Category: birth


Mar
2013

Trying for a VBAC: Preparing

categories: baby, birth, medical, pregnancy, vbac
Our second baby is due at the end of April, and we are hoping and trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section).  This is one of a series of posts about Trying for a VBAC.  There are many reasons why we are heading this direction and I hope to share them with y’all over the next few months.  You can read the Bear’s full birth story here to see what our first child’s birth entailed.  If you read that story you will get a little glimpse into why we are now on this journey to VBAC and a normal birth.  This process has been all consuming for me and this blog is my space to express the way I feel about the whole situation.  Many folks have strong opinions about VBAC vs. repeat cesarean, and I hope that whatever your opinion might be you will respect mine.  VBAC is not the right decision for every c-mama, and it doesn’t always work out no matter how you prepare.  Our hope and prayer is that we can have the best birth possible for our little girl. *UPDATE* We had a successful VBAC with our daughter and you can read her full birth story here.
This week I’m sharing what we’ve done to prepare so far for a VBAC.  I’m not an expert by any means, but I’d love for others who are on this path to one example of how to prepare.
 
1) Do your research.  Read, read, and read some more.  Talk to your OB.  Talk to another OB.  Talk to the ladies in your local ICAN chapter or online.  Talk to your partner and get on the same page.  Watch The Business of Being Born together. If you come to the conclusion that you want to try for a VBAC, go for it!  The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has come out recently in favor of most c-section moms having a trial of labor after cesarean.  If your doctor says anything to the contrary they are going against their own governing body.  That being said, there is a small percentage of women who do not qualify for VBAC.  If you have found a doctor who is known for supporting trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) and she says you are not a candidate for a particular reason, that is important.
2) Find a supportive OB or Midwife.  My former OB is awesome and I love her as a person, but she just doesn’t do VBACs.  She told me that I was a good candidate but that she just didn’t do them.  I started looking for a new doctor soon after that appointment, long before I was even pregnant again.  My first choice was a midwife run birth center, but the one I like only does 2VBACs, not first time VBACs.  They recommended my new OB, as did my ICAN chapter.  The first time I met her I knew she was a great fit.  She loves natural labor and backs up the birth center I researched.  She read through my records and told me I should have at least an 80% chance of successful VBAC and she would be happy to support my birth choices.  Such a relief.  She doesn’t induce without medical reason, and won’t talk about induction for a VBAC mama until I hit almost 42 weeks.  Yay!  She even recommended I hire a doula, and gave me several cards of doulas she likes to work with.  This is not normal for OBs, but is sure does rock.
3) Hire a Doula.  A doula is a birth assistant.  They don’t take the place of your partner or your OB/midwife, but they can help coach you through labor and achieve your birthing goals.  Rates of VBAC drastically increase when a doula is part of a birth team.  Doulas cost anywhere from $250-over $1000, depending on the experience of the doula and the rates in your area.   I interviewed several doulas until I found the right one.  She will meet with us to create our birth plan and also work with us to teach us natural child birth techniques.
