It used to be thought that once you had a caesarean you would need to have a caesarean for any future births because of the chance of scar rupture.
Whilst a repeat Caesarean is an option, there is also the option to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) which you’re more likely to achieve if you use the lessons in this course.
The recent NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines (2019) recommends continuous monitoring is not needed, nor is having a cannula and you can use water – so, good news all round!
Monitoring
The whole reason we have midwives with us when we give birth is so they can check we’re alright, no sudden fevers or loss of blood pressure, and our babies are coping well with the process of labour. We’re monitored with blood pressure cuffs and thermometers and our babies heartbeats are monitored.
For the majority of women, intermittent monitoring i.e. listening in every so often with a hand-held Doppler or Pinard Stethoscope is sufficient. By doing this, the midwife is able to build up a picture of how the baby’s heartbeat is coping with the contractions. By listening in every 15 minutes or so in the earlier stages and then after every contraction in the later stages, she can tell which babies are coping fine and which may need a little more help.
To explore your options do lots of research.
You may be interested to read this VBAC journey – yes it’s mine.