Seeking Information on Vbac's and an OBGYN Willing to Perform a VBAC

PLEASE contact Stephanie Soderblom at Nurturing Hearts Birth Service www.azdoulas.com she is a Doula and has had a VBAC herself. I know she knows a few Dr.'s in the valley who are very VBAC friendly!

And PLEASE visit www.ican-online.org they can offer you some great support!! (International Cesarean Advocay)

As well as the Arizona Birth Network www.azbirthnetwork.com - I know many of these woman personally and they are an amazing support option. They have the Birth Circle meeting every month held accross the Valley. You should check out a meeting!! In fact the August topis is - "Traumatic Birth Experiences: Prevention, Processing and Healing."

Good Luck to you! ____@____.com

I tried for a vbac w/ my 2nd. Because of the 1st csection, I wasn't able to get induced, since the med causes stronger contractions. With many attempts to bring on contractions naturally, my baby did not want to come out and I was forced into yet another csection at 41 weeks. The doc's were surprised by my past incision, only 2 or 3 skin cell layers. I would have definately had an eruption and would have had an emergency csection. I believe that your body knows its limits. Some people have alot of success w/ vbacs. I personally have a friend who was scheduled for her 3rd csection but had the baby naturally, not by choice!! and she and the baby were great. My OB sent me to a level 3 OB to have my vbac, in case there was an emergency. I went to the docs at Scottsdale/Shea hospital. PV hospital is only a level 2 and at the time Scott/Shea was level 2 also, but may now be level 3. Make sure you go to a level 3...they are trained and have the staff on hand ico an emergency. FYI...the baby only has about 8 min to get out! Serious consequences to the baby and the mother could occur. Make sure you know your facts!

Hi Janelle! I am expecting #2 and although I never had a c-section, my OB/GYN is a midwife and I know they are very open to natural childbirth. Maybe a consultation with them could answer some questions for you. They are Bethany Women's Healthcare, located at 36th ave and Bethany Home. They are very nice there, and very good at what they do!! Good luck!

Wow, you are getting some horror stories on here! Many women have successful VBACs every day! I would suggest you call the certified nurse midwives at Bethany that was previously suggested! In Arizona you have to have your VBAC in a hospital so if you need a section you wont be far. All doulas work with VBAC ladies. A great place to put out a request is on the Yahoo group for the Phoenix Birth Circle. Alot of people on there are midwives and doulas and they are very knowledgable!

You are being to hard on yourself about your C-sections though. I understand how you feel this way but a vaginal birth does not make you a woman. Having your children makes you a woman. You just happened to bring them into the world in a different way than you had anticipated. You have 2 wonderful children who love you and they dont care how they were born. Good luck!

I normally just read the boards and don't respond much but as a L&D RN I feel I need to respond to this.

I personally have had a successful VBAC: Vag delivery; c-section for a breech baby; vag delivery.

My first question is why did you have the two previous c-sections??? If you dilated and pushed and the baby didn't descend then I would not try for a vbac. Some women just don't have the right pelvis to have a baby vaginally.

Second...I had an episiotomy that was very painful for months after my delivery. I also had a tear with a different baby that was painful. With my c-section it only hurt when I moved and the pain medicine helped a lot. Do you really want to risk "tearing it up down there" if you don't have to???

I work at Banner Desert and we do vbac's there. What part of town are you in??? There is always a risk that you could rupture your uterus at the c-section scar if you labor. Make sure you are at a high-risk facility because in the event of an emergency they are best prepared to take care of you.

You are not any less of a woman by not birthing vaginally. You carried your children to the best of your ability and I'm sure are caring for them with all the love you have. Don't beat yourself up too much...vaginally deliveries aren't all they are cracked up to be :o) The goal is a healthy baby and a healthy mom!!

Sorry for the lengthy reply, please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

Good luck!
Nikki K

Natural childbirth does not make you strong or capable. It can be very painful and many women need epidurals. I wanted to have natural childbirth twice and ended up with epidurals.

I think you need to have faith that God best knows how your babies need to be delivered. Thank god for C sections and now women can have multiple deliveries that way (this wasn't always so). Would it be worth the risk if your baby had a health issue or near death because you attempted it?

I know how you feel. I had a breast reduction at age 17 and as a result couldn't breastfeed. I spent time and money with lactation consultants and had to deal with screaming hungry babies all in an attempt to be "a real mother" and to "bond" with my baby. I was jealous everytime I saw a mother breastfeeding. God obviously wanted my babies to be bottle-fed and they are healthy and thrived as infants. I thanked him for good formulas and have prayed to have him alleviate my pain and give me understanding (he has although it has taken awhile).

Whatever you decide, I hope you get the information you need to make a good decision. Good luck to you!

A.

Janelle,

I second what Nikki says, in addition I would like to add that my sister-in-law just had a beautiful baby boy last weekend, her third C-Section.

