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• August 27, 2012 12:21 p.m.

  I'll be going in for a VBAC within the next couple of weeks. I do not regret the emergency cesarean that I had with my first child because I do believe that it was entirely necessary in my situation. I do not, however, want it to be necessary again. This time I have done my research and I am using every method I have found to increase my chances of success. I encourage everyone else to do the same. I had a single layer closure so my statistical chances of success may be a little less than normal. I intend to work on the chances of success with the variables I can control. I have found nothing conclusive in the medical journals, but reading through them has given me an idea of what might help me out. Here's what I'm trying, but your research may lead you to try something different: 1. No induction. My research led me to believe that the chances of rupture increased more with induction than anything else. Obviously there are some situations in which that is the only choice, but they are going to have to REALLY convince me if I find myself in that position. 2. No pain meds (at least for the first VBAC). This is only because I know someone who almost ruptured and the lack of the pain meds caused her to feel the stretching long before the doctors would have noticed. We'll see how well I handle this one. lol 3. Red raspberry leaf tea. It's supposed to make contractions less painful and more efficient. I also heard a rumor that it increases the strength of cesarean scars. Who knows?

  - Bethany

• August 23, 2012 11:24 a.m.

  I'll be trying for my 2nd VBAC any day now with my 4th child (1st boy) the dr. was pretty skeptical with my 1st VBAC because of the fact that an emergency c-section with my 2nd child led to a severe stroke days after delivery, but even though the epidural was given too late and didn't work labor and delivery only lasted 5 hours and everything went fine. It took a little searching and calling around to find someone willing to take on my case, but my provider is confident that everything will turn out fine again. I just hope the drugs work this time...

  - L

• July 4, 2012 1:00 p.m.

  @Christina...I was hoping to be able to do a VBAC at a birthing center, but none in my area do that. They have offered to allow a home birth, but I feel that's too risky because of the transport time should something go wrong. If I do pursue VBAC I'm definitely going to hire a doula from one of the birthing centers. I've read that having a doula increases your chance of a successful VBAC and I would hate to be in a labor for hours only to have another csection.

  - Rachael

• July 4, 2012 12:51 p.m.

  @Mary... I hope by now you've been able to find the right care. I am in a similar position now. I would like to at least consider VBAC for my second child, but my doctor does not do it. To find a doctor who does I first looked at the websites of local hospitals that accept my insurance and then I called their member services department and they were able to give me names of doctors in my area who do VBAC. I still had to call the specific offices to see if they were accepting new patients and my particular insurance, but it gave me a great place to start. I still have not decided what route I'm going to pursue. My c-section and recovery were a breeze so I'm only considering VBAC for the benefit of possible future pregnancies. Best wishes.

  - Rachael

• April 25, 2012 2:20 p.m.

  3 years ago I had an emergency c-section, because my daughter was breech. The c-section that I had, caught an infection and 5 days after having my daughter I was hospitalized(for the infection). I was in the hospital for 3 months. Now I am pregnant with my 4th child and will very much like to have a VBAC!!! That c-section scared me and my husband/family (because of what happend after words). Now before my c-section, I had two vaginal births (2002 & 2007) without any problems. My doctor that I have now, for my 4th pregnancy doesn't do VBAC. I need to find a new doctor ASAP!! But I don't know where to go. Any help please (I live in Atlanta).

  - Mary

• April 12, 2012 7:03 a.m.

  I had a C-Section 3 years ago with my first daughter. I went through 13 hours with out medication, felt very strong managing the pain well and confident that I could have a natural birth. Once dilated to 7, if I remember right, I was told that I wasn't progressing. I was given pitocin to see if that would help the contractions to come on stronger. A couple hours later I was being prepped for a c-section. My daughter was 7lbs. 5 oz. I felted cheated, I wish I could had tired different positions or something that could help rather than turn to medicine. I don't remember much of the first time I held my daughter or that night. I was told after at the hospital that I could try for a VBAC in Rochester. Later during my first check-up I was told that my pelvis was too small and that I wouldn't be able to have a VBAC. I don't want to go through a c-section again. Each pregnancy, labor, and baby are different. There is no way to measure wether or not the next baby wouldn't fit. You can't predict how much the babies head will mold and reshape to fit. I had so many different nurses coming in and out during my labor. Only saw my Family Med doctor a few short times and was transfered to a different OB for the actually c-section. Can't help to think that if I had a midwife at my side that I could have been coached through it and supported. Very frustrated, scared and nervous. What would be my options?

