VBAC VICTORY!

I had a client just have a victorious VBAC yesterday. It was awesome! I say victorious because she had to seriously fight for it. Here's her story:
She had several vaginal births, then an emergency cesarean section for placenta previa. For this birth, she wanted a VBAC. She couldn't see her previous midwives so she went to the doctors who did her last emergency c-section. They practice out of CDH, which has a 44% c-section rate. They were fairly deceitful throughout her care, going back and forth as to whether she would be allowed a VBAC.

She learned her rights and that they cannot force her to have a c-section, so she continued to decline their recommendations that she have a c-section. Her first c-section was scheduled for August 28th, at what they believed was 39 weeks (but was actually 38 weeks according to her dates). She declined it. Over the following few appointments they really bullied her into a c-section. One doctor even told her if she didn't have the c-section by such and such date her baby would be stillborn.

She was having non stress tests (NSTs) and everything looked great. Yet at one NST the doctor told her she was in labor and she needed to go to the hospital. The mom was like "No thank you, I've been in labor before and I know this is not it". The doctor told her if she didn't go to the hospital she could have her baby in the car! Obviously they wanted her in the hospital where they could then convince her she needed a c-section. With the scare tactics and harassing she received at that doctors appointment she decided not to go to her next one that was scheduled two days later, on Thursday, Sept. 10th. She had a final c-section date scheduled for Friday, Sept 11. She told them she would not be coming in for that either.

On Friday, September 11th, she received a letter from her doctors group saying that because she has said no to their recommendations of having a c-section that they were dropping her from their care. Yes, they actually dropped care of a woman at 40+ weeks. (Almost 41 weeks according to their dates) I thought this was illegal but apparently they are too unethical to care.

Long, LONG, story short, she called many doctors and many hospitals in the Chicago area. No one would take her and give her a trial of labor. Her previous midwives offered to help her by giving her some names of possible doctors and allowing her to have a NST at their office. She actually went into a hospital in the city on Sunday so she could find a doctor. One agreed to take her. She went home planning to make a visit to their office this week. Then on Monday they called saying that they can't take her and her previous doctor is legally bound to take her.

Tuesday she made a lot of calls again, and found a doctor that was willing to give her a VTOL (vaginal trial of labor, I don't really love the term, but that's what they called it). Wednesday morning I got a call from her with those magic words: "It's time."

We went into the hospital in the city (an hour away) and a doctor who she had never met before agreed to take her care (not that she had a choice legally, but I commend the doctor for being willing and able to do this.) The mom was absolutely my hero and it was a privelege to be her doula. It was a great birth! We were chatting, walking the halls, and watching TV. The mom got checked and was found to be 5 cm. I kid you not, she had the baby in her arms 10 minutes later. Let's just say that was an intense 10 minutes! But it was awesome! She had a perfectly healthy baby, weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces. Both mom and baby were great. The baby came just when it needed to.

I was so happy afterwords for this mom's victory. She is my hero! When women fight like this after being bullied by their providers, it is a victory for all VBAC moms.