Another Private Hospital VBAC...
In the year 2000, I had a c-section performed as a result of foetal
distress & after meconium found in the fluid. The profound effect
of this emergency & the following postoperative pain I believe caused
a range of difficulties with breastfeeding (which I gave away after
6wks of pain) & my mental well-being. My beautiful baby boy was taken
away immediately after the op. & thankfully my husband had him & was
looking for me in the corridors as bubby sucked for Mum; meanwhile
I was in recovery wishing I could use my own legs to walk to the ward
& hold my son! If I could have I would have.
As I fell pregant again - about 8 weeks after giving birth- I worried
that I could not carry the pregnancy for fear of scar rupture as I
was still very tender! I thought another caesar was on the cards until
a midwife friend of mine suggested I do everything I can to avoid
one- including visiting this wonderful & inspirational site. I changed
obstetricians- & discussed the importance of VBAC. I read & read literature,
involved my husband with my cause , visited a naturopath & a midwife
for prenatal class. She put me in contact with another girl in a similar
situation & we spoke on the phone many times & supported each other
& shared our newfound knowledge. I made the best decision in hindsight
to ask my mother to be my support person at the birth. When it came
time for the labour I practised my yoga & visualisation at home for
hours. Our first baby,Lucas was taken to his grandparents house &
we left for hospital when I feltstrong contractions. Once at hospital
I measured 5 cm dilation. The contractions grew closer together &
increasingly excruciating! The baby was posterior & when my mother
arrived I felt comfort & safe with my husband to hold me through contractions
& mum to wipe my face at the right times & talk me through them with
encouragement ;at the time the most comfortable voice in the world
for me.
As the pain increased the dilation didn't & after hours of no progress
I opted for an epidural; Surprisingly this worked well & as the pain
relief wore off I felt the urge to PUSH & push I did- out came the
head after a few contractions & within 2 or so contractions out came
my baby & they placed him in my arms on my chest. My husband had the
job of cutting the chord (like a bit of old rope he says) & I discovered
the sex!! Our baby Myles is our little ray of sunshine . We are still
glowing from the experience & the recovery process. I walked to the
shower within an hour of giving birth & I could not stop smiling I
felt so proud & elated that all had gone as well as we had hoped.
I fed well from the start & had none of those blues I had experienced
with the first baby.
I wanted to share my experience with others as I know how inspirational
this site was for me! 6 months down the track I am very happy & have
gained from my experience.
Louise, Peter, Lucas & Myles.
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