4) Take a Natural Child Birth Class. We took the natural childbirth class offered by our former hospital, and it was a joke.  This time I’ve taken some classes online, read several books, listened to Hypnobabies cds, and will have a private refresher course with our doula.  There are Lamaze, Bradley, Hypnobabies and Hypnobirthing classes in most metro areas.  If you live far outside a city, get yourself on Amazon and order some books.
5) Practice Relaxation Techniques and Positioning Exercises.  If you want to use a certain technique for labor, practice it now.  I’ve been working on my breathing, relaxing tense muscles, and repeating my positive birth affirmations (cheesy, I know, but people swear by them).  Bear was in a poor birthing position, so I’ve been practicing the exercises from Spinning Babies and using my birth ball instead of slumping on the couch. I prepared a DIY heating pad using rice and a sock, and scented with lavender essential oil for calming and relaxation.
6) Create a Birth Plan and Share It with Your Team.  I’ve worked on mine and have it narrowed down to what I want and don’t want for the most part.  I’ll flesh it out with Jed and my doula next week, then discuss it with my OB.  Last time I had a birth plan but I’m pretty sure none of the doctors or nurses ever looked at it.  I was so wishy-washy about what I wanted that I ended up with none of it.  This time around it may still go off course, but at least I will have made informed choices about my preferences.  I think this step would be especially important if your mom or other family members will be in the room.  They may get totally thrown off by delayed cord clamping or the squatting bar. You can read our complete birth plan here.
7) Make Sure Your Birth Location Lines Up with Your Plan.  If you plan to birth at home, this one is a little easier.  Most birthing centers and hospitals have policies in place that aren’t flexible.  You need to know what those are before you are there in labor.  Can you move around during labor?  Will you have access to a shower or birth tub?  Are birth balls provided? Can you eat or drink? Can you wear your own clothes? Can your baby stay with you for several hours after birth?  Whatever it is that is important to you, make sure you have peace of mind about it long before labor starts.  We were so relieved after our hospital tour because so many of the things we thought we might have to fight for are normal practice there.  Yay!
8) Trust Your Body and Your Instincts.  Your body was MADE by your Creator to do this.  You were given all the instincts you need to birth without assistance.  Technology is great, but it can also convince us that we are helpless without it.  You are not helpless.  You are an amazing woman who is carrying a life inside her and trying to do what is best for that baby and your own body.  Trust that.
More on Resources for VBAC Preparation:
From Growing Slower
Hiring a Doula
Find a Doula in Your Area
Find a Lamaze Class
Birth Boot Camp Classes
Spinning Babies
Click here to read all of my Trying for a VBAC Series.
Looking for resources and information about VBAC and cesarean recovery?  Try these:
International Cesarean Awareness Network
VBAC.com
Birth Without Fear
VBAC Facts
The Unnecesarean
How did you prepare for birth (of any kind)?

 


Feb
2013

Trying for a VBAC: Risks vs Benefits

categories: baby, birth, medical, pregnancy, vbac
Today I’m addressing the most common question about our quest for a VBAC: What are the risks and benefits of a VBAC vs a repeat cesarean? A little about this series: Our second baby is due at the end of April, and we are hoping and trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section).  There are many reasons why we are heading this direction and I hope to share them with y’all over the next few months.  You can read the other posts in my Trying for a VBAC series here.  You can read the Bear’s full birth story here to see what our first child’s birth entailed.  If you read that story you will get a little glimpse into why we are now on this journey to VBAC and a normal birth.  This process has been all consuming for me and this blog is my space to express the way I feel about the whole situation.  Many folks have strong opinions about VBAC vs. repeat cesarean, and I hope that whatever your opinion might be you will respect mine.  VBAC is not the right decision for every c-mama, and it doesn’t always work out no matter how you prepare.  Our hope and prayer is that we can have the best birth possible for our little girl.  I am not in any way a medical professional, just a mama who loves nerding out over research.
Risks VS Benefits of a VBAC or Elective Repeat Cesarean Section
First lets look at the risks of both, lined up together.  I’ll start with what I like to call the “Big Scaries”.
Big Scary #1: Risk of Baby Dying
VBAC – 0.2% vs C-Section (ERCS) – 0.1%
Both rates are very low, but slightly higher for VBAC.
Big Scary #2: Risk of Uterine Rupture
VBAC – 0.4% vs C-Section (ERCS) – 0.2%
Did you know you could have a rupture with an ERCS?  I didn’t either.  The next facts really shocked me.  Let’s look at the risk of uterine rupture for 1st time moms in natural births vs those induced and augmented with pitocin and/or prostoglandins.
Natural, spontaneous labor – 0.012%
Spontaneous labor augmented (prostoglandins, pitocin, etc) – 0.9%
Induced Labor – 1% (WHAT???)
When I read those numbers from multiple scientific studies, I was seriously angry at my previous OB who mentioned none of the risks of induction.  If you were induced or had augmentation during labor, did your OB mention the more than doubled risk of uterine rupture?  I’d really like to know.  I’ve asked a lot of mamas and across the board I’ve not heard of anyone being told this by their OB.  Not cool.
Big Scary #3: Risk of Mom Dying
VBAC – 0.02% vs C-Section (ERCS) – 0.04%
Both rates are very low, but slightly higher for c-section.  The problem is that this rate increases greatly with each repeat c-section, limiting the potential of family by putting mom at risk.
The other risks of VBAC are the same as normal first time birth, but many other risks increase greatly with a repeat c-section and continue to increase even more with a 3rd, 4th, etc c-section.  I’ve found that most women are told the risks of VBAC I mentioned above but not the risks of repeat c-section. Why is this? Many birth professionals believe it because of 2 things: 1)the bad rap VBACs got during the 1990s when it was common to use drugs like Cytotec to induce labor, greatly increasing the risk of uterine rupture and 2)because a c-section is easier to control for the physician, takes less time, and makes more money. A VBAC or other vaginal birth costs around $3-5000 while a c-section costs upwards of $25,000 for the patient.  I support every woman’s right to choose the birth that she feels is best for her baby and herself, but I believe we also have the right to know the risks and benefits of each choice.
Risks to Baby that Increase with Repeat C-Section:
being cut during the surgery
premature birth (and all the risks that come with that)
respiratory problems at birth and lifelong
readmission to hospital or NICU time
risk of death in first month of life
allergies
asthma
Type 1 Diabetes
problems breastfeeding
Risks to Mom that Increase with Repeat C-Section:
unintended cuts or damage during the surgery
major infection
emergency hysterectomy
blood clots
stroke
ICU time
complications from anesthesia
endometriosis
appendicitis
gallstones
depression and other negative psychological issues
infertility
problems breastfeeding
future pregnancy issues including placenta previa, stillbirth, low birth weight, and ectopic pregnancy
There are plenty of benefits to both choices.  Let’s take a look at them.
Benefits of Repeat C-Section:
scheduled birth – easier to have support network and preparations in place
controlled situation
time to prepare a support network for post op
much faster method for emergencies that threaten the life of baby or mom
less liability for the doctor and hospital
Benefits of VBAC:
faster recovery
better immediate bonding with baby (lack of drugs, etc)
better breastfeeding results
avoid major abdominal surgery and all the risks that entails
birth the way God created our bodies to function
much less expensive
less hospital time
fewer complications for mom and baby
Every mama has to weigh these risks and benefits and come to a decision with their partner and an OB they trust.  My former OB told me I was a great candidate for VBAC but that she didn’t do them, so I looked to my local ICAN chapter to find recommendations for VBAC friendly OBs in my area.  I found an awesome doctor and am so happy with the prenatal care I’ve received.  The information that helped me make my decision to try for a VBAC is the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s (governing body of OB/GYN) recent statement on VBAC.  The most important quote is below and you can find a link to the full statement under the resource links at the bottom of the post.
“The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) agree that that most women with a history of one or two uncomplicated low transverse caesarean sections, in an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy at term and with no contraindications to vaginal birth, are candidates for and should be counseled about VBAC.”
If your OB tells you differently, they are going against the policy of their own governing body and you should probably question their motives.
Looking for resources and information about birth, VBAC, and cesarean  recovery?  Try these:
ACOG Statement about VBAC vs ERCS
International Cesarean Awareness Network
VBAC.com
Birth Without Fear
VBAC Facts
The Unnecesarean


Feb
2013

Trying for a VBAC: Why?

