Having a spontaneous natural birth, even after a caesarean, is usually no big deal. But for Larnaca or Cyprus, in a private clinic, it is. Cyprus has an average of 60% of caesareans in privateclinics and 45% in public hospitals. This is one of the highest rates WORLDWIDE. