Re: [ozmidwifery] VBAC

[Lynne Staff]

Hi Jenny - How does this woman feel about the decision to have another caesarean? Does she know that she is entitled to a second (and third...) opinion? Or will she be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire with the other opinions she seeks (if all of the obs are like-minded)? And not just obs either. I remember many years ago at a homebirth meeting, a woman approached me who had had three caesareans and asked me whether I thought she could labour and give birth vaginally, and I said "No, it is unlikely". In my ignorance and naievety, and working within a system where no woman was encouraged, nor mostly "allowed" to have a "trial of scar" (ugh...), I did not know, nor had the experience to support a woman through this experience. I had therefore never seen what women could do, except for those who were dripped and monitored continually and told if they hadn't dilated x centimeters by x time they would 'need' a caesarean. Talk about setting them up for one!   Anyway, years have gone by when I have been able to be with women choosing this option and yes, it was at home. I got to know women who had done amazing things to get their babies born, and I remember telling ab ob I know about these experiences, and others I had heard about. He asked me why he had never heard of women achieving these incredible births after one and more caesareans. I can remember just looking at him, and asking back "Would you or colleagues of yours have listened to them had they requested support for this?" He could not answer me.    I was at two amazing births a fortnight ago where the woman had had previous caesareans - I am fortunate enough to work in a hospital now with people who support the concept of vaginal birth following caesarean, and our "stats" are exceptional. But what is far more important than stats is how the woman planning to give birth vaginally feels about it, whether she gives birth vaginally or by caesarean (or as a friend of mine and I hear "from above, or from below" - WHAT mesages does that give!!!).   She is the 'liver' of the experience - the giver of birth, and what she feels as she moves through it and into the rest of her life may be cruicial to how she sees herself, her relationship with the infant, with her partner, and with her other children. And incidentally - I have learned more than you could know, or I could have possibly believed from these women - many go through agony before they get to the point of actually giving birth, and the agony begins long before the labour...and often doesn't include the labour either.   Some women go a long way, both emotionally and distance wise to find that support, but it is a fact that most have no or little support from family or friends for their decision, and less from the medical profession on the whole. A well know ob in Bris is often quoted as saying "you will never get sued for doing a caesarean but you will if you don't". I happen to disagree, and the really unfortunate thing about this is that either a woman or a baby, or both, will have to die or be badly injured during the course of an uneccessary caesarean for this to occur.    My tuppence worth....       ----- Original Message ----- From: Jenny Balnaves To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 8:22 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] VBAC Just a query...the hospital I work in has a fairly high caesarian section rate unfortunately. I admitted a woman for rest last week (at 37 weeks) who is expecting twins...second pregnancy...first was an elective luscs because of 'high head at term'- otherwise known as cephalo pelvic disproportion. This time, both twins are cephalic, first twin's presenting part is very low in the pelvis and is well and truly engaged. Is such a shame that this woman's obstetrician will not even discuss the concept of vaginal birth after caesarian don't you think? I welcome any comments anyone would like to make please. Regards, Jenny Surf the Web without missing calls! Get MSN Broadband. Click Here -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit to subscribe or unsubscribe.