categories: baby, birth, breastfeeding, pregnancy, vbac
Our second baby is due at the end of April, and we are hoping and trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section).  There are many reasons why we are heading this direction and I hope to share them with y’all over the next few months.  You can read the Bear’s full birth story here to see what our first child’s birth entailed.  If you read that story you will get a little glimpse into why we are now on this journey to VBAC and a normal birth.  This process has been all consuming for me and this blog is my space to express the way I feel about the whole situation.  Many folks have strong opinions about VBAC vs. repeat cesarean, and I hope that whatever your opinion might be you will respect mine.  VBAC is not the right decision for every c-mama, and it doesn’t always work out no matter how you prepare.  Our hope and prayer is that we can have the best birth possible for our little girl.
Why try for a VBAC?
After a ton of research and prayer, we feel it is the best option for the health of our baby and my health.  I want a normal birth because it is the way God designed my body, and He made me this way for a reason.  I struggled with the trauma of Bear’s birth for months afterward, and breastfeeding was a HUGE battle.  I’ve since learned those issues are typical with c-section.  If you have had a cesarean and fought through the emotions of losing the birth you hoped and planned for, you are not alone.  C-section is meant to be an emergency last ditch option when the life of mom or baby is in jeopardy.  There are many occasions when it is completely necessary and in those cases we thank God it is available. Having had a prior c-section is just not always one of those.  It turns out that induction without medical reason increases your chance of a c-section by up to 75%.  My previous doctor failed to mention that when she tried to schedule Bear’s birth around a holiday.
C-section can be a literal life saver, but it does not come without cost.  Any c-mama will tell you that recovery is a beast.  I don’t remember the first few weeks of Bear’s life because of the pain medication.  The only things I could do were sleep and try to nurse.  It was rough, people.  I’m hoping this time around will be very different.  C-section babies have higher rates of asthma and allergies, as well as many other risk factors.  I’ll go in to those in another post.  Even if Mini Bear’s birth does end a c-section because of medical necessity, at least I will know that is a possibility going in and be prepared for that alternative.
I hear a lot of the same questions over and over about this road we are on. Why not just schedule a repeat c-section?  Aren’t you putting yourself and the baby at risk?  What do you have to do to get a VBAC?  I hope to answer those here on the blog over the next few weeks.
You can read more about our breastfeeding battles here: Breastfeeding Part 1 and Breastfeeding Part 2.  The great news is that even though it was a battle at first, we fought through and Bear nursed until he was a little over a year.
Looking for resources and information about VBAC and cesarean recovery?  Try these:
International Cesarean Awareness Network
VBAC.com
Birth Without Fear
VBAC Facts
The Unnecesarean


Jun
2012

Happy Birthday Bear!

categories: birth, family, recipes
Happy 1st birthday to my sweet little boy!
I’m so thankful that you made me a mama one year ago. 
You are the light of my life and am grateful for you every day.  
I’m so excited to see what the future holds for you.
We pray every day that God will mold us into the parents He wants us to be so that we can model His love for you.  We pray that you will be healthy and strong and a man after God’s own heart.  


