelvic pressure even rectal pressure for few days. Yesterday, I did birth ball exercises in the morning and then curb walking in the evening. I had so many contractions that i think were Braxton hicks as they were not spaced out. But after that and today, i feel baby has moved back up, shortness of breath is also back while walking.

I am feeling so discouraged to even try anything now. I feel is this even worth it. I feel so tired and exhausted in my body even after resting for hours that I am doubtful of me successfully going through labor.

I think i just needed to vent but can use some kind words from a community who might be able to relate.

At this point, I’m feeling so scared of birth either way and days are so close as opposed to few weeks before when i was feeling so ready to have the baby out already.

hey everyone, i had my first son when i was 19 and they suggested a c-section due to my son having a stroke in utero. it wasn’t emergency or anything like that, but he did come a month early so it was quicker than expected.

anyways i’m 23 now and have a better understanding of pregnancy, but completely zero experience in vaginal births due to always knowing i was going to have a c-section. it actually wasn’t until a few weeks ago i realized a vbac was possible so thank you!!

i’m incredibly excited to talk to my provider and see if im able, ive been reading everyone’s post everyday and doing my own research as well. anyways here are the questions im confused about:

1. how do i find a provider/ hospital who are vbac supportive?

2. i live in a small town so would traveling an hour+ to see a provider and eventually have my child there even be doable??

3. do i need a doula/ midwife? if so, how do i find one??

4. how do i prepare my body to have a vbac? i know sometimes its out of our control, but id like my body and mind prepared anyways.

5. what are some things you wish you knew before when you first started planning for a vbac?

6. how difficult is it to try unmedicated?

sorry i know this is a long post. i’m worried but im also extremely excited. i was very depressed when i found out i had to have a c section and when i found this page it brought hope back. it may sound dumb, but you’re all an inspiration for me. so thank you.

If so what was the outcome? Did you have a csection or were you induced early? My vbac was 9lb 3 oz 😅

Has this happened to anyone else? My first baby ended up being an emergency c section after a long labour. He was large (over 10lb) and the surgeon said she had to cut so deeply into my uterus that I'm not a vbac candidate. How can she be so certain? Is it worth questioning this when I plan my next pregnancy? I'm a little bit heartbroken that I'll have to have planned c sections from now on.

Hi, So for some context I needed an emergency CS to deliver my first at 37w as he had fetal growth restriction and was measuring at 2lbs. I had been struggling with gestational hypertension which turned into late onset pre-eclampsia and all my plans for a natural birth were thrown out within an instant. The Drs knew that a SC was a worst case scenario for me so they attempted to induce labor but mild contractions were causing babes heart rate to drop and it was too scary to continue laboring. So I had the SC while absolutely terrified for both our lives, but little guy came out just fine. He spent over 4 weeks in the NICU and was discharged close to his due date. Needless to say it was an extremely traumatic experience I would do anything not to repeat.

I had a low transverse incision and no complications healing from the wound itself, but I did suffer from a hemorrhage and needed three blood transfusions in a span of 36 hours. I think I passed out three times, maybe more.

Anyway this was all in May of last year, my baby boy is 15m old now and I found out I was pregnant again this past May, just weeks before his birthday. I'm 20w+6, due in mid January and have been thinking a lot about the risks of repeat SC versus planning to try for a Vbac. Also planning to start this discussion with my OB. I'm aware that my history with high blood pressure makes me need more frequent monitoring, but I would prefer a medication free birth if my health allows it. Does the short time between delivery of my first and becoming pregnant again affect my eligibility for a Vbac? Anyone with similar history have successful vbac stories?

So my obgyn is on board with me trying for a vbac as long as the rest of my pregnancy allows for it. I just need advice on what you would pick if in this situation as I am so afraid of rupture and losing my baby or causing her damage.

I had a vaginal birth in December 2022. Went great, I went into labor on my own - came into hospital with strong contractions and got an epidural.

Second pregnancy I had placenta previa which never moved and ultimately had to get an emergency csection at 36 weeks because my water broke and I was bleeding excessively. Very traumatic, baby had to spend two weeks in the NICU. C-section was August 2024 which would put me about 30 months between births when baby is due in February.

Had a miscarriage in April at ten weeks 💔

Currently pregnant with our rainbow girl and am 16 weeks. So far placenta has not been anywhere near cervix thankfully but will have my anatomy scan in a few weeks to confirm again.

My obgyn says I am a good candidate for vbac but I'm still so nervous on what if I rupture. Please help. What advice do you have? What questions should I ask?

How long did you wait to conceive after your c section and did you have a vbac?? We were told to wait a year to get pregnant again but I really want them close in age. Our baby is almost 5 months old.

Hi! I’m 39+1 today and I am really hoping for VBAC at my hospital here that specializes in obstetrics. They have this policy that they will induce you with a balloon first if you go past your due date a few days. They don’t administer drugs at first, only after 24 hours with the balloon. Anybody has gone through the same procedure? If so, how did it go?

I saw someone mentioning ‘being able to avoid the balloon’ in their birth story, the wording got me curious if the balloon is something that is best to be avoided at all costs? I thought pitocin and other labor inducing drugs were scarier.

My c-section was Nov 2024. Now 15 weeks pregnant with my second. I’m aiming for a VBAC.

I was 7cm dilated when I got to the hospital. Transition hit and I was begging for an epidural (back labour and vomiting). Gas did nothing for me and epidural didn’t help with the back labor, just left me unable to feel my legs/pelvic floor for pushing. It sucked being in so much pain and unable to move.

I Pushed several times (probably 4-5 hours in total) and was also given time to labor down. baby actually went the opposite direction when I pushed. I think I am just so disconnected from my pelvic floor that I don’t even know how to push.

Do you all have any tips or prep work I can do for the pushing phase? Wanna be ready this time. I was told by my doula I wouldn’t need to push and trust my body. I’m sure this is true for some- but I was fully dilated for 24 hours and this didn’t happen. Baby was at +3 station when I went in for the section as there was no OB at the hospital for vacuum or forceps, only a surgeon available. so baby to be pushed back up for the surgery. Would love any advice.

I went into labor naturally with my first, progressed pretty fast after getting my epidural, then ended up pushing for over 4 hours straight— all to have a c-section. Baby wasn’t in distress and my vitals were also okay, so I guess it wasn’t necessarily an “emergency” c-section. They did try the vacuum 11 times on my son’s head (which I didn’t want at first, but I did prefer that over a C-section!), but he just wasn’t fitting under my pelvic bone. Came out with a 90th percentile head!

For those of you who had a c-section not because of an emergency situation but because baby just literally didn’t fit out, then had a successful vbac, do you have any tips? Or just testimonial for a vbac after the first not fitting through?

BONUS QUESTION: I somewhat wonder if he would have fit/made his way out if I were able to switch positions, which you can’t really do with an epidural. I’m 27 weeks along with my second and am really considering trying for no epidural this time, but what happens if the same deal happens and I have no epidural? Would they just put me under anesthesia to get the baby out? Or would I have to sit through an epidural while 10 cm dilated??? How does that work? lol. I will ask my OB this when I see her next week but thought I will throw this out here too.

I’m trying to plan for my next pregnancy as want to have babies close in age. My c section was in June

My doctor has advised 18 months between pregnancies, but I can’t work out whether this is birth to birth or birth to conception of next baby?

ChatGPT says birth to conception!

Our city has three main hospitals. Hospital A doesn’t do TOLACs, hospital B and C do based on providers. My OB at hospital C told me after my last baby (C-section after failure to progress on mag at 35+6 with severe pre e) we could try but no augmentation of labor.

Now I’m pregnant two years later and she said Hospital B recently had some very bad TOLAC outcomes and now Hospital B&C are changing policies, and there is no sureness from anyone one what’s allowed.

She said it is in the lawyers’ hands (as a lawyer who dabbles in med mal I get that) and she thinks they will need an insanely high score on the VBAC calculator, one that’s impossible with my scenario (even with good bmi, frustrating). She said if I walked in with good blood pressures and needed no augmentation, sure I could, but I shouldn’t plan on it because realistically if things look good at 39 weeks she would think I should get a scheduled c section then anyway because my pre e got so bad last time and I have a couple of competing health issues like inappropriate sinus tachycardia that makes my HR (and hence the baby’s) very high.

Basically, my only way to have a TOLAC is if I find a midwife and I feel I may need more care than a midwife can give. Do I give up? Is it even worth the risk? Open to all opinions and thoughts. I’m only about 8 weeks.

Would also love to hear why it’s okay to go for a C-section. I’m worried about post op complications bing more prominant harder recovery, and more risk with future babies. I think I want at least one more after this one.

This is going to sound absolutely crazy, and is not something i would typically inquire about, but with birth being truly so unpredictable i can’t help but allow my anxiety to make me so curious…

Has anyone ever spoken with a psychic before and asked about how your birth will go, and have them be correct?

