r/vbac

Previous births: I had my first child at 19 and didn’t do any research around birth, I just assumed he’d be born vaginally. I got to 41 weeks and they induced me for no medical reason other than being overdue. It led to the classic cascade of interventions and a section.

My second birth was going to be a HBAC, but I panicked at 34 weeks and scheduled an elective section. After attending triage for reduced movement at 38 weeks, they brought his section date forward to the next day because his heart rate was spiking during movements.

My third birth was the hardest. It was during Covid, and I was lied to and coerced at my most vulnerable time in order to get me to agree to a section at 41+5. The aftercare was horrendous, and I was very wary of birthing at this hospital again.

Birth story 🥰

NHS dates put my due date as 1st July, but I always thought I was actually due between the 25th and 28th June.

My entire pregnancy was a fight with medical professionals. It was suffocating and claustrophobic at times, attending appointments just so they could tick a box. As my mum said, they were very litigation-heavy and it was to the detriment of my mental health. I was told on several occasions that my baby would come to harm or die, my scar would rupture, I would haemorrhage and bleed out and my previous history of big babies (9lb13, 8lb11 and 9lb4) would mean a shoulder dystocia which would be catastrophic. I left 99% of my appointments in tears or feeling angry. Even though the consultant midwife and the head of midwifery were involved, I still felt like I was having to justify my well-researched choices at every turn.

I wanted a HBA3C and I had it signed off. A week before I went into labour, I had a day where I felt horrendous; extremely tired, temperature and the shakes. I think this was my body’s way of preparing for birth.

On the 25th June, I began to lose my plug. It wasn’t bloody, but it was definitely my plug, this happened right up until birth.

Our car needed new brake discs and pads before the MOT so I took it to the garage on the 27th. It was the last thing that needed to be done before I was happy to go into labour. While I was waiting for the work to be complete, I was very uncomfortable and had a lot of pressure in my bum. The next day, I didn’t want to go far from home. It was actually my husband’s day in the office, and I remember messaging him saying I feel like he shouldn’t have gone in 😂 When he got home that night, I baked a pineapple upside down cake with my son and just felt different.

I woke up on the 29th with nerve pain down my leg. I didn’t think anything of it because I have hypermobility so hip and leg pain is normal! However, my first contraction came at 7:30am. They weren’t regular at first, lasting around 45 seconds every 25 minutes. But as the day went on, they became closer together. My husband was working from home and at lunchtime, I told him I was going for a bath to see if that would help. I had two contractions in the bath and after I got out, they came every 5 minutes or so.

We called the hospital who told me there was no homebirth service (I don’t believe this was the case) and we needed to come in. I cried at this point because I thought this would be the end of my perfect birth. We called my mum, who lives an hour away, to say it was happening and ask her to come and look after our other children.

I couldn’t move from all fours and this is where I stayed until my husband and my mum managed to get me up and out into the car. The contractions were coming thick and fast and I think they were worried I’d deliver in the car! At hospital, they took me to triage to assess me and asked if I’d be okay with a VE. I agreed, despite saying I didn’t want any, but I wanted to see where I was and if this was real labour (I was still in denial 😂). I was 4cm, and they wheeled me round to labour ward. I was taken to the birth pool room and finally given gas, which was amazing. Our hospital was still fitting vents to the rooms to allow the use of gas and while the adjoining room has gas, the birth pool room didn’t.

While the pool was filling up, I was sat on a birth ball with the gas. I remember throwing up, but that’s all I do remember! I did get into the pool, my husband said it was for about an hour and a half, but it didn’t feel that long for me. I’d agreed to Doppler monitoring after every contraction but baby was that low, they couldn’t find her. They asked me to get out of the pool, which I didn’t mind because it meant I could have the gas again. They still couldn’t find the heartbeat so they brought in a doctor and a scanning machine to check baby’s position so they’d know where to listen. They wanted me on my back, but this caused so much pain, it took about an hour for me to finally roll over.

The next thing I remember is a consultant I didn’t want to see (she was the one who lied to me in my last pregnancy) standing at the bottom of my bed with a smug look on her face. I looked at her and turned away to my husband. He later said she didn’t acknowledge him at all and apparently asked me how long I wanted to push for. I replied with “as long as me and baby are okay, for as long as I need to.” She didn’t like this and left 😂

At some point, the contraction pains turned into pushing. The FER was real and I couldn’t control it. I instinctively went onto all fours and began pushing and mooing. I zoned out for a while before sitting back on my bum and pushing… I felt my waters pop and said “something’s come out!” They checked, and it was my waters, a lot of it! After my waters went, I had a bloody show with every push I made. I asked twice for more pain relief but it was never brought to me. I’m glad it wasn’t because I know now this was transition.

