[NinjaMum]

My hospital was adamant that I needed monitoring and cannula upon arrival. I wrote a short birth plan which accepted intermittent monitoring and did not consent to a cannula unless there was a clear emergency need for it.

As it was, I arrived with contractions less than 3 minutes apart and I was there less than an hour before the pushing started. Birth plan was handed to the midwife by my Doula when we arrived. Monitoring was started shortly before the pushing, and no cannula (and no pressure regarding it either).

Just because something is hospital policy, does not mean you must have it - you can choose not to consent to it, but please make sure you're informed about what their reasons are and what the implications are for you and your birth if you choose not to consent to something.

[MinnieC]

Just because something is hospital policy, does not mean you must have it - you can choose not to consent to it, but please make sure you're informed about what their reasons are and what the implications are for you and your birth if you choose not to consent to something.

This.

I had a VBAC last September and did my research and declined continuous monitoring, I was happy to have the cannula. I had to speak to the OB about my decisions and go through the risks etc but I decided that intermittent monitoring was right for me. Having said that this is not how it went . I ended up having an induction with a balloon catheter and ARM and consented to go on the monitor for 15 mins to see how things were going and didn't end up coming off because he was showing signs of distress. Once down in the labour ward I was on the cordless (telemetry) monitoring but this was still a pain because I had to hold the monitor on during a contraction so opted for the scalp clip which allowed me complete freedom of movement and I could go in the shower (where I spent 5 hours). I ended up with an epi but still did it in the end. I needed fluids during labour so I was glad I had the cannula in before hand so I didn't have to have it done while in labour.

In NSW it is now the NSW Health policy to have continuous monitoring and a compulsory cannula for all VBAC's. I assume it's similar in most states. Just because it's policy does not mean you have to have it though. It's a good idea to remain flexible though and just take things as they come. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Jean Genie]

I laboured for 6 hours with my VBA2C, 3 hours of that was in hospital. I live 40 minutes away from that hospital. The midwife tried to push continual monitoring, but I refused and had intermittent monitoring with a Doppler, which ment I spent the majority of time in the shower. I also had a doula, which I found invaluable. Luckily, there wsd no talk of a drip, and I didn't need a canuala inserted.

Good luck!

[tenar]

Going by the OP's sig, the baby has arrived and the birth went well.

Congratulations OP!

[pinkcupcakes]

i too had a vbac and was worried about not having an active birth. but while i had to have the ctg thing strapped to me the whole time and constantly readjusted, i still had a very active birth from the get go. the midwives were actually encouraging ( or gently persuading) me to change positions every so often and they were such a great help.

but yes, stay home as long as you can, and also include very clear wishes in your birth plan. with mine i think it was probably a bit overkill but when you're in the heat of the moment it gives you much more of a say and much less of a need to have to try and focus on it too much when you clearly have other things going on!

this might sound a bit cheesy but if you just believe in yourself, have confidence in your vbac, and brush off those silly negative comments from some of your healthcare professionals, i feel that you truly will succeed. i did it and im not confident in my abilities at all. all the best with it op!

*oh. did not see sig before.