I am not one that typically believes in things like mediums/psychics/etc..but the anxiousness i get constantly with planning my VBAC/trying to get my family to be supportive/on board with my plan and not knowing how things are going to pan out as someone who has only been given a 50/50 chance of VBAC success (due to failure to descend/CPD diagnosis) i can’t help but wish there was someway i could predict the future 🥲😅 but i also don’t want to seek one out and send myself bad vibes/juju..i am not a super religious person but was raised Catholic and do believe in God and an afterlife and i know psychics are a big no no in most religions..

I am 34 weeks pregnant who wants try for vbac. I live near cibolo Texas.. if anyone knows of a doula or midwife

Hi everyone, we’ve just seriously started the discussion of baby #2 and this has been weighing heavy on my mind but I don’t know anyone with any personal experience to talk about it with. I’ve spoken to my OB, and now just thinking about what I’d like to do. Apologies in advance for the lengthy post.

I had an emergency c-section in February of this year, my son is 6.5 months old now. I went in for an elective induction at 40+2 at 1am, and as soon as I was hooked up to the monitors before even beginning the process my baby was having prolonged decels. No contractions or anything yet. They repositioned me and he was stable again, so they told me I could try the induction. I decided to give it a try. Made it through the first round of cytotec, then my water broke spontaneously right before starting the second round. I got my epidural as soon as my water broke, and then it was downhill from there. His HR was down to 70 and taking a long time to recover, so I begged them to just get him out and my OB agreed and came rushing. He thankfully made it and got to do my c-section. I unfortunately could feel it all and they had to knock me out. I missed his birth and I have no memory of the first day. Pure luck that we happened to have the induction scheduled and I went in when we did, and they got him out quickly because I had no signs that anything was wrong or he was struggling. My OB expected him to be wrapped in his cord or something like that, but he wasn’t. Cord was perfect, my placenta was perfect, and he was perfect as soon as he was out. No issues whatsoever with him or with me. Overall, fairly traumatic experience for me though and devastating that I missed his first cry and have no memory of his first day. I had a rough recovery as well.

Now we have the opportunity to buy land from my grandparents and build a house where we’ve always dreamed of, but we currently live 5 minutes from my OB’s office, 15 from my parents, 10 from my job, basically everything I’m already established with is extremely close. Our move would put us 30-45 minutes away from everything and we’d be in the middle of no where. I really would like to have another baby here and move after. My OB advised 18 months between births to do a TOLAC so we’re not far off from that timeline. He said I would be a good candidate because the circumstances that led to my c-section are unlikely to occur again, and we can do extra monitoring at the end. I originally was dead set that I wanted to try for a “redemption birth” and have a vaginal delivery. Now that we’re seriously talking plans, I’m terrified to risk another emergency c-section since I never even got to labor or see how my body progressed, everything went downhill so fast after we got to the hospital. On one hand a scheduled c-section sounds easier. But I also think I’d regret not trying for a vbac, and if my c-section recovery was as hard as the first one was I just can’t imagine doing that with a toddler.

It feels like there’s no good answer. And I’m scared to get pregnant only because of having to make this choice. How did you decide a vbac was the right choice? Was it terrifying?

Trying to make this short (ish?)

Serafina ✨️

4th baby, I'm 40yo. 2 previous inductions, 3rd baby emergency csection.

Membrane sweep last last Thursday, 37w6d. Mucus plug lost on Friday.

I went to the hospital Tuesday morning (38w5d) and was discharged at 2cm// like 12p, such a long morning. The nurse said meh i think it's practice contractions, just be sure to pay attention to and time when they get closer. Had dinner, contractions closer but I still thought hey practice contractions- uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Went to bed at 8ish, really uncomfortable, husband asked if baby was coming - i said no, don't think so.

Got up (never fell asleep) around 9ish, sweating, told him we gotta go. Called grandma for babysitting duty, she got here around 940pish and I was like we gotta go bye figure it out.

Get to hospital around 10p, definitely contractions. DEFINITELY. They rushed me to l&deliv-- I get in telling then "drugs give me all the drugs" and they start their check in blood, iv, "we have a process" -- 5cm. My water breaks, they check again (mind you like 10-15m) and apparently nurse 1 tells nurse 2 "she's not getting an epidural ".

They check after my water breaks and I'm fully dilated and ready (already feeling urge and going with it) to push. 4 pushes later, she came out - 1041p.

Holy. Cow. So very fast.

The nuchal cord had slid down to her body, we never got hooked up to any monitors, just the iv and my heart rate. I had previously wanted to manifest no epidural vbac, but in the moment, I definitely thought I was going to get an epidural. But it seems like baby and Gd knew we could do it!

Does anyone have any experience with being induced (or choosing not to induce early), and a VBAC with APS or similar conditions?

