1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
NIcola, Maine. 3 children. 1st c section. 2nd and 3rd Homebirth VBAC
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
Never imagined a c section!! Did not even consider it until 10 hours into Labor in Hospital when OB said I had to do it as baby was 'in distress' and 'could not come out" Assumed I would be OK as I did yoga and was in good shape.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
Total surprise during labor
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Yes. It could have been prevented had I had the right/skilled people around me. Needed to learn how to take control of my body. Lamaze class really hindered me.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
No obvious complications although I felt terrible for 2 days and everything was a blur making it difficult to tatke care of baby (due to anasthetic). Bleed longer than vbac. Huge numb scar. Olivia has some breathing issues I feel are related. More challenging to find a comfortable position to breastfeed.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
Get a midwife. Do hypnobirthing. Talk to someone who has had a vbac.
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Assuming your Dr and Rn have the skills and/or inclination to fully assist you in a quest to avoid c/s
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
After 1st c/s I did everything I could not to have another c/s: Homebirth, midwives who had done vbacs, hypnobirthing, yoga.
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Create your own birth story. Don't become another horror statistic. It does not have to be that way and birth can change your life.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
Mothering magazine. Midwife. Some friends who believed birth should be non medical.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.)
Decided on home but could have gone to 1 hospital although posed a 'risk' as soon as I walked in door-which seems to me to be bad energy for birth. People say a lot howbrave I am to do a homebirth and/or vbac. Also lots of people said I was crazy not to have drugs. I had ALL the drugs during my 1st birth and it did not help at all- quite the opposite=got in the way and gave me a false sense of security. Sure my 2nd and 3rd births were 'challenging'. That's OK. It is totally do-able.
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC?
Getting over the fear of another c/s.
13. What was pregnancy like for you? What advice do you have in general for pregnant women? Feel free to add stories or quotes here.
14. Anything else you’d like to add?
During my last vbac I totally immersed myself in hypnobirthing with my husband- I worked really hard at deep relaxation and breathing- I did not fight my body but rather let it do the work while I concentrated on relaxing- I hardly pushed at all but let her come out her own way. I believe this shortened my labor and had I done this the1st time I believe I could have avoided a c/s. I had no tearing, no stitches, no hemmoroids and my bleeding pretty nuch stopped within 4 days. This is no coincidence and not just down to luck or genetics.
By Guest (not verified) at Thu, 10/25/2007 - 1:01am |
survey
1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
NIcola, Maine. 3 children. 1st c section. 2nd and 3rd Homebirth VBAC
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
Never imagined a c section!! Did not even consider it until 10 hours into Labor in Hospital when OB said I had to do it as baby was 'in distress' and 'could not come out" Assumed I would be OK as I did yoga and was in good shape.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
Total surprise during labor
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Yes. It could have been prevented had I had the right/skilled people around me. Needed to learn how to take control of my body. Lamaze class really hindered me.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
No obvious complications although I felt terrible for 2 days and everything was a blur making it difficult to tatke care of baby (due to anasthetic). Bleed longer than vbac. Huge numb scar. Olivia has some breathing issues I feel are related. More challenging to find a comfortable position to breastfeed.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
Get a midwife. Do hypnobirthing. Talk to someone who has had a vbac.
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Assuming your Dr and Rn have the skills and/or inclination to fully assist you in a quest to avoid c/s
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
After 1st c/s I did everything I could not to have another c/s: Homebirth, midwives who had done vbacs, hypnobirthing, yoga.
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Create your own birth story. Don't become another horror statistic. It does not have to be that way and birth can change your life.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
Mothering magazine. Midwife. Some friends who believed birth should be non medical.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.)
Decided on home but could have gone to 1 hospital although posed a 'risk' as soon as I walked in door-which seems to me to be bad energy for birth. People say a lot howbrave I am to do a homebirth and/or vbac. Also lots of people said I was crazy not to have drugs. I had ALL the drugs during my 1st birth and it did not help at all- quite the opposite=got in the way and gave me a false sense of security. Sure my 2nd and 3rd births were 'challenging'. That's OK. It is totally do-able.
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC?
Getting over the fear of another c/s.
13. What was pregnancy like for you? What advice do you have in general for pregnant women? Feel free to add stories or quotes here.
14. Anything else you’d like to add?
During my last vbac I totally immersed myself in hypnobirthing with my husband- I worked really hard at deep relaxation and breathing- I did not fight my body but rather let it do the work while I concentrated on relaxing- I hardly pushed at all but let her come out her own way. I believe this shortened my labor and had I done this the1st time I believe I could have avoided a c/s. I had no tearing, no stitches, no hemmoroids and my bleeding pretty nuch stopped within 4 days. This is no coincidence and not just down to luck or genetics.