I've been meaning to share this for a while now, but here goes… This might get long but I want to get the details out there for those considering and wondering about VBACs. (For background, my DS was born by c-section because he was breech. My water broke and 4 hours later I was fully dilated and rushed to the OR for a c-section. DS was 21 months old when DD was born.)

I really wanted a VBAC from the beginning and had a few conversations with my providers about it. The one OB was very supportive and said that he guessed I had a 90% chance of success based on the fact that I went into labor on my own with DS and proved that my body can dilate. I had been talking about a VBAC with my midwife for weeks and was definitely feeling supported by her as well. DS was born at 36 weeks and I had already been having contractions for a while with this pregnancy so my midwife and I were convinced DD would be early too considering my history and my mom's history. Well, 38 weeks comes along and nothing! My midwife was concerned that if I was pregnant much longer I would be forced into a c-section since they wouldn't induce me. She stripped my membranes, rather aggressively according to her, at 38 weeks in hopes that it would kick start something and if not we still had the next week to try again. That evening I had some spotting and cramping off and on throughout the night. The next morning I felt about the same and we went to my in-laws for our Christmas celebration together. Around 3 that afternoon my SILs, MIL and I took the kids to a church down the street to run around in the parking lot, ride bikes, etc. I was very uncomfortable at this point and was sitting and watching while they took care of DS. I started having stronger cramping, it felt like strong menstrual cramps but they were coming and going. I wasn't really convinced that this was labor yet, but I started timing them anyway. Right away they were about 10 minutes apart consistently. I knew from DS that I can progress quickly and also knew that with a VBAC I didn't want to wait too long. I called DH, who was out with FIL & BIL, and told him to come back! When he got back the contractions were getting closer together. We decided to take DS to my parents and then call my Dr to talk to them. We got to my parents around 4:15/4:30 and the contractions were 6-7 minutes apart and feeling stronger. I was in denial but DH was pushing me to say goodbye to DS and get moving. We are about 20 minutes from the hospital. Leaving DS was definitely weird and I think I was kind of in denial about what was happening.

We made it to triage and found out my midwife was off that day, which I had suspicions of, and the OB on call was the one who performed my c-section. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled, but what choice did I have? She was the OB who kind of had a scare tactic when it came to VBACs because she didn't want people to stress and make it worse in the moment. Anyway, the nurse checked me and I was only 2 cm dilated. Talk about a bummer considering how fast things went with DS! They said they would monitor me for an hour and see what happened but I had to stay on the bed hooked to the monitors. That was by far the most uncomfortable thing. I wanted to stand and walk but was confined to a small area. The contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart at this point but as soon as the nurse said they weren't admitting me yet, they slowed down to 7 minutes apart. We were talking about how frustrating it would be to be sent home and questioning how we would know if it was real when my water broke around 5:30. This really kick started things. The nurse asked about an epidural, which I agreed to. Before I would have said I wanted a natural birth, but my midwife and both OBs strongly encouraged epidurals with VBACs just in case something goes wrong then everything is already in place. We started working on getting to a delivery room and as soon as we made it there they started working on an epidural. It was right around 7pm when this was all happening. There was a shift change with nurses and they were definitely aware that I was progressing quickly at this point. I was in a lot of pain and trying to sit still for the epidural. By the time all of that happened, I just remember the nurse checking me and saying that there was just a little lip left. I was fully dilated and got the okay to start pushing around 7:40pm. The nurse warned me that it they would let me go up to 3 hours with pushing. She gave me a few tips and then off we went. I still felt the pressure and urge to push so that helped. It was just the nurse, DH and I at this point. My OB came to check on me for a little bit in the midst of this for a little and came back then about 20 minutes later. I felt like the OB was getting a little antsy to get things moving and it kind of made me push harder! I didn't want her to suggest a c-section! I had a hard time holding my breath while pushing but towards the end got a better feel for it. Our sweet little girl was then born at 9:10pm!

Right away she was put up on my chest for skin to skin. It was so different from when DS was born and had to go to the NICU. We just soaked her in, DH cut the cord and we snuggled (& tried nursing) with her on me for at least 30 minutes before they weighed her. Oh, and I got stitched up. All my OB said about my tearing was that it wasn't bad and it was typical for a first vaginal delivery. She was 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.5 inches long and completely beautiful, born on December 21st. They got her weighed and gave her right back. We stayed in delivery for a little bit until they got me up on my feet to try going to the bathroom, which didn't work and I felt a little woozy. I got some food in my stomach then and was fine. I held her while they pushed us to our room then. Everything about this delivery felt so different from DS. We were with her the whole time, held her right away, etc. I feel like I recovered really well too. I was very thankful for a successful VBAC, especially the first time DS came in to see us. I can't imaging having that incision and him wanting to sit with me. I will definitely try for another VBAC in the future!

If you stuck through all that reading, thanks! And I am happy to answer any questions too!