Vbac or not?

Ok so I'm due April 5th with number 3 and this whole time I've been all about the vbac until my midwife mentioned how I would need to get an epidural and fluids for just in case. My 1st lo was a vaginal delivery with epi pitocin 2 hours of pushing and vacuum extraction. My 2nd was an emergency csection due to hydrops. I'm just getting nervous going the vbac route and having another potential emergency csection.

Any thoughts or insights? How bad was recovery after a second csection? Is emergency csection a tougher recovery? I have an appointment with my midwife on Monday where I'll ask all of this as well just getting anxious.

Re: Vbac or not?

I had a VBAC 2 years ago. My 1st was a c-section after a failed induction 3 weeks prior to my due date due to severe pre-e.

I had a great VBAC experience and the recovery was so much better than my c-section. I had an IV and definitely an epidural bc at 5 cm I was screaming and the contractions were coming too fast. Don't know if I got fluids.

I can't speak to recovery from an emergency c-section but just do whatever you are most comfortable with. From my experience you have to be 100% sure you want a VBAC bc many people will try to convince you otherwise. Do your research and look at all the pros/cons. GL!

Re: Vbac or not?

I just had DD2 two weeks ago. DD1 was born via emergency c due to my preeclampsia two years ago. Throughout my entire pregnancy my OB's and I were talking about a vbac. We even tried it. My water broke naturally and I progressed to 6cm on my own. Unfortunately even after an induction, I didn't progress any further and we nixed the vbac idea and they called for a repeat csection. I was disappointed, but hey, there was nothing I could've done to change it.

I will say, the recovery was MUCH easier. I chalk it up to the fact that I knew what to expect, having had the c the first time, and the fact that I was up and moving much quicker this time around (with my first I was bed ridden for 2 days due to bp meds). That's not to say that it isn't still a painful tough recovery, I just don't think it's as bad as it was for me the first time around. I think again, half of it was psychological. With DD1, I honestly thought I was never going to walk again. This time, I knew I would recover and made serious efforts to start recovering as soon as possible. I did make sure to send DD to the nursery each night though and had the nurses just bring her in when she needed to be fed.

Re: Vbac or not?

I did not have a v-bac but I will say this: dd 1 was an emergency c-section after laboring for awhile. Dd2 was a planned c-section. He recovery was SOOO much easier from the planned. Considerably so. I would have another planned c-section but no chance in hell will I have another c- section after laboring.

Re: Vbac or not?

I'm not sure why you'd have to get an epidural if you're doing a VBAC.

I did have a surprise VBAC (went into labor 15 days early and decided once I was already there, since I was already in labor, not to do the repeat c-section), and I will say that the VBAC was a much easier recovery than my c-section...and I didn't even find the c-section recovery bad. After my VBAC I felt basically back to normal by 1 week pp (physically, at least).