My baby is still breech at 36+3 confirmed via ultrasound. I’m currently unable to do spinning babies due to a muscle strain in my stomach for a couple days. My doctor is super confident either baby will flip on their own or during an ECV. However he wants to schedule it for 39 weeks and if it fails straight to a c-section or if it succeeds straight to induction. I failed to progress last time during an induction (different provider and hospital). My current provider has read over my previous notes and was not a fan of how they did my induction. He’s very confident that we can have a successful induction. I do have a doula as well. Anyone have an ECV into an induction for their VBAC?

So this will be my third pregnancy, and I’m extremely excited except for the delivery part. With my second, the delivery was traumatic, she got stuck and it was very scary, and the recovery was awful. Deep tearing all the way to my butt really bad hemorrhoids. Even the nurse made a comment about how bad the swelling was and that it looked like I had testicles 😑. My first baby was exactly 7 pounds, my second baby was 7 pounds and 3 ounces. They weren’t huge, the delivery was not too bad for the first, but pretty rough for the second. This time around, the doctor has suggested that it might be good to think about scheduling a C-section. I’m not completely opposed to the idea, but I hear a lot of people talk about how awful the recovery is for C-section, and I want to hear from moms that had kind of a rough vaginal delivery and then maybe a planned C-section. What did you prefer? And why? What parts where harder or easier. I’m not sure what I want to do but I have lots of time to think about as im only 10 weeks pregnant.

TW: postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, induction, NICU

I had my twins 5 years ago during the pandemic at 34 weeks due to preeclampsia with severe features. We attempted induction but after 48 hours I only got to a 4, was on mag, kidneys started showing signs of injury so I had an uneventful c section. My twins spent 8 days in the NICU growing and feeding and are doing great.

Birth story:
Healthy pregnancy with singleton girl uneventful until my blood pressure started creeping up to the 130’s at 32 weeks and into the 140’s / 90’s at 35 weeks. After 2 separate visits with elevated blood pressure they advised me I should have an induction at 37 weeks as that’s the evidence based approach with gestational hypertension diagnosis.

I went in at 8am after calling at 7am to make sure they had room for us. IV started, consents signed, ultrasound done and on the monitor starting pitocin and foley balloon around 9:30am. I was dilated to 1cm at that time after some prodromal labor in the days leading up to induction. I started feeling contractions right away and utilized movement called labor warm up with my awesome nurse. I also used TENS, a birth comb, and breath work. Around 4pm they checked on the balloon and it had just about come out. They checked me, I was at a 4, and let me labor a bit. I started feeling major contractions so I tried laughing gas. It didn’t take the pain away but it helped me focus on my breathing so it helped a bit.

6pm they broke my water and said I was still at 4. Baby’s head was well engaged and they kept upping my pitocin. After the AROM I wanted to try IV pain meds. They didn’t help and by 8pm I was ready for the epidural. After the epidural the nurse anesthetist had to spend about an hour trying to stabilize my blood pressure, I was symptomatic and went down to 78/42 but baby stayed looking decent on the monitor. I had several doses of ephedrine and phenylephrine and around 9:30pm I was stable and ready for some rest.

5am the midwife came and checked me. I was at a 5, but she described my cervix as edematous and that the baby was possibly acynclitic. At that time I had an IUPC placed. Around 7am a new midwife came in and wanted to check me, which I declined as I had ruptured membranes and was just checked 2 hours prior. (I was also GBS + and on antibiotics)

Throughout the morning I felt pain in one buttcheek/hip and started feeling pressure during contractions, but they said until I feel pressure between contractions as well it probably isn’t close to time. The baby had a category 2 strip on the monitor so they gave me an infusion of fluid into my uterus to ease possible cord compression.

