What I Did To Have A Successful Vaginal Birth After A C-Section

Having a successful vaginal birth after a C- Section is crucial. The joy of every mom who had walked through this path is to have a successful birth stories.

I’d always wanted to have three children, even the incident of a scary ectopic pregnancy didn’t change that. Not only that, I longed to have all my children naturally.

But because life doesn’t always give you what you want, things don’t always go as planned.

When l got pregnant with my first child in 2012 (after my ectopic pregnancy), I looked forward to having a vaginal delivery as a first-time mom.

My birth plan didn’t go as planned as I ended up having a c- section because my baby was breech. So l didn’t get to experience what labor was like in my first pregnancy.

Even though I’d heard the painful tales of labor from other moms, I still wanted to experience it so badly.

My recovery after C-section was slow and painful. My incision site got infected and I had to be readmitted to the hospital.

My painful experience reinforced my desire to have my other children through vaginal delivery.

However, I understand that there’s no easy way out of childbirth, each path is laced with pain. I just wanted to experience both.

My Second Pregnancy

Immediately l got pregnant with my second child, l began to research the possibility of having a vaginal birth after a C-section; because I’ve learnt that there’s a higher risk of having a C-section with a history of the same.

In my third trimester, my midwife and I talked about my birth plan. I told her about my decision to go for vaginal birth.

Initially, she expressed worry because of my previous history of ectopic pregnancy and C-section.

But when she saw my determination, she supported my decision and encouraged me immensely.

I’m glad my birth plan went as desired as I had two vaginal births after my C-section.

I’d like to share with you some tips that helped my decision :

1. Support and Encouragement from Loved Ones

There is nothing like having good support system in life.

You need friends and family who love you dearly and can support you through whatever decision you make in life.

Apart from having a good support system who stood by me during my recovery, they also didn’t discourage my decision to try a vaginal birth despite my history of two major surgeries.

Although they expressed concern about my decision, they stood by me regardless.

2. Choose a Supportive Health Care Provider

While your Ob/Gyn and Midwife should give you the best advice concerning your birth plan, they can’t decide for you. The decision still remains yours.

Make sure you not only choose a competent health team, but also one who is supportive.

If you are skeptical about your health care providers, please change them.

When l told my health care providers about my decision to have a vaginal delivery, they supported me through it all and made sure l had a successful delivery.

Of course, I was open-minded enough to accept any change if it came up. I knew they were acting in my best interest.

3. Prepare Yourself for Labor

There’s no better time to start than when you realize you’re pregnant. You can start preparing for labor right from the first trimester.

Choose the right nutrition. Eat healthy foods that are beneficial to your body and the overall well-being of you and your baby.

Avoid eating unhealthy foods that can cause unnecessary weight gain for you and your baby as this increases the risk of having a C-section.

Also, moderate exercise such as walking is a good idea.

Pregnancy yoga classes is a good idea or you can also indulge in other forms of exercises approved by your GP; anything to make your body strong and ready for labor.