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Weekly topic - VBAC vs Planned C-section
Hi, I plan to start a new thread every Monday using topic suggestions put forward in the BT forum. Here's the thread topic for this week:
"VBAC vs Planned C-section"
Please feel free to share your experiences, questions, concerns and advice on the above subject and hopefully we can help one another, and get some good info in one place.
Go! 
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Total idiot question but what exactly does VBAC stand for?
It means Vaginal birth after Caesarean
I'm interested to hear anyone's experience who had an EMCS prior to the onset of labour? I'm told this makes my chances of a VBAC reduced but can't seem to find evidence to support this?
Thanks Tweetie Pie.
New question... what does EMCS mean? Apologies again!! I keep guessing them but figured if I don't know someone else might not either (or at least I hope it's not just me!!
Emergency Caesarean section PS
ha PS thanks for asking. I didn't know!
I had a EMCS after a 12 hour labour started after an induction. We have no immediate plans to conceive number 2, however we have talked at length about what we would do for number 2. I'd like to try for a VBAC, but we'll have to wait and see as we do need to take into consideration W. I don't want to have to recover from a section if I can deliver naturally. But on the other hand I don't really fancy the thought of tearing either!
I personally would like to try for vbac but that's quite a selfish idea rwally. For my family as a whole a planned section would be better. Better for oh who was a bit traumatised last time. Better for A as we could tell her when it was all happening exactly.
Not that anything is happening anytime soon!!!!!!
I had an EMCS with #1 after a failed induction, I never reached established labour and he was becoming distressed. Immediately afterwards, I thought I would definitely want to go for a VBAC to somehow put right what I felt at the time had gone wrong with his birth. However, when it came to the time to decide with #2, I went straight for an elective section and have never regretted it. Recovery was a lot easier, even with a toddler in tow and it felt far better for me to be in control and know what to expect, especially given that from what I've read, the circumstances of my first mean I'd be less likely to have a successful VBAC. I've had my third by elective section as well and can honestly say it was the right decision for us and I've never felt that I've missed out in any way at all.
I've had three sections, 1 emergency at 34 weeks and two electives at 37 weeks. I've never had a contraction and have no regrets about choosing electives for #2&3 (would probably have ended up emergencies anyway tbh). They were fabulously positive experiences, I loved every minute of the electives, had lots of skin to skin and breastfed quickly after. They were amazing!
Margot can I ask what made you go for the second section? Do you think it was easier to pick something you know? Part of me wants to labour as I've never experienced a contraction etc and when everyone talks about their labour I don't feel like I can relate, another part of me makes me feel maybe I'm lucky to not know how painful it is lol! I have been told by the hospital that my chances are lower for a VBAC like you but no one can give me stats etc
Alaina that's what make me think a planned might be better as it would probably end in one anyway. Did you get to see your babies straight away in a planned one, as I didn't get to see O for ages as he was taken straight to the SCUBU doctors without a little peak, then when he was ready to be seen I wasn't allowed to hold him as my blood pressure was low and they wanted to get to me with drugs etc so it felt like the world had seen/held him before I had so I'm really anxious for that not to happen again
Margot/Alaina can I ask did you think that you would feel like you had 'missed out' not having a vbac but didn't? I knew O was breech and that there was a possibility of a section but I expected to discuss/decide that after my presentation scan at 37weeks.
My waters broke and I was 2cm and having contractions when I got to the hospital and although it was classed as a EMCS I knew I was having a section and had a few hours to prepare after the injection for the babies lungs. My actual section was a bit more rushed though as my contractions kept coming and they had to deliver, plus I was very much underestimating how sore I would be and what the recovery would be like.
I do feel like I missed out or not sure how to describe it, but people would say afterwards something about me having just given birth and I didn't feel like I had, I felt like I had just been for an operation and felt like a bit of a fraud and sort of cheated in a way as I didn't get to make a decision a week or whatever before the date.
I'm not sure if we'll even try for a second but if we did a bit of me feels like I should try for a vbac since I couldn't the first time but a part of me thinks that an elective section would be the better option if we ever did decide to have another.
