Wouter born 04 June 2012, VBAC
When I was told at about 24 weeks pregnant with my daughter that I will have to have a c-section due to complications with the pregnancy I was devastated. I always wanted to have a natural birth and had chosen my care provider with that in mind, however after consulting with a second doctor I decided that the c-section was what was best.
When I fell pregnant again, a VBAC was high on my priority list and that is how I came to choose Angela as my care provider. She was very supportive of this option and I always knew that she would do what is best for me and baby.
My faith in her was proved correct when I ended up in hospital the weekend before my due date due to a bladder infection. She went out of her way to meet me on the Friday night and book me into hospital when it seemed like the baby might be in distress. She however always kept in mind that I would like to have a normal birth, if possible, and liaised with my back-up gynecologist to ensure that I receive the best possible care keeping my wishes in mind.
As my due date came and went I got more and more impatient for baby to come. However on the Friday night I started having contractions, about 20 minutes apart. The contractions continued through the Saturday and Sunday, getting closer but never really to the point of 5 minutes apart. Sunday night at about 11h00 my water broke the contractions was however still about 6 to 7 minutes apart, but because I was GBS positive I decided to wake my husband and gave Angela a call. She advised that we could still stay at home if we want and go in a bit later, but after the previous weekend my husband was adamant that “we are going to the hospital now”.
We arrived at the hospital at about midnight where we waited for Angela to arrive. She arrived at about one o clock. A bit later I was checked and I was at 5 cm dilated. At this stage I was moved over to one of the birth rooms where I could get in the birth tub. I labored in the tub until about 5h00 when I had the urge to push. At this stage I got out of the tub and my beautiful son was born about 5 pushes later. Wouter was born on the 4th of June 2012, weighing 3.7 kg, 4 days after his due date.
Through this all Angela monitored the baby’s heart rate carefully and knew just when to step in to calm me down. All the things I thought I would worry about because I had the c-section before never even crossed my mind. I knew both me and my son was in good hands.
The best part of my birth experience was being able to get in the shower afterwards, moving around and being able to take care of my son by myself. I hated being confined to the bed for the first day after my c-section, having to ask for everything. I loved being able to change his diapers, dress him and feed him by myself. Even though I did eventually breastfeed my daughter successfully till 6 months it was remarkable what the difference was. It felt like my son was about 6 weeks old the first time he drank.
I had a fairly easy recovery from my c-section, but this time round was even easier, even though I had a second degree tear and I don’t know how many stitches. Having a VBAC made it possible to look after my 2 and a half year old daughter. If you are considering a VBAC, I would truly recommend it. Just choose your care provider carefully, it makes the world of difference knowing you don’t have to worry.
