Friday 13 October 2017

Oh Baby

Tomorrow I have an appointment for a "meet & greet" with a young couple who are considering enlisting my help for their upcoming VBAC. Vaginal Birth After Caesarean is regarded as a huge challenge, partly because women who have needed surgical assistance to birth in the past are often left with a sense of failure and really don't believe that they are capable of anything close to a natural birth and partly because doctors get so nervous about vbacs that they have a tendency to undermine any woman who has some self belief. They also do a lot of pre-emptive intervening which, more often than not, leads to a repeat caesarean.
I haven't searched the rate of successful vbac for every New South Wales hospital but the ones I have looked at seem to sit between 10 - 15% and the two vbacs I have been hired for in the past both ended in repeat caesareans.
Tomorrow's meeting holds a few critical questions: do I tell them the truth about their chances and potentially discourage them from the get go? maybe I should gloss over the statistics? will they ask about my history with vbac and if they do will they see it as a reflection of the system or of me? will the drive there be the best case scenario (a half hour) or worst case scenario? (an hour) will they hire me or will I be passed over for someone more trendy/ experienced/ better at sales/ more local?

22 comments:

  1. Good luck.
    I would tend towards telling them the truth about the statistics if they ask, mentioning the issues you covered in your first paragraph.

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    1. Yes, I think that is best. i will quickly find out how well researched she is and take it from there

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  2. Do you. Kylie, what you think is a reflection of how you perform and being compatible with the couple is the mOST important part of the relationship--so you do you, they are looking for Douala care not a best friend.

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    1. You are so right. I am not really capable of doing anything but "me" and I know that people make their decision on the basis of anything at all so I have learnt to just do the interview and not overthink the result

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  3. I see it is Saturday there, so this may be too late, but I hope it went well. I'd have said the same as EC - give facts so they are well informed.

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    1. Thank you!She was well informed and had her head around the stats better than i do so it was easy and i think i have the job :)

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  4. My mother had me vaginally, and then my brother by C. Placenta previa made it an emergency. She said they started cutting before the anesthesia took effect. Then, she had my sister vaginally. The last two babies she had were C with not choice for her. I think it was best the last two were by C.

    I hope you got the job.

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    1. Your mum had quite a varied and interesting obstetric history. Did she tell her stories often? Did it effect your expectations of birth?

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    2. She did tell me stories of everything. Often? I don't think she repeated the birth stories often unless I asked. None of it negatively affected my expectations. She had a miscarriage between number four and five. She always assured me that these did not happen to most people.

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  5. Replies
    1. they asked about my banking details so i'm thinking i have the job! she was a bit of a statistics geek so she was well on top of what to expect, too

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  6. I have every confidence in you and what you are capable of doing. You know what's expected of you. Good luck!

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  7. So from reading the comments you got the job?? I hope so! The last thing you need when you are having a baby is someone trendy!

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    1. It's never sure until the money is in the bank but yes, I got it.
      I like to think solid and dependable is what people need when they have a baby (then there's tough but soft and a good listener) The thing is, they don't really know what they need. It's such a huge unknown

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  8. Did they have the baby yet? I am coming to this post over a week after it was written... My oldest brother was born via a Cesarean in 1947. Afterwards, my mother went on to have four natural births, including me. It was like squeezing toothpaste from a tube.

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    1. It will be a December or january baby.
      Your mum would have been a rarity to have a caesarean in 1947.
      Do you still smell minty?

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