hospital vbac - using the shower/tub

[sweetpeamami83]

I'm not even sure if this is a possibility but did anyone who has had a hospital vbac and was on continuous monitoring have a hospital with monitors that can get wet?


This will be my 3rd vbac but I still have to be monitored 100% of the time. Which baffles me because with my first hospital vbac I REMEMBER being allowed to use the showers. The hospital is the same as where I had my first vbac says they do not have monitors that can get wet. I remember them letting me do 30 min on 30 off. Now they are telling me they don't do this. Hospital policy. Which is fine. I just want to be able to use the shower/tub because I know how much it helps.

So has anyone had a vbac at a hospital with continuous monitoring where they we're allowed to use the shower/tub and get the monitors wet?

[dornmama]

Yep! My last VBAC I happily labored in the tub with the telemetry monitors still strapped on until it was time to push (they unfortunately didn't offer water birth, just water labor).

[crunch!910]

There's not a hospital within a two hours drive for me that would allow it. They hardly let a naturally laboring woman off of her back and out of bed, let alone off monitors, and let alone even more if she were a VBAC. If I wanted a hospital VBAC, I'd be tied down to a bed 24/7, not allowed to sit up, not allowed to use restroom, not allowed to walk to relieve pain, and water labor/birth would be 200% OUT of the picture.

Yup, you guessed it, I will NOT be having my next in a hospital.

[cinderella08]

I VBACd at a hospital with a nurse-midwife. She had planned on letting me labor in the water - they are equipped U with telemetry and waterproof monitors. Unfortunately I developed preeclampsia again and had to be induced and wasn't "allowed" in the water. Truthfully, I didn't want to be - I labored the entire time either standing or in a rocker.

[sweetpeamami83]

Originally Posted by crunch!910 There's not a hospital within a two hours drive for me that would allow it. They hardly let a naturally laboring woman off of her back and out of bed, let alone off monitors, and let alone even more if she were a VBAC. If I wanted a hospital VBAC, I'd be tied down to a bed 24/7, not allowed to sit up, not allowed to use restroom, not allowed to walk to relieve pain, and water labor/birth would be 200% OUT of the picture. Yup, you guessed it, I will NOT be having my next in a hospital.

my last birth was a homebirth at 42 weeks which ended in my baby being born not breathing and both of us being transfered to the hospital. I did not get to hold him for three days and did not get to touch him without gloves and a gown on for the first 24 hours. After a week in the nicu he was allowed to come home. We we're told he had brain damage and he may never be "normal" that his tests showed he was without oxygen for an extended period of time, that he could have cerebral palsy and all sorts of crazy things. I know the chances of this happening again are slim but after being scared the way we we're with him I would not be able to forgive myself if I had a home brith again and something happened. I have come to terms with the fact that I may not get everything I want out of this birth. I'm sure there will be things that wont go my way or things I will have to give up but I am totally ok with that this time. If I end up getting an epidural or even end up with a c/s then so be it. I want a baby who comes home with me. My last two babies have been nicu babies and at this point its more important to me that my babies leave the hospital healthy with me then as to how they get here.

I agree with what your saying. Its very sad that vbac mamas are treated like this. Especially in my case. I have had two vaginal births. My risk of rupture is not even a real number anymore. I hate having that stigma attached to me. Like we are ticking time bombs during labor.

[bumminbeachbabe]

I used a tub with my VBAC. The birth center I delivered at was attached to a hospital. The tub had jets that were helping my back labor, but it interfered with the monitors so I wasn't allowed to have them on.

[sweetpeamami83]

Originally Posted by bumminbeachbabe I used a tub with my VBAC. The birth center I delivered at was attached to a hospital. The tub had jets that were helping my back labor, but it interfered with the monitors so I wasn't allowed to have them on.

how I wish we had something like that around here. a birthing center attached to a hospital would be awesome.

[NATTYBATSMOM]

I was not allowed to use water for my VBAC but to be honest, by the time I got there, I was so far along I really didn't want the water anyway. I just wanted to be up and moving which the one nurse tried to fight with me on too. Fortunately, I was only there a couple of hours before shift change and had two wonderful nurses at the change who helped me stay up and moving and I was ready to push not long after that. I had a midwife as a monatrice so I didn't go in right away and I was pretty far in labor when I finally did get to the hospital and I think that made a difference. All you can do is ask but it really depends on the hospital. I know mine wanted to do continuous monitoring but it was really hard when I wouldn't just lie down for them (I couldn't, it was too painful). As it was, they were nasty with me about the dang IV, the one nurse said the doctor wouldn't even work with me if I didn't get it and the nurse getting it in blew out two of my veins (one really bad) before they had the anesthesiologist come in. Thankfully, she was the one I had met previously and we had clicked really well so she put numbing stuff in and then put the IV in without a single problem. I had a HUGE bruise on my arm for a good MONTH because of that one nurse though. Grr. But boy was it fun to see everyone scrambling ha ha ha. Took me very little time to get from 8 to 10 and NO ONE was ready. hee hee hee

[momof4kidz]

I had to stay in the bed for both vbacs. The birth center won't even touch them even though ive had 2. The last time I even had a lady from legal in the room with papers for me to sign about the risks! And I had to hold baby in till the dr got out of surgery! That's why I am doing a homebirth this time but I totally understand your reasons for not going that route. It couldn't hurt to talk to your dr though and see if they would be willing to let you labor in the tub. Maybe they could clear it with the hospital.

[NATTYBATSMOM]

Originally Posted by momof4kidz I had to stay in the bed for both vbacs. The birth center won't even touch them even though ive had 2. The last time I even had a lady from legal in the room with papers for me to sign about the risks! And I had to hold baby in till the dr got out of surgery! That's why I am doing a homebirth this time but I totally understand your reasons for not going that route. It couldn't hurt to talk to your dr though and see if they would be willing to let you labor in the tub. Maybe they could clear it with the hospital.

How in the world did you do that?! I barely managed to hold mine in long enough to get into position and when I did push, she came out in about one and a half pushes! I can't imagine holding for longer than that, I think I would have pushed her out anyway and to heck with the dang doctor!