Lol at the no “mama” rule in your birth plan 😂 Hard hard relate to this Rosemary. I don’t know if this is useful but I did go on to have a VBAC on my second and I’m also disappointed with that birth. It was difficult and had a lot of interventions. I think I had similar aspirations to you with the unmedicated thing and then placed a lot of pressure on myself. I also blame social media for holding it up as the holy grail as you said as well. At the moment if I had a third I think I’d opt for a planned section! I think I’d just remove the option of disappointment. It’s a shame to feel like that about my births and I’m sure I could explore it more but with a baby and a toddler I just don’t have time for that. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy, it’s so so tough with a toddler. Hope the right answer comes to you in time, or maybe baby will decide. X
Rosemary I’m overthinking my comment, I don’t mean to put you off a VBAC! I suppose I just mean, if you go for it, be kind to yourself if you can, whatever the outcome ❤️
I almost had an emergency section with my daughter but, at the last minute, had a forceps delivery in theatre, where I had already been taken for the c section. I had been dead set against a section and was relieved I didn’t need one in the end. Very naive of me. I now realise there are worse things that can happen. My pelvic floor was damaged in the process of giving birth and I now have a prolapse. I used to enjoy running before I got pregnant and have now been told I can never run again. It’s been very hard to come to terms with. Never in a million years did I expect a life long injury just from giving birth, I felt so resentful of all the women who have given birth and emerged unscathed. I now have a pessary ring inserted to support my pelvic floor and will 100% be having a c section next time! There’s no way I would risk further damage. Once I’m done having kids, I will need surgery to fix it properly.
I totally understand your disappointment at having to have a c section. I would have felt the same at the time. Now I have completely changed my perspective on them.
PS the recovery from a forceps birth was not great either. I couldnt get out of bed the next morning without some strong painkillers and was shuffling along like a penguin for weeks. It hurt to sneeze, laugh, get out of bed, etc.
Hi Rosemary, I know you have made it clear you don't want unsolicited medical advice on Instagram so I am a bit conflicted as to whether to say this but you have written a few times about it and it is understandably worrying you. While vbac is "on the menu" for most women I think the odds of "success" quoted to the woman are not always very personalised to that woman and medically a "successful vbac" is not being definition the same thing as a "natural birth", it includes forceps/vacuum delivery and doesn't take into account how your perineum might be afterwards- it just means the baby came out your vagina somehow. The size of baby's head and mum's pelvis and the presentation of baby at time of labour also needs to be taken into consideration. Often a "failed induction" refers to a situation where baby was not adequately engaged in the pelvis to begin with or that particular head coming in particular presentation was never going to fit through that particular pelvis. If your son had a large head at birth(you can look back at the centiles in his record) you can expect any other child you have with the same partner will have a similar size head. While it is definitely not impossible one can expect that the odds of having a "natural intervention free" birth probably reduce the bigger the baby's head is. Of course there will be exceptions to this and while I might take my chances with this first time around if I was weighing up a second time around situation I think I would be less likely to "chance this". These are just things you can discuss with your obstetrician to personalise the "odds" of having the kind of vaginal birth you might like to help you reach a decision. There are so many variables in every pregnancy and labour there is probably no "right decision" anyone can make with regard to planning. Most women who have a planned section after an emergency section echo the comments of the above poster in saying it was a much nicer experience. Bear in mind also that sometimes they way we feel about the birth experience will be determined by the mental duress and physical exhaustion of going through an induction that didn't work moreso than the mode of delivery. I wish you the best of luck in your decision and your birth experience 🙏
I’ve had 3 sections (within 3 years and 3 weeks) and honestly a planned c section is very calm and organised, nothing like an emergency one. I like you had a failed induction on my 1st, never even had a twinge and after 12 hours, my consultant suggested one. I was terrified but I went so well there was no convincing me to have a vbac on my 2nd. I’d say go for it and you can pretty much plan everything in advance (unless you’re thrown a curve ball) you can have help on stand by for when you come home. My consultant stitched me up so good I felt I had a tummy tuck back then 😂