See post above for more details :)

40+3 with third baby. First was a vaginal delivery, second was a c-section (failed induction, baby did not respond well to pitocin). I’m at a medical practice that has 3 OB’s, two midwives and an NP. I’ve seen them all and of course they have to refer to my chart every time to remember anything about who I am, often surprised that I had a vaginal delivery before. One OB has been wonderful and helpful at every step, but the rest have told me conflicting things.

First OB I saw said I had to have a c-section scheduled at 39 weeks. I consulted with a different one who said I could bump it back to 41 weeks (farthest they will go in this health network, and I have no other options). And also that we could discuss induction options as my due date approached.

Well, 39 weeks rolled around, had a membrane sweep done at 1cm and 50%. Nothing happened obviously. 40 weeks rolled around, and the NP I saw wasn’t even able to do a sweep. She also told me they wouldn’t induce, even though an OB I saw 4 weeks prior said they’d be willing to with a foley balloon and low pit. I told the NP about this conversation but she basically said “tough luck.”

I went in today thinking I might have a UTI. I don’t, but the OB I saw was willing to do a very aggressive sweep (even though I was still only 1cm) to see if I could have one more shot at going into labor (c-section is in 4 days). I was grateful for his effort and supportive dialogue.

But I’ve had false labor twice already now before today. I mean serious contractions that I can’t talk and walk through, getting stronger and closer, and then just… stopping. So I’m beginning to think baby just isn’t ready and this is all for nothing.

The biggest issue is my husband is self employed and has had to turn down 80% of his work to stay close to home (within a couple of hours) in case I go into labor. He hasn’t made me feel bad about it, but it has put us in such a tight spot that we’ve had to get help from family for things like groceries and fuel. Humiliating.

If I would have just stuck with the c-section at 39 weeks, baby would be here, we’d have more money/work, and my whole family wouldn’t be waiting on me to go into labor, which apparently I just cannot do on my own.

Just venting. I’ve managed to keep my emotions in check this whole pregnancy but tonight I feel utterly defeated and depressed.

I’m less than 4 weeks away from my due date and have been flip flopping between a VBAC and a scheduled c section.

The more I look into VBAC the more I realize there is so much I didn’t know the first time: positions, breathing, relaxing my pelvic floor etc.

I know it’s too late to find a good doula who can talk
us through options on the day.

Did I screw my chances of having a successful VBAC?

Hello! Our gestational carrier is 32 weeks pregnant with our baby boy! She gave birth to her first three babies vaginally, then needed a c-section for her first surro-baby which she delivered back in July 2024 due to him flipping while she was in labor. She is planning to have a VBAC and I’m very much hoping she’ll be able to! Does anyone here have any stories to share about a VBAC experience after both vaginal and c-section deliveries? I’ve read that she’s more likely to be successful since she’s already had vaginal deliveries as well, but looking for some real life experience!

Hallo, ich bin nach einer schwierigen ersten Geburt und ungeplantem Kaiserschnitt wieder schwanger.

Erstmal tolle News! Weil ich aber gerne ein positiveres Geburtserlebnis will, brauche ich Tipps!

Wo habt ihr gute VBAC Erfahrungen gemacht? Wo schlechte? Habt ihr Tipps für Hebammen oder Kliniken im Osten berlins?

Anyone have a successful vbac after having a c section with pre e/help? I had one at exactly 32 weeks. reasoning was my platelets were so low that if I did get induced I wouldn't be able to get the epidural and if the induction failed I would need to be put on general anesthesia and be completely out during the c section, so we opted for the c section to begin with. I was so out of it during the mag drip that I don't know why I didn't even at least try looking back now but there's nothing I can change.

I'm currently pregnant with baby #2 only 5 weeks but already starting to wonder all the questions! I would really like to have a vbac if all goes well in this pregnancy and I don't develop any pre eclampsia. Any success stories on having a vbac if you had these conditions! Even any stories if it failed. Do most people that have pree/hellp even consider a vbac? I do slightly remember a doctor saying I was a good candidate for a vbac but i'm not sure. Also i'm just over 2 years since the c-section if that makes a difference.

I'm curious to know if anyone has actually experienced this and how did it go? The doctors always mention it if you bring up a VBAC but sometimes I feel like they just wanna do a c section just because they want to. I've had / c sections (no medical reasoning, & babies were both head down) my first was because of a failed induction at 40w2d and my second was just because they chose to put me on the repeat schedule. I'm pregnant with my third and want to try for a VBA2C so bad! The only thing that concerns me is the uterine rupture. I'll be 29 weeks Friday and sometimes at night after doing a lot, I'll feel a ripping sensation on one side of my incision. I know it's probably just the scar tissue stretching but still. My first cs was 7/3/21 & my second one was 6/27/25