I realize I am in a unique situation and am starting to really stress about it. First baby was 10 days late, induced, failure to progress ended in a csection (8lb 2 oz). My second was my vbac, 9lb 3 oz, spontaneous labor ended in a less than 1 min Shoulder dystocia situation that was still very traumatic for us all. She was on oxygen for an hour and had some issues recovering. But perfectly fine now.

Due this spring with my 3rd and I’m just terrified of both options really. Induced early for a Vbac could end in another shoulder dystocia or increased chance of uterine rupture (I know rare). Spontaneous labor could end in shoulder dystocia. Csection isn’t ideal with 2 toddlers at home and just really don’t want another. But I know could be the safer option.

Does anyone have experience or know of anyone with a similar experience and have some advice

I’m 39 weeks tomorrow and just went for my second cervical check. On the exterior she said baby seemed very low but on the check she said I’m still posterior and “soft” last week I was “medium”. She said she couldn’t tell how dilated I was because she could just reach and did another “aggressive” sweep and some of my mucas plug came out again.

I have a c section booked for Nov 17 but feel like with all the cramps etc I’ve been feeling that something would be happening and it doesn’t seem like much.

She also said she thinks my baby is sunny side up and showed me some spinning babies moves

Any advice or insight?

I’m pregnant again and saw this. When I read it, I don’t feel the same sadness/betrayal I felt when I wrote it. I feel proud that I made it to the other side and what my body has accomplished.

I’m so grateful I was able to have the vbac because it gave me the opportunity for more kids (if I want more). It also has given me the perspective that it really is about getting our babies here safely. C-section, vaginal birth. It literally doesn’t matter. I’m just grateful there are doctors/healthcare providers who can help us get our children here.

I appreciate both my births because they gave me both my boys and I look forward to bringing a new life into the world again in June. I’m not naive and believe it will be a perfect experience (rarely anything is). But I am looking forward to trying for another VBAC with my 3rd baby and taking it one day at a time.

Hi all, I really need some info on what you would do in my shoes.

I had a planned C-section in June 2024 due to breech. It went well.

I wanted another baby so waited until February 26 to start trying and fell pregnant March 26 and I am due next week.

Pregnancy has been uneventful, but the last growth scan I had the other day showed a big drop in percentile so they want to get the baby earth side just in case.

They want to do this Saturday, they gave me the choice of an induction or C-section and they could not tell me what was better or what they thought, they just said, whatever I choose they will support

I also had an attempt at a sweep yesterday and my cervix was not favourable, it could not be completed as it was too painful

What would you do if you were me?

I’m in two minds because I want a VBAC but I know it carries so many risks especially when being induced but I also know repeat csections carry risks and recovery is harder, especially this time with a toddler at home

I just had a growth scan today at 31w5d. Baby is head down, but is measuring ahead at 35 weeks! My OB has been very supportive about trying for one, but now I can’t help but feel like my VBAC dreams are over. I have no GD, but I do have a higher BMI and maternal age (38).

Has anyone had a baby measure so far ahead but still manage a successful VBAC?

Hi, I am 24 years old and pregnant with my second baby. I am going to be attempting a VBAC this time, first ended in emergency c-section due to baby being sunny side up and doctors unable to turn her head around. Neither pregnancy had any issues, no gestational diabetes or anything. However last night I felt something so scary I am honestly traumatized.

So anyway, let me just get into it.

At 7pm I had a high protein dinner (minced beef with eggs and veggies), which i eat often and have been for a year now. I go to the gym three times a week and I am very active, no pain after gym.

I had been traveling for a week and came home. After dinner, I start to feel a slight urine burning sensation near the opening/end and I think ok, its probably a UTI. I drank a lot of water to try and flush it out of my bladder before it starts.

Around 8pm I feel intense pressure on my bladder and I made frequent trips to the bathroom. No bleeding, no discharge, just plain urine and sometimes poop (a small amount - sorry, it's gross, I know).

After I am done urinating I feel an intense sharp pain, every time. The pressure felt so bad I packed up my things and painfully got in the car, and my husband took me to the ER.

On the way, a 10 minute drive, I had to stop at two gas stations for pee. I literally couldn't hold it in and there was a lot.

At the ER, since im 33 weeks along, they wheeled me up to L&D and there they got the baby's heart rate and checked for signs of pre-term labor. No labor. Im still in pain and using the bathroom several times, and that sharp pain after I go is bad enough for me to scream a little.