I laid on my back and zoned out. But I came to when I realised something had changed; the pushing was now stinging (the ring of fire) and the midwife lifted the sheet to check what was going on. She said “oh my goodness, there’s the head!” and sprang into action. The only coached pushing I had was when I was getting the head out. With some pressure to my perineum, the head was born. With the next contraction, I felt the body slide out at 22:14. It was the most bizarre feeling! Baby was brought to me, and we didn’t know the gender.

My husband said “it’s a girl!” and I was in complete shock. All I remember saying was “I did it, I did it!”

I did haemorrhage at this point and I lost around 1.2L. I agreed to the injection to help deliver the placenta, as well as the clotting medicine. A cannula was fitted at this point for syntocin and fluids but the placenta came out in one piece. It was found I had two 2nd degree tears, but only one needed to be repaired. I managed to avoid theatre, which would have been my worst nightmare. Once this was done, the midwives brought me a mountain of tea and toast and weighed baby, she was 9lb13.5oz!

We had to stay overnight but we were home by lunchtime the next day. The worst part of recovery for me was going for a wee, the pain was worse than the contractions but I think this was from the tear I didn’t have repaired. Day 3 was the worst, but it’s eased after that.

I also put a lot of focus into that birth and I didn’t really prepare for the aftermath. I had a huge comedown afterwards because I expected it would heal my previous trauma. It didn’t and that was a shock. It did help me massively though to know that my previous sections were caused by a failure within the medical system and not by my body.

My VBA3C baby is now 3 and I’m still immersed in VBAC through my work. I love it so much, the best part is seeing people achieve the birth they put so much planning and effort into.

Spiraling a bit and putting this out there as a general PSA, because women's health isn't talked about enough and informed consent is imperfect.

I'm prepping for a FET after two rounds of IVF yielded only two precious, normal embryos.

I've had two previous c sections. One after a long TOL, and the second scheduled.

Since my second c section, my uterine lining is very thin. Even on heavy stims, we never got it past 6.2 mm. Now prepping for a FET, we're struggling to get it past 4 mm.

The RE said this may be the best my body can do, because c-sections can damage the underlying blood architecture feeding the uterine lining.

I did not know this was a risk of my c-sections. It sounds like an uncommon side effect, but I wish I had been informed when scheduling my second c-section. I would have been more adamant about trying a VBAC, because we'd always planned on 3 kids.

My transfer will probably be cancelled and our chances of success are plummeting since we can't reach a normal uterine lining even with estrogen.

I just want to get off this infertility ride. I'm so tired.

I'm 4 weeks pregnant. I have an isthmocele with dimensions 8x9x12 with 1.9mm of residual myometrium. Is anyone here with a situation similar to mine? Anyone with a successful vbac or currently pregnant? What did your OB say?

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience, particularly a VBAC induction with a small/FGR baby.
I’m currently pregnant with my second baby and have a planned induction at 38+2. I had a previous emergency C-section after labouring to around 4 cm, so this will be my first attempt at a VBAC.

This baby has been measuring small from the beginning. At the most recent growth scan at 36 weeks, she was estimated at the 7th percentile. However, she has continued to grow steadily along her own curve, rather than dropping percentiles, and there have been no concerns with her Dopplers throughout the pregnancy. Her Dopplers have remained reassuring/normal, which is one of the things I’ve found difficult to reconcile with the recommendation to deliver at 38 weeks.

The current plan for the induction is:
At 37 weeks, I’ll have a membrane sweep to hopefully encourage things along naturally.
On the day of the induction at 38+2, they’ll assess my cervix and decide how favourable things are.
If things are favourable enough, they’ll use a Foley balloon to help dilate the cervix, as I’m not being offered prostaglandins because of my previous C-section.
If/when the balloon comes out and my cervix is suitable, they’ll break my waters.
Then the plan is essentially to give my body around 24 hours to establish labour and hopefully progress into a VBAC.
They are recommending no Pitocin/oxytocin augmentation because of the previous C-section.
If the induction doesn’t progress, if they can’t safely break my waters, or if things otherwise don’t go to plan, the recommendation is to proceed to a C-section.