  - Christina

• December 3, 2011 9:33 p.m.

  While there are dangers to the baby in a VBAC with uterine rupture, it is very low risk that the baby will die, only 1.9 babies out of 10,000. While that is a very low number, those still represent real babies and absolutely should be taken into consideration. What should also be considered, and is rarely mentioned in discussion, are the risks a RCS pose to the mother. From my reading, I've found that the maternal mortality rate with a RCS is more than 3 times higher than with a VBAC. RCS maternal mortality is 13/10,000 births and VBAC is 4/10,000 births. Again, these numbers represent real mothers and should be considered in the decision-making process, but sadly, these risks are rarely mentioned by health care providers. You have to sign a VBAC risks consent form, but not a RCS risks consent form and that's a misrepresentation. ACOG now recommends VBAC over RCS in most cases, and it's time that health care professionals and hospitals start giving pregnant women safe options and stop withholding information that inconveniences the care provider. Mothers ultimately have to make their own choice, but that's only possible if they are educated as to the risks and possible outcomes of BOTH procedures.

  - Vanessa

• November 19, 2011 4:27 p.m.

  I had an emergency c secttion 12 years ago with my daughter ( I had pre eclampsia)and I have absolutly no desire should I ever become pregnant again to have a vaginal birth for 2 reasons I am a total and utter coward when it comes to pain and the embarrasment, I know people say you're in that much pain that you could have the world and his wife watching you , but trust me I would care! xxx

  - clare

• October 19, 2011 9:22 p.m.

  I had an emergency c-section with my 1st child and I had a successful vbac with my 2nd child. Having had both a major surgery and the natural birth I would never choose the surgery given the choice. So baby #3 is on the way and she will be a vbac baby too. I only comment because the way my body recovered and the after birth experience was worth the effort and trouble I had to go through to have the vbac..

  - melissa

• October 19, 2011 3:45 p.m.

  First, to M: many women do not want a vbac because they are looking for the "perfect" birth experience. They want it because it is statistically a lot safer for low-risk women and even for some higher-risk women. And some women do have very real feelings of loss and bitterness after feeling duped into a c-section because they weren't informed or pressured by a doctor or simply even when it was necessary. There is no right way to give birth and there's no right way to feel after giving birth. Some women want to attempt a vaginal birth (and the majority will be successful) for all of the health benefits and if they want more children in the future as many providers have a cap on the # of c-section they do- the risks for maternal death, for example, go up tremendously with each one. And some women want to make it easier to care for older children at home, without recovering from MAJOR surgery if it is not medically necessary. Ladies who are interested in a vbac- choose a provider who is 100% on board, not just with words, but with a proven track record for doing vbacs. Find your local ican chapter (look at ican.org) and consider hiring a doula (dona.org) or getting a midwife. Ladies who want a repeat c-section- there's something out there called a gentle cesarean which might be a good option for you if you were unhappy the first time around :) Good luck ladies!

  - Andrea

• September 24, 2011 9:36 p.m.

  Question? VBAC at home? Midwife and doula? First baby 3 yrs ago c-sect after ruptured membrane and pitocin with very slow progression. "fetal distress" was noted, thus the c-section. Is this safe?

  - Rose

• September 3, 2011 5:36 p.m.

  i had a c-sec 4 years ago. i m pregnant with my 2nd baby and the due date was 2 sep 2011....2 days have past and i still hv no pains...i am very normal physically and my ulktrasound tells that so is the baby. the previous c-sec took place cus my baby was badly tangled up in cord and i had a show positive and the OBGYN couldnt leave it open for more than 24 hrs. i badly want a VBAC. pls help cuz i am now post term....how long should i wait now

  - Dania

• August 29, 2011 2:06 p.m.

  My OB offers the choice to the patient - they ask me, how do you want to deliver? Well, here is my response: I want to deliver in whatever manner is the safest for my baby and for me. If the doctor tells me repeat c-section is safest, since she is the one that attended 10+ years of OB training, I think I will accept her response. Sure, perhaps the uterine rupture risk seems low, but guess what, that 2% number exists because it happens! You just dont know if its your card that will be pulled that day. My Dad had a heart procedure that came with a 1% risk of stroke. sounds good right? guess what, he had a major stroke and life will never be the same for our entire family. I guess I just dont understand why some women are so obsessed with the vaginal delivery experience. I chose to obsessed with the healthy birth experience, instead of how I get there.

