VBAC

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.

Wendy
Nolan 7-11-03 and Baby Nov.

"Wendy" wrote in message
...
Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a
higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience
I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.

Wendy
Nolan 7-11-03 and Baby Nov.


I think these stats are roughly correct, but what you have to take into
account is the heebee jeebee factor. I had an unplaned C for my first
and started out my second pregnancy wanting to have a VBAC. I educated
myself, subscibed to the ICAN list, etc, and knew that the risks were
minimal. However, once we got down to the nitty gritty at about 7/8
months, I really started to get this creepy 'what if' feeling. It was
completely illogical, and I knew it, but there it was. I was afraid of
another birth like the first one - 17 hours of pitocin hell followed by
a C.

I also had a confounding awareness of 'risk' as a nephew was born and
then quickly died during my pregnancy. That really made me reassess how
I felt about statistical chances. And a final confounding factor for me
was that my father was dying and it seemed to me that having a scheduled
C two weeks before my due date gave me a little larger window in which
my new daughter might get to meet my Dad before he died (she did). So,
I basically backed out of the VBAC for no medically logical reasons
whatsoever and went for the scheduled C.

I think many women have a similar experience - It's not necessarily that
they are uneducated about the differing risks, but rather that they make
their birthing decisions based on factors other than strict medical
logic.

FWIW, my first section was really hellish, but my second was a real
walk in the park - I was walking around wanting to go home the next day.
So even with sections, every birth is different.

eggs.

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 23:48:00 -0500, (Wendy)
wrote:

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.

Wendy
Nolan 7-11-03 and Baby Nov.

hi Wendy, if you google this group you'll find loads of discussion
over time about VBAC.

You can join ICAN-online for specific discussion.

The reason the % of women having c-secs is so high is legal, not
medical. The fact that it's become common doesn't mean it's low risk
or fun.

I'm sure others will post studies etc...


Hope
--
Riley 1993 c/s
Tara 2002 HBAC

Wendy wrote:

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.


You know, I think most women have a pretty good c-section
experience (mine wasn't bad). Often they don't have a great
labor, or they labor for a long time and are tired and
they don't have good memories of labor. Thus, when offered
a section for baby 2, they see the convenience of setting a
date and knowing when baby will come, and the plus of not
having to deal with labor thinking that they are doomed to
a second section anyway. And I think not a small part is
the devil you know - once you have a section, you know how
that works and it takes alot of guess work out of birth.

I think most OBs are quick to offer an ERCS and do not
adequately tell the woman about the risks of a c-section.

Additionally, in the US, the ACOG has made recommendations
that have pushed many OBs and hospitals to choose not ot
do VBACs (reccommendations that are not backed up by the
medical literature). Thus, it is so much easier to find
a provider who will do a c-section than one who will do
a VBAC.

In today's climate, a woman has to educate herself (and
many don't, many just go with their OBs rec) and has
to be pretty motivated to VBAC. And some women certainly
decide that the slight increase in rupture rate is enough
to choose not to do a VBAC.

I must say, now that I'm 38 weeks and my mom can no longer
come out to watch DD when I go into labor, that an ERCS
would have simplified childcare arrangements. It hasn't
changed my mind, I'm attempting a VBAC, but it would have
been easier in terms of scheduling!

Mary

Wendy wrote:

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true?

Yep. Actually, if you avoid induction and augmentation
(which you should in a VBAC), your risk of rupture is no worse
than that of a primipara attempting a vaginal birth.

I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them?

Because there's a lot of scare mongering and many doctors
and hospitals have become very restrictive about doing them.
Some women can't even find doctors who will do them, and in
many areas midwives are forbidden to handle them.

I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.

I think some women prefer the devil they know and
have been scared off by the scare mongers.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Mary W. wrote:


Wendy wrote:

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.


You know, I think most women have a pretty good c-section
experience (mine wasn't bad). Often they don't have a great
labor, or they labor for a long time and are tired and
they don't have good memories of labor. Thus, when offered
a section for baby 2, they see the convenience of setting a
date and knowing when baby will come, and the plus of not
having to deal with labor thinking that they are doomed to
a second section anyway. And I think not a small part is
the devil you know - once you have a section, you know how
that works and it takes alot of guess work out of birth.