I’m feeling quite positive about attempting the VBAC, but also a little nervous about the induction itself, particularly because I know induced labour after a previous C-section can be a bit of a different experience.
I’d really love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation — small/FGR baby, reassuring Dopplers, induction around 38 weeks, Foley balloon and/or VBAC after a previous C-section.
How did the induction go for you? Did the Foley balloon work? Did your body take over once your waters were broken? Were you able to have a successful VBAC, or did you ultimately need another C-section?
And if you had a small baby with reassuring Dopplers, did you feel that the baby tolerated labour well?
I’m particularly interested in positive stories, but I’d genuinely appreciate hearing about all experiences — I’m just trying to get a better idea of what the next few weeks might look like and go into it feeling as informed and prepared as possible. ❤️

Hello! I’m 38 weeks pregnant & getting induced due to FGR. I went in today to get the foley ballon placed and sent home & tomorrow will be going in for the induction process. How long did it take for your foley ballon to come out? I’m close to 12 hours now & it’s still placed. I’m having contractions every now and then but nothing I can’t handle but just curious to know when I should expect it to come out because I’m seeing people say it took 12 hours or less.

Hi! I’m currently trying to decide between a VBA2C or repeat c-section. My first c-section was unplanned due to a failed induction/failure to descend/OP baby. Second was scheduled (although I wanted a TOLAC) and baby was in the same position as the first.

I have a new provider who is very supportive of a VBA2C, but I don’t know what to do. I’m leaning towards a repeat c-section unless I go into labor before 41 weeks.

I know 6 people who have had both vaginal and cesarean deliveries - two of them preferred vaginal, two of them preferred c-sections, and one said they both sucked. 🤣

My recoveries were easy, and I have to say I’m more worried about recovering from a potential tear. I’m also worried about what could go wrong during a VBAC. I’m curious to read any VBAC stories - good or bad! Please share if you’d like to. ☺️

I had my first baby in July 2025 via planned c section. It was very smooth recovery. I’m now 6-7 weeks pregnancy with my second. I am thinking of trying for a VBAC this time. My husband and everyone seems to be telling me to go for a second c section since the first one went so well but I want 3-4 kids and the idea of being able to stand / walk straight after birth is very appealing.

I am also terrified of uterine rupture. Does anyone have any advice? What can I do to reduce my chances of uterine rupture and increase my chances of a successful VBAC? If I end up in another c section, I’m ok with that, I just want to avoid any birth injury.

has anyone’s doctor told them this?

basically the thought is that because I am trying for a VBAC, if I need an emergency C-section and I haven’t had an epidural, they will have to put me under general anesthesia, and I would not be awake when my baby is born. ☹️

34 weeks and just realized I really want to pursue a VBAC/TOLAC — what should I be asking/doing this late in the game?

I’m 34 weeks pregnant with my second and only recently realized that I actually have more of a choice about attempting a VBAC than I thought. I’d love advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially if you decided on TOLAC relatively late in pregnancy.

My first birth was an induction at 37 weeks because of chronic hypertension. I did not have preeclampsia. I progressed all the way to 9 cm, but baby was OP/sunny-side up and didn’t tolerate Pitocin particularly well. Ultimately I chose to have a C-section. It was unplanned, but not emergent — I was told I could continue labor if I wanted to, but at that point I was exhausted/scared and chose the C-section.

Looking back, I feel like I made that decision sooner than I might have if I’d had a doula or someone there helping me understand my options and advocate for what I wanted.

This pregnancy I still have chronic hypertension, but it is treated and very well controlled. At 34 weeks everything has looked good, no preeclampsia, and baby is doing well. Because of the hypertension, my OB recommends delivery somewhere between 37–39 weeks and has been leaning toward a repeat C-section.

I’ve realized that I really want to pursue a TOLAC if I remain medically eligible. I’m absolutely not opposed to another C-section if something develops that makes it the safest option. I just don’t want another C-section to be the default simply because I had one before.

I’m planning to have a much more direct conversation with my OB at my next appointment about whether she considers me a good TOLAC candidate and, importantly, whether she would be willing to induce me for a TOLAC if I reach the recommended delivery window without going into labor spontaneously.