  - M

• August 4, 2011 12:13 a.m.

  I had an emergency c-section two years ago. The baby went into distress while they were letting me sleep (for 3 hours)after an epidural and by the time the doctor checked the monitor (I think the nurses had changed shifts and forgotten me) he was very worried and rushed me into surgery. Two years later I'm forty and in good health and pregnant again. My new doctor agreed to let me try for a vbac. I did a lot of research and was a little worried about uterine rupture from the scar. I decided that I would only try for vbac if I went into labor naturally. Due date came and went and 4 days later I decided to try induction. I was leery about using drugs as I heard this can increase the risk of uterine rupture; but after talking to my doctor I decided to try pitocin. I was able to dilate without using very much pitocin and 5 hours later the doctor broke my water. This sped up the contractions and made them more painful. The nurse gave me some pain medicine that lasted an hour that didn't dull the pain much, but it helped me to relax between contractions. It was 5 hours from the time my water broke that I gave birth to my healthy 7 lb 3 oz daughter. I wasn't sure that I would be able to have a vbac. The doctor had a surgical staff on hand just in case. After pushing for an hour I finally was able to make myself crunch forward (with hubby's help) and push harder. Two minutes later I was holding my baby in my arms. I'm so grateful to my doctor for helping me achieve a vb

  - Peggy

• August 2, 2011 11:38 a.m.

  i had my son almost 2yrs ago will be in oct. i was enduced w him and never did feel any contractions while in labor, the nurse had broke my water and stated that my son had a bowel movement in the water. they done an emergency c-section and my son was swollen from his sugar bein so low that he was at high risk of facing a deadly seasure. they rushed him to a higher facility where he stayed for a week on antibiotics. thankfully he got better and went home! i am preg. w my 2nd and he is due sept. 24th 2011. i heard the risk of ueterine rupture is higher if u go thruogh w VBAC before a 24month c-section period! my dr. highley recomends that i try to go w a VBAC! she is all for it and i'm glad but i am also scared at the same time. i do not want anymore kids so i'm not sure if a c-section or a VBAC would be great for me. i would very much so like to try a VBAC. i have never really experienced what it's like to enjoy naturall labor. does anyone have any suggestions or good advice for me? thank you -kathy

  - kathy

• July 27, 2011 12:25 a.m.

  N: I know I'm late with this comment, but I just found this blog. My suggestion is to find a midwife who will work with VBAC's. If you can't find one in your area or your insurance won't let you use one, then find a good OBGYN who will let you do a VBAC. Those doctors are few and far between, but they do exist. You just have to find one. Also, look at the hospital policies. Some will allow VBAC and some will not. And remember, policies are just policies, not unchangeable laws. Some hospitals will bend their rules about not allowing VBAC's if you have a good case.

  - Tanya

• June 27, 2011 12:22 p.m.

  I had my daughter 3 yrs ago. My water broke at home. When i got to the hospital i found out that she was breached and because my water had already broke they couldnt turn her so i had to have an emergency c-section. It has been three yrs and i am now pregnant with my second child. My c-section is alittle lower than my bikini line. I realky want to have a normal delivery but because of the risk i am torn of the desicion .On one hand I feel that im being selfish for my own wants and god forbid if something went wrong and i lost my child because i was too selfish to just go through with a routine cesarian, and on the other hand i REALLY want to experienced a natural delivery. I really dont know what to do!

  - Julie

• June 25, 2011 4:34 a.m.

  I have read and appreciate everyone's comments, but I have to say- I am 16 weeks pregnant with my second child, 10 years apart, and I am almost certainly going with a c-section. My first labor was induced, and after 30 hours of no dilation, 8 hours of pitocin, a failed epidural attempt, and a horrible post-op infection complete with an incisional gap that I had to pack, there is no way I would try that again. I would much rather go into a planned c-section as healthy as possible than risk another infection like that. It really comes down to personal opinion and what is right for you; however, I was getting the feeling that most of these posts encourage VBAC and didn't see any that explained why someone would choose a repeat c-section instead. 60-80% odds to me means 20-40% risk of a repeat c-section under suboptimal circumstances. I have been a registered nurse for 11 years and routinely see the difference in recovery of patients who are healthy prior to surgery as opposed to those who are sick or compromised, and I choose to be one of the healthy ones!