She was going to attempt a VBAC, and went into labor about 2 weeks before her C was to be done. They did an ultrasound of her when she got to the hospital & told her she was in serious danger of a uterine rupture & needed to do the C-Section right away. I don't even want to think what would have happened if she had tried the VBAC!!

My doctor is a big fan of letting nature take it's course & not getting medicine involved unless absolutely necessary, and he has been cutting down on the VBAC's too lately.

You are taking the right steps in asking around, you can never do too much research!!!

Good luck with it all!

B.

Janelle,

I had my first when I was 19 years old. I ended up having a c/s due to "failure to progress". I can TOTALLY relate to you "feeling less of a woman". I was DEVASTATED! When I got out of the hospital, I did all the research I could on VBACs and read everything I could get my hands on. I found a midwife when I got pregnant with my second(in my opinion, midwife's were more open to VBACs). Three years after my first son, I gave birth vaginally to a healthy baby boy! I pushed for almost 3 hours, and tore really bad, but in my opinion, it was ALL worth it! I had all my friend's and family there, and it was euphoric when he came out and everyone shouted "IT's A BOY!!" (he was a surprise). My recovery was a LOT better than the c/s (with the c/s, I had a really hard time just sitting up in bed, days after he was born).

When I got pregnant with my third, I assumed I would have another VBAC. I went back to my same midwife and everything was in place. When I went into labor on June 16th, my contractions were PAINFUL (over my incision scar from first c/s)! I got to the hospital at 7am, got my epidural, and was dilated to 10cm by 10:30 (NONE of my other labors went as quickly!). I didn't start pushing right away since his head wasn't down, so we waited. In those 30 min., his heart rate skyrocketed to 180+ and didn't come down. My MW told me it would be best for me and the baby to have a c/s. I trusted her since she, herself, had a VBAC. I didn't realize the severity of the situation until all the doctors and nurses rushed in! It ended up being an emergency, they rushed me into the OR and cut me open within 5 minutes of being in there. My hubby didn't get to come in (they didn't even have time to count all the surgical instruments). When they pulled him out, I had to ASK what the sex was (another surprise). Come to found out, the placenta was starting to detach from the uterus (that's why they think I had pain on my old incision, and why my labor went so quickly). Going into the c/s, I was bawling! BUT, my recovery was MUCH smoother! I was walking around by that night and never had the pain that I did with the first one.

Sorry about the "book", but I wanted to give you some of my history to help you make a decision! When I go for my 6 week check up next week, I plan on talking to my MW about the chances of me trying for another VBAC when the time comes. At the same time, if my chances don't look good, I might just elect for another c/s. I was BUMMED my hubby wasn't there when they pulled him out, and the whole thing was so rushed. I don't want to go thru that again!

My MW is with Bethany Women's Healthcare. If you want to chat more, feel free to message me!

Take care!
J.

I can not relate to having a c-section but to the natural birth part I understand a little. I had issues with having a epidural but then again it was medically better for me, but it till left me wondering if I could have done it. I love my ob and have no idea on his stand in this issue but you could always call and discuss it ->Dr. DeSanto with Camelback Womens Health ###-###-#### Tatum Office (they have two valley locations).
Good Luck
A.
www.romance2nite.com

I know a great doctor for you, I transfered to him after wanting a VBAC myself, unfortunatlly I couldn't have one because we could not get a hold of my surgical records before my due date. YOu need to know what type on incition was made on the inside, if was vertical than you can not have a VBAC, but if it was horizontal than you can. Anyway the doctors name is:
Marv L. Erickson
18699 N 67th ave suite 320 in Glendale.
Phone# ###-###-####
He is a really great doctor, I felt better with him than any other doctor I saw during all of my pregnancys. He's very informative more so than most docs period.

Hi Janelle,
You sound a lot like me with questions about having a VBAC. I to have my first baby by c-section and I've been giving a lot of thought as to doing a VBAC for this pregnancy (I'm 24 weeks along). I recently moved to Arizona and have struggled with finding a doctor. I finally have and believe that I have chosen a good one. At my last appointment, I discussed with him the pros/cons for doing a VBAC this time around, the stigmas associated with it all, the hospitals views and his own views on it. He gave me tons of information including a list that Banner Good Samaritan Hospital gives to inform you on the risks and benefits of having a VBAC. My doctor is Dr. Steven Nelson with Camelback Women's healthcare and I've been impressed. He sat down with me and discussed that he delievers all his babies and that he and the hospital staff at Banner Good Samaritan are very careful and attentive to those wanting a VBAC. I totally suggest giving Dr. Nelson a call or even Banner Good Samaritan Hospital. Dr. Nelson's number is ###-###-####.
Let me know how it all works out. Good Luck! ~J. W