Successful VBAC with Gestational Diabetes.
This is the story of the pregnancy and birth of my second son. My
first son Sam was born by emergency caesarean after a dream pregnancy,
20 hour labour and getting stuck at 9cm dilatation with an anterior
lip.
This time I had morning sickness for 16 weeks, back pain from 10
weeks, gestational diabetes from 29 weeks and frequent, often painful
Braxton-Hicks from 26 weeks. Doctors and hospitals in Australia will
not allow induction with drugs for women with previous caesareans.
So if I was too overdue or labour slowed down, it was another caesarean.
I switched from the private doctor who delivered Sam to 2 independent
midwives - Robyn and Jane - who would attend the birth in a public
hospital birth centre. My EDD was 16 Sep 2002.
I was keen for everything to start so at 38 weeks I started natural
induction methods - walks, curries, massage with clary sage, accupuncture,
internal examinations. This only served to provide me with what I
now recognize as pre-labour from 9 Sep. From 15 Sep, the Braxton-Hicks
started coming every 5-15 mins but slowed down overnight allowing
me to sleep, making me realize it wasn't the real thing. On 17 Sep
my midwife was able to sweep the membranes and I was a stretchy 1-2
cms but she felt something hard inside the cervix. Off to the hospital
for an ultrasound but nothing was detected. 19 Sep saw me examined
by the head of the hospital and a compromise reached: if I had not
had the baby by Monday (23 Sep) I could have my waters broken in the
birth centre (if dilated enough) & if no baby by Tuesday, then a caesarean
would be scheduled. I agreed, glad to know there was an end in sight.
I hurriedly organised another round of massages and accupuncture.
As the head of the birth centre told me, "sometimes you just need
a bit of a threat to get things going". Later that day the mucous
plug, which had been coming away for 10 days, progressed to a bloody
show. The Braxton-Hicks became more intense but still irregular and
I had only 3 hours sleep that night. The next day (Friday) I was feeling
dreadful and managed to get my mother-in-law and mother out to help
me with my toddler while I had a rest and a nap. Of course everything
started in earnest at midnight when my husband had passed out after
an exhausting week at work.
The contractions were more painful but I still kept telling myself
that this wasn't it as they were still irregular. Around 1am hubby
had to apply pressure with heat packs on my lower abdomen and back
during each contraction which were about 5-8 mins apart. We rang Jane
at 2am and decided to wait a little longer. Around 3.30 am I rang
her again and asked her to come. She arrived about 4am and we were
in full swing with me leaning over the bed and groaning. We had lavender
oil burning, ice chips (diluted apple juice) and rescue remedy and
lots of heat packs. I was 3-4 cms. Contractions were getting more
frequent and painful and I was terrified at the thought of moving
to the car.
Called my mother and sister at 5am as Mum was staying with Sam and
Justine was our other support person. Somehow I shuffled to the car
but couldn't bear to be upright so I leaned forward at 90 degrees
onto my husband Bruce's hands. The car ride was atrocious with me
in the back seat leaning forward onto the passenger seat and screaming
for Bruce to stop at every contraction. Luckily it was early Saturday
morning and the car trip only took about 10 mins. Before I left I
was 5 cms dilated.
I walked to the birth centre still at a 90 degree angle managing
to have 2 contractions in the spaces of 10 metres. Once in I was back
in my preferred position of leaning on the armchair kneeling on the
floor with heat packs pressed firmly at the front and back. I could
not have done without those heat packs. I quickly progressed to 2nd
stage and was pushing at 7.30am. I tried squatting briefly but that
only resulted in the bag of waters bursting with a pop on the midwife's
face and me feeling out of control so back to the kneeling position.
After 1 hr and 15 mins pushing, Max was born at 8.44am Sat 21 Sep.
He was 8lb 2oz (3.64kg), 50.5 cms long with a 36 cm head. It was a
natural birth with no drugs. I thought I would be elated but mostly
I was relieved. My other main fear (besides the VBAC itself) was having
stitches as I have a tendency to keloid scarring but luckily I got
away with a couple of small tears that didn't need stitches thanks
to Jane coaching me slowly through the crowning. The placenta took
longer to come away than the pushing and I had to get back into the
kneeling position to help it. After 3 months of watching my diet,
I celebrated not with champagne but a strong cup of tea and toast
with strawberry jam. Max did not show signs of being a 'diabetic's
baby' and his blood sugar readings were fine so we went home later
that afternoon.
I had had the perfect labour, birth and baby.
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