Two years ago, I was pregnant with my daughter and my waters leaked for about four weeks
Q: Two years ago, I was pregnant with my daughter and my waters leaked for about four weeks. The cause was unknown. However my daughter was born seven weeks early by c-section. Now I am pregnant again and am wanting a more natural childbirth: no medication, no induction, no c-section. But I don’t know if it is at all safe or possible to give birth (maybe at home) in a tub. Has this situation ever occurred in your medical experiences and what were the outcomes, if yes. I am eagerly awaiting your response because I don’t want a hospital or another knife on my belly.
Sincerely,
Valleri
A: Dear Valleri, If it is safe for you to give birth vaginally then it is safe for you to give birth in a tub! Finding a caregiver and in institution to support this desire, however, may be a challenge. Few hospitals offer water births, and fewer and fewer offer VBAC anymore– finding one that offers both, while not impossible, will probably take some searching. Some home birth midwives do offer VBACs at home, but certainly not all.
Of course with a history of prolonged premature rupture of membranes, there will be some who will classify you as “high risk,” but once you reach full term that risk factor will be eliminated. Your midwife will want your records from your previous hospitalization, particularly the operative report documenting that the scar on your uterus is a low transverse one (what the scar is on the skin does not always match what is on the uterus itself). If it turns out your uterine incision was anything other than low transverse, the best option for you may truly be a repeat c-section.
Best wishes and good luck in your quest-
Carolyn Havens Niemann, MSN, CNM
Princeton Midwifery Care
www.princetonmidwiferycare.com
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