Vbac after breech birth

My first baby was breech and I had a c section w him - although I did experience some contractions which started just the day before the section was scheduled which they then brought forward. Recovery wasn’t too bad considering it was a c section. I was v keen on a vbac w my daughter who’s about 2.5 yrs younger. I dilated ok, though it was overall a long and exhausting labour. Her head was somehow at the wrong angle so she was stuck and I ended up with a forceps assisted delivery. Recovery was okay, but it took ages for my pelvic floor to get back to some sort of normality which was very different after the first pregnancy. All in all, I’m glad for the vbac, but I’m not sure I would go for it if I had the choice again knowing what I know now.

@Judit this is really useful thanks so much, did you go into your second labour naturally and at how many weeks?

I also had a planned c-section for a breech baby and 2 years and 4 months between births. I really wanted a VBAC but I was so scared that I wouldn't dilate fast enough since I'd never been in labour before and they want a relatively fast delivery when doing a TOLAC (1cm/hour on average, no stagnation for more than 2 hours and no more than 2 hours of pushing). I didn't know if my body could do it and I felt like I was at a disadvantage since your first labour is usually longer. I ended up with the perfect textbook labour. 12 hours from the very first contraction until birth. I was dilated at 5 when I arrived, got to 10 in 3 hours and pushed for 1.5 hour. I know I got lucky but it was an amazing experience for me. You never know what your body can do until you've tried it so I believe it's worth a try, with a good contingency plan. Put your own limits (if you prefer a c-section over an induction for instance, that's totally fine).

@Érika I didn’t realise this is what they needed for it to be fast - is that to stop uterine rupture? That’s so lucky your body did it, did you go into labour naturally? I’d be worried as well. Did you do hypnobirthing?

The conditions are determined by your OB but these are general guidelines. You wouldn't necessarily go straight to a c-section if these conditions are not met but they would be likely to recommend some kind of intervention (pitocin, forceps, etc.) The idea is indeed that a long labour increases the risk of uterine rupture. I had a spontaneous labour at 40w2d. I had a sweep at 40w, not sure if that's what triggered it. I didn't do hypnobirthing but I did a lot of preparation for labour.

Went into labour w my first (breech) baby at 40+6 (then had a c-section) With the second baby I went into labour naturally too at 39+5 or so. I think I eventually dilated pretty fast but the labour before was long and then we go stuck as I described before. I did hypnobirthing and pregnancy yoga with both and I found it really helpful both times for coping w pain etc As Érika said above, it’s really good to have your own limits / preferences firmly identified beforehand and to have somebody with you who can stand up for you if needed

@Érika please can you advise what preparation?

Learning about the various non-medical ways to help with the pain and the positions to help with dilation or to help the baby descend during labour. Prenatal yoga, pelvic floor exercises and a bouncing ball to prepare for labour. I also drank raspberry leaf tea for the last 4 weeks. But most of it was mental preparation. I read and listened to a lot of birth stories to have a better idea of what labour could feel like and prepare for many different scenarios.

Also, the BRAIN method can help whenever you need to make informed choices regarding your birth. When someone recommends an intervention, try to answer the following questions (or ask your OB) before making a decision: B - What are the benefits? R - What are the risks? A - What are the alternatives? I - What does your intuition tell you? How do you feel about this? N - What happens if you do nothing for now and just wait? Don't accept something if you don't have all the information or if your gut feeling tells you it's wrong. It might not go the way you want but you're less likely to have regrets if you made an informed decision than if you felt pressured to accept something you feel you shouldn't have.