Miss deedee I also feel exactly like you describe. I never use the phrase 'the day I gave birth' as I didn't feel like I did
Noodle, for me it was definitely better the devil you know, whilst recovery from a good natural birth could have been brilliant, the effects if I had a bad birth could have been pretty awful, whereas the section was controlled and I knew exactly what to expect.
MissDeedee, after my first section, I felt that I needed to experience a natural birth to make up for the way my body had 'failed' but after a while I realised that the birth is just a small part of being a mother and I have never felt that I've missed out at all or failed, I've produced three beautiful healthy children and how they came into the world is a tiny part of our lives. Like Alaina, I've had skin to skin very soon after all three births and have breastfed very successfully so no adverse effects there. My H held them in theatre and then we had skin to skin and fed in recovery, they have never been apart from me at all after they arrived.
I had a crash section under general anaesthetic with Zoe. I was 9cm dilated and had been planning a homebirth. Both myself and MrJB were traumatised following it, more so for MrJB as I had had the opportunity for counselling and if I'm honest it was more traumatic for him (he was left in a room on his own for 40 mins not knowing if his wife was alive). The biggest thing for me was to avoid another general anaesthetic. I didn't really care about anything else as long as I was awake for the birth.
I had two appointments with the VBAC clinic to talk through the options, what I would / wouldn't be allowed. I couldn't get out of my mind the whole natural / pool thing but then equally I wanted an epidural cited early on so that would be ready for c-section, low threshold for moving to section etc. For me, despite the reassurances of the hospital team that the issues before were no doubt down to Zoe's position, I just couldn't bring myself to risk a GA again and so we went for an ELCS.
The ELCS itself was fantastic. I had expected it to feel a bit like a conveyor belt, as after all these people do it every day. But we were made to feel as though it was very special and it really was an amazing experience. I got to hold my baby and see her as soon as she was born and remember it and that was all I wanted. Recovery was an awful lot quicker than from my EMCS too, despite needing a blood transfusion. I don't regret my decision at all.
My user name might give it away as to what I have had!
I had a EMCS with my first at 31 weeks. I didn't go into labour but had severe PE so had no option. She was literally born and whisked off to NICU. When I was pregnant with my second I knew pretty much from the off that I wanted a section. For me I didn't want to be in the situation where I was in another 'emergency'. I needed calm and for me that would be via a section. In the end my placenta was starting to show it was deteriorating so the safest route was a section.
I have 4 children and have never laboured. However, the safe arrival of them meant far more to me than my own needs.
What Margot said really, after #1 I did think I would go for a VBAC the next time but before I even got pregnant again I realised it didn't matter to me that much. tbh I was very poorly with pre-eclampsia with F, he was very poorly in SCBU and so the actual birth part was a very small part of the whole experience.
F was prem so taken straight to SCBU but apart from a couple of minutes straight after the birth, R was down my gown having skin to skin and stayed there for 5/6 hours. I had skin to skin with T in recovery which was very special after F going to SCBU and kept him there all day too lol.
Section4, did you ever share #4's name? How are you getting on with 4?!
I had an EMCS after 33 hours of labour at 27+0, after my cervix closed (after fully dilating). He was taken away, to a hospital 40 miles away, I got transferred the next day, where I stayed for 5 days. so over all, not a great experience.
7.5 years later, and No.2 was due. The thought of a VBAC terrified me, so I wanted a CS as that is what I "knew", even though after having C, I felt like my body had completely failed my son, first not being able to carry to term, then by not being able to give birth to him, but my consultant gave a firm no, for which, I am grateful. Once i'd got used to the idea, I began to look forwards to it.
No.2 was born at 40+0, after a 28 hour labour, with just the 1 midwife in the room. He was delivered straight on to me, and H got to cut the cord. A very different atmosphere, compared to when C was born. I had more people in theatre than normal, as there were specialists from another hospital, ready to whisk him away, and was keen to have as few people as possible when I had my second (I didn't even want student midwives in the delivery room)
I had to be monitored closely, and lines put in, incase I needed to go for a CS, but overall, it was very positive.
I had a slight graze, so no stitches needed, and was home a matter of hours later, and fully healed after 2 or 3 days.
I recommend a vbac to anyone, it was amazing.