When I mentioned how badly I wanted a
vaginal birth after my cesarean with my first the main response I would get from people was "WHY?". Let me tell you my reasons why a vbac was ,and is, so important to me.
- After being so drugged up, and numbed from all the medications... I needed to FEEL. I needed to know I was alive.To feel the contractions rock my body, to feel that pushing sensation, to get this real and raw experience that NOTHING in the world can come close to, and to get through it all in the end and know that I DID THAT. Whew.
- I knew that having a completely intervention-free birth was the best thing for my baby. Not just my baby, but all babies, and I am sad for the effects of all the drugs on my first son. A natural birth can lead to a better bonding experience between you and your newborn. The natural flow of hormones that rush your body after birth help you to instantly connect with your child on a deep and intimate level. You look into each others eyes and feel a rush of emotions! This initial bond can be inhibited by a intervention happy birth and a cesarean birth.
- I wanted to prove to others and myself that I could do it. That I am not broken, and I am able to birth a baby.
- Because the facts show that it is SAFER! With a natural vaginal birth after a cesarean, my chances of uterine rupture are very low- which is the common fear associated with having a vbac. The risks of a repeat cesarean are significant. "Success of trial of labor is consistently high, ranging from 60 to 80 percent, whereas the risks of uterine rupture is low, at less than 1 percent." -NIH Consensus Development Conference Statement on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean:New Insights, March, 2010. The risks associated with a repeat cesarean include: "clinically significant adhesions, perioperative complications at the time of subsequent repeat cesarean delivery, bowel and utereral injuries, and perioperative complications at time of non-pregnancy related hysterectomy."
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| My VBAC moment! |
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Why is having a VBAC important to you?