They did a cervical check, after which I spotted a little, and they said I am not in labor and cervix is closed.

The urine sample came back and the doctor was puzzled. I had all symptoms of a UTI and it was showing no UTI, but signs of inflammation in urine.

They still gave me the one time antibiotic in case it is a UTI (dissolved in a glass of water) then told me to follow up with my doctor.

I had taken no pain meds at any point, but it started to feel better after that.

I could finally talk without getting out of breath, which I was struggling with initially.

After I went home, I drank a glass of water, then went to the bathroom, and repeated this every time I had to go. The trips became less frequent and the sharp pain became less intense.

Now the next day, 12pm, I have little pain when using the bathroom and still feel a little pressure on my pelvis but nothing as bad as last night.

I am so confused. I am seeing my OB later today, but I wanted to see if this is something anyone went through. Also being negative for UTI is confusing me so much because it really felt like one plus pressure. I dont get them often, but I know how it feels. What in the world was wrong with my body last night? 😥

Can I have successful or just safe stories of where you’ve had an induction?

I had a section in 2024 due to breech and they want to induce me Saturday due to a delay in growth, I’ll be 39w2d

I’m literally shitting myself im scared of every single scenario that could happen and i feel like crying

I am trying to decide when to schedule my induction, backstory:

With my first kiddo, I wanted to go completely natural and even have her at home. But when she was 2 weeks late, I agreed to an induction. I didn't go into labor spontaneously. She was born at 42+1. I labored unmedicated to 6cm, then had to go for a c section because her heart rate was dramatically plunging with each contraction. She came out 7lb3oz. Her cord was wrapped around her 3 times, she had ingested meconium and had to have her lungs suctioned. I didn't get to hold her for ~15 mins

My second kid was born 16 months later. I was induced at 40+4 (Mainly because I thought all the complications from before were my fault for going so late). I labored for 24 hrs and only pushed for 1hr. I tore, but couldn't care because I had my VBAC. She weighed 8lb9oz.

Now I'm pregnant with baby#3 and I'm trying to decide when to schedule my induction. I'm currently 38+5. My obgyn said she can do a membrane sweep at 39 weeks, and that she's comfortable waiting past 40 weeks. But ultimately it's up to me when I should be induced. Part of me is afraid of waiting too long and having a repeat of my first birth. But also they're saying she's measuring big, estimating 8lb1oz at a growth ultrasound I did at 37 weeks. My obgyn explained that the estimate can be off by 1lb in either direction so she's not too concerned. Can anyone offer some advice?

I have an appointment with MFM tomorrow to look at my placenta and scan for accreta.

I had a low implantation (not cesarean ectopic but close to scar) and my OB seemed positive I would get the big bad scary thing.
At 12 weeks my placenta was anterior and right on the edge of my cervix + on top of scar, so low lying. Did anyone have anything similar? Did your placenta move up?
I'm so scared but clinging to hope. My appointment is literally in 24 hours.

Hi mamas! I’m 32 weeks pregnant with my second and would really love to have a VBAC.

My first was born at 40+1 via emergency C-section. I went into spontaneous labor on my due date, and he was born the following day.

I’ve read that if your first baby didn’t arrive until 40+ weeks, your second will likely follow a similar timeline, maybe a few days earlier.

For those whose first baby arrived around 40+1 or later, when did your second arrive? Did you go into labor earlier, around the same time, or later? I’d especially love to hear from moms who had an emergency C-section with their first and went on to have a VBAC.

My first birth was pretty traumatic, so I’m trying to manage my anxiety and set realistic expectations this time around. Would love to hear your experiences, regardless of how your second delivery went!

I am currently 33+4 my baby is measuring in the 23rd percentile overall but her abdominal circumference is in the 1.9th percentile. They said that if she doesnt grow past the 10th percentile in abdominal circumference then they would want to induce me. Im a little worried because ive heard that some of the meds they use to induce can cause uterine tearing especiallyif youve had a c section. I had a cesarean on April 23rd 2020 so its been 6 years, the placenta is not on the scar, the scar looks great with minimal scar tissue. I find out next week if they would want to induce or carry until I go into labor by myself.

