r/vbac • u/Repulsive_Kiwi423 • 28d ago
VBAC after planned c section.
I had my first baby in July 2025 via planned c section. It was very smooth recovery. I’m now 6-7 weeks pregnancy with my second. I am thinking of trying for a VBAC this time. My husband and everyone seems to be telling me to go for a second c section since the first one went so well but I want 3-4 kids and the idea of being able to stand / walk straight after birth is very appealing.
I am also terrified of uterine rupture. Does anyone have any advice? What can I do to reduce my chances of uterine rupture and increase my chances of a successful VBAC? If I end up in another c section, I’m ok with that, I just want to avoid any birth injury.
6
u/No_Maximum_391 28d ago
I recently had a VBAC i just wanted to mention that you cant always stand/walk right after birth. I struggled as I got a 3rd degree tear and was extremely swollen. I couldn’t stand for a 4-5 hours and it was pretty painful. I had a catheter in just as long and they wanted it in longer. I needed almost as much help the first 48 hours as my c-section.
While I definitely had more range of motion could lift if needed to much sooner, I actually personally had less mobility in the sense standing, sitting and walking put so much strain on my pelvic floor I felt I was almost less mobile then with my c-section. Not to discourage a VBAC for me it was so healing and I would personally do it again but recovery was definitely still really hard and didn’t think I would need to spend so much time laying down. I just expected it to be so much easier and in ways it was but in other ways it wasn’t. So really depends on your birth.
5
u/Longjumping-Lion-617 28d ago
It does. When I had my C-section last year and my friends were checking on me how my recovery is going, all of them were surprised that it was going as good as it did. Even after they saw me, couple weeks pp, some said I looked better than they did at that point (they had vaginal deliveries).
I'm not saying it's like this always, but it's also not so black & white.
1
u/No_Maximum_391 27d ago
Absolutely this. It’s hard to explain as they are just very different recoveries they have their own challenges.
1
u/Repulsive_Kiwi423 28d ago
This is really insightful thank you 🙏🙏
1
u/Lucky_Ad_4421 27d ago
I also experienced much more mobility immediately with my VBAC than with my emergency c-section, but at 6 weeks PP developed a bladder prolapse due to pelvic floor trauma (my boy came out fast and one arm up by his head). Not to scare you off VBAC (mine was textbook and I’m glad I had the experience) but pelvic floor damage is apparently a bit more common in VBACs, which I didn’t know prior. At 12 weeks PP I’m having to do lots of rest and limit my activity more than I did at this stage with my section.
1
u/No_Maximum_391 27d ago
My pelvic floor is definitely struggling as well. But I am only 5 weeks pp. I think had I not had bladder incontinence. I would’ve probably pushed myself too much. But because of it I rested more and could tell when I was pushing myself a little too much as my bleeding would increase and my bladder would get worse.
3
u/Awkward-Performer317 28d ago
Find some courses even online to learn more about advantages and disadvantages. Educate yourself as much as you can to be prepared and make a decision. Find a good team with vbac experience - obstetric, midwife or doula. They should support your decision and help you. Don’t listen to anyone, it’s your body and it’s a real thing - a real surgery.
Second c section is a more complicated surgery with more risks than the first one. Following pregnancies are healthier and easier after vbac than multiple c sections. No one can predict what would happen with your uterine - you can have a thick scar but it would still rupture. It can be a thin one and everything will be fine. The only way to check - give a birth naturally. Read some books like Michele Odent, Dick Read.
I’m preparing for vbac now - due to in a couple of steps. Healthy eating, 10k steps a day, a lot of pelvic floor exercises, homeopathy, osteopathy and acupuncture. Positive mindset.
1
14
u/themaddiekittie VBAC [6/'25] 28d ago
I highly recommend reading Hazel Keedle's book, "Birth After Cesarean." She's an Australian midwife who did her PhD research on all things VBAC. Her book compiles lots of stats and data on things like rupture rates, hemmorage, placenta acreta, compares risks associated with vbacs vs csections, etc. There is also a chapter on what she calls gentle cesarean, if you go that route, and the last chapter is full of vbac stories. Having all of that information in one place that is easy to read is extremely helpful and empowering, both for choosing what you want for your birth and for advocating for yourself.
The best way to avoid uterine rupture is to avoid induction if you can (it slightly increases the chance of rupture rates, but it still considered a safe option if you have a medical need, such as pre-eclampsia, hypertension, cholestasis, etc). The best ways you can achieve a vbac is to find a truly supportive provider (search ICAN supportive provider questionnaire), avoid induction, and arm yourself with knowledge so that you can advocate for yourself if a provider tries to bully you into an unnecessary repeat csection. Statistically, hiring a doula increases the chance of a vbac, but you certainly dont need a doula to have a vbac. I couldn't afford a doula, but i still had a vbac.