Around 10:10am I was checked again while my mom went downstairs to grab coffee from the cafeteria. To my surprise I was 10cm dilated and baby was at +2 station! A bunch of phone calls were made to get NICU and L&D staff into the room, the midwife suited up, and I had my husband call my mom (who didn’t answer). The midwife had me cough a couple of times to see how easy she was moving down and I felt her descend. I pushed through 2 contractions and baby was born at 10:24! Just over 25 hours from start of induction to baby being born. She had a double nuchal cord and had poor tone/didn’t cry in the first minute so they cut the cord and went over to the warmer to start resuscitating her. Fortunately she only needed a little bit of CPAP and she was placed back on me within 10 minutes for the golden hour.

I had a part of my placenta get stuck and needed a manual extraction and lost 1100mL of blood. I had 2 small tears, one by my urethra so I needed the catheter in for an extra 12 hours to make sure there wasn’t too much swelling and I could pee.
Baby had some issues with blood glucose and had some bruising around her mouth and needed some monitoring in NICU for a couple of hours.

Overall, it was an amazing, redeeming experience. Getting my baby placed on my chest right away, getting to do the golden hour, and being discharged together was my dream. My sweet girl weighed 6lbs9oz and is now just shy of 3 months old. Recovery was night and day even though I had some healing tears and hemorrhoids. I am done having kiddos now that I have 3, but I’m thankful I was able to have a VBAC.

As the title reads, I am attempting TOLAC after a c section for arrest of dilation at 9 cm.

I have GD and my OB is willing to go as far as 38+6 for spontaneous labor. He strongly recommends induction at 39 weeks. My worry is coming from the fact that my baby is breech as of now. Im 31+1 and at my 28 week appt baby was presenting breech. Ultrasound technician told me that by 34 weeks most babies get into position but im just nervous bc obviously I want this to go as smooth as possible and want to avoid another c section if possible. I feel a lot of momevement on the bottom of my abdomen and every so often i feel some up by my ribs so I assume she's still breech. I wanted to know positive birth stories of moms who experienced something similar but babe turned cephalic later in the third trimester or any tips and tricks you all recommend.

For context, my first was measuring 2 weeks ahead most of my pregnancy and by 28 weeks she was head down and stayed in that position for the remainder of the pregnancy.

I am currently 30 weeks pregnant (possibly 32 weeks because the dating has felt off). But anyway, I'm due in December with baby #2.

My first was born in Dec 2024 at 41 weeks via C-Section due to a failed induction. I never went into labor, and never dilated. Cervical checks were also very painful. They did Cervidil and Pitocin for 3 days, and the dr told me it was, "The highest rate" they'd put the Pitocin on all year. At the time, I didn't know that turning Pitocin up too high can actually cause your body to not go into labor. It was a highly stressful time for me, so I think that also accounted for why my body didn't go into labor at all.

Anyway, due to my experience, I have no desire to be induced in any way. If I do not go into spontaneous labor on my own, I will go to a scheduled repeat CS (likely after the 40 week mark). My provider also doesn't feel comfortable doing any induction, so it's not an option that I even want to discuss on here. The stressors I had during my first birth will not be present this time around, and I'm hoping that will play a role in things going differently also.

I am hoping to read some success stories on VBAC's that were from spontaneous labor? And also if anyone has any tips they feel helped them go into labor?

I delivered my first baby in 2018 at 37 weeks via C-section. I was healthy, but my baby showed signs of distress, so I had to undergo a C-section without going into labor.
Now, I’m pregnant again with what has been considered a low-risk pregnancy, and I have no medical conditions. I really want to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), but unfortunately, I haven’t felt supported by my doctor.
At my 39-week appointment, my doctor became visibly upset and questioned why I wanted a VBAC. He made it sound as though having another C-section and taking six weeks to recover would be the easier option. I asked him directly whether there was any medical reason I wasn’t a suitable candidate for a VBAC, and he said no, that I was doing well medically. However, he explained that he couldn’t induce labor because I’d had a previous C-section, so if labor didn’t start naturally, I would need another C-section.
At 38 weeks, my cervix was only half a centimeter dilated, and by 39 weeks, there had been no further progress. My doctor told me there was nothing he could do to help me try for a VBAC. During my 39-week appointment, he also performed a cervical check, even though I felt that my wish to try for a VBAC was not being taken seriously.
This entire experience has left me feeling demotivated, unsupported, and questioning myself. I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare for labor—prenatal yoga, walking, and other labor-preparation exercises—but there are still no signs of labor or contractions.
I understand that a VBAC may not always be possible, and I want what is safest for both me and my baby. But I wish my doctor would support me, explain my options respectfully, and help me understand what is medically possible rather than making me feel bad for wanting to try.
I just want the opportunity to make an informed decision about my birth, feel heard, and have someone support me through this journey. ❤️

