The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Planning Homebirth After Two Cesareans

I am in a very similar situation to you. I have two cesareans behind me for large babies. Never a trial of labor. I feel now that I did not receive sound medical advice. In fact, now I fully believe that childbirth is not a medical condition. Rather, in practically every case it is a normal body function that works best if left alone and up to nature.

No obstetrician passed muster with this pregnancy to believe and help me birth the natural way that I believe I was born to birth. I interviewed doctors all pregnancy long to no avail. Each one would say "well, in your case...two cesareans, macrosomic history of over 10 and 11 pound babies..." HA! No way is some doctor trying to keep his practice together by following birthing guidelines to save his butt instead of what is best for me and my baby is going to tell me again that I can not do this my way. That doctor does not care a personal iota about how his outcomes are going to affect you. But you and your husband and children will be living with the fruition of your experience every day of your lives for the rest of your lives.

I am planning my first home birth after cesarean this September. I am very excited and deep down I know that this is the right thing to do and the healthiest course for myself and my baby.

I am prepared, and still consider it a viable and safe option, to birth unattended at home if I have to in order to stay away from doctors and hospitals for any more birthing experiences. And it is not like we can not drive to a hospital if the unlikely chance should occur that we would need to. Think of it this way, you are more likely to die in a car accident or plane crash probably than in vaginally birthing your own beautiful baby. A mother's chance of dying from a cesarean is rare, but a mother's chances of dying resulting from vaginal birthing is even rarer. I think the baby's chance of death and ill health are very low for you, and for all women in general, with either mode of birth. A successful vaginal birth is the best thing for both of you and worth a good shot. Even the American College of Obstetricians claim this, yet why obstetricians do not practice this vehemently is a whole other bag of worms.

I know that doctors, hospitals, much of society - not all - would have women like us believe that our bodies are just not capable of birthing our babies. But it just comes down to how strong are you to hold dear to your heart that your body can indeed birth your child?

Regardless of your failures or shortcomings with diet, weight, mental preparedness, exercise level, etc. you can still overcome these obstacles and birth your own darn child. Many other women do with some or all of these shortcomings! I really feel it comes down to a woman's ability to believe and trust in herself. And even if she has an inkling of this trust she can follow it.

So why not give it a shot and birth vaginally? You may indeed very well surprise yourself and everyone surrounding you at your birth! Walk around a lot, carry on with normal daily activities, present yourself at the hospital VERY late in labor, lean back on your spouse in a semi squat when you can and maybe you will be home free with your baby in your arms! If you do a full squat, squat on your heels with your legs comfortably apart. There is no mystery here, that is all there is to it. All women can actually birth even bigger than even the average babies they are birthing today if they would simply birth in some type of upright position and feel safe too. Squatting opens your pelvis tremendously as nature intended for us, so your baby is going to come out.

It is your choice and maybe the road you are not to waver from now will be cesarean. But I will tell you this: for me I fully regret no trial of labor and signing a consent form for elective cesareans for my two beautiful healthy boys. They are so strong they probably could have enjoyed that rough passage God intended for them into this world with flying colors! Choosing cesarean may very well become your worst mistakes in your life just as I have found them to be in mine. And boy what a big mistake to live with and grow from.

Best wishes and prayers to you, your spouse, and your baby,

p.s. When your doctors say it is not safe in your case what they mean is that they are not safe if anything at all should go wrong. With a cesarean birth they can sit back and relax and do not have to worry about a thing. It is done quickly and they have resorted to the ultimate of their expertise, which is favorably looked upon from all legal and cultural angles, but not from the angle of the parents and child who want more.

Also, there are more important things to consider when getting a tubal than convenience. You would not want to do something like this without certainty that this is what you want and are ready for. Wait and do it later.

p.p.s. "Sugar problems" with 9 or 10 pound babies is so weak. Your doctor is dreadfully underinformed. Having a cesarean will do nothing about the great off chance of this occurring anyway. He is really reaching for straws to throw at you, unconsciously leading you and your husband down a path that he is comfortable with. I have to say that you are on the same path I and my husband were on with my two cesareans: naive and uninformed. It takes more guts than I or my husband had to say no thanks to all of this type of obstetrician's suggestions.