Future Birth after a C-Section

Last week I visited by OB and we talked a bit about the second time around. As I’m beginning to think about having another baby, there is an ounce of fear surrounding the birth. The last time around it was challenging. After being in labor for 10 hours and pushing for 3 hours and ultimately having an emergency C wasn’t memorable.

But my OB broke down the stats for me. For those women who had a C-Section due to a breech baby, there is an 85% VBAC success rate when they give birth the second time around. For those who labor and then had an emergency c-section in my case, the success rate for a vaginal birth is a low 13%. I fit into the latter group however my OB did say that the weight of the baby will make a difference. Kai was 8 lbs leading me to a challenging delivery. However, with a smaller baby, my chance of a successful VBAC will go up.

I still have time to think things through. It’s quite nerve-wracking though. Two women I know who had similar circumstances tried their chance at VBAC without success. At the end of the day, I understand that if I have a healthy baby, the method of delivery isn’t important. It my case it’s a gamble and I definitely don’t want to go through so much intense labor and end up with another C-Section. At the same time, just planning a C-Section seems like I’ve given up. If anyone has thoughts or book recommendations, I’m totally open.

For further reading, there are more discussions on the Berkeley Parents Network.