Due date is 15 Oct and planned csection 19th Oct.

Hi everyone, 2nd time mom here, had my first in c-section due to baby being breech. My doctors have said I’m a really good candidate for VBac but my doctor today said she recommends me getting a membrane sweep + cervical check next appt (38 wks) because if I don’t I can have a higher chance of having another c-section.

Wanted to see if any other VBAC mommas had this done and/or if you recommend this being done or should I say no?

I’ve always heard no to membrane sweeps but after hearing I can have a higher chance of another c section without one I’m now confused lol

Thank you!

Hi everyone! Has anyone here had a VBA2C at a Boston-area hospital? I’m starting to research my options and would love recommendations for OBs, midwives, or hospitals that are supportive of VBA2C.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d also love to hear about your experience! Thank you! ❤️

Hi friends! I'll make this short and sweet.

I'm now three for three on OP presenting babies and in both of my previous pregnancies, the OP presentation was a massive, massive factor in how slow my inductions were. I know the general target for inductions is 24hrs-- both of my previous inductions were nearly 5 days long primarily due to unfavorable cervix and OP positioning.

Obviously I'd like to avoid that bit this time.

There's lots of advice all over the place on flipping babies from breech to cephalic presenation. But I'm not really seeing as much information available on rotating baby from OP to OA. I'd rather not have another week-long labor. Thankfully my cervix is way more cooperative this time around-- I'm already very soft, thinning, and dilating. Previous pregnancies I was high, tight, closed, long, firm at 42 weeks. So it really looks like the biggest issue for right now is just the OP vs OA positioning.

Anyone been able to successfully turn baby around BEFORE labor?

I know there is research showing that a certain amount of babies will turn OA on their own within the first hour of active labor. But yknow, like I said, if we could establish that like... before labor? that would be great.

Currently pregnant with my third and hoping to TOLAC again but I’m finding it hard to find a supportive provider strictly due to this verbiage from my last CS: “tracking of blood up uterine tracking bilaterally along anterior aspects parallel to uterine arteries continued concern but not confirmed uterine rupture”

It seems they are labeling me as having had a UR but everything I’m finding (which isn’t much) is proving to be opposite

Has anybody had something similar to this in their record??

History:
First CS Dec 2022 induction, lack of knowledge maternal requested
Second CS Apr 2024 spontaneous labor PROM, suspected UR due to pain in right side of neck (looking back I believe it was gas pain as I still had the pain after delivery)

Hey yall! My first pregnancy ended in a c-section after I stopped dilating at 6cm after a 42 hour labor.

I REALLY want to have a vbac this time and I’m doing all the things to get my body ready (miles circuit, intercourse, raspberry leaf tea, dates, curb walking)

I went in for my appointment today at 37+4 and unfortunately my cervix is still closed.

I’m feeling scared that I will have a repeat of my last labor.
Please send me some positive vbac stories going from 0% dilated to spontaneous labor. I need some happy encouragement!

