New client (VBAC homebirth) and I'm nervous

Jilian · 08-17-2006, 09:53 AM

A friend of mine is pregnant and due in November. She had a c-section with her last child (3 years ago) and DESPERATELY wants a vaginal birth this time. No one in the hospital will touch her, they want her to schedule a repeat c-section. She's been doing a lot of soul-searching on whether or not to have a homebirth. She's been e-mailing me for a while and we've been talking about it. She *wants* a homebirth but she's so afraid, the OBs have her scared out of her mind of rupture.

Sooo, in the last e-mail I sent her I said "The only real advice I can give you is to follow your heart. Don't let fear make your decisions for you". I also offered my services to her for free because I could tell she really needed some support. She gladly accepted and then said she is going to follow her heart and have the homebirth.

I'm so scared for her. I kind of feel like I encouraged her to have the homebirth and I hope it goes well. I really like her as a friend too (she's a great woman) and I just want her birth to be great.

Does anyone have experience with Home VBACs? I should add that the midwife that will be attending is my favorite midwife and I have complete trust in her abilities to asses danger and deliver this baby safely.

doula Michele · 08-17-2006, 10:03 AM

I have a friend who has a vaginal homebirth with a midwife after 3 ceseareans.

I think the biggest thing she needs to be doing is to trust her body. These fears she has, will play around in her subconscious. She needs lots of positive "I can do it" messages in her head right now.

Michele

doula Michele · 08-17-2006, 10:06 AM

Here are some links from my friend connies website... she had the successful VBAC.
http://www.mother-care.ca/vbac_safety.htm
http://www.mother-care.ca/vbac.htm

Michele

Jilian · 08-17-2006, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doula Michele

Here are some links from my friend connies website... she had the successful VBAC.
http://www.mother-care.ca/vbac_safety.htm
http://www.mother-care.ca/vbac.htm

Michele

Thanks! She's been reading a lot of VBAC horror stories online so maybe these links will help ease her mind.

~Tranquility~Doula · 08-17-2006, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jilian

Thanks! She's been reading a lot of VBAC horror stories online so maybe these links will help ease her mind.

She needs to stop doing that. She needs to surround herself with only positive stories because it can really effect her when it comes to the birth. The worst thing for her to do is be scared to death when she goes into labor.

You'll need to work through all your feelings of being scared for her as well. She'll be able to pick up on that energy at the birth and it will make a huge difference.

jesscardona · 08-17-2006, 11:03 AM

Michelle,
there's a lot of those links that aren't there anymore, just to let you know..
maybe you want to let your friend know.. the ones under Press Report, and Responses

doula Michele · 08-17-2006, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesscardona

Michelle,
there's a lot of those links that aren't there anymore, just to let you know..
maybe you want to let your friend know.. the ones under Press Report, and Responses

Oh ok. Thanks, I will let her know.
It has probably been a while since she updated.

Michele

fearlessbirth · 08-17-2006, 11:23 AM

Hey Jilian~

You should join the ICAN yahoo group (your state may even have it's own). If you're not familiar with them it's the International Cesarean Awareness Network. I had a woman contact me who was going for a VBAC and joined immediately for information. The woman ended up hiring someone else but I love this group. These ladies have tons of FACTS and info on c-secs, vbacs, etc. And I've heard nothing but positive HBAC stories.

Good luck!

1stimestar · 04-29-2008, 03:33 AM

I second, third and fourth ICAN. It is a serious tool for women having VBACs (and doulas as well!)

1stimestar · 04-29-2008, 03:34 AM

Hahaha where the heck did I find a post this old? So how did the birth turn out?

joandchris18 · 04-29-2008, 08:48 AM

HA ha I was just about to post on it when I noticed how old it was. I am curious too how it turned out. Especially since I too am a HBA2C mom.

pambell · 05-01-2008, 06:51 PM

I know this is an old thread, but I just want to let anyone reading this later know that there is also a spin-off HBAC (homebirth after c/s) group on yahoo. I had a VBAC homebirth in Dec & it was wonderful!

Brie+3 · 05-01-2008, 11:27 PM

your friend may appreciate this:

Taken from Gentlebirth.org

Your risk of dying in a car accident, over the course of your lifetime, is between 1 in 42 and 1 in 75. This is roughly 4 to 5 times greater than the risk of uterine rupture.

You're about twice as likely to have your car stolen (that's an annual risk) than to experience a uterine rupture.

Your odds of being murdered are 1 in 140 over the course of your lifetime. That's 2 times more likely than the risk of rupture.

The annual risk of having a heart attack is 1 in 160, 2 times more likely than rupture. Your risk of dying from heart disease is roughly 1 in 6, or 55 times greater than your risk of rupture.

If you're a smoker, your risk of dying from lung cancer is 1 and a half times more likely than a VBAC mom rupturing during her labor.

You're about 17 times more likely to contract an STD this year than you are to have a uterine rupture; more likely to contract gonorrhea than to rupture, as well.

You're 13 times more likely to get food poisoning than to rupture.

You're more likely to have twins than a uterine rupture. Odds of twins: 1 in 90. That's about 3 1/2 times the likelihood of rupture.

If you ride horseback, you're 3 times more likely to die in a riding accident than you are to experience a uterine rupture.

If you ride a bike on the street, you are 4 times more likely to die in an accident (annual risk) than you are to suffer a rupture.

Having a serious fire in your home during the next year is twice as likely as experiencing a rupture.

You're ten times as likely to win at roulette as you are to have a uterine rupture.

If you flip a coin, you'll be more likely to get heads (or tails) 8 times in a row than to rupture.

The risk of cord prolapse is 1 in 37 (2.7%), or nearly ten times more likely than that of rupture.

And a final irony (heads up, those of you who want a doc to give his/her opinion on your likelihood of rupture next pregnancy!)...

You're 6 times more likely to have a doctor who is an impostor than you are to suffer a rupture. Two percent of docs are phonies (1 in 50), according to several sources I found.

So instead of worrying about rupture, why not take a few minutes to check up on your doctor's credentials?

It'd be a more profitable use of your time, and a substantially more likely cause for alarm.

Brie+3 · 05-01-2008, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1stimestar

Hahaha where the heck did I find a post this old? So how did the birth turn out?

I didn't even see the dates when I replied...