https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:35:02 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2516092 Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:05:30 +0000 pastemoo 2516092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79:<br /> Are you hoping for one? Yes!</p> <p>Did you recently have one? Nope!</p> <p>Did you try for one and ended up with another C?<br /> I guess we'll see. about 2 months to go.</p> <p>I'm nervous, too, but excited! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2515924 Tue, 05 Apr 2016 11:33:17 +0000 Autumnmama79 2515924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: Thanks for this. I often forget that there will be a break between contractions and I just worry that its going to be constant pain. Being able to do it completely med-free is my dream, just because I hate taking medications/drugs and feeling out of control. Thanks for the encouragement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2515918 Tue, 05 Apr 2016 11:28:58 +0000 avivoca 2515918@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: You can do it! My first was completely med free. One thing that really helped me was remembering that the pain was not going to last forever. If you add up the timing of contractions and the length (averages obviously), you are only in pain for something like 3.5 hours in an average labor (average being 18 hours or so for a first time mom). You usually get a break in between contractions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2515905 Tue, 05 Apr 2016 11:12:49 +0000 Autumnmama79 2515905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Okay, so now I'm starting freak out a little (or a lot :shocked: ). Today marks 36 weeks which means only four short weeks to go, give or take. </p> <p>I'm wondering can my body do this? Will the pain be so unbearable I'll ask for an epi and that'll set into motion a series of interventions that will lead to another c-section? </p> <p>It seems almost more scary this time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476401 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:16:50 +0000 Rockies11 2476401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: I had a c-section for breach and a VBAC with my second. My c-section recovery was a million times easier, but I will have a VBAC with my 3rd. I think that I assumed my VBAC recovery would be easier because it was natural for a baby to come out that way, but I had an extremely long labour, a difficult delivery, severe tearing, i broke my tailbone, and I had a postpartum placental complication. I also had HG, which lingered for weeks after the VBAC. But that said, I remain uncomfortable with the idea of having a major surgery when I don't need to have a major surgery, so I don't regret it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476336 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 14:35:59 +0000 cyndistar3 2476336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: that's great tobhear! And yes, fingers crossed for a good position, I have given birth to 2 sunny side up babies and it's no fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476330 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 14:30:01 +0000 Autumnmama79 2476330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@creativemomma15: That makes sense. I wasn't put under for my section, just epi. I'll definitely have to ask about that at my next appointment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476326 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 14:28:13 +0000 creativemomma15 2476326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: It was quite the whirlwind! It's funny, all my deliveries have been different, 1 csection, 1 vbac with epidural, &amp; 1 natural vbac. I'm not sure if all Drs would require an epidural... I think that my midwife &amp; OB feel like then if anything would go wrong everything's in place already that if I would need a csection I wouldn't have to be put under for it? Honestly, I didn't question it much because I trust my midwife's judgment a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476260 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:43:48 +0000 Autumnmama79 2476260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ash: Ouch is right! I'm assuming 3rd degree is the worst it can be? Sounds like you had an extra special doctor willing to put your needs first. Awesome.</p> <p>@BeachMama: 9pd 11oz vbac? You're amazing. SO great you got to hold baby right away. I'm really looking forward to this part :heart: </p> <p>@creativemomma15: Holy thats crazy fast! And the fact that you've had 2 vbacs is really pretty neat. My doctor hadn't mentioned that I would need to have an epi in case of c-section, but just that an IV would have to be placed in my hand in preparation. But in hindsight, that must be for something else b/c the epi goes in the back... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2476252 Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:36:59 +0000 Autumnmama79 2476252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cyndistar3: Yes, my OB is very supportive which is great! Fingers crossed that baby gets in a good position and I have the best possible chance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2475427 Thu, 25 Feb 2016 21:18:11 +0000 creativemomma15 2475427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@autumnmama79: Sorry for the super delayed response! 3 kids makes it harder to find the time :)</p> <p>Here is a link to all the details on my first vbac. It's long but I wanted to give lots of info for other mommas that were thinking of a vbac. <a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-vbac-birth-story" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-vbac-birth-story</a></p> <p>This time around, I had the same team of doctors/midwife and they were completely supportive of my decision. Some of the basic vbac guidelines they gave were: no inducing with drugs, seriously recommended an epidural in case anything went wrong, come in on the early side for monitoring and depending on who you asked they wouldn't let me go past 40 weeks. </p> <p>For this vbac, from the start of labor to her being born was 4 hours. I was a little in denial that I was truly in labor and we ended up being at the hospital only 45 minutes before she as born. Things moved really quickly and in the midst of getting an iv to prep for an epidural, my water broke and I went from 5cm to fully dilated in about 10 minutes. There was no time for an epidural so I ended up with a natural birth. My OBs had told me before that despite what you might think, the risk of uterine rupture is just as high during any stage of labor and it doesn't necessarily go up while pushing. I ended up with 2nd degree tears but I think a lot of that was that I couldn't really slow down the pushing when she was crowning. Recovery has been pretty good though so far! Please let me know if you have more questions! I love to share my experiences but don't want to overwhelm you with details :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2473565 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:56:43 +0000 BeachMama 2473565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm late to this post but will tell my story too...