First Reddit post to find some encouragement and hope that maybe the 3rd time around things will be different.
I’m not pregnant now but possibly will be around the end of this year. My first baby was born in 2023 and he was breech up until about 37 weeks, turned on his own and then at my 40+5 appointment we found him breech again and my midwives said they would not attempt an ECV at that point so scheduled my C section for that afternoon. In 2025 my second was an unstable lie that spent most of his time transverse. I did all the things- chiropractor, spinning babies, moxibustion, anything I could. He was breech around 39 weeks so they scheduled me for an ECV followed by a planned induction if successful to try to keep him head down- hoping that was the best for vbac. If unsuccessful they would go straight to c section.
He ended up being head down when we showed up for the ECV and I went with the plan for induction. After over 12 hours on pitocin my water broke and I could feel him flip again. They confirmed he was breech with ultrasound and did another csection.
As much as I did not want a C-section the second time around and the failed vbac was disappointing- it was also incredibly emotionally exhausting for the last 5 weeks as he flipped around and did gymnastics in there.
Maybe I should have just waited to go into labor naturally and he would have turned on his own? I want 1-2 more babies but would love some encouragement that maybe a vbac is still possible? What are some other experiences and has anyone else had more than one breech baby? Initially they told me that I probably wouldn’t have that happen again and all my midwives and OB were shocked that not only was my second breech again but then again after my water broke.

In 2021 I had my daughter with a scheduled C-section due to her being breech the whole end of my pregnancy. I never got to start the laboring process. I was honestly kind of relieved as giving birth vaginally was honestly terrifying and gave me terrible anxiety. I did hermitage a little bit with this but in the end my doctor said I’d be a good candidate for a vbac.

Being pregnant again now (very early), I don’t know what to do. The C-section relatively went well, the recovery from what I remember was pretty easy. Part of me wants to experience natural birth but again, it’s terrifying and what if it goes wrong? If I end up getting an emergency C-section anyway? Or even something goes terribly wrong, I live in Texas and am scared if it’s me or baby they have to choose baby worse case scenario. Obviously both options have risks.

Anyone have a similar experience of scheduled C-section then had the choice? And what did you choose after? How’d it go?

So while I didn’t necessarily have a VBAC I did however have a spontaneous uterine rupture during an unplanned section. With everything that happened my pp has obviously been rough and then some. But there’s been a lot of self consciousness in my relationship with my husband and how I think he feels about me because I just have felt gross. I am 8 weeks pp tomorrow and my pp OB appt is Tuesday. While I’ve been happy to help ho with his sexual needs orally, I fear this time (today) I went a little too far with external stimulation. So naturally, I’m freaking out because I can’t get a clear answer online and am hoping I didn’t hurt anything/myself because I had an orgasm before I was technically cleared by my OB this coming week. I’m so sorry for the tmi but I’m just freaking out.

Has anyone had a natural birth after 2 c sections? How long did you wait to get pregnant after your 2nd c section? Im currently not pregnant or trying and the person doing my last c section said dont get pregnant for 2 years just wondering if waiting longer makes it more successful and I've never given birth naturally before, 1st emergency due to not progressing, 2nd elective

Expecting baby boy #2 in March. My oldest will be 3 one month after, had an emergency c-section with him due to his heart rate dropping. Spent that whole pregnancy planning for a vaginal birth, doing all the things to prep. Had to mentally heal from the c-section honestly more than physically bc it was all just so sudden, but had awesome doctors. Body healed great!

So now I'm 4m preggo and I know I don't need to make a decision NOW, but just thinking. And I know there's risks on both ends but my doc is open to whatever I want, she does VBACS often & csections. On one hand, I'm like should I try again for a vaginal birth? I wanted it badly last time, it's beautiful. But I don't want to deal with prepping for vaginal then *surprise* another emergency & ending up with C. Also don't think i'd regret not having a vaginal birth later in life. On the other hand, a scheduled c section puts my mind at so much ease. The fact I know the exact date, can plan, etc. But it's a major surgery + healing with a toddler will be different (husband is great & Mom will be around) + not really recommended if I have a 3rd.

How did you decide on VBAC or C-section 2nd time around?

35 weeks and doctor is requesting a growth scan. Said it should’ve been done by 32 weeks as best practice but they forgot to tell me. I suspect she thinks the baby is big and will hold this over me and try to induce early when in the beginning we discussed waiting until 41 weeks to discuss any inductions.

or conversations about repeat C section will come up.

Anyone else doing growth scans at this stage for no medical reason?