I suspect this is true. Of the people I've known IRL who have had C
sections, not one has had anything bad to say about it. When I was
pregnant with my first, a couple of them urged me to see if the doctor
would approve an elective C-section, because it was so much easier (yes,
both of them had experienced a vaginal birth). The 3 people I can
think of offhand who had repeat c-sections chose them - they had all
experienced labor the first time around, and said, "No thanks - I'll
skip that part."

Clisby

"Wendy" wrote in message
...
Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true? I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.

I think it's more the doctor than anything else who encourages it-that, and
a lot of women who had a bad labor experience before the C would rather skip
the labor. In my case, I'd be more than willing to try it, but my first one
was vertical, so it is absolutely NOT recommended by anything I've read.


Wendy
Nolan 7-11-03 and Baby Nov.

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 23:48:00 -0500, (Wendy)
snuck out of the ether to utter:

Since I am very seriously considering a VBAC I have been reading up on
it and going to different websites for info. The stuff I have been
reading seems almost too optimistic. I read VBACs have a 85% success
rate and risk of rupture is less than 1%. Is this really true?

Yes, as long as your uterine incision is low transverse, and *not* a
classic. If it's classic, then vbac is not recommended. {the
external scar may be low transverse, and you could still have a
classic uterine.... check with your doctor}

I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them? I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.
Any info, stories, or opinions on VBAC would be much appreciated.

I had a repeat c-section after attempting a vbac. I've decided my
body just isn't cooperative when it comes to having babies!
The key is to educate yourself, do research, and have a supportive OB.

Nan
--
"when the sun goes down we'll be groovin'
when the sun goes down we'll be feelin' alright,
when the sun sinks down over the water
everything gets hotter when the sun goes down"
~Kenny Chesney

Piggybacking.


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...

I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a higher
percentage of women having them?

Because there's a lot of scare mongering and many doctors
and hospitals have become very restrictive about doing them.
Some women can't even find doctors who will do them, and in
many areas midwives are forbidden to handle them.

I can't speak to the scaremongering that Ericka mentions, other than to say
that that hasn't been my experience. My OBs used to encourage VBAC, but
over the last year their insurance carrier has refused to cover them for
this procedure, so they cannot offer them. My OB feels very strongly that
VBAC can be, in many situations, safer for the mother than a C-section, but
no longer has the option to offer this.



I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the plague.

I think some women prefer the devil they know and
have been scared off by the scare mongers.

Ummm... or perhaps some of us had good c-section experiences. That is a
possibility, of course.

Donna

"Donna" wrote in message
...
Piggybacking.


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...

I asked
my doc at my last visit how many women have repeat c-sections and
he
said around 80%. If VBACs are so successful and safe why aren't a
higher
percentage of women having them?

Because there's a lot of scare mongering and many doctors
and hospitals have become very restrictive about doing them.
Some women can't even find doctors who will do them, and in
many areas midwives are forbidden to handle them.

I can't speak to the scaremongering that Ericka mentions, other than
to say
that that hasn't been my experience. My OBs used to encourage VBAC,
but
over the last year their insurance carrier has refused to cover them
for
this procedure, so they cannot offer them.

This is, in my opinion, the result of scare mongering too. However
instead of scaring the patient, it is the insurance company that is
running scared. They are scared of that one really big accident that
will set their company back millions of dollars so they refuse to cover
OBs that perform this service. Stupid reason to perform surgery on a
perfectly healthy expectant mother.

My OB feels very strongly that
VBAC can be, in many situations, safer for the mother than a
C-section, but
no longer has the option to offer this.



I guess with my c-section experience I
cannot imagine why anyone wouldn't want to avoid one like the
plague.

I think some women prefer the devil they know and
have been scared off by the scare mongers.

Ummm... or perhaps some of us had good c-section experiences. That is
a
possibility, of course.

Donna