I am so sorry you had to go through such a difficult ordeal. That is every VBAC mommas biggest fear! Isn’t it wonderful that we have life saving procedures like c-section when they are really needed? It is awesome that they acted quickly to save your baby.
Now for the reality part. Pregnancy is risky, period. Even if you have never had a c-section there is a 1 in 165 chance that you will have a still birth, the death of a baby after 20 weeks gestation. There is an even higher percentage of miscarriage. Does this mean women should never get pregnant because those odds are staggering? Getting an amniocentesis has a .4% chance of causing death of the baby and roughly the same ultimate risk of UR in a natural VBAC, does this mean doctors should never do it again? Having a c-section does not guarantee a good outcome either, in one study the stats on neonatal death following a c-section is 1.77 deaths per 1000 live births vs. after a vaginal birth of .62 per 1000 live births. And in July the CDC put out that even with adjusting for complications c-section carries three times the risk for neonatal death
CDC Says Cesarean Triples Neonatal Death Risk - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com odds are in the favor of VBAC. Having a VBAC is ultimately no more risky than letting a doctor rupture your membranes and having a prolapsed cord as a result, yet doctors do it ALL the time. When rolapsed cord does occur the outcome is usually less favorable then when a UR occurs with more brain damage and death.
Once you have a scarred uterus there is a risk of about .2% of UR at any time during the pregnancy, which is really not statistically significant between that time and the risk of .4-.6% during labor. And most ruptures have a favorable outcome, such as yours.
More important is not to warn women of the risk of UR and use scare tactics to get your point of view out there, but to educate women before they have their first surgical birth. Help women to know the best way to achieve a vaginal birth the first time and every time.
You mentioned that the women who disagreed with you were rude. But so is you coming here to a VBAC support area and pushing your agenda. If I were to go to the c-section support area and even mention VBAC I would be attacked. When I was in my last DDC if I even mentioned the risk associated with c-section I was told off. I was told not to try to scare women and to make them feel guilty about their choices. What you have done here is no different. We come here for support. As I read the beginning of your story I was riveted, and elated when you had a positive outcome. And then you had to be rather rude and tell us all that we are horrible people for putting our children at risk. Just as the c-section mommas say that it is their choice, even with all the risks associated, which are generally worse than the risk of VBAC, it is also our choice to make the best decision at the moment for our babies.
I know loss. My son died in my uterus at 24 weeks. The potential that my first c-section was directly related is high. Surgical birth is the problem, not VBAC. So don’t attack us for our choice to give our baby what we believe to be the best start to life. We all understand the risk, no one here goes into our decision lightly. Would it be horrible to be in the .5%? Absolutely! Would it be horrible to be in the higher percentage of elective c-sections that end in a dead baby? Absolutely! Would it be horrible to be that momma that opts for an ERCS at 39 weeks, and then ruptures at 37, yup it sure would.
I can only speak for myself, but I am sure the others would agree, that I was interested to read your story, and it is good that you posted it to keep us aware. But to end it with
“If I could do it all again, I would have scheduled another c/s. The risk of uterine rupture is NOT WORTH IT. I now may never be able to have more children. Please, please don't try for a VBAC, ladies. Please. Hugs!!!!
Edited after doctor appointment to add...”
was taking it too far.
Ending your pregnancy with the reduced chance of more children is also more likely to happen with c-section than with VBAC. Especially if you have more than one c-section. There is also the thing called second opinion. I would personally not take one doctors word that you cannot have more children. There are women on the ICAN yahoo list who had successful pregnancies after UR. One even had a poor outcome, her son died, and she still went on to have another baby.
Linear Mode
