In my green notes it said 75% of women who opt for vbac do manage to give birth naturally. There’s a 1 in 200 risk of rupture of the section incision site when contractions start which would need immediate medical attention. Obviously the recovery after vaginal birth is generally much quicker than after a section.
I opted for a section as I didn’t want to experience 27 hours of labour to end up with an emergency section again. I think if that had happened, I’d be thinking that I could have had a section in the first place with a much calmer atmosphere. Also, from a practical side for me. I live 2.5 hours away from all my family. Booking a section meant I could plan for my parents looking after my daughter. (Though as I ended up going into labour we had to ask for help from a parent of a child in my daughter’s class!)
When I went ahead with choosing a section, I had to read a card with all the risks. There is a risk to baby in terms of breathing difficulties which lowers the closer you gave your section to 40 weeks. At 39 weeks, it’s 1%. I was unlucky as my little boy did have to go to neonates with breathing difficulties which was due to mucus in his lungs from the section.
When it comes to it, your midwife/hospital should be able to provide you with leaflets about sections and vbac which will help you choose.