Since I’m already 34 weeks, I’m also scrambling a little. I’m reaching out to doulas, but I know there’s a decent chance everyone will already be booked.

For those who have had a VBAC/TOLAC:
-What questions would you be asking your OB at this point?
-How can I tell the difference between an OB who is genuinely supportive of TOLAC versus one who technically “allows” it but is likely to push for a C-section?
-If you had to be induced for a TOLAC, what did that look like?
-Are there specific things I should ask about regarding induction methods, monitoring, Pitocin, time limits for labor, etc.?
-What circumstances did you and your OB agree ahead of time would mean it was time to stop TOLAC and move to a C-section?
-If I can’t find a doula this late, how would you prepare your partner/support person to advocate for you during labor?

Anything you wish you had done in the last few weeks to prepare physically or mentally for a VBAC?

And if you ultimately attempted TOLAC but ended up with another C-section, is there anything that made the experience feel more informed/positive than your first one?

I’m not looking to ignore medical advice or pursue a VBAC at all costs. I mostly want to walk into this birth feeling like I understand my choices and that, unless something changes medically, I was given a real opportunity to try.

Would really appreciate experiences, questions I haven’t thought of, or advice on what you’d do at 34 weeks.

Hello!! Hoping to hear from people (we are few but mighty) who had a face presentation lead to a c-section and then went on to have a VBAC (or a CBAC!). I had previously been told that I had a 60% chance of a successful VBAC according to the VBAC calculator (an imperfect tool I know) but today my OB told me that, bc my son had face presentation that sent me to a c-section the first time around, I have a 70% chance of needing a repeat CS this time.

Obviously these numbers are quite different, so I am confused and stressed (not to mention trying to be okay with a CS anyway--I know there's a chance for everyone, and it isn't even like my first was that bad or traumatizing or anything, it was just a somewhat difficult recovery that I'd like to avoid).

My OB said all this info should be in a ~TOLAC~ consent form I need to sign, but I don't see that in MyChart, so I am not sure where this 70% number came from.

Anyway, I welcome any and all thoughts and perspectives here. Personal stories, research, opinions, whatever.

I am at such a crossroads with having a vbac. My last pregnancy was an emergency c section due to a concealed placental abruption at almost 33 weeks. That has no impact on this pregnancy. One OB is recommending a c section due to baby’s size. I’m 37 and 4 and baby is around 8 lbs 3 oz right now. He has been measuring big the whole pregnancy (I, myself was born a week early (induction), and weighed 8 lbs and 5 oz). All that to say everything else is fine, just big baby, hence this OB recommending c section as baby will be estimated to be about 4500 grams (9 lbs 14 oz) at birth. I really wanted to try a vbac due to recovery reasons! But I want a “safe” delivery… the OB mentioned dystocia and the risk seems low, but again, things happen… it’s like my mind is telling me to go the safe route, but my heart really wants to try for the vbac. They want to schedule the c section at 39 weeks. Obviously I could go into spontaneous labor prior to and have a vbac or c section- if i’m not crowning… any advice or stories on your experience.

Also, all of him is measuring BIG, but his abdomen is 99th percentile, don’t know if that also plays a part…

Is it normal for my belly to be this big at 16 weeks? (second pregnancy) what is going on?!😣

How do I add a picture of my belly??

I’m being induced in 3 hours and could not sleep whatsoever!! The reality of everything is hitting me, second guessing my decision on the VBAC.

I’m 3cm dilated, but I’m not in labor at all. They plan on popping my water, waiting 4 hours and starting pitocin if labor didn’t establish it isn’t consistent enough.

How likely is it that I’ll actually get a stretch of sleep during all this? I’m so stressed!!

I scheduled an induction with 2nd baby because I am miserable and want to be done. I’m scheduled to be admitted for the induction at 39w 4d. Last time I went into spontaneous labor at 40w4d and had to have a c section due to breech presentation unknown to me when I showed up. It was an emergency c section and it was pretty crazy. Everyone is very optimistic on my care team about attempting a VBAC this way. I am now freaking out a little bit that I pulled the trigger to schedule it and am searching for positive induction stories specifically for VBACs.

