Cesarean and VBACS

Many of you follow our daily lives on Youtube and have heard me talk about my issues with my second pregnancy. As you may or may not now my first was a cesarean and I must admit I was uneducated in the whole pregnancy, from what to expect, possible complications, and how I wanted to deliver. I just figured I would push out a watermelon from my pea-size delicates and be in extreme pain. I didn’t think of getting a c-section until the doctors and nurses told me my blood pressure was rising and my baby’s heart rate was dropping (something they always say). They gave me two alternatives, get an elective cesarean or wait it out which could then lead to an emergency c-section which could then end up horribly for both of us. Well to the OR we go!

Alright, so a quick lesson on what a cesarean and VBAC is. Cesarean is a surgery, you will be taken to the operation room (OR) where only one other person can be with you and you’ll also be surrounded by tons of doctors and nurses in a freezing room. They drug you up, cut below your bikini line and they pull the baby out. Recovery time is awful, although I was drugged up I didn’t feel anything, until the drugs started to wear off and showering became something extremely difficult to do. When you get a c-section many doctors will say that you need to continue the cesarean cycle when in fact that is a LIE. Now, a VBAC stands for a vaginal birth after cesarean, delivering vaginally after being cute open. This can be dangerous and doctors will say there will be more complications if you try this way because of a possible uterine rupture meaning that the cut can rip open on its own while you’re having contractions and blood will fill up your stomach endangering yourself and baby. I cried that whole week when I read about this because I was clueless to what a VBAC was and what the possible dangers could be, but lets face it being pregnant PERIOD is always dangerous. Many complications can come to light whether you deliver vaginally or not. Many women have done a VBAC and have had positive experience, many have had vaginal from the beginning and had negative experience. No way on earth can someone tell you what the outcome will be, just possibilities and that’s life– filled with possibilities. So please be at ease!

If it’s anything that I learned from that experience is that the hospital staff will scare the crap out of you to get a c-section because I’m sure you’ve heard all the conspiracy theories about how hospitals will encourage patients to go for c-sections due to getting paid more, lowered possibilities of getting sued and it’s faster. I never thought of how this operation could affect future pregnancies because my doctor, not anyone informed me. Now a month less than my due date and I’m switching doctors for the second time. Not once during my 30 weeks at Garden OBGYN did they tell me I had to talk to a delivery doctor, not once did they request my medical records from my doctor who delivered my first child, nor during that whole 30 weeks did they say I was scheduled for c-section already and there was no way that they would do a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). Up until that point I was a fan of the OBGYN practice, but all that came crumbling down when I wasn’t informed that their practice didn’t do VBACS, doctors or staff wouldn’t call me back, wouldn’t fax necessary papers needed and so on. The reason that practice doesn’t do VBACS is because most of their doctors do not do them aka they aren’t experienced doctors. A vaginal birth after cesarean can carry high risks like uterine rupture (the scar can come apart) is all I kept hearing and even if I just go to the hospital they wouldn’t take me. Talk about scaring you to the point that you can’t help but think of death instead of being happy.

After having stated I wanted a VBAC their response was to look for another facility that will take me and they added a little cherry on top, not many places will take someone so far along. Got the boot from them and now have an appointment to see a doctor who will take me at now 33 weeks pregnant and can do VBACS. My records were requested from the new facility and already I feel at ease. When you see a doctor you want someone who knows your history, takes it into consideration and will be on your side. I’ve felt extremely alone in this process and pressured by Garden OBGYN. It’s been an emotional couple weeks for my partner and I.

Being pregnant period there will always be potential of risks with a cesarean the chances do become higher and that was something I was unaware of, but here are a few facts that I learned from VBACFacts.com that I wanted to share.
– Just because you have a “big baby” doesn’t mean it has to be a c-section because sometimes doctors are wrong about the size
– After a successful VBAC, the future risk of uterine rupture, uterine dehiscence, and other labor related complications significantly decrease
– 93% of women were never informed of the risks of accreta when they were pregnant after their first, second, or third cesarean. Accerta is when the placenta abnormally attaches to the uterine wall. It doesn’t detach normally after the baby is born.
– The rate of accreta after two cesareans is greater than the risk of uterine rupture after one cesarean
– Women are frequently coerced into a repeat cesarean due to the risk of uterine rupture even though VBAC is described as safe and reasonable by ACOG
– Parents need to be informed on what that repeat cesarean means for them in the long run. What may seem like a routine repeat cesarean could result in an accreta in the next pregnancy.

What’s great about this website is that for three days they will email you more facts about everything from VBACS to repeat cesareans without holding back on anything. And guess what? Garden OBGYN never told me the risks of another cesarean, go figure!

This post is important for me to share because I don’t want other mommy-to-be’s to be forced into something they don’t want to do and it’s important to find a provider who can do VBACS because they will inform you on all aspects of your pregnancy and will be on your side. Be informed on all possibilities and do your own research. There is risk with trying for a VBAC, and there is risk from deciding on a repeat cesarean, there is no 100% guarantee of anything and that’s the scary part, but that’s life, right?

Good luck mommy’s! Do you have any stories to share from your experience?