VBAC roll call? (for ease of lurking LOL)

So I know there are a few of us who are currently pregnant and have been doing lots of research and planning to get our VBACs. I was hoping to get a little list going in here so we know when we're all due so we can celebrate and learn from each other's births as they happen

By "VBAC roll call" I don't mean those who've already had one (although I welcome your support!), nor do I mean those who are "going to give it a go" but are happy if they end up with another c section - I'm talking those of us who are really taking measures to try to ensure we don't end up being cut again. (Sorry if that offends anyone planning a "trial labour".)

Can you please post your due date in here (or approximate due dates, if you're a hippie like me without an exact EDD)? If you'd like to share, you could also add things like what reading/prep you've done, what you think contributed to your c section last time, and how you're planning to avoid those this time? (I'm currently writing that stuff in a second post, but I'll put this introductory post up for now )

VBAC roll call
weegee - due mid-late July

VBAC roll call
weegee - due mid-late July [:)
MelNel - 12 October 2010

weegee wrote: I've done MASSES of reading, a lot of it online, educating myself about labour and birth in general and learning to trust my body. I'm happy to post links if people want them but that'd probably be preaching to the choir in here so I won't for now.

Links would be good for us who aren't VBACers but are VBA-traumatic 1st-VB (and hoping to avoid the traumatic bit the 2nd time round)

Just wanna jump in and say i know how you feel 6years ago i was 9wks away from having my VBAC after LOTS of research and LOTS of positive thoughs and to show all those people (midwife) that said i couldnt VBAC as my pelvis 'must be too small' since i couldnt birth my 7lbs 12oz baby girl, i hate being told i cant do anything lol.

Chiropractor visit at 32wks into pregnancy #2 only to find out i had a twisted pelvis and 1wk later my DD was engaged and I VBACed my 9lb baby girl 13mths after my c/s! Going for my 4th VBAC and 3rd homebirth in 8wks time!

Its an amazing time and stay positive and be surrounded with positive people and you can do it! Good Luck to you :D

Yay more VBACers! fadeless, what an awesome story, and I'm a bit jealous of your homebirth

AzzaNZ - she's not a doula, but my CBE student is on the North Shore and I think she's still looking for births to attend as a support person, do you want her contact details?

*Semi Lurking*
Already had my successful VBAC, so totally know what you guys are feeling, just to add, one thing that the MW is sure helped with a good birth even with a posterior baby, was taking 5W and EPO from 35 weeks, active labour was only 3 hours.
I agree with you Weegee about having a really strong advocate in the room that can fight for your wishes, If the baby hadn't come out when he did, thanks to an episiotomy, the OB would have pushed for a c-section, which I didn't need or want, thankfully I had a brilliant MW.
Good Luck Guys, best wishes for a happy and healthy pregnancy

I got them both from the chemist, you need one that has a good range of herbal products, also the naturopath sells it, Its made by natures sunshine, 5w is a herbal concotion containing
Black Cohosh root
Squaw Vine herb
Dong Quai root
Butcher's Broom
Red Raspberry leaf
I took something like 6 a day so it got a little expensive, but I would have done anything to avoid another caeser.
I only took the EPO orally 3x a day, but my MW swears by it vaginally.

What a cool thread!

I'm a bit if an intruder here, cos I didn't have a c, but I had much more intervention than I wanted and I plan to do some things differently next time.

I did heaps of research before I had Caty to make sure a home birth was the right choice, and my MW said my state of mind during labour probably avoided a caesarean. So I thought I'd share a few things that I've learnt...

