One of the most frequent fears when you have a cesarean section and plan to have another baby is the type of delivery you will have. Until relatively recently in these cases, they were referred again to caesarean section due to the risk of uterine rupture, but studies that have been carried out have shown that the chances of having a successful vaginal delivery are around 75%. Today I want to tell you about my experience, since, although each case is different, I think it is beneficial to talk about the possibilities we have after giving birth by cesarean section.
In my first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with a total occlusive placenta previa; The doctor saw on the second trimester ultrasound that there was little chance of her resetting, so from then on I knew that my baby would be delivered by cesarean section . Indeed, that was the case, and I had a quick intervention, without any kind of setback, although with a complicated postpartum due to another intervention that I had had years ago and that made the healing of the suture a bit more difficult.
Upon discharge from the hospital, I remember that one of the doctor’s most insistent recommendations was that I not get pregnant within two years . At that time I did not know exactly why, but I suspected that it had to do precisely with the healing of all tissues (internal and external), which you suffer when you have a cesarean section.
I must admit that for many months I did not consider the possibility of being a mother again. The postpartum seemed very hard because my little girl was born premature and the nights seemed eternal thanks to the combination of breastfeeding and reflux. In my case, I would say that the quarantine lasted a year and that even after two years (I would say almost exactly), the idea of having another baby did not begin to haunt me.
Recommendations for having a natural birth after a cesarean section
When we considered being parents again and taking advantage of a medical check-up, I asked my gynecologist if there were guidelines to take into account when having a vaginal birth in a second pregnancy . In this regard, he told me that there are several factors that come into play:
- The medical procedure that was done during the cesarean section.
- The prenatal control that is done during the second pregnancy.
- At the time of delivery, you should intervene as little as possible (for example, avoid oxytocin), and avoid excessive prolongation.
- On the part of the patient, the most important thing is to respect the deadline after the cesarean section to guarantee a good healing of the uterus (at the time they told me that it should be two years, but it has been proven that after 18 months it can be tried without problem ).
My vaginal delivery after a cesarean section
After an almost idyllic pregnancy (nothing to do with the first), the long-awaited moment arrived. My water broke around 5:00 am, I was admitted to the hospital immediately and at 10:00 am the contractions began steadily. However, the dilation started slowly, so I stayed until about 1:00 p.m. without much progress but with very strong pain, so I asked for the epidural.
When talking to the doctor, I asked him if the conditions were in place to have a normal delivery, to which he answered yes, but that he could not let much more time pass and that he considered that the most appropriate thing was to put on oxytocin to accelerate the dilation.
After putting it on, I began to dilate rapidly and almost immediately gave birth via vaginal delivery. The procedure was very fast, I did not have an episiotomy, I did not have any type of bleeding and the recovery was very fast (much more than with the cesarean section). Without a doubt, it has been one of the most powerful experiences I have had and looking back, I consider myself very lucky to have achieved a birth like this.
In Babies and More | Can you have a vaginal birth after cesarean section? A video proves yes
