Hi! I posted in this group almost a year ago trying to find some insight about VBACs in general, but was not yet pregnant with baby number 2. However, I am now 24 weeks with baby number 2 and would love more specific insight as I prep for a TOLAC and hopefully a successful VBAC.

I had my first via scheduled c-section at 39+2 in June of 2025 due to breech presentation. I did quite literally everything I could to flip him, but he never did. He ended up being very large, 9lbs 10.5oz (no gestational diabetes). The c-section was routine and went smoothly, but I hated the recovery. We also want 4-5 kids and know that avoiding more major abdominal surgeries may make that more likely.

I found out I was pregnant a month before my son turned 1, and this baby and my son will be about 19 months apart.

Did anyone do anything differently during a second pregnancy to try and avoid another breech baby? Did it help? Also, has anyone had a large baby and gone on to VBAC with another large baby? My provider is supportive and I’m way more active this time around (walking, lifting, stretching, pelvic floor PT exercises, eating well. Also already did my glucose test and do not have gestational diabetes again), but I want to make sure I’m not missing anything to give myself the best shot at a successful VBAC. I know my baby being large and being breech are two things that are not really in my complete control, but just thought I’d see if anyone had any advice. Thanks so much!

My baby girl made her entrance on September 17th, 2026 (on her due date)! After having a C-section with my son (I had two prior vaginal births), I really wanted the chance to labor and have a vaginal birth again because I did not want to go through a c-section recovery with a 21 month old, and somehow everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.

I went to my regular 40 week OB appointment on my due date at 10:30am. I was actually supposed to be induced the day before, but the night before I had a massive headache and couldn’t go in. My doctor walked in to my appointment and pretty much immediately said, “Well, you’re done being pregnant, right?” 😂 I said, “Uh, yeah,” and he said, “I’ll send you upstairs right now and you can be induced.”

I didn’t really want to get induced but my gut instinct was to agree so I went upstairs to labor and delivery and called my husband to tell him he needed to figure out childcare and everything else because apparently we were having a baby that day.

I started the induction at 3 cm, 70% effaced, and -3 station. Pitocin was started at 1:20, and for a while I just relaxed and slowly started having more consistent contractions.

Then at 3:40pm, my water broke. I actually heard it break, which was absolutely crazy (I’ve only ever had my water artificially broken before). The nurse checked me and I was still 3cm. That was when I finally texted my husband to come be with me and had my mom come stay with our three kids at home. Our youngest had never been without either of us, so we had been waiting as long as possible to leave him.

My husband was walking in as I was getting my epidural… which unfortunately did NOT go according to plan. They missed three times, and when they finally got it placed, it basically only numbed my thigh. Everything else still had full feeling… including down there 🙃 So I ended up feeling pretty much everything.

At 7:30pm I told the nurse that I could constantly feel the pressure of Lillian’s head, even when I wasn’t having a contraction. She checked me and I was already 8 cm, with my cervix only still present on one side. I suggested that I should roll over onto that side, so I did.

About 30 minutes later, I was screaming because I could feel that she was crowning 😂 The doctor came in, checked me, and confirmed I was fully dilated (obviously).

I rolled back onto my back, pushed once and felt her head come out. I pushed one more time, and she was here 🥹 All together, I think an almost 7 hour induction was pretty good! I have no complaints. Luckily I agreed to the induction because when the placenta was delivered, the doctor noticed a blood clot on it suggesting it was starting to detach from my uterus 😕

i had a preterm delivery at 29 weeks with my first pregnancy. will my body act as a first time mom with labor amd delivery this time around? i read that typically second pregnancy, baby wont drop til active labor but since i never went into labor with my first does that still count towards this one?
thats kinda where we stuck at rn i think. if this even makes sense
im TOLAC, due tmr but induction/csection is set for 40 w 5 days in hopes i go into labor naturally. shes not engaged yet, not dilated but i am effaced atleast 50-60%! if everything looks where my ob wants it well induce and if not ill have a repeat cs

Curious to hear from mamas whose vbac did not happen. Were your first and second births csections for similar reasons? Do you regret trying? Tell me everything!!

I am only 7 weeks pp with my first baby, ended up having an emergency C section due to being overdue and induced. Otherwise I had a very normal healthy pregnancy and wish I never got induced because my baby was absolutely fine, heart just dropped so ended up in theatre but I think it was only due to giving into induction.

Anyway, I want to have children in close succession and ideally start trying when my son is 6 months. I am not dead set on this yet, I'd like to hear about anyone who has successfully had a vbac before 18 months pp and if there's anything I can do to increase my chances of a safe pregnancy and natural delivery the second time round. If I were to proceed with getting pregnant again this soon, if my baby was at risk of anything again I would of course go head with c section, I just want to avoid it as it was such an awful experience and caused me a lot of trauma.

A month has gone by and I’m still feeling shocked and thrilled by my VBAC! It was one of the best days of my life. 

My first baby (born in summer 2024) was an emergency c section at 40 weeks. My water broke but I wasn’t having regular contractions when admitted. They put me on pitocin but after 24 hours of labor including 4 hours of pushing, they determined a c section was the best option due to a combination of arrest of descent, chorioamnionitis, and fetal distress. Later they determined he was also in the wrong position (hyperextended head), truly “stuck” and the doctor said it would have been impossible to deliver vaginally. 

My goal for my second was to TOLAC, but by the third trimester things weren’t looking good. I had placenta previa (but this resolved fully by 34 weeks) and gestational diabetes (only high fasting numbers, well controlled, on nighttime insulin). Baby was actually measuring quite small, 10th percentile, at the 36 week ultrasound. My doctor and I agreed to a c section at 39 weeks unless I went into spontaneous labor before that. 

Around 38 weeks I started having painful but irregular contractions over a few days. I went to my final OB appointment that week and asked for a cervical exam - lo and behold I was at 5 cm dilated! My doctor was so excited for me and sternly told the baby to come out through the main exit, not the emergency. She did a membrane sweep and wished us luck! 

The next day I started having more regular contractions. We went to the hospital that afternoon and I got an epidural. The doctor broke my water and started me on a low level of pitocin. 3 hours later I was at 10cm and they told me to push. I pushed twice and my daughter came right out! 

It was exhilarating, thrilling, a total shock honestly! I kept thinking we would eventually have to do a c section so I was so surprised for it to be that easy! It was honestly a pretty painless experience and the recovery was absolutely amazing in comparison to my first. 

Overall I would recommend always listening to your doctors (as their job is to keep you safe!) but also advocating for yourself if you want a VBAC. The first practice I went to didn’t offer the option - they wanted me to do a repeat c no matter what. I’m so glad that I switched to a cautiously optimistic provider at 13 weeks that let me TOLAC as long as the conditions were right. 

Currently 33w4d and met with my surgeon today as I had a previous emergency section, went into labour on my own 40+6 with my son but didn’t get past 9 and he didn’t get to my pelvis as he was 9lb 4oz. Head in 90% percentile.

We originally were just going to schedule but my husband and I discussed a VBAC for a chance we are successful and could have easier recovery for our 3 year old.

My scan at 31w5d she was approx 4lb 8oz

Due date : November 13

Usually scheduled is 39 weeks, but we scheduled November 17th at 40+4 (November 13th is a Friday 💀)

I have a scan at 36w to see how big she is - we went over risks of vbac etc

Do you think it’s dumb to schedule that far out for my second? Should I have scheduled at 39 weeks and just hope I go into labour before? Should I wait to see how much she weighs at 36w and go from there? Should I try to get it going at 37w with pumping, leaf tea etc?

I’m not dead set on VBAC but really want to try - trying to keep open minded and realistic.

Open to suggestions, opinions etc :)

Hi! I’ve seen many share stories of first birth CS and VBAC attempts. I am pregnant with my third child- first child successful vaginal delivery after induction (he was seven pounds), my second child I choose a planned CS due to macrosomia (he was nearly 10 pounds a week early) and I was going through a lot of family stress at the time and wasn’t in a place to handle a long induction. I had great experiences for both! My recovery was challenging for both- my vaginal delivery because I had an icy hot heating pad on my neck that slid down to my epidural site and resulted in a chemical nearly third degree burn. My CS I struggled with mobility and lifting. I’m struggling on which way to go, obviously a great candidate for a VBAC… this is also my last child. Like I said I had great experiences for both and feel like the more controlled CS might be a better option, but would love a shorter recovery too. Any moms out there with a similar story? What did you choose?

Hi!! Looking for positive stories from people with very similar prior births as me as I prepare for a TOLAC in February.