I will preface this by saying that I was seeing a different provider than I normally do, as my assigned OB was not available for the appointment.
Yesterday I had my 34 week appointment. I had asked when I am allowed to go on medical leave. The doctors response was that it depends on when they want to induce me. I was really caught off guard, as my main provider has been really excited about me attempting a VBAC from the start. She has always said she thinks I’m a fantastic candidate. My first and only birth I made it to 9cm no medications no epidural, baby ended up in distress due to being flipped manually and us being unaware his cord was around him. That birth was also 10 years ago, with a very minimal horizontal scar left behind.
I trust my body & know that I am fully capable of doing this. I am not interested in pitocin as I am trying to avoid the epidural and I know that pitocin really intensifies things. I would like the freedom to move around, and I plan on laboring at home as long as possible. I live maybe two miles from the hospital I will be delivering at.
If something happens medically, I am okay with changing the plan to protect baby’s health but otherwise would like to let my body do what it’s meant to do.
I guess what I am asking is how do I advocate for myself at my next appointment in two weeks? That will be with my regular provider so I am hopeful that she won’t be trying to bully me into induction as she has never made any comments like that. My husband will also be with me to help advocate if needed. Thanks for reading!

Emergency cesarean 4 years ago due to having covid. Due in a couple of weeks with second baby, was hoping for a vbac, till I went for growth scan last week to find out I have mild polyhydramnios, and baby was breech. Have since had a successful ECV and am taking my blood sugar levels for the next week. Midwife is really for me having a vbac, thinks it is worth giving a go (unless baby manages to turn again due to fluid). Hospital want to book me in ASAP for an elective cesarean. I am so unsure on what to do, as I dont want it to end in emergency cesarean like my first, I'm still recovering mentally from that. I just want the best for baby and myself but it's hard when both care teams are telling me different opinions. Any advice appreciated!

I had a successful vbac at 41+4 after a traumatic c/section with my first babe at 35 weeks due to a failed induction with preeclampsia.

This was a very redemptive experience for me, despite it not going ‘perfectly’. I was well respected by my birth team (midwife and OB) and had an incredible doula. I was able to advocate for myself, feel heard and respected, which made a huge different.

Story:

I had days of prodromal labour, with lots of bloody show. We had a 1.5 hour drive to get to the city where I was planning to birth, so this prodromal labour was confusing. We ended up spending the weekend before I birthed in the city in a hotel, because I was contracting all weekend. Thankfully it was positive and we looked at it as a vacation before baby, and my mom was around to help with our toddler.

The day I went into labour, I saw my chiropractor in the morning. I went home and started doing some chores outside and was having early contractions, still lots of show. I was 41+2 and we had planned on a medical induction the following day, so we planned to get Airbnb regardless. We got everything loaded up and drove down. By the time we got to the Airbnb, I was pretty uncomfortable with contractions every 3 minutes lasting about a minute long. At this point I called my doula for support/to help with positions. I had always told my team that I anticipated a long labour, so I felt prepared for whatever was to come.

She came over and helped with positions, and at 9:35pm my water broke. This is when things ramped up in intensity. Despite the intensity of the contractions, I still felt as though things were ‘early’ so I had my midwife come to check and I was 4cm dilated. At this point I told my doula to go home after helping with positions because I felt it could be a long night. She ended up snoozing on the couch on and off through the night, and helping me as I needed.

After several hours, I got into the shower, which felt incredible but unfortunately we ran out of hot water so my husband filled the tub and put in kettles of boiling water. I was in the shower/bath for probably 3 ish hours. I started to fall asleep between tightenings and my husband was worried that I might fall asleep in there and have a problem unsupervised, so he encouraged me to get out and onto the bed, which I did.

I laboured the rest of the night on my side in the bed, I had taken Tylenol and gravol, which helped me sleep.

I woke up around 6:30am and texted my midwife to see if she could come to check me, I also said that I felt as though things hadn’t changed drastically, the contractions felt much further apart, and that if there was no significant change, I wanted to go into the hospital for an epidural. She came about an hour later and I was 6cm, so I opted to go and get the epidural.

At the hospital, the epidural took forever, initially I was coping well with nitrous but then as the hours passed, I started not doing well, I kept asking my midwife to go out to the desk to check on the anesthesiologist. Finally around 1230, the epidural was placed, I felt such relief!

After the epidural was placed and I was comfortable, my midwife checked me and I was 7-8cm but my contractions had spaced to one every 6 minutes. I knew that I need pitocin to increase the frequency of contractions so I asked my midwife if she could consult with the OB. After consultation, we started oxytocin with an order up to a max of ten. It didn’t take much to get contractions to pick up, but we went up to the max of ten.

