Esther's Birth -- Part I
Introduction
As some of you may recall, I shared the saga of Abby’s birth and the emergency c-section that it required. After that traumatic birth episode, I remember my OB/GYN saying to me, “That’s okay, Sara. If you want to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), just talk to me about it next time you get pregnant.” This was certainly good news, especially when, in days gone past, once a woman had a c-section, that became the only method for delivery thereafter. So when Abby turned 16 months and I found myself expecting again, I went to my doctor to take him up on his promise. However, in the months after Abby’s birth, all of the hospitals had changed their policy. No more VBACs anywhere in the High Desert. “It’s just too risky, and none of the hospitals up here are equipped with the required personnel, namely a 24-hour anesthesiologist and a backup OR team in the case of uterine rupture” was the reason I was given. I was told that having a VBAC was like playing Russian Roulette with my baby.
That sealed the deal for me. I thought, “Well, there you have it. God must want me to have another c-section.” And I went about preparing for the inevitable, resolved that I would again have to recover from major surgery, weighing the possibility of this being my last child. With every c-section, the risk of complications increase, which could mean this would be it for me, no more babies because the risks would be too great.
Eric wouldn’t let go of the idea of a VBAC, however. He continued to bring it up, listing possible ways to make it happen. We thought we might need to switch insurance from an HMO to a PPO to allow me to see pro-VBAC doctors and facilities down the hill, like Loma Linda University Medical Center. I was frustrated at times by his tenacious pursuit of a VBAC, but he wasn’t the only one who was pushing for it. There was a midwife at my church who also continued to bring up the topic, constantly bringing in literature for me to read at my leisure. She was sure I wasn’t intended to go through another c-section as well. As irritable as this made me at her and at my husband, I read every piece of material she handed me and then some. I also did my own research on the Internet. It was only then that the Lord began to change my heart. I was scared, really. I didn’t want to go through what I had endured with Abby’s birth, and I just knew a c-section would be short and relatively easy, minus the difficult healing time afterwards; I certainly wasn’t ready for a repeat of Abby’s birth scenario. But the more I read, the more afraid of having a repeat c-section I became. I read the statistics, and I knew more than the average doctor on the statistics of uterine rupture during VBAC deliveries (very rare) and the even rarer chance of a uterine rupture killing or permanently maiming either the mother or the child, and I also knew the risks of complications during c-section. The risks are fairly minimal either way, with greater risks during a c-section, so I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying for a VBAC. So I surrendered to His desires, whether it be a VBAC or a repeat c-section; I was willing to do what He wanted me to do.
As some of you may recall, I shared the saga of Abby’s birth and the emergency c-section that it required. After that traumatic birth episode, I remember my OB/GYN saying to me, “That’s okay, Sara. If you want to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), just talk to me about it next time you get pregnant.” This was certainly good news, especially when, in days gone past, once a woman had a c-section, that became the only method for delivery thereafter. So when Abby turned 16 months and I found myself expecting again, I went to my doctor to take him up on his promise. However, in the months after Abby’s birth, all of the hospitals had changed their policy. No more VBACs anywhere in the High Desert. “It’s just too risky, and none of the hospitals up here are equipped with the required personnel, namely a 24-hour anesthesiologist and a backup OR team in the case of uterine rupture” was the reason I was given. I was told that having a VBAC was like playing Russian Roulette with my baby.
That sealed the deal for me. I thought, “Well, there you have it. God must want me to have another c-section.” And I went about preparing for the inevitable, resolved that I would again have to recover from major surgery, weighing the possibility of this being my last child. With every c-section, the risk of complications increase, which could mean this would be it for me, no more babies because the risks would be too great.
Eric wouldn’t let go of the idea of a VBAC, however. He continued to bring it up, listing possible ways to make it happen. We thought we might need to switch insurance from an HMO to a PPO to allow me to see pro-VBAC doctors and facilities down the hill, like Loma Linda University Medical Center. I was frustrated at times by his tenacious pursuit of a VBAC, but he wasn’t the only one who was pushing for it. There was a midwife at my church who also continued to bring up the topic, constantly bringing in literature for me to read at my leisure. She was sure I wasn’t intended to go through another c-section as well. As irritable as this made me at her and at my husband, I read every piece of material she handed me and then some. I also did my own research on the Internet. It was only then that the Lord began to change my heart. I was scared, really. I didn’t want to go through what I had endured with Abby’s birth, and I just knew a c-section would be short and relatively easy, minus the difficult healing time afterwards; I certainly wasn’t ready for a repeat of Abby’s birth scenario. But the more I read, the more afraid of having a repeat c-section I became. I read the statistics, and I knew more than the average doctor on the statistics of uterine rupture during VBAC deliveries (very rare) and the even rarer chance of a uterine rupture killing or permanently maiming either the mother or the child, and I also knew the risks of complications during c-section. The risks are fairly minimal either way, with greater risks during a c-section, so I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying for a VBAC. So I surrendered to His desires, whether it be a VBAC or a repeat c-section; I was willing to do what He wanted me to do.
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