35 Weeks

Today I am 35 weeks pregnant. I had my regular OB visit and was given some very good news. A few weeks ago when we had a 4D ultrasound of Declan done we learned that he was breech, meaning he was not head down. I have been really stressed out because a breech presentation would likely mean that I would have to have a repeat cesarean section.

It's no secret that Silas' emergency c-section really upset me. I know it was out of my hands and that it was necessary for his health and safety, as well as mine, but it took me a very long time to accept those facts. The hardest part about his birth was that he was whisked away for treatment and I wasn't able to share those first few hours of his life with him. Having the incision split open and contracting an infection didn't help either, nor did the repeat visits and the re-admittance to the hospital.

In the process of healing from my experience with the section I learned about ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). I knew that a vaginal birth after cesarean (or VBAC) was a possibility because my mother had three of them (I was a c-section baby) and a very close friend of mine was starting her VBAC journey. I started attending meetings with her as a support person and learned more about the network and how to prepare myself for one when the time was right.

I've been working towards preparing myself for a natural vaginal birth. I've been taking care of my body and my mind. I've also hired a doula and a VBAC friendly OBGYN. I'm resolved to the fact that it may be out of my hands again, but at least this time around I have a plan if it does end in a repeat cesarean. That is something I didn't plan for the last time. There are some scenarios that could make this birth an automatic CBAC (cesarean birth after cesarean), but as of right now my OB doesn't have any worries.

What I was worried about with a breech baby was having my opportunity at a VBAC taken away. There are a number of things a person can do to try to get the baby to  turn including chiropractic care, spinning babies exercises, and and external version. I had planned on utilizing all of those, however the good news is that Declan is no longer breech. He is head down and nestled nicely in my pelvis, as my OB put it.

Let's just hope he stays that way!