After the oxytocin was started and I was comfortable with the epidural, my doula got to work putting me in all kinds of positions to help things progress. After a couple of hours since seeing the OB, she asked to recheck my cervix to which I declined as it had only been 1.5 hours since oxytocin was started and I felt that wouldn’t give me a fair chance to assess progression.

After a few more hours the next OB on staff came in and asked if we could recheck, I consented and was 8cm with the head lower and well applied, he was happy to let me continue as we were.

Around midnight he came in for another check and I was 9.5cm with a small anterior lip. He felt that it shouldn’t cause any issues and would go away easily. Not long after midnight my midwife rechecked as I had an urge to push and I was fully dilated.

For the next 4 hours:36 minutes I pushed in every position imaginable. I had a ‘walking epidural’ and was able to get out of the bed and walk easily. I pushed on my side, hands and knees, on a birth stool, on a toilet, in a squat at the side of the bed, on my back. At some point, I started to have searing breakthrough pain to the left of my sacrum and into my groin. My midwife thought it might be related to scar tissue from my c section, but we will never know for sure.

Every-time I would top up my epidural, the urge to push would cease and I would struggle. But if I let the epidural started to wear off, the searing pain would come back and I would essentially be useless lying on my side in the bed using the nitrous gas.

At some point, I topped up my epidural as much as it could allow and got into a squat at the side of the bed and pushed with everything I had. I could feel the babies head come all the way to the opening and then go back up between contractions.

I could tell my birth team was losing hope at this point, my midwife mentioned consulting for a vacuum but I could also tell she felt it might end in another c section. I called her out and told her to be more optimistic (lol) and she told me after that she needed to be called out on that.

At some point around 4:15am, someone mentioned putting a fetal scalp electrode on the babies head as they were having a hard time getting a proper tracing on baby with all the movement from me being up and mobile while pushing. At that point I told my midwife to go get the OB to see if we could do a vacuum.

The OB wasn’t initially sure but placed the vacuum after discussing the risks with us, and we had 9 minutes of pushing without much descent. At that point, he said we could do a double setup in the OR where we could try forceps and if that didn’t work then go right for a section. But he said I could try one more on my own to see if I could get the head low enough for him to use the vacuum. Thankfully, my babies heart rate had been perfect this entire time, so I agreed to try one more time.

I pushed with everything I had left in me, and suddenly starting make progress. After about four contractions he was able to put on the vacuum and assist from below. At that point, I was so desperate to be done that I told him if he needed to cut an episiotomy, to do it and he did end up cutting a small one.

Once the cut was made, my babies head delivered and with the next couple pushes, came his body. He was placed right up on my chest and not long after, let out a huge cry. We left the sex of babe a surprise, and getting to look and see for ourselves was super rewarding.

I did end up having a postpartum hemorrhage and the cord avulsed (came off the placenta) so I required a manual removal in the delivery room (thank goodness for that epidural). But all in all it was an incredibly redemptive and healing experience.

Once I was sutured, the bleeding was under control and the placenta was out, being able to nurse my baby right away, eat and get up and have a shower, felt like a dream come true.

What I learned was that birth doesn’t always need to go exactly the way you had hoped to be a positive experience. How you are treated and respected during the experience, makes a huge difference!

Briefly- some things I did to prepare:
- Webster chiro
- PT pelvic physio/birth prep
- massage
- lots of acupuncture
- at home stretches/birth prep stretches from my PT
- gentle birth tincture
- EZ birth tablets
- dates
- red raspberry tea
- movement until the end but group workout classes until about 28 weeks and then lots of walking/pool till the end
- around 39 weeks I surrendered, I stopped being as diligent with all the prep and just tried to enjoy the summer and spending time with my family and toddler

I hope this story helps to encourage someone else in their journey towards a vbac! ❤️

I am considered AMA as I am 36 now and will be 37 when I give birth. I had two c sections with my boys (8 & 6) - would you try for a VBAC this time around? I feel like regardless, my c section scar area will be jacked up from a 3rd pregnancy (I had a scar revision in 2022 as well). I am in therapy now for scar tissue issues in that area. With my second pregnancy, I had some issues with circulation, which all cleared up after birth but I remember my doc saying that she thought a c section would be safer due to that and the general closeness of the births. None of my c sections were emergencies - my first was just breech and I went in to labor before we could attempt to turn him. I went into labor with both of my boys naturally. Thoughts?

