I am with you on this! I was induced with four days to go because I was “too big” (this was my first pregnancy and I had no idea what was going on). The baby had been face up for all of my ultrasounds and was for this one, but I was never told this could be a problem. I was then refused pain medication during the several hours that I was induced and went from less than 1 cm to 9 cm.

I was laid flat on my back and made to push (after three days of no food or water, only IV) for five hours. Three of which I begged my Doctor for a c-section. Finally, he told me to push for 20 more minutes and then he would section to which I begged him to just do it already. When he left to consult with someone, a nurse came in and said she was the nurse who got babies out. I threatened her not to touch me (I was tired of pushing and desperate for a c-section) but she grabbed my legs, instructed my husband to do the same and pulled them over my head. The baby was out very shortly there after. She spent a week in the NICU because she wasn’t breathing and had inhaled myconium (gee, could this be because when I told the doctor that my water broke she said “no it didn’t” .

I am working on getting this doctor fired and, if I have to, I am going to make sure everyone knows how this doctor treats women. There is so much more that she did to me, but I can’t even mention it here.

Ladies, take back you rights and do what we have done for thousands of years. It isn’t natural to be laying down and locked in a position for hours. There are many different positions and different things you can do during child birth and many Midwives can deliver in a hospital. Your life and the life of your child will depend on this.

As a Mother/Baby nurse for over 25 years I know VBAC’s are very sucessful and very popular in California.

Depending on the length of time between the C section and the next birth there is usually no problem. Since you have large babies your body probably adapts to carring them well and there should be no problem
Doctors are sometimes reluctant to consider a VBAC when there is a history of large babies as they feel that the old scar tissue may not hold and they could experience taking care of a Mom with a rupture on the stomach wall and a baby in the birth canal.
If you have a good mid wife who you trust she will not let this happen and will encourage hospital care if there was to be an emergency. Nurses get anxious when they see weight gain early because they are thinking of the possibility of rupture at the old incision site.
Women know what they know and as your experiences have proven you are not foolish and just want a healthy experience for you and the baby. I would suggest checking that this mid wife has handled many types of births and is able to make oxygen available if that was necessary for you or your baby. Your complaints about your medical care are well founded and that is why most California hospitals have alternative birthing as part of their maternal care. Blessings to you and your family…Maril Lynne