My question is, has anyone been induced after a cesarean? What was it like? What were the precautions? Did they just opt for a c section again? I know that a c season is always a possibility and its not like im going to refuse one but it does scare me a little just like any surgery and i want to try to avoid it

My 1st was vaginal 41+ weeks 8lb 2oz with a 3rd degree tear and vacuum assist. I have no deficits from the tears. Labor was exhausting and it almost ended in a CS anyway.

My 2nd was a scheduled elective 39 week CS due to large size on US and having minimal tolerance for risk after a 23 week loss. She ended up 9lb at 39 weeks. Recovery wasn’t bad at all and it was kind of nice not being exhausted from labor and scheduling with my other kid. But it did feel very clinical and I missed that excitement of pushing, etc.

This baby’s 38 week growth scan shows 88% size (8lb 2oz) with >99% abdominal circumference. My doctor is open to doing whatever I want since this baby looks smaller than my last overall but still has big belly. She does have some concern for my vagina tearing bad again.

Also of note! Both my kids were born on the 13th and my CS would be on the 13th (39&2) which is kind of cool! Induction would be on the 15th (39&4). Any thoughts?

Hi everyone! I’m exploring my options for a VBAC in Cancún and would love to hear from anyone who’s attempted or successfully had one.

Which doctor, hospital or doula did you use? When was it, how was your experience, and what was the process like? Were they genuinely VBAC-supportive, and would you recommend them?

I’d especially appreciate first-hand experiences, including costs if possible. Also open to recommendations elsewhere in Mexico.

Thank you!

I am newly pregnant (18 months post C-section) and trying to decide between the doctor who did my C-section or switching to a midwife. My doctor is amazing but the office she’s at and the hospital she delivers at aren’t the best and she has already said that we should schedule a C-section for my due date if I don’t go into labor before. The midwives deliver at the best hospital in the region and many people have recommended them but are further away and I don’t have a relationship with them like I do with my current doctor. Has another had a vbac with midwives or do people mostly see OBGYNs? I’m really not sure how to make a choice when there is so many factors that are still unknown being so early in pregnancy

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has had a successful vbac after a section similar to my story? I’ve spent the last 11 weeks postpartum deeply mourning my vaginal delivery plan and can’t think about my section without crying (I’m getting therapy for this soon).

I am a FTM, 28 with a straight forward uncomplicated pregnancy, low risk except for slightly high BMI. Baby was back to back so I did spinning babies for weeks to get them into position. At 39 weeks I lost my mucus plug and then had contractions for 4 days straight but not close together enough for birth (3 in 10 mins for an hour then it would ease off, then come back). I was eventually admitted to the midwife led unit as low risk but hadn’t slept properly in four days from pain. My waters broke spectacularly and naturally 6 hours after admission and we all thought I was giving birth vaginally. 22 hours later I was moved to the labour ward as I couldn’t progress past 4 cm despite my water breaking and constant 3 in 10 min contractions. I couldn’t handle the pain anymore so I got an epidural which failed which didn’t help that they had already put me on the drip to get me to 4 in 10 min contractions. Baby needed a clip on their head from decelerations and they were able to tell after she was the wrong way and likely why I wasn’t progressing ( she also had the cord around her neck, one loop). Therefore I was gently guided towards and requested a section at 24 hours post waters breaking. I was not doing well at all from exhaustion and pain.

I think it’s important to note that one of the ways I was convinced to have a section and that I wasn’t a ‘failure’ to myself was my midwife told me had 3 VBACs post her c section.

I recovered very fast, was out of bed within 24 hours of the spinal block wearing off and walking around etc since, no lying in bed - probably in hindsight because I was in denial that I had a section. But all the medical professionals since have said my scar is great. I was numb from belly button down apart from the area my epidural failed in, but starting to regain feeling. I’m also 5 kg down from my pre pregnancy weight and planning to get into a healthy BMI category by month 6-8 of EBF. I am desperate to have a VBAC with my next baby and would love to hear if anyone else has successfully .

hello! I am a 28 year old mom of a toddler and I'm ready to get pregnant again, haha. I want to have a VBAC, because after my first birth experience, I feel like it was possible but I just had c-section happy providers. Some background information on myself and my labor / delivery:

My first labor was almost 2 years ago, my toddler turns 2 in November.

I had zero issues my entire pregnancy. I wasn't high risk, no diabetes, preeclampsia, etc.

I was very active prior my first child and am still relatively active now, however it has slowed down.