I'll start with my birth story: Waters broke at 9am, contractions started just after. Went about my day till about 2, rang MW at 4 - I was 3cm. Pocket of waters over bubs head, so break must be higher up. Waters had light meconium staining (not uncommon at 9 days overdue) but went to hosp for monitoring at 7pm. Everything looked fine so back home by 9pm to labour on our own for a bit. Called MW to join us at 1am. I was 5cm and fully effaced. Eventually got in pool, which was great. By 5.30am I was falling deeply asleep between contractions cos 'I was exhausted. Started to worry I'd drown if I stayed in the pool so got out to use loo. Still 5cm and no longer fully effaced - cervix starting to swell. MW suggests hospital transfer. 6.30am arrived in hosp, start to feel scared. MW offers gas which I take and instantly feel very faint. Lie down to prevent fainting and don't feel up to walking around at all. 7am OB checks - still 5cm. She breaks waters and recommends epidural and synto. MW agrees. The monitor shows my contractions are a mess so DH says he thinks we agree to synto but epi is up to me. At this point the room is spinning so I just agree when MW asks. Anaesthetist is called but refuses to come in - his shift ends at 8. At 8 the next bloke is called and agrees to come in. By 8.30 he is there. I am made to sit up and instantly feel better. Want to say I've changed my mind but know he's come in specially so I don't. Line is inserted and pain goes through the roof. I'm screaming in agony - apparently its not meant to be like that. He rings hospital specialist, who comes. He rings national specialist who advises they use it anyway. This takes nearly an hour. During the wait, someone suggests the baby might have turned posterior, so i'm checked again - 8cm and clearly going to dilate fully. I want to say take the epi line out, let me do this, but they now have the national specialist on the phone so I do what he says. Also during the wait, DH, whose hands I have in a death grip starts looking really scared, and I can see he is struggling to see me like this. Concerned for him, I tell him that I'm ok, and that labour is meant to hurt, but thats ok too, and in reassuring him, I've reassured myself too. It's meant to hurt, but I can do this. Then the anaesthetic is inserted and I'm instructed to sleep. MW explains that sleep is the best chance I've got to regain some energy to go on, so I agree. While I'm asleep, the synto is amped up and the epi is continually topped up - I didn't realise it was an ongoing thing - I thought it would be worn off by pushing time. Just as I'm dozing off, before the epi has fully kicked in, I tell the MW that I feel pressure in my bum. In hindsight we think this was me reaching full dilation. I go to sleep around 10 am and wake at 11.30. I lie there listening to the heartrate rocking along at 140 bpm. At noon the MW comes back (I'd had the backup for a bit). She chats for a bit before checking me at 12.20. I'm 10cm, the head is well down and baby has lots of hair. She says she'll just call another MW to attend and leaves the room. DH and I are alone for the first time since arriving at hospital. At 12.25 the room suddenly starts spinning and I'm fighting to stay conscious. I see/hear the heartrate drop to 70bpm and DH and I look at each other in horror. He hits the call button and MW reappears asking whats up. She doesn't even finish her sentence as she sees the monitor which now shows the heartrate stuttering at 40 bpm. She hits the emergency button and the room explodes with people. a hurried discussion between MW and OB and then I'm being instructed when to push and DD is quickly delivered into the waiting arms of a paediatrician, with the help of an episiotomy and vonteuse. It's an agonising wait whislt the paed resuscitates our limp, grey baby and then announces we have a healthy baby girl .

So that was my story. Next time will be better!

I think your rule of no-one offering pain relief, weegee, is excellent. I was fine (ok, it hurt a LOT, but my comments about how much it hurt were a way of dealing with it for me, which DH recognised, but MW didn't). As soon as someone offered pain relief, it was as if they'd said that this was too much to cope with and I instantly started doubting myself.

I let myself get into a bit if a downward spiral once we transferred. I was all set to do the whole thing naturally at home myself, but I should also have prepared for the possibility of some intervention without it being a spiral of doom. I was right to agree to synto at the time, but I should have said no to the epi. Then I would have known I was fully dilated much earlier and not leave DD wedged down there getting distressed. I could have changed my mind about the epi later. In future I'll only agree to one thing at a time and give it a chance to make a difference before I accept something else.

I should have been worried only about me, DD and DH. So I would have inconvenienced the anaesthetist? Who cares?!

I think a positive experienced person would be great - I ended up being that for myself, but it would have been good to have someone do it for me sooner.

So thats my novel. Hope you don't mind the intrusion And I'll be into all if weegee's links once I'm pg again...

I really hope you all get awesome VBACS

Thanks Azza. I thought of a couple of other things too -

If you are able to, when you know that today is the day, even if its 3 in the morning, eat a meal such as a marathon runner or someone would do before a marathon. You'll need good, long-lasting energy, and you might not feel like eating later on. Of course, you may chuck it all back up later, but you'll hopefully have got something out of it.

Keep drinking is also a biggy. I had a sipper bottle of water that I would take a sip from at the end of every contraction -sure it was only a tiny sip, but there were enough contractions that it added up
Dehydration is a recipe for trouble. I had also meant to switch out my water bottle for powerade-type drinks periodically because I've found those are really good for giving you a bit of a boost when I've been doing other *endurance* events.

I should add that I actually forgot to do either of these things, so I think it would be good to have a list of duties that one of your support people is in charge of. DH was really good at reminding me to drink my water. I should have made it his job to replace the water with powerade every few hours or so.

The other thing I really recommend is communicate with your MW about EVERY thing. Let her decide what is important and what's not. I wanted some things done, but waited for my MW's suggestions rather than making the suggestions myself. It's your body and you know it better than anyone, so if you think something might work, ask.

Thats all for now