Curious

I hope this makes sense, but because I had a c-section with the twins will this pregnancy and delivery be like a second pregnancy and delivery or more like a first? With the twins I started to contract on my own and went to the hospital after about 15 hours of contractions and had my water broken and then put on pitocin when I failed to dialate. I only got to a 5 before the twins were in distress (after 30hrs of contracting) and I got cut open. I don't know why my labor went the way it did, but am wondering if my labor will be faster this time around like second pregnancies are supposed to be or if it will be just as long like a first pregnancy? I know that there is no way to know for sure, but was curious. Thanks

 

I believe my mom's water never broke for her first two pregnancies but do not know if it did for the third. No one can tell the future, but she was pretty consistant with her labors... I hope it goes better for you.

 

I think that's a very hard call to make...some second labors go slower than first labors especially with a posterior baby... not all women have a general trend of labors getting shorter, but many do.

On my vbac support board they would call the reason why your labor didn't work out "failure to wait" rather than "failure to progress." Many, many women will wind up with c/s after interventions such as AROM are taking. (artificial rupture of membranes...)...It's quite possible that your 15 hours of labor was an early labor that might have progressed into a more active/more effective labor getting you fully dilated had more time been given before rupturing your membranes. Obviously there is no way to really know.

I suggest that you educate yourself on labor to see if there are things you want to have done or not done differently to try to promote a better chance of a successful vaginal delivery. I do know the pushing phase will be more like a first labor for you than a second labor... I think maybe that just has to do with how things get stretched out down there. And unfortunately whether or not you tear will also be more like a first labor. This is also why I highly recommend you educate yourself... I had a 3rd degree tear on my first which I really don't think would have happened had I not had an episiotomy. (I tore right past the cut made by the doctor...) But I had a whole string of interventions that led up to this point... which is also part of why I'm hoping to be able to do my vbac without an epidural...

I highly recommend reading Ina May Gaskin's Childbirth book... she's a midwife and definitely pro-natural...but she doesn't tear down epidurals as evil either. The first part of the book is a bunch of birthstories...some of which were a little too out there for my liking...but the second part of the book she really addresses the stages of labor and the history of childbirth along with the interventions taken in a manner that was very well balanced and gave me a very different perspective on what normal labor should look like. I came into my research really not trusting midwives and scoffing at natural childbirth notions... and I left my research feeling sooo differently about it... I think I could actually have the guts to try a homebirth if this weren't a vbac!! yikes!! Anyway, if you knew how I thought before you would see that I've basically had a childbirth conversion here!! I'm still vbacing with ob/gyns, and I'm content with some of the compromises I'm having to make under their care....but I definitely have a very different perspective now! When I had my first dd I just blissfully trusted everything the docs wanted to do...not realizing that they themselves are schooled in a manner that might make it more likely that they do things that aren't even backed up by medical research!! this time around I've been able to figure out for myself how I would like things to go, then talk it over with my docs in detail...and I'm happy to find that ALMOST all of them have echoed what I've read in the research (not ALL of them though...)

Okay, hope you have a smooth pg and a successful vbac if that's what you go for!!

 

Thank you Susanna. I'll start doing some research and talk to my Doctor at my next appointment. I will be going for a VBAC. I know that she will require that an epidural be put in place just in case we need to do a c-section, but I am hoping that I will be able to labor longer at home this time around and opt out of any labor inducers. I didn't really have a bad experience with the c-section, I just hated that I couldn't hold my kids first, I was in recovery for an hour by myself and I hate the way people talk to me as if I have never experienced child-birth. I really want this to be a good experience and I want to hold my baby before all my in-laws. It's so stupid. They has all these people there to love on them and I am jealous because I didn't get to love on them first. I am a nerd God knows. All will be well.

 

QUOTE(Joyful @ Oct 31 2007, 06:06 PM) [snapback]475422[/snapback]
Thank you Susanna. I'll start doing some research and talk to my Doctor at my next appointment. I will be going for a VBAC. I know that she will require that an epidural be put in place just in case we need to do a c-section, but I am hoping that I will be able to labor longer at home this time around and opt out of any labor inducers. I didn't really have a bad experience with the c-section, I just hated that I couldn't hold my kids first, I was in recovery for an hour by myself and I hate the way people talk to me as if I have never experienced child-birth. I really want this to be a good experience and I want to hold my baby before all my in-laws. It's so stupid. They has all these people there to love on them and I am jealous because I didn't get to love on them first. I am a nerd God knows. All will be well.



You are SO not stupid for feeling this way. I told DH that if I have a c-section again (I haven't made up my mind) that there will be NO ONE except for him who holds the baby before me. I got to see my girls before they went ot hte NICU, but I didn't get to hold them. The other family members are more than welcome to peak through the nursery window, but I will be making it clear to DH and to the nursing staff that ONLY DH and I are to hold the baby until we give the go ahead for others. After my experience with the girls and not getting to see them (only for a brief minute) until the NICU almost 10 hours later...I want to do it MY way this time around...lol!