Has anyone labored to 10 cm only to have a c section and then had a VBAC?
I labored to 10 naturally, pushed w/o epidural for an hour and with epidural for half hour only to have my son's heart rate drop and ended up with a c section.
I just had my first doctor's appointment (8 weeks, so I have a lot of time to go) but I am very interested in having a VBAC. My midwives have been optimistic about a possible VBAC but today they gave me statistics that said only 15% of VBACs after making it to 10 cm are successful.
This is pretty discouraging and I was hoping to get some other people's experiences to help me feel more comfortable!
Thanks!
You might also enjoy...
-
Not sure but I made it to 8 before LO got stuck and her heart rate went wonky and I got a fever that led to my c-section. My midwife said that she was very confident I could have a vbac next time.
-
@Mae: The paper my midwife gave me today said that most VBACs have a 70-80% success rate but if you dilate to 10 the rate is only 15%. I definitely teared up reading it.
-
It really matters why you made it to 10 but didn't deliver. Some babies get stuck, so making it to 10 is not a good sign that you 'll be successful. But if it was due to baby's heart rate, and otherwise seemed like baby could fit, you're more likely to succeed.
-
@sapphire: My son was stuck which made his heart rate drop. He was only 7 lbs 3 oz but he was 42 weeks.
-
I dilated to 10 no problem but my son was stuck and I ended up with a c-section. I'm now 18 weeks with my second and my doctor has said he will not allow me to try a VBAC because if one baby got stuck, the chances the next will also get stuck are very high. I was very disappointed but am slowly coming to terms with it. In the end, I'd rather do a scheduled repeat c-section than end up with an emergency c-section again.
Is the paper your midwife gave you something that's available online? I'd be really interested in reading it.
-
@SeptMomma12: That's how I feel too. I'm not sure I'm crazy about trying for a VBAC only to labor for 16 hours and end up with a repeat C. I know I have time to figure it out. My midwives are generally very supportive of VBACs & natural labor.
The paper they gave me is a compilation of facts that the practice puts together, I'd be happy to scan it & send it to you!
-
The reasons behind the c-section have huge bearing on your chances this time.
Did he get stuck because of poor positioning? Was your water broken artificially (meaning, not on it's own)? That frequently contributes to malpositioning.
Did you have pitocin once you got the epidural? Did they try rolling you and seeing if position changes affected his heart rate? Did his heart rate go down only after the epidural was in or were there already issues? What position were you pushing in?
If there was a specific issue that can be prevented this time, than I would expect a very high rate of success! Good luck mama.
-
@Arden: In my case he was stuck because of poor positioning (came down on an angle). Otherwise water broke on its own, no epidural. Our doula had me try at least a dozen different positions but he wasn't budging. Would there be any way to prevent that if I did convince the doctor to let me try a VBAC?
-
With my first I made it to 10, pushed for 2 1/2 hours, but she got stuck (face up) and I got a fever so we ended up with a C-section. This pregnancy my doctor offered me a VBAC only to retract (or highly not recommend) when she examined me and remembered how narrow my hips were, she said I would most likely end up in a C-section again due to the size of babies + narrowness, and I wasn't pushing for a VBAC so I was okay with this. I have it scheduled and I feel good in my decision.
-
With my son, I was a ten and pushed for three hours before my doctor and I made the joint decision to do a c-section. They discussed trying to use the vacuum to get him, but he hadn't come down far enough to use it. When they did my c-section, they found he was posterior. Also something to note is that they broke my water for me, and once they realized he was probably malpositioned after pushing for so long they had me try different positions, but it's likely he didn't have much room to turn because my water had been broken.
When I got pregnant with my daughter, I switched to an OB practice (I had been with a family doc who couldn't actually do a c-section or VBAC, an OB she partnered with did my c-section for her). My new OB was pretty skeptical that I could have a VBAC. My son was really large (over 9 lb. and born at 42 weeks). I am tall but very thin so my new OB just didn't think I could push out a baby. Long story short, I had my VBAC in May. My daughter was born just before her due date and was 8 lbs. even. I worked on not slouching when pregnant and not laying on my back during labor to try to keep her in a good position.
Either way, good luck with your decision. I knew I wanted a VBAC and did as much as I could to help prepare my body (chiropractic, staying in shape as much as I could, good posture) but at the end of the day, I couldn't control everything. And it's a very personal decision that can only be made by you. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!
-
Yes, twice. I got to 10 and pushing with my first and ended up with a section for heart rate decels ... but have had two successful VBACs since. You CAN do it!
-
@SeptMomma12: Regarding the prevention of baby being in a bad position if you tried for a VBAC - in my research, I found there are two things that are recommended. First, check out the Spinning Babies website. It explains belly mapping while pregnant to understand the position the baby is in, posture, and techniques to try to get baby in a good spot. And also look into the Webster chiropractic technique. It focuses on getting the mother's hips/pelvis/sacrum in line and loosening the round ligament. Back in the day there was a large VBAC Facts Facebook group that I was active in, and many women who had successful VBACs swore by chiropractic care. I saw a chiropractor throughout pregnancy and I can't recommend it enough. It helped with my physical well being but I also enjoyed the positive spirit of my chiropractor - they tend to be very natural minded. I also went back for an adjustment when my daughter was five days old and it really helped with my postpartum soreness!
-
not me but a very close friend had VERY similar circumstances. She dilated to 10cm and started pushing (no epidural) and the baby's heartrate dropped, they called a code, and had an emergency c-section.
Her second daughter so opted to try a VBAC -- and had an incredibly short and non dramatic labor. She naturally got to 10cm again and had an uncomplicated vaginal birth.
Every story is different but there are happy endings! Her second labor was only like 4 hours too --- lucky lady!
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
13 comments