</p> <p>I had a csection with my first 3 years ago after being induced, not sleeping for 4 days, her being face up, and just not wanting to come down. I always thought about trying for a vbac and my new OB seemed to be on board. At 40+5 he induced me by breaking my water, then used pitocin. After about 11 hours I started to push. About 2 hours later my 9lb 11oz boy was born. It was so amazing and so different than my experience with my first (for a variety of reasons). I ended up losing a lot of blood afterwards and needed a transfusion. I also had an episiotomy. I was sore for a few weeks afterwards. For the first few weeks I would have said that my csection recovery was easier, but now being 11 months out I think my vbac was easier in the long run. I am so happy and thankful I was able to experience a vaginal delivery and hold my baby right away! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas/page/2#post-2473412 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:51:24 +0000 Ash 2473412@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: @Autumnmama79: my cs was non emergent but necessary due to baby not decending and showing signs of distress. Long story short, he was huge (9#7oz). I wanted a vbac with my second but my dr was only on board if baby seemed smaller so he induced me at 40 weeks. I guess you could say it was successful even though baby was bigger than my first and she was a shoulder dystocia with vacuum assist that resulted in a third degree tear (ooooouch!!!!!). It was so empowering and I was in love with the experience but the recovery was awful (due to my tear). I don't think most people have a recovery like I did so I'm definitely pro vbac and sad that if I have a third, I'll have to have another cs. My dr stayed 4 hours after his call was over just so I could have a successful delivery because the doc coming on would have taken me for a cs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473318 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 19:23:06 +0000 cyndistar3 2473318@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: Is your ob really for vbacs or just tolerant? Having a team that truly wants you to succeed is important in my opinion. My midwife does a lot of vbacs and her confidence really helped me. It's great that you have a doula, they're so helpful :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473184 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 17:23:33 +0000 erinbaderin 2473184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Happygal: I had an arcuate uterus, but I had it resected during two surgeries a few years before I got pregnant. The report from my first c section says that the dip isn't deep enough to explain the baby being breech, but now that #2 is the same I suspect that's the reason for it. I just googled and apparently the odds of a second consecutive breech baby are just under 10%. I've also been seeing a chiropractor for the past few weeks who said that my pelvis has been misaligned for a while, which apparently is a cause of breech. </p> <p>@gotkimchi: I've suspected he was breech since about 30 weeks, because the movements felt the same as with my first. With my first my midwives told me he was head down starting at 30 weeks and my husband kept poking him in what we thought was his bum saying "it's so hard and round! How is his his bum?" Turns out we'd been poking him in the head for weeks (we didn't find out he was breech until 39 weeks). But like other people have said don't worry about it now, I've heard that 80% of breech babies flip between 34 and 36 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473120 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:32:32 +0000 Mrs. Blue 2473120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Autumnmama79: I did quite a bit of research on this. Everything I read and from talking with my OB and a couple of OB nurse friends, no one really recommends any kind of induction with meds because it increases the risk of uterine rupture. My OB (and this seemed to be the general consensus) was fine with breaking your water as a method of "induction" as long as you were dilated some already, but they just won't give you something like cervadil or pitocin. Unfortunately, this meant that I didn't have that option since I literally wasn't dilated even a centimeter. He was fine with me going to 42 weeks if I chose to, but I decided at 41 weeks to go ahead and do the c-section. I had contractions start several times for several hours, but they would stop eventually and weren't making me progress. My personal theory is he wasn't low enough and in the right position to put pressure on my cervix. That said, at 36 weeks with my twins, I wasn't dilated at all either, so my body may just be one that needs a push. </p> <p>Anyway, point being, I think most doctors are okay with you going at least a little bit past your due date and most aren't cool with any kind of medication induction. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473103 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:28:03 +0000 Boogs 2473103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer! My c/s was in overall horrible experience. In comparison to my vbac it was night and day. I physically felt soooo much better from day one. Recovery wasn't pleasant either time, but the vbac recovery was so much better. I'm just glad it worked out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473092 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:22:34 +0000 Autumnmama79 2473092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Blue: I think about this often, thanks for sharing your experience. I wonder what will happen if we go way past the due date with no action... I've read that drs are hesitant to give meds when attempting vbac.</p> <p>@cyndistar3: Congrats on your successful attempt! Always happy to hear a positive experience. Any tips about the team aspect? We've hired a doula, plus theres DH and the OB and whichever nurses are on... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473061 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:11:48 +0000 cyndistar3 2473061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had to have a c-section with my second baby due to her being a super stubborn breech. I always knew I would try to have a vbac for the next baby, and last October I did! It was such an amazing experience, I had such an amazing and supportive "team" which is really important. Recovery was a dream compared to the c/s. So happy that I was able to do it! Good luck :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2473010 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 15:41:44 +0000 Mrs. Blue 2473010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried for a VBAC with my last pregnancy. My first was a c-section with the twins. With Graham, I waited until 41 weeks and never went into labor nor was I dilated at all, so I had a c-section with him. I'm still glad I tried, but I'm happy with how it all worked out in the end. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472964 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 15:08:47 +0000 Autumnmama79 2472964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@QueensBee: @DenverMom: Thank you for sharing your experiences! It really does feel empowering to hear firsthand accounts of successful vbacs. To hear that even though they were long or tough to recover from it still was a positive and even empowering experience! I don't want to put too much pressure on this baby/birth but ideally it would offer some healing from my first delivery too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472948 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 15:00:40 +0000 DenverMom 2472948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a VBAC last June. It was a very empowering and healing experience.</p> <p>Labor with my first started with my water breaking. Things then just kind of went downhill - I had cervical scarring from a procedure years ago so it took forever for me to dilate; the baby went into the canal a bit crooked; my tailbone is a bit misshapen and the baby's head couldn't slide past; and by the time I had dilated both baby and I had an infection from my water having been broken too long. Ended in a CS after 35 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing. </p> <p>I always knew I wanted to try for a VBAC with my second, but I was completely open to having a RSC if necessary. My doctor was supportive. This time my water did not break until I was close to fully dilated. I stayed home much longer and went in when contractions were about every 3 minutes and lasting at least 1 minute. I think a big difference was also that I was just very relaxed about labor - I figured out what worked for me to handle the contractions and I was just generally at peace. I arrived at the hospital at 6 cm, started an epidural about 1-2 hours later, and baby arrived eight hours after I was admitted. Total labor was 22 hours, so not super fast but much faster than the first time around. My tailbone was bruised very badly during the VBAC, so recovery was difficult because I could barely sit. Still, aside from the bruised tailbone, the VBAC recovery was much easier and faster than after the c-section.</p> <p>Good luck! You can do this! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472915 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 14:45:16 +0000 pastemoo 2472915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Happygal: oh man! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472831 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:49:19 +0000 Happygal 2472831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pastemoo: @gotkimchi: my baby flipped around the entire pregnancy, but I was happy when she was head down at 36 weeks. The squirrely thing then flipped at 37 weeks! She decided to stay put. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472817 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:36:04 +0000 misolee 2472817@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle</p> <p>Its been about a week and half but the initial recovery has been harder. With my csec, I was off the drugs day after my surgery, off of Motrin, by the time we got home, and besides the occasional hurting when I sneezed, I felt fine. I couldn't drive or go up and down stairs easily for a couple of weeks but it wasn't a big deal. Also, I think my heavy bleeding stopped by the time i got home from the hospital. </p> <p>With the vbac, it still hurts down there when i walk or sit. It hurts even more when I use the bathroom. Someone got me this spray, and I'm still using that and the water spritzer thing every time I go to the potty. Bleeding is still heavy, esp when I'm up and walking around. My entire body is sore too (like my arms, neck, and thighs) from the effects of pushing. I started taking prescription Motrin in the hospital and still continue to do so for the pain. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472816 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:35:21 +0000 pastemoo 2472816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@justjules: the nurse at my birth class had 5 c sections. :)<br /> @gotkimchi: most babies are breech or transverse at 24 weeks! they don't worry about planning for breech babies till 30 to 36 weeks, and even then, some breech babies turn during labor, or right before. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472807 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:29:34 +0000 pastemoo 2472807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@misolee: hahah, i burst blood vessels from morning sickness, it's lovely the way people stare! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472800 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:24:08 +0000 gotkimchi 2472800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: just an aside, could you tell your second lo was breech? I'm 24 weeks with my second and I'm pretty sure this one is breech as well </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472798 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:23:59 +0000 Happygal 2472798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: that is crazy! When my OB said something about the possibility of a second baby being breech, I was surprised b/c I thought it was uncommon to begin with. Do they have ideas why #2 is currently breech as well? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/vbac-mamas#post-2472795 Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:21:31 +0000 erinbaderin 2472795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was hoping for one, and apparently would have been a good candidate (first c section was because baby was breech) but I'm almost 37 weeks and this baby is also breech, so it looks like I'm headed for a second c section. </p>