Jul
2011

Fisher’s Birth Story

categories: baby, birth, family, pregnancy

 Welcome to the world, Fisher Scott Eby.  We are so excited that you’re here.  Our boy is 7 1/2 weeks old now, and we are getting the hang of parenting him a little more each day.  It has taken me a little while to be ready to tell this story.  I did not have the birth I planned or expected, and for some reason I needed to mourn the loss of that for a little while.  As my due date approached, everything was looking good.  I had been 3-4 cm dilated for weeks and almost completely effaced.  Because Fisher was measuring large, my doctor wanted to induce before my due date.  I wanted to wait until a few days after, and she respected that decision, but didn’t want me to wait very long.  We negotiated for 3 days after the due date.
On May 31st we went in for our induction at 8 am.  They told me not to eat, but I’ve never been a rules kid so we hit Chick-fil-a on the way.  I researched eating during labor and saw that the only reason they tell you not to is because of the slim chance of an emergency c-section, and if in case of c-section the slim chance you will have to put under general anethesia.  Jed made me confess to the nurse that I had eaten (he is such a rules kid), and the only consequence was that I had to wait until noon to be eligible for an epidural.  So glad I ate those chicken minis.
I wanted to try to birth without meds, but knew it would be difficult with pitocin contractions.  When we arrived I was 4 cm dilated and totally effaced.  I started progressing well and held off the epidural until around 1.  The reason I went for it was that I had my sister and brother-in-law in the room (who are a nurse and doctor) reading the monitor and telling me the strength of the contractions.  I could handle them ok where they were, but knew they would be getting worse.  Once back labor started I was ready for some meds.
My doctor offices 2 floors below labor and delivery, so she was in and out all day which was unexpected and awesome.  Fisher was flipped sunny side up which makes for a difficult delivery, so she tried to turn him twice.  This was not fun.  Seriously not fun.
After laboring from 10 until 5:30, I was at 10 cm and ready to push.  Fisher was still facing up so I knew I had a hard road ahead.  My doctor, our awesome nurse, my mom, sister, and Jed were all in the room.  I pushed with everything I had for 2 hours without much progress.  Fisher moved only from a -2 to a -1.  My doctor was concerned but knew I wanted to avoid a c-section so she let me push a further 30 minutes.  I have never worked so hard in my whole life.  My epidural wore off for the most part after 1.5 hours of pushing, and the back labor was like no pain I’ve ever experienced.  My sweet sister was my doula and massaged my back throughout the pushing while Jed and our nurse held my legs.  My doctor allowed me to try several different positions (all fours, on my side, etc) but nothing worked.  After 2.5 hours of pushing and no movement, my doctor broke the news that I would have to have a c-section.  She didn’t want to attempt to use forceps or a vacuum because he was stuck behind my pelvis and his shoulder would almost certainly break.  I agreed to a c-section and the wheels went into motion.  I was calm and had a peace about it, but it was pretty scary for Jed.
Because my epidural had stopped working a new had to be put in, but it didn’t work either.  Finally after 45 minutes of trying to get me numb the doctor had to use local and light general anesthesia.  This freaked Jed out because I had eaten a few Luna bars throughout the day (so not a rules kid).  Thankfully Fisher was not in distress so they were able to wait for me to be numb.  The c-section went well and Jed was handed our beautiful baby boy at 8:56 pm, just 13 hours after arriving at the hospital.  He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz, and was 19 in long.

This is our first family photo.  I am totally out of it, but so relieved to have a healthy baby.  I just knew he was a boy the whole pregnancy.  🙂

Our sweet friends and family were in the waiting room for hours so they could meet our boy.  They are awesome.

Fisher was a little bit angry to be out in the world.  
Finally I got to hold him in the recovery room where we tried to nurse and had a few minutes to bond.  I fell in love instantly and am so grateful to have him in my life.  I mourned the birth that I wanted and that was not expected.  It was really hard for me to get over the fact that I couldn’t birth my son the way I wanted to.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for modern medicine because without it my son and I might not be here.  Fisher was so stuck in my pelvis that the nurse had to push him back out so the doctor could pull him out.  Yikes.  There was no way he would have birthed vaginally.  I second guess the decision to induce and wonder if we had waited until he was ready if he would have flipped over to the correct position.  We will never know, and I have to come to terms with the birth I did have.  I was made to be Fisher’s mama, and I am so thankful to the Lord for providing me with a beautiful, healthy son.    
 Did you have a birth plan?  Did your birth go according to plan?  


