A Cautionary Tale

I have been worried about being able to VBAC this baby. After the boys were born I had many concerns about whether my former OB, who is my current OB, would really be on board for a VBAC, or whether she would pull a bait-and-switch on me late into the pregnancy.

I actually went back to her this time for two reasons. One because the pregnancy was a surprise and I wanted someone who I could call and would call me back right away so we could manage my LP deficiency. She had always been great about returning phone calls herself and explaining things well. I also went to her despite my misgivings that she was c-section prone because she spontaneously said to me after the boys were born that I would be a good candidate for a VBAC.

Between the pregnancies I did some research on VBACs and learned that one way doctors scare women out of VBACs is waiting until the end of a pregnancy and referring them for an growth ultrasound, which are notoriously unreliable, and then saying that the baby is too big to birth vaginally.

Today I had that appointment. Fortunately the U/S ruled out any concern that the baby was too large in the opinion of the sonographer and the doctor who reviewed the ultrasound. My OB however, started saying, "well if you make it to your due date the baby is going to be 9 pounds, I don't know how I feel about that." I got a really bad vibe from her at this appointment.

Also, I prompted a discussion about scheduling a RCS if I am still pregnant a 42 weeks. Back at the beginning I asked how long she would let me carry and she said not past 42 weeks. I pitched 41 weeks and 4 days today and she said yes and scheduled it, but I could tell that she wanted to push it back a full week because she repeatedly said the wrong date making it a week earlier. At least she put the RCS date in writing.

She also told me this cautionary tale about a patient of hers who just attempted a VBAC and failed and wasted a day and a half in labor. I really hope that I am not her next cautionary tale.

I am nervous that this is going to be like the boys' induction and that she is going to find a way to manage me into a RCS. I don't mind having a necessary c-section. Obviously having a healthy baby is my priority, but I will be so upset if I am denied a trial of labor because I have been lied to these past 9 months.