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well in my state it is once a c always c and i was made to deliver my 2nd c and i also had a bad experience with my first c and i was scared to death to have another but i did and it all worked out. i have a friend who delivered VBAC and tore and was rushed to surgery to fix it because she was loosing quite a bit of blood. not to scare you but there really are risks with VBAC especially if there isnt too much time between the c and VBAC.. can i ask why your experience was terrible?

Sure. My first birth I delivered in 7 hours start to finish with my first son who was a healthy 7 pounds 14 ounces. I had 6 st_tches for a slight perineal tear. I left the hospital less than 20 hours after his birth and went shopping on my way home! I had a second boy also and after 10 hours they decided I wasn't progressing fast enough, I was 7cm for 2 hours, so they said I needed a c-section...I was getting tired so they made it sound like it would all be over. On the delivery table I got a high spinal, vomiting, low BP, couldn't breathe, then I started bleeding and I HEARD ALL THE COMMOTION and panic...by the time we were done I was bruised, battered, being transfused and in a great amount of pain. I had to stay 5 days, I could barely walk, I had to take pain meds and it just felt like I had been thrown from a speeding truck for weeks. When you have an uncomlicated v____al birth it is reasonable to expect another. The doctors say they don't know why I didn't go as fast the second time, but that it was just "one of those things". They did not rush me into surgery since it wasn't due to fetal distress so it was pretty similar to a more casual c-section and I hadn't been pushing for hours or anything. I do not think a planned c could be THAT MUCH better and it seems like I am a surgical bleeder so the chance of all that c___p happening again are there. I will not have another one unless someone is going to be harmed or is dying. I want an experience similar to my first birth not surgery again. C-sections stink! Thanks for sharing, Kami.

it depends on who you talk to regarding c-sections stink.I had a very bad v____al birth,I was in so much pain,the drugs were either making me feel sick,or not taking.I felt as if my legs were being ripped apart.I swore I would never forget this "pain".The 2nd I said all along that unless I could have a section,we were stuck with one,so I had a planned section.It was great,more relaxed dignified,and actually enjoyable.The recovery afterwards was no where near as bad as my horrendous natural birth,just a bit sore thats all,and I took it easy for a few weeks,which is fine.So actually,I really enjoyed my planned birth.

Hi Marcie, I am glad your second birth was better. My issue is not so much whether one is better or not, so much as I have my two experiences to consider and with that in mind I feel like I am being forced AGAINST my will, like being surgically raped to have to deliver via c-section because of ONE birth. I did not want the c and I don't think I should be forced to have a surgery against my will. You wouldn't like being forced to have another v____al experience like the one you had. You got to choose a different method, they are taking my choice away. Surely you can understand how I must feel.

I'm sorry,just trying to make you feel better,that they are not all bad,as to choice,yes I understand.I believe in this day and age women should be able to chose.

My tip...and my plan for all future pregnancies, schedule the c-section, and then just don't show up. What are they going to do? Come to your house and arrest you? Charge you for a surgery you never had?

Thanks Marcie and Jamie, I do appreciate your input. It wouldn't be so bad if they act like I am endangering my baby...I mean, I had a successful v____al birth and I really enjoyed the recovery more, now that I will have 3 children to care for my others are 5 and 3...see what I mean. I have called the State Medical Board and they said that while I can't be hand-cuffed, I will be considered AMA for the entire birth and it sounds to me like that means I will be treated with disdain...Has anyone actually done what Jamie is planning? I mean has anyone actually stayed home in labor for quite a bit and then went to the hospital? I know I shouldn't risk a home birth, I am not that crazy after a c-section, but I need some help!!! My husband says whatever I want. My mother-in-law is an RN and while she totally agrees with me in principle, she can't a__sist me at home as she would lose her license...I am 21 weeks now, and getting angrier that all I here is REPEAT C REPEAT C...there is NO NEED for it. Thanks for letting me vent, and if you hear of any one who successfully by-pa__sed a forced c-section, please let me know how they did it.

I think it is an outrage that women are being forced to have a surgery before it is confirmed to be necessary! They don't force abortions on women, how dare they get away with once a c-always a c? Isn't anyone else outraged? I am not nearly as staunch a feminist as some of my friends, but if I am furious I can just imagine what THEIR reactions are going to be...I will let you know as I am sure some of them have encountered your situation before. Don't let them get to you!!!!