  - Angie

• November 1, 2010 3:10 p.m.

  N- your birth story is almost identical to mine. I was also told to watch the b.o.b. born. let me tell you that movie is not something you are going to want to watch by yourself. it scared me to no end. I was told i needed to be induced and was strapped to a bed for 14 plus hours, he broke my water with the internal baby monitor it all went down hill form there and yes i also had a epidural that didnt work well and was called fat while the dr was trying to find the right place for my epidural. i was labeled a f.t.p. and then had my baby via c section, my epidural wore off during the surgery. i wasnt able to see my baby until the next day it was horrible. ok less than 2 years later i was pregnant again and was told that the tendon of my leg was tied into my scar.(i think this was a lie i have changed drs and she looked at me like i was crazy) so repeat c section here i came and we had our son via c section. 3 almost 4 years later i am pregnant again and awaiting the birth of our 3rd child. we changed drs, he was a jerk and after checking around he has a bad reputation for what happened to me. My new dr told me that she always suggests mothers who have only had 1 c section to try for a vbac (if nothing is seriously wrong) it is better for baby and better for mother. but with 2 c sections the risks go up allot (like with me) but she is willing to let me try for a vbac if my body goes into labour by itself before my due date. so i say you find another dr some one u trust :)

  - emily

• September 13, 2010 5:58 p.m.

  N- Watch the Business of Being Born. You can find it on netflix. This might help you with your dilema. Good luck Jen

  - Jen

• September 1, 2010 5:13 p.m.

  I'm 30 years old and delivered my first 4 1/2 years ago. My doctor induced me and it went down hill from there. The epidural wouldn't work which then caused fetal distress. I also wouldn't dilate past 4 cm from the stress so ended w/ a c-section. I'm now 3 months preg and my new very young ruled out vbac right off the bat and said if I were to even consider it I would have to find a doctor willing to spend his/her whole day by my side. She also used what I felt were scare tactics that my uterus could rupture and baby can lose oxygen. I'm so confused. I'm a very healthy 30 year old and I would like to have more kids but I believe these back to back c-sections can complicate things. I would also like to try and deliver my baby vaginal but she ruled it out and I'm terrified of something going terribly wrong w/ a vbac. Does anyone have any suggestions?

  - N

• August 26, 2010 11:47 a.m.

  I delivered my first child 13 years ago via c-section due to developing ovarian cysts that needed to be removed without the pressure of a vaginal delivery. Its something I never want to experience again. I was in recovery for over two hours before i was able to hold and bond with my daughter. My recovery process took months and I wasnt able to pick up the baby. It was very frustrating. 8 years ago, I delivered my second child VBAC and experienced labor and delivery as normal as could be expected. We left the hospital two days later with my son and my recovery time was within weeks. I was back to normal and had plenty of strength and energy to care for my children. Now, I am currenty expecting my third child and am facing the dilemma of another c-section vs. VBAC...both of my OBGYN's feel differently about my decision to deliver VBAC. I have also been diagnosed with placenta previa, so I am frustrated yet again. It really comes down to personal choice and a healthy baby and mother as the end result.

  - April

• August 19, 2010 8:04 p.m.

  My daughter had a c-section with her first baby due to fetal distress. The baby was severely tangled in her cord. (Baby was delivered in good condition.) She subsequently had three VBACS without any problem. I think doctors and hospitals are afraid to risk VBACS, even though the chances of rupture are small. With careful monitoring and an OR at the ready, i say go for it if that's what you want.

  - Lucy

• July 28, 2010 3:27 a.m.

  Hey. I am about to deliver my second angel. My first was delivered in a c section under full anastasia ,13 months ago. I never heard the first cry, and basically never experienced my own labor.. I am afraid of vaginal birth, but i also fear its my last chance to try cause after two CS my risks are bigger.. Isn't 13 months way to early to try VBAC? any suggestions?

  - Maya

• July 22, 2010 9:28 p.m.

  My first child was by c-section, and I tried VBAC with my second child. I ended up with the rare complication of a ruptured uterus and was told later by a nurse that if they had waited 10 more minutes to do an emergency c-section my son and I would not be here. Just be aware that complications can occur even if you think it will never happen to you.

  - BB