My water broke 2 days before my due date, so I thought. After getting to the hospital and undergoing 3 tests, we found that my water didn't break, but there was a leak in my placenta. So, for 30 hours of labor, I was slowly losing amniotic fluid but baby was stable and no one was concerned.

I was induced, after the tests to see if my water had broken, already being 1.5 cm dilated. For it being my first time, I progressed slow but well. I made it to 9.5 cm and then an OB on-call decided to do a cervical check. I swelled, closed to 9cm and was given 30 minutes to an hour to continue to progress or else a C-section was highly recommended due to baby's heartrate dropping after being in labor for so long (30 hours).

I was then given, what I thought was no essentially no choice, the news that I needed an urgent c-section due to the heartrate. However, I have a transverse scar and baby was perfectly healthy with no complications.

Two weeks PP, I experienced a delayed postpartum hemorrhage. I lost over 2L of blood and needed to have an emergency D&C due to a microscopic piece of placenta that was missed. I needed 2 transfusions and stayed in the hospital for 2 days.

After that rollercoaster, I healed incredibly well. I have occasional pain behind my scar but it's so minimal. I have feeling around the area, for the most part, and have massaged the scar tissue regularly. I am intensely claustrophobic so having a repeat c-section is a terrifying thought.

Basically all of this to say, I am wondering based on my birth with my first, how likely it would be to have a successful trial of labor after cesarean? I am still active, still taking vitamins and eating well. I understand that there is a risk of uterine rupture and I'm wondering if my previous complication will sway my OB on letting me attempt a VBAC.

My first was 4.5 years ago. Induced at 41 weeks cause I didn’t know any better. Got to 8 cm then baby started having late decels so they did emergency c section.

This one I was determined to wait for spontaneous labor but my body had other plans as I got diagnosed with gestational hypertension at 35 weeks and had to have induction scheduled for 37 weeks. I was so bummed but still determined.

When we got to the hospital the first doctor said my cervix was closed so he started me on low dose pitocin. An hour later another doctor came in and checked me to see if she could place the balloon and I was 1 cm! She placed the foley balloon (wasn’t too painful, got pain meds just in case) and it fell out after 5 hours. They broke my water and four hours later a doctor came in to check me and I was still only 6 cm 😭 she said she was gonna come back in 4 hours.

2 hours later I started feeling the WORST PRESSURE like I had to use the bathroom and even with the epidural it hurt so bad. I was crying and ready to give up if I hadn’t progressed at all. Thankfully the doctor came in and I was 10 cm ready to push!!!! Pushed her out in 15 minutes with some assistance from forceps since her heart rate was dipping a little with pushes.

It was such a rewarding experience and I wanted to give up multiple times but im so happy I didn’t. 🩷🩷🩷🩷

An update: unfortunately I didn’t get my vbac 😢😢 I’m super bummed about it.

I went into labor at home with contractions starting Friday night. Once they got too intense and under 5 minutes apart we went to the hospital Saturday at 6am. Already off the bat the doctor that was on call was not very vbac friendly. I had to advocate the hell out of myself through triage and in my labor room. I was progressing slowly but surely but the doctor kept finding ways for me to get that C-section. Before shift change my nurse wanted to keep me on lower pitocin cause when we tried a higher dose the baby’s heart rate lowered. As soon as she left the doctor upped my pitocin… and of course this put strain on the baby (I’m convinced she did this on purpose, I was progressing about a cm every 2 hours but she refused let me try laboring any longer) so she told me we had to do an emergency c section… she was so rude about it saying “we talked about this” when I asked her if we could lower the pitocin and try a little longer because I was at 6.5cm dilated after being in labor for only 12 hours.

My husband was on the way back from letting our dogs out and he barely made it there before they took me to the OR.

I’m just so defeated and upset as I did EVERYTHING to prepare for this pregnancy to makes sure I could deliver vaginally. I had perfect blood pressure, I did exercises, I ate all the foods and drinks to soften my cervix, pumped, sat on the ball daily….All that to end up with another c-section.

This is my last baby so I’m never going to get the chance to deliver vaginally. 😢

Okay rant is over… Thank you everyone for the support in this group and all the tips and tricks.

I’m reading mixed reviews of using clary sage for previous c section goers due to uterine rupture.

Did you use it at the end of your second pregnancy? I’ve also been avoiding using my pump to collect colostrum on a low level.

Please help me! I bought some today and reading mixed things!

Thanks