Got my VBAC! The positive stories in this group really helped me go into everything with a peace of mind so wanted to share mine as well.

My first baby was a planned c section due to breech, so my body had never labored before so it was unknown how I would do. Deliveries just under 21 months apart. My due date was August 3rd, got a membrane sweep that day since I was just a cm dilated, and got acupuncture shortly after the sweep. I think I lost my mucus plug throughout that day and next. It had been so hot where I live I had to stop taking my daily walks which was not ideal, but the temp went way down that Tuesday the 4th, so I got out and walked, took my toddler to the park, and felt like I was finally able to get out some pent up anxiety. I did my evening stretches, miles circuit, and took a unisom before bed since I’d been sleeping so badly.

Woke up at 6:30 morning of the 5th (40+2) and knew by 8 I was having real contractions. I probably had some throughout the night too but was able to sleep through them. They were close enough together that my doula told me I could head to hospital and I got there at 10:30. I was worried they were going to send me home to labor more since it felt like it was all moving so quickly but they admitted me at 4cm dilated. Contractions were getting really intense and I got an epidural just before 1pm, water broke while getting the epidural, and was about 6cm at this time. I’m so thankful I got the epidural as it calmed me down & made me able to be more present. Around 4 I had told the nurses I was feeling a lot of pressure in my vagina during contractions but they didn’t check dilation and said to let them know when the pressure was constant and not just during a contraction. While they were changing my position the nurse noticed babies head and was like oh wow let me go get your doctor because it’s time to push! So I pushed for about 23 mins, could feel the contractions and pressure to push effectively just fine despite the epidural, and baby girl was here by 5:15! It felt kind of surreal with how quickly it all progressed and I was in awe of my own body for doing exactly what it needed so well for me. I went into this all expecting it would be a long labor since it would be technically like a first child for me. Had a just under 2nd degree tear since her head was kind of big. She weighed 7lb 6oz, is perfectly healthy, and I’m recovering well and soaking it all in.

Things I did to prepare- chiropractor, pelvic floor pt about 5 times prior, some prenatal yoga, acupuncture, some perineal massages, dates, red raspberry tea, some pumping, yoga ball, evening stretches/miles circuit at the end. I do think I was starting to over stress at the end about not going into labor spontaneously, and the day before just making an effort to mentally decompress, take some walks, and stop overthinking it helped me finally do it. I’m sure the membrane sweep and acupuncture helped it along too.

You can have the redemptive and smooth VBAC of your dreams like me! Wishing you all the best of luck!

I am 1 year pp - Yay! Recently, I have been deep diving into preparing my body for a second child eventually. I read my medical files from my birth and have so many questions. Does anyone have experience with finding a second opinion on how your birth went? I think it's key that I process what happened. Where do you go?

For context, I was induced at 41+3. I labored till the evening of 41+6 (received an epidural that morning and pushed for 4 hours). I had a c-section after that with no complications other than hemorrhaging and needing a blood transfusion the next day.

Some notes in my chart really offput me. For instance - it is noted that during labor and contractions they asked to break my water manually several times and I denied. In person - I remember being told that my baby had not progressed, there was no emergency at the time, but that her head was swelling and she had been stuck at -1 for 2 hrs. In the chart, there is no mention of this and that I had mentioned that I was tired and agreed to the c-section (this is true), however, I don't think I was fully given an option to rest a little before pushing. When I started pushing - they told me we were doing practice pushes and i wish we could have waited for my body to progress a bit longer. My water did break on it's own and they allowed me to progress until 10 CM before pushing.

My husband had a lot of trauma from my daughters birth and does not wish to go through that again. I however, still have the desire to try to have a vbac despite his desire for me to have a elective c-section. Obviously this is all hypothetical because I am not pregnant yet but it's so much to think about! At my 6 week pp visit - I asked my OB what the chances of me ever having a vaginal birth were and she told me that depended on the pregnancy. I had a large baby and she said that usually people who have large babies always have large babies. To me - a large baby does not mean that a vaginal birth is not attainable but that if my pelvis was small or there was an issue with my anatomy - that would be different. She did not mention anything about my anatomy or my daughters position being a problem.