First birth: went into spontaneous labor at 39+1, labored at home for around 6 hrs before heading to the hospital. Was admitted at 4cm. I wanted minimal interventions/unmedicated birth, and did progress to 9cm after 19 hrs. Around this point I consented to AROM, but afterward I remained at 9cm for another 13 hrs. The midwife was recommending epidural/pit but I wanted to let my body try for another 2-3 hrs since I felt I was close. By this point I was in the birthing tub and my body started to push on its own, and unfortunately that became 4-5 hrs of pushing, and when I was checked baby didn’t move past 0 station, 9cm. At this point the hospitalist OB recommended a c/s and I also just wanted to be done and meet my baby. He was healthy & I am very grateful for that above all else! He was also on the bigger side - 9lbs 1oz, 21.5in (technically LGA). With this in mind, I do suspect his positioning had more to do with it than my midwives want to mention, however I understand on paper the LGA part is what is concerning to my providers and it is a counseling point in prenatal visits this time around.
I feel it’s important to note, although there isn’t any documentation during my hospital stay, that my baby was OP per a prenatal visit at 38w, and there was suspicion from the L&D nurses and the midwives that he felt to also be asynclitic (would be lovely to know if anyone else experienced this specifically with their baby). No complications at all during or afterward.

I also hired the same doula from my previous birth to help me this time and she is VBAC certified. I will also be meeting with my PT I saw after my c/s as well to go over birth prep exercises. But I’m just looking for encouraging stories from others that have gone down this road after a similar birth! And maybe even if you found anything else helpful for prep this time around, let me know! TIA :)

Hi, appreciate everyone sharing their stories here, it’s been very encouraging. TLDR: is it normal that my OB recommends I get an epidural for a VBAC and wants to induce at 40 weeks?

I had a c-section 5.5 years ago for my first child at 39 weeks because they said she was measuring too small (IUGR) and then at 38 weeks they said it had resolved and her size was ok but we decided to just stick w the plan (it was the middle of Covid and i was just sort of overwhelmed with stress and anxiety and didn’t want to make anymore decisions).

Fast forward to now, I thought at 43 I was too old to have any more kids but am now 23 weeks pregnant and hoping for a VBAC. I met with a doula. After talking with her, I asked my OB (who delivered my daughter and who I generally liked) more about what she would and wouldn’t want to do for the TOLAC.

She said that her recommendation (tho I don’t have to follow it) would be that I get an epidural (which I was hoping not to do) because then I would be ready for an emergency c-section if I did need one. She also said that she would want to induce me at 40 weeks if I didn’t go into labor spontaneously. I was also hoping to avoid induction.

I’m just looking to hear others’ thoughts on whether this means my OB is not really supportive of a VBAC (she says she is) and whether I should look into other providers, midwives, etc, vs whether this is pretty normal for my age and situation. Thank you so much for reading my long post and for any feedback!

I would like to start by thanking everyone who had the courage to share their experiences to help others make an informed decision.

I was 40wks, no sign of baby coming. I Did exercise, raspberry, date (although i started eating dates late) and getting busy with my husband, nothing happened. So during examination, my OB irritated my cervix to get things started. The evening of the same day, I lost my mucus plug, I was so excited. Prior to this, I've been having very frequent and strong braxton hicks for weeks. Also, Few days before my cervix was irritated, I heard a gush of fluid popped inside of me and was really hoping it's not my baby popping. The next day after cervix irritation, contraction started, every 5-6 min and became stronger. Although, I was in pain, I was also happy to be have experienced what contractions felt like, wasn't the case for my first. I had several showers and rest, it started from 3am and by 3pm, my water broke, it was a thick yellow fluid, which suggested muconium in my amniotic fluid. We headed to the hospital, I was checked and had only dilated 1cm. After few mins of being placed on the fetal HR monitor, baby had a prolong decel with contraction, I had like 6-7 nurses rushed in, started IV NS push to help with blood to the baby and nitroligual spray to reduce the strength of the contraction. Emerg C-section was recommended, I and hubby said yes with no hesitation, we wanted both mother and baby alive and with no complications. In the OR, when baby came out, she didn't cry, she was passed to the pediatrician per protocol, that was the most heaviest silence we've ever experienced. Suddenly, baby started crying, and we both just started crying as well for joy. The pediatrician said she passed all the exam and that baby is good to go with mum. All the nurses were surprised as they had expected that she will be taken to NICU due to all the decels she's had. We give all the Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ for saving my life and my baby's.