Are there any lawyers reading this post? I think it should be against the law to force a woman to have an arbitrary c-section...if the baby is fine and doesn't personally need the mother to deliver surgically then it should be left to the mother if she is well-informed and able to make such serious decisions. Choe already had a normal, uncomplicated vag delivery, isn't it her right to decide to forgo being cut up?

Don't you have to sign a consent for before a surgery (c-section)? If you don't sign that paper and the baby is not in danger or having problems, the hospital's only way of forcing you to have surgery would be to get a court order. This would likely take longer than your labor and would be a mute point anyway, and the hospital would have to prove to a judge that you were endangering the life of your baby. If your baby isn't in distress, they will have a hard time proving it. You also will have to be prepared for the treatment you will likely receive. Dr's don't like to be told they don't know what they're doing. If they have told you that you need a c-section, they are likely to treat you like you are doing something very wrong by not following their "advice". Have you looked into hospitals in other cities? If the hospital you are going to has the theory of "once a C - always a C", maybe you could look into going to a different city to have your baby. I know that's not convenient, but it may be the only way you can avoid another C-section that may not be needed. Have you also called your insurance company? The Dr's. are telling you they have to do because of insurance reasons... have you double checked this with your own health insurance to be sure it's accurate? Please let us know how things turn out. I had to argue to have my second by VBAC and it got pretty nasty a time or two!

I had a c-section because I had severe pre-clampsia and I was induced but failed to go over 2cm in 48 hours after my water broke. I had a hemotoma behind the staples and was bleeding through. The scar still hurts to this day. I would like a VBAC with this child, but I was told (and I did some research on my own) that should I need to be induced again, there is a chance of uterine abruption (sp?) which could cause severe bleeding and death of the baby and/or the mother. Should I need to be induced, I will have another c-section.

Yes, I agree to last poster about induction and VBAC...but if I don't need to I won't. I called my insurance company and they told me the hospital's insurance underwriters decide policy. She said that also was code for "the legal department defines policy". I will wait until I am in labor and as long as things are going as well as my first delivery I am NOT going to sign a consent form. Wish me luck!

My husband pointed out some confusion on my original post, I had c-sections on my mind when I typed "c-section" when I meant scheduled ECV that ended in a c-section. While the cephalic version was successful for my second birth they hypothesized that his face never fully turned and his head was looking left. That is why I had a non-emergency c-section for stalled progress. I don't want to do that again...I understand when ladies say it is harder after a long and painful labor, emergency, etc. but this was none of those, my labor up until the c/s was fine, and I hadn't been in labor too long, no pushing, etc. I just did not like anything about the c-section except my baby boy was ok. I need to hear from people who have ideas or have actully gone against the "rule". Thanks so much for ALL your responses, they mean a lot to me.

Ladies, please seriously look at some information on uterine rupture before you dig your heels on on the issue of repeat c's. The chance of uterine rupture is low, but the fetal death rate if it actually happens is really really high! And those babies that survive a uterine rupture usually have cerebral palsy. I believe that this is why ACOG changed their position on VBACs. Ten years ago, my sis-in-law was forced to go through a trial of labor before insurance would pay for a 2nd c-section. Now it is the complete opposite. Doctors and insurance companies recognize the serious and fatal risks of a uterine rupture. I too do not want to be cut up unneccessarily, but to me the pain and discomfort of the surgery outweighs the potential risk of a dead baby. Just please do some research so that you are able to live with your decision, like not showing up for your c-section!

Thanks, JL, I appreciate your concern, my issue is that I do not supposedly get the choice. I nearly bled out with my c/s and while I understand the risks of a rupture, it is ONE% my risk of hemorrhaging is greater and I will not be induced which increases the risk of uterine rupture for ALL women to over 1% v____al or VBAC. Thank you for your concern, but seriously have YOU ever honestly heard of anyone who's uterus ruptured after a c and didn't have pitocin or something? I know it happens, but I want to decide what I do, not be forced to have surgery, we demand all women have a v____al delivery so why should I be forced? Thanks again, though, I will definitely take your thoughts into consideration. If at any time it looks like my baby is the least bit compromised, i will go to surgery.

We DON'T demand all women have a v____al delivery...correction to my last post.