VBAC - anyone regretted their decision

I want to give it a go (vbac) and right up to the point where the specialist said "I think we need to take you in and cut this baby out" I was all prepared to give it a go and see what happened.

So .. I wanted to try, but wouldnt have been too dissapointed with having to have an emergency c, as I figured that I had given it a shot and if it had gone well then fantastic and if not at least I knew they were going to keep an eagle eye on me and get me into theatre way before it was a real emergency.

Anyhoo .. when the specialist said that she STRONGLY advised me to have an elective the next morning (no mucking around) I just figured that was the way god had planned it .. so went in and had him cut out.

As long as the baby comes out .. it doesnt really matter how.

KK, what's it like with VBACs in the UK? Are they (medics) generally pro-them and supportive? I'm wondering if the NZ maternity system is better set up to support you in the ideal VBAC?

Sorry - that sounds doom and gloom but it may be a factor.

I'm the other way around. Vaginal birth first time and emergency c-section second time. And even though first time I was cut 'down there' had the suction cap personally my recovery time was way better first time. I was feeling like me old self within less than a week.
Also before Lilly I had been having problems with my pelvic floor muscles since I was 10years old. Afterwards my pelvic muscles were stronger than ever before.

So I would say that if you have a supportive DH, midwife and specialist, and you feel emotionally up to it, try for your VBAC.

I haven't had a c-section so can't comment on that side of things but something that always sticks with me is this insane thing that women do to each other and that is recount their 'horrific' birth stories to anyone who will listen. I heard them ALL before DS1 was born, and though it niggled at the back of my mind I wasn't scared as such. You know what, beside the fact that I didn't get the water birth I truly wanted (or the home birth either) my birth was about as far from horrific as you can get, in fact it was close to 'perfect". I had a slight tear that required NO stitches and there's absolutely nothing wrong with my pelvic floor. If anything DS2's birth exceeded all my expectations and again, far from horrific it was the most wonderful thing I've ever done.

I have a friend who had an emergency c-section who is adamant that she is not allowing what happened to her during her daughter's birth to happen again and she's planning on having a VBAC at home for any future children. I know her story well, and she's always venting her frustration at people who tell her that what happened to her (and it was pretty 'horrifying') didn't matter because her daughter is alive and well; it might not matter to the person saying it, but it matters to HER, and enough that she says she's never going to hospital again. LOL

There's a saying about when you think you're done having babies that goes "you don't regret the children you have, just the ones you don't".....not sure how you'd apply it to this situation, or even if you can, but if it was ME, I'd rather have a chance at another vaginal birth, even if I ended up with another c-section because at least I knew I tried my best where as if I opted for an elective c-section, I'd personally feel like I copped out...but that's me and you're not me so that probably hasn't helped has it? LOL

DS1 was born in a UK hospital and DS2 was born at home here in NZ......just in relation to a comment Flissty made I certainly felt way more supported in my choices here than I ever did in the UK, in fact in the UK I felt I had zero choices (just got told how it was going to be)and the only thing that the NHS compromised on was which hospital I could go to to have DS1 as I was too 'high risk' to go to a birth centre or have him at home. Why you ask, for NO other reason than he was my first baby. But then maybe things have changed in the 6 years since he was born?

I am petrified of everything that comes with a natural birth but I am adament that I am going to give a darn good shot!

Everything about J labour/birth was medical, nothing natural about it at all. This time around I want the least amount of intervention and to give my body the chance to do what it is designed to do.

That said, knowing that at anytime I can call a c-section gives me a little comfort.

I will be going to hypnobirthing this time too,as well as acupuncture close to due date and all the herbs my natropath chucks at me LOL.

I'm pretty sure the "destroyed" pelvic floor comes from being pregnant and having the extra weight sitting on it for 9months. I might be wrong though.
I nearly needed a csec, and if it comes to that a second time around I won't be bothered.

My pelvic floor is fine and i've done both, just gotta do your exercises

Thank you all for sharing, you ladies rock! I'm pretty sure that if it comes to being induced then I'll probably be more inclined to go straight to a c-section, for Hayden they broke my waters and nothing happened, then they gave me drugs and had to increase them about 3 or 4 times to get the contractions moving a a decent rate. We had always questioned my due date but when Hayden was taken out the surgeon said the placenta was 'wrecked' and he peeled head to toe in his first few weeks as was so overcooked!

My friend with the pelvic floor issues is under the care of a physiotherapist I think it is, they think its cos she was pushing for over two hours and baby had his hand/arm up around his face. She was doing her excercises but still losing a full bladder without any notice and it turns out she had no muscle tone at all so the exercises werent helping and she is now using a special machine to get some tone back.

I guess there is always going to be scary recounts of such a massively physical event as giving birth.