Home Birth After Caesarians?? Any info, advice?

Question

I am not pregnant, but am sure to be one day, lol. I've had two caesarians (a year apart :-s) and want to start looking into home births after having two caesars. Any links, advice etc... I just want to find out if it is viable at all or to see if I HAVE to have more hospital interventions? Thanx all :-D

Reasons for previous caesars were:
1st baby... hard to believe but true... labour ward was too full and as I wasn't dialating fast enough for the staff (induction and couldn't get off the bed or off my back) ~ they needed to get me out of the bed... there were no problems with bubba.

2nd ~ got railroaded by an arrogant doctor (whist having post natal depression) to have another caesar.

Answer 1

I had 2 home births and one in a birth center. I really hope you can experience a home birth...they are so wonderful.

I would recommend you read "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth."
It is such an informative book. I wish I would have had it for my first birth because it explained so much. Not only what was happening to my body, but why.

Even if you aren't able to have a home birth, (most midwives will probably be wary of this considering you have had 2 c-sections) reading Ina May's book might at least enable you to be empowered to have a more natural birth at the hospital.

*Edit- After reading the comment about how dangerous home births are, I have to say, for me home birth was the best choice.
I get very nervous around people I don't know, and I wouldn't have been able to have such easy births if I hadn't have been relaxed, in the comfort of my own home. My first labor/delivery lasted a total of 6 hours from the first contraction until I had my baby in my arms. My second was only 45 minutes and my third was absolutely amazing. I literally had no pain until he was coming through the birth canal. My labor pains were like period cramps, all I had to do was stop and breath deeply. I really feel if I had been in the hospital, being "monitored, poked with needles, confined to a bed, told what I could and couldn't do" I probably would not have had such easy births.
So, empower yourself with knowledge and then trust yourself.

Answer 2

The reasons for the previous c-sections will be key to whether or not it is appropriate for you to have a VBAC but it is definitely doable! The rate of uterine rupture after a c-section is much smaller than a lot of people will lead you to believe. The risk sits at .22% so we are talking 1 in 2200 vbacs! Home birth midwives are amazing and will be able to talk to you about your individual situation! These women are not crazy! They will not do it if they feel that you are not a good candidate! Another idea would be to find a provider who will do a VBAC in the hospital! It's hard but to get what you want out of your birth experience, you really need to shop around! When it comes down to it the good news is IT IS DEFINITELY possible! Find a good caregiver and maybe look into getting a doula! Doulas are great at educating their clients on interventions and what is and isn't necessary! Good luck!
"We have a secret in our culture and it isn't that birth is painful, it's that WOMEN ARE STRONG!" ;o)

Answer 3

Every woman's situation is different, but having had two c-sections doesn't rule you out for a healthy home birth. You want to get with a responsible, open-minded provider of homebirth services. (A certified nurse midwife or certified professional midwive, probably not a lay midwife, but there are some really knowledgeable lay midwives out there, it just depends on the laws in your area.)

The first thing I would do is hook up with your local ICAN group -- women who have had c-sections in your area and are interested in doing things differently next time. www.ican-online.org

Here are some other resources I'd recommend you read:

www.childbirth.org/section/VBACFAQ.html
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/vbachome.htm
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/homevbac.html


Ultimately, the issue will be whether the homebirth healthcare provider is comfortable with the strength of your uterus -- the more c-sections and scar tissue you have, the greater risk you are for uterine rupture, which could be devastating in the home setting.

You'll never know unless you investigate! Good luck.

Answer 4

I know someone personally that did this. She had a c-sec because they said her labor was too long. The next time she stayed home and got along fine. Read and be very well informed before you do it. I also recommend the book, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.

Answer 5

I wouldn't do it. I think home births are dangerous for anyone, and don't benefit the baby. While it's important to make Mom as comfortable as possible during L&D, the goal is to deliver the baby as safely as possible. Even if you didn't have two c - section babies, what if something were to go wrong that required immediate care from the hospital? A local family had a home birth a few months ago, and the baby died because something went wrong and he lost oxygen. The story was very big here, because it was something that happens quite often to newborns, and easily could have been prevented if the mother had given birth at a hospital. On top of that, you've already had two c - sections, which means you probably had complications that prevented you from delivering vaginally. Please reconsider if you do get pregnant again, and put your baby's safety first.

Answer 6

I don't think it's worth the risk. After having a c-section, there is a risk of your uterus rupturing at the incision point of your last c-section during labor. If that were to happen, even at a hospital, often they can't get the baby out fast enough to prevent problems from lack of oxygen (to the baby). I won't even risk a VBAC at the hospital...to me, it's just not worth the risk of my child having complications.