Jul
2011

Frugal Friday – Baby Announcements: Important or Frivolous?

categories: baby, birth, frugal

I’m working on our birth announcements for Fisher, with a goal of finishing before he reaches 2 months of age. You would think that with him napping 6 times a day it would be easy to knock them out. Not so. I’ve looked at a ton of different designs and debated the expense. I love the one above and have a code for 20 free ones. After that they cost over a dollar each and I have to pay for shipping. Yikes. Is it silly to spend money on birth announcements? I can’t decide. I may print a picture on our home printer instead, or use the code for 50 free prints from Shutterfly. Am I being too cheap? Jed thinks it is a total waste of money, so it comes down to my opinion vs. his. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear some ideas for cheap birth announcements as the sleep deprivation is stunting my creativity.

Hello Green Birth Announcement
Create beautiful birth announcements with Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.


Jun
2011

If you guessed boy, you were…

categories: baby, birth, pregnancy
…right!  Our sweet boy, Fisher Scott Eby, was born on Tuesday.  The birth got a little complicated, but he made it here safe and sound.  I’ll tell that story later, after I catch up on some sleep.  He weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 19 inches long at birth.  We are so in love with him and can’t believe he is ours.  I can’t wait to tell you all about him, but it is almost time to feed him so it will have to wait.  Here is a little picture to tide you over.  Isn’t he the sweetest?  He is already fighting his way out of swaddles at 5 days old.  Look at that double chin!  Ok, I can’t stay away any longer, have to get off the computer.  

   


May
2011

Pregnancy Update – 40 Weeks

categories: baby, birth, pregnancy
So, here we are, at our due date and still waiting.  You might be saying, “Becca, it is totally normal to go past your due date.  Chill out.”  True, but there are a few updates I’ve kept out of the blog until now that made me really think this baby was going to be here weeks ago.  Consider this fair warning if you don’t want TMI about my cervix and come back later.  
The picture above was taken at 36 weeks, and I was already 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  My doctor gave me orders to slow down, take it easy, don’t do anything that could cause labor for 2 more weeks.  I tried my best to follow those orders, but also had a huge fundraiser and a ton of other work stuff to do in the meantime.  At 37 weeks I was between 2-3 cm, and at 38 weeks I was at a 3.  I started having real contractions mixed in with Braxton Hicks (wow, there’s a major difference) at 38 weeks.  A few days before I reached 39 weeks, we had a major false alarm.  I had been having pretty powerful contractions all day, and they were anywhere between 4-7 minutes apart.  Because I was already so dilated and had a nightmare about delivering the baby myself the night before, I called the doctor.  She told me to come in to get checked around 8 pm.  We waited a little while longer, then headed to the hospital thinking we might be coming home with a baby.  The strapped me down to the monitors for 3 hours, but I wasn’t progressing at all so they sent us home.  It was awful.  That was 9 days ago.  
My sweet mama couldn’t stand it anymore, so she and my daddy headed here the next morning.  That night I woke up with horrible contractions about 10 minutes apart from about 3:30 am to 5 am.  I didn’t wake anyone up (so nice of me, right?) and just coped by bouncing on the birthing ball, walking around, etc.  I thought that once again, it might be time.  Around 5 am I was able to go back to sleep in between, and woke up 4 hours later like nothing had ever happened.  We spent the rest of the weekend with my parents helping us get stuff done around the house, going on walks twice a day, and eating lots of spicy food.  Still nothing…  
My parents went back home (5 hours away) on Sunday morning, and we went back to waiting.  
This past week was Jed’s last week of teaching, so we were glad to get through it.  He is also in graduate school, so he used this week to get a little ahead.  I’ve had BH contractions all week, and at my 39 week appointment I was between 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  I’ve had several friends tell me that I’m lucky, because they spent hours in hard labor to get to 3-4 cm.  I’m so grateful things are progressing, but I’m just ready for this labor to start in earnest.
I plan to post on Twitter when things get going, so follow along if you’re curious.  To keep yourself entertained in the interim, go HERE and enter to win a $100 giftcard for party and wedding supplies from Ann’s Bridal Bargains.         
How do you keep yourself entertained while waiting for a big, much anticipated event (like labor) to start?