C-Section Vs VBAC - Birthing story

I am sure a lot of us mommies have gone through this dilemma of opting for C-sec or VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-sec). My dilemma about the same started as soon as my pregnancy with Junior was confirmed ... thanks to the print out handed to me at the doctor's office. I was instructed to read through the risks of VBAC and give in my consent in writing.... this during my first visit to the doctor. (Oct 26th 2007). I was very surprised at first, but didn't want to rush at things... so postponed the decision making by a couple of weeks.

All the while, my heart was set on the VBAC option. During pregnancy I came across some mommies for whom the VBAC option had gone severly wrong. They say the risk of uterus rupture during VBAC is 1% and 50% of the same could cause permanent brain damage to the new born. Though the percentage looks small, having seen first hand examples of the same always brought in some fear in my mind. No mommy would want to carry a healthy baby for 9 months only to risk the baby's health during delivery.

So while I postponed my decision (rather I postponed handing over the written consent to the doctor), my gyno always seem to scare me with the risks and hardly highlighted the benefits of the normal delivery. It came as a breadth of fresh air when my mid-wife examined me and suggested that the baby's head was down and that other things were going very normal during my 30th week check up. (why mid-wife examined me ... well my woe story with the doctor calls for another post). My mid-wife advised me to wait till the 35th week before I made any decision. But the doctor would not wait till such time. Even before I gave my written consent on my preference I got a call from doctor's office about scheduling my C-section for the 13th May. (my due date was 26th May). This irritated me to great levels. While one of the major benefits I was going to get by opting for C-section was a date of my choice, the doctor had deprived me of the same by just giving me one option. My mom was arriving at our place on the 11th and 13th seemed too close to schedule the delivery. Besides, I knew that I was making good progress and could go in for VBAC.

After a lot of discussion with BP and my family doctor, I opted for VBAC and gave in my written consent for the same. The doctor did not seem very pleased with the option though. The following exams went smooth with the doctor saying that the baby had started to descend. But my cervix remained closed till 37 weeks. During this time, I started developing ichy rashes all over my tummy. They were terribly irritating and kept me awake through the night. I was refered to a dermatologist who dismissed the rashes as an allergic reaction to the Cocoa butter cream I had applied. With the rashes reddening with each day, I was monitored for "Non Stress Test" for 2 weeks. During my 40th week appointment, the doctor examined me and said that I had made no progress at all since 37th week. The baby's position and the cervix measured the same. She also scared me that the baby was big and it could be a very hard delivery for me. (my built is rather small) I was just 6 days away from my due date and still there was no sign of labor and the baby was supposedly big ... thats when my fears got me and we decided to schedule a C-section. So the next day was chosen for the baby's arrival.

Mom got busy satisfying my last minute cravings and BP went and brought guavas (my favourite fruit) and zillion sweets to satisfy my taste buds. I was pampered a lot that evening :)

Anyways, we went to the hospital as per plan around 9:30am. I was hooked on to the monitor. As luck would have it, I started contracting within minutes. The contractions were regular and were about 3 mins apart. Yep ... I started having labor contractions. The nurses who were monitoring me repeatedly started asking me if I really wanted to go in for C-section which was scheduled at 11:30am. They felt I was making good progress in the short span I was hooked. My cervix was examined and turned out I had dilated to 2 cms. All these changes in less than 24 hrs of my check up with the doctor. The hospital nurse explained to me that I still had the option to change my mind to VBAC if I wanted. She said, that they could monitor me for a couple of more hours and see my progress. The idea suited me and BP (my mom was completely opposed to this idea) and we decided to wait for a few hours. I got a call from the doctor immediately ... I must say it almost sounded like a threatening call. She said if I didn't go for C-sec at the decided time, she was not going to be available for the entire week and that some random doctor from the hospital. We still continued to go with the VBAC option. When I asked the hospital nurse who my doctor would be, she said your gyno has asked to be informed about your progress. She will continue to be there for you. So all the phone talk that the doctor had with me was just to scare me ?????

A couple of minutes later, another hospital doctor came to examine me. She said though my contractions were regular, since this was going to be my first vaginal delivery, it could take hours before I delivered. She also confidently said that the baby's head was big and the baby would be aleast 8 lbs. She was sure it was going to be a very tough delivery. She also said, she was not a specialist in VBAC and that my regular doctor was the best doctor in town. (even better than her). Basically she scared us :( And there we gave in to the pressure and decided to go with C-section.

I was wheeled to the Operation theatre within minutes and my doctor arrived in less than 5 minutes. (don't ask me where she was all this while ....wasn't she supposed to be unavailable after 11:45am??? ) My surgery began at 12:38pm and 12:49pm Junior was born. I could hear the excitement in BP's voice when he screamed its a girl ... its a girl. Junior 's loud cries kept me awake the next few minutes.

She was weighed to be 7.2 lbs and measured 19.5in (not a very big baby you said ... well I thought the same too ... so I was tricked to believe it was a very big baby). Anyways she was healthy and that mattered most to BP and I.

And there ... the long debate of VBAC and C-section concluded dramatically in being a C-section.
Here is wishing other expecting mommies a very healthy delivery !!!!