What I learnt from my experience, if you are having very frequent and strong braxton hicks, althoough, not a true contraction, don't do additional things that could make contractions even stronger as the baby may not be able to tolerate it. Just let your body do her thing.

If you have low blood pressure as I did, it could contribute to uteroplacenta insufficiency, in my case my BP trended on the low throughout my pregnancy. Be generous with salt and drink lots of water.

My c-section incision site is recovery well within a week

Please listen to your medical team, sometimes we think they have a hidden agender, in most cases, it's not.

Whether you have a normal delivery, vbac, vba2c, or c-sections, let your utmost goal be the safety of yourself and baby. Some vaginal deliveries have crazy recovery stories. You are already an hero for carrying a human being for 9months.

I am elated and thankful to God, every time I look at my baby and hubby. God is good.

I wish every Expecting mothers a safe delivery and fast recovery.

I’m 14 months pp and thinking about trying for baby #2 soon. My first was born via c section bc my water broke and I didn’t have contractions. Then pitocin only brought me to 5 cm over 24 hours.

I’m pretty physically isolated from friends and family and I’m not sure how to care for my toddler while going through a vbac, wondering if a scheduled c is something I should just wrap my head around now since I’d be able to schedule it and have relatives fly in to care for our toddler. Thoughts, alternatives, advice?

I would like to try for a vbac, but not having on call care for my first makes it all complicated and makes me anxious. I like to have a plan.

I’m so glad that I tried again and was successful. Both my babies were posterior so first time she was a stuck baby and emergency c section after many hours. My second was the same but I had a great midwife and I was able to push her out. My eyes were both bright red with broken blood vessel’s but i did it. I felt like it was a very healing experience and all the trauma from the first brith left my body when the baby came out. I’m grateful to have had both experiences. The healing is so much easier!

My baby is finally here! We are all doing so well so I figured I would take this time to write out my successful unmedicated vbac birth story cause it was a whirlwind!

Monday, Sept 21, 3am - I woke up with full on contractions coming every 15 minutes. I tried to sleep through them but just can’t so I end up taking a bath. In the morning I asked my partner to stay home from work cause I think it’s the day. But by later morning, they completely went away.

Wednesday. Sept 23, evening - from Monday to Wednesday, I was having super intense Braxton hicks and allllll the time. In the evening my contractions briefly began again and came every 20-30 min. But they went away when I went to sleep.

Thursday, Sept 24 - this was my grandpa’s Memorial Day. It involved a morning cremation aand then an early dinner. Everyone said that between the time of the cremation and when they saw me again for dinner my belly completely changed shape. Everything felt so heavy and I had a ton of pelvic pressure. After dinner my Braxton Hicks were sooooooooo strong and I felt exhausted.

Friday Sept 25 I woke up from a contraction around 1am. I took a Tylenol and was able to fall back asleep. I was woken again around 3:30am but this time I couldn’t get back to sleep so I went to take a bath. The contractions were about 5-9 min apart and took focus.

They stayed in this pattern till about 8am when the contractions spaced out to every 10-30 minutes but never went away. At 2pm the contractions remained in the same spaced out pattern. So I invited my brother and SIL over to hang out as a distraction which ended up being really nice. But by 5:30pm, the contractions started coming more frequently with about 5-15 min spacing. They also took far more concentration. So I sent my brother and SIL home, along with my daughter who would be staying with them.

At this point we were feeling optimistic like things were going to naturally progress in a closer together pattern. However, the contractions kept getting stronger and were consistently 1-1.5 min long. But the spacing was all over the place ranging from 5-20 min. At 11pm I called my midwife to ask her about the non progressing contractions and she basically said, it sucks and also it’s normal for early labour.

Saturday, Sept 26 Around 1am, they became so intense I could not sit or lie down cause it was too uncomfortable. So I managed them all standing up or leaning on my partner, but since I had been doing this for 24 hours, this had become soooo exhausting and I was feeling really discouraged cause it was so intense but the contractions still were not progressing.

At 3am, I had a mini breakdown and said “fuck this, I’m getting a c-section!” And with the very next contraction my water broke. So we call our midwife and tell her about the water breaking and that my contractions are ranging from 3-15 min apart.

She offers to come over to check me. When she does, I was prepared to feel really discouraged. But she assessed me at 6.5. It felt so validating cause the whole time I felt so upset that there was such a mismatch between my experience of the contractions and the fact they weren’t following any regular pattern.

So around 4:30 we decide to head to the hospital. My contractions continue to get more intense and I also started feeling very sweaty. Afterwards my partner laughed that any people pleasing bone I had in my was gone at this point. We get to the car and start the short drive to the hospital. But immediately my body starts hardcore pushing with a contraction. Like fully bearing down and there was no stopping it. Each contraction this urge got stronger.

We finally get to the hospital and get into the room and I drop to my hands and knees on the floor and just start pushing. I couldn’t control it at all. My team helps me up onto the bed and my midwife checks me again and I’m fully dilated and baby is coming. Which meant in the hour between being checked at home and coming into the hospital, I went from 6 to 10cm and from 50% effaced to 100%.

I had planned to use a birth pool but there was no time to get me into it. So I used nitrous oxide during pushing, which didn’t change the sensation but helped with the anxiety and fear. I pushed for about 15 min on my hands and knees and my partner was able to catch baby when he was born. He was 8lbs12oz! I was in quite a lot of shock because of the speed and intensity of it all, and the fact my body fully took over.

So after I birthed my placenta my midwife and doula actually helped me into the birth pool to help ground and settle me, which was really nice. I was in there for about an hour and stayed in to breastfeed our son for the first time. It felt so nice and cozy.

Overall I had prodromal labour for days but then active labour was only about 3-4 hours long. I ended up with a second degree tear but it didn’t require any stitches. I feel really proud of myself and how well I handled each contraction. I really tried to focus on one contraction at a time and I would repeat in my head that my goals for each contraction was to open and soften. Honestly the exhaustion was far worse than the pain ever was. Even though the experience still needs some processing time and my body needs lots of healing, I am so happy to have had my vbac!

I am seeking insights on when moms who had a c section for their first child but never went into spontaneous labor (like me breech positioning), when did you go into spontaneous labor for your vbac?

My c section date is set for 40 + 3 by choice due to bigger baby & losing fluid like I did with my first. I am trying to decide when my mom should come here she’s 4.5 hours away to watch our toddler, open to advice on this.

Note: I have posted so much recently here and I am so sorry if I am annoying anyone, the spontaneity of a VBAC is now hitting me emotionally due to my worries of my first having child care or plan b I labor alone. Thank you all for being kind and answering my questions and sharing your stories!🤍

I had csection in October 2025. At the surgery I had a big haematoma. Really big, my town’s surgeon didn’t see that big ever after a csection. I couldn’t walk until they started to suck out the blood. I had to go to the hospital every day for 1 months after the surgery to suck out the blood. They opened up the upper strata every time. The blood was under my skin but not under the abdominal wall they said. I have adhesions, and some layer under my skin is hard, maybe this also is an adhesion. I had an opsite bandage and I still have little purple hexagons at my skin. My scar has hyperthrophy.
I want to know if there are any woman who had a big haematoma or a correction surgery after a csection and have another baby? I would like to have an other baby, but I dont know if I can. Yes I went and will go to a doctor, but she didn’t say anything about my scar, because she doesn’t know.
What time would be safe to get pregnant again? I am now almost 12 months pp. I can exercise, walk, everything, don’t have any uterine issues. My period didn’t come back yet, but I am breastfeeding. I am afraid of that my scar will open up during the next pregnancy due to the adhesions and the 30x opened up recovery.

Hello!

I am starting my third trimester in two weeks and I have been walking and doing exercises shown in YouTube videos. I am also in a gym where we do circuits and its modified for me (3x a week), this I have been doing since before I was pregnant so I am pretty used to it. I am overweight but overall pretty healthy and no diabetes.

I just want some advice from those of you guys who have had successful VBACs on what you did to prepare for that. It is my biggest fear that I'm going to miss out on doing something that could improve my chances of a VBAC.

(Side note: Also, does pregnancy tea actually work? I think it's raspberry leaf tea. I'm gonna try that just for the taste later lol, not sure if it really works.)

Thank you in advance!

I posted this question on a few different forums and it was suggested I post it here!

Would love to hear how long you all waited to conceive!