Lol at the no “mama” rule in your birth plan 😂 Hard hard relate to this Rosemary. I don’t know if this is useful but I did go on to have a VBAC on my second and I’m also disappointed with that birth. It was difficult and had a lot of interventions. I think I had similar aspirations to you with the unmedicated thing and then placed a lot of pressure on myself. I also blame social media for holding it up as the holy grail as you said as well. At the moment if I had a third I think I’d opt for a planned section! I think I’d just remove the option of disappointment. It’s a shame to feel like that about my births and I’m sure I could explore it more but with a baby and a toddler I just don’t have time for that. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy, it’s so so tough with a toddler. Hope the right answer comes to you in time, or maybe baby will decide. X
Rosemary I’m overthinking my comment, I don’t mean to put you off a VBAC! I suppose I just mean, if you go for it, be kind to yourself if you can, whatever the outcome ❤️
I almost had an emergency section with my daughter but, at the last minute, had a forceps delivery in theatre, where I had already been taken for the c section. I had been dead set against a section and was relieved I didn’t need one in the end. Very naive of me. I now realise there are worse things that can happen. My pelvic floor was damaged in the process of giving birth and I now have a prolapse. I used to enjoy running before I got pregnant and have now been told I can never run again. It’s been very hard to come to terms with. Never in a million years did I expect a life long injury just from giving birth, I felt so resentful of all the women who have given birth and emerged unscathed. I now have a pessary ring inserted to support my pelvic floor and will 100% be having a c section next time! There’s no way I would risk further damage. Once I’m done having kids, I will need surgery to fix it properly.
I totally understand your disappointment at having to have a c section. I would have felt the same at the time. Now I have completely changed my perspective on them.
PS the recovery from a forceps birth was not great either. I couldnt get out of bed the next morning without some strong painkillers and was shuffling along like a penguin for weeks. It hurt to sneeze, laugh, get out of bed, etc.
Hi Rosemary, I know you have made it clear you don't want unsolicited medical advice on Instagram so I am a bit conflicted as to whether to say this but you have written a few times about it and it is understandably worrying you. While vbac is "on the menu" for most women I think the odds of "success" quoted to the woman are not always very personalised to that woman and medically a "successful vbac" is not being definition the same thing as a "natural birth", it includes forceps/vacuum delivery and doesn't take into account how your perineum might be afterwards- it just means the baby came out your vagina somehow. The size of baby's head and mum's pelvis and the presentation of baby at time of labour also needs to be taken into consideration. Often a "failed induction" refers to a situation where baby was not adequately engaged in the pelvis to begin with or that particular head coming in particular presentation was never going to fit through that particular pelvis. If your son had a large head at birth(you can look back at the centiles in his record) you can expect any other child you have with the same partner will have a similar size head. While it is definitely not impossible one can expect that the odds of having a "natural intervention free" birth probably reduce the bigger the baby's head is. Of course there will be exceptions to this and while I might take my chances with this first time around if I was weighing up a second time around situation I think I would be less likely to "chance this". These are just things you can discuss with your obstetrician to personalise the "odds" of having the kind of vaginal birth you might like to help you reach a decision. There are so many variables in every pregnancy and labour there is probably no "right decision" anyone can make with regard to planning. Most women who have a planned section after an emergency section echo the comments of the above poster in saying it was a much nicer experience. Bear in mind also that sometimes they way we feel about the birth experience will be determined by the mental duress and physical exhaustion of going through an induction that didn't work moreso than the mode of delivery. I wish you the best of luck in your decision and your birth experience 🙏
I’ve had 3 sections (within 3 years and 3 weeks) and honestly a planned c section is very calm and organised, nothing like an emergency one. I like you had a failed induction on my 1st, never even had a twinge and after 12 hours, my consultant suggested one. I was terrified but I went so well there was no convincing me to have a vbac on my 2nd. I’d say go for it and you can pretty much plan everything in advance (unless you’re thrown a curve ball) you can have help on stand by for when you come home. My consultant stitched me up so good I felt I had a tummy tuck back then 😂