Last Friday I had my 16 week appointment. Everything went really well; baby’s heart beat was 137! My next appointment will have an ultrasound 🙂  May 22!! And we are still planning on having a surprise gender baby. It will be tough, but so much fun come October!

The appointment was pretty basic… peeing in a cup, getting weighed (I’ve gained 3 lbs since my first appt), and having the dopplar. We also discussed the possibility of a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). To be honest with you, neither Adam nor I really considered it because even just a few years ago, it was a faux pas to have one. Too much risk. However, these days it is becoming more and more practiced and accepted. Our doctor is 100% pro-VBAC. She’s awesome… very informative, not pushy, and just very supportive.

Here’s what we discussed:

• there is only a 1-2% chance of a uterine rupture.
• they will not give pitocin (labor inducing drug) as this could increase the chance of a rupture
• to monitor baby’s heartbeat, a monitor will be attached to the baby’s skull — the baby’s heartbeat is the first sign something could go wrong and therefore they will do a c-section
• VBAC’s should only be done if the hospital has 24-hour anesthesiologists and attending OB/GYN’s. While most hospitals have 24-hour resident OB/GYN’s, we’re pretty lucky to have the 24-hour attendings. This is also a reason why some places in the country do not even allow VBAC’s…. 24-hour care is needed in the event of an emergency c-section.
• if I get to my due date and there is no signs of labor, we’ll schedule a c-section.
• if I am in labor and not progressing as quickly as normal, they will perform a c-section
• overall, there is a 20% chance I would have an unscheduled c-section if I choose to attempt a VBAC. 80% of the time a VBAC is successful.

Adam and I still have no idea what choice we’ll make. Since my last experience with childbirth was so terrible, I’m not so sure I want to go with the VBAC. Luck isn’t really on my side. I know my anxiety would be incredibly high every time I had a contraction, thinking I could rupture.  However, a VBAC is also a lot healthier for the baby and recovery is much quicker. And I’ll have 2 toddlers to take care of too!

Obviously, we have several months to decide. But it was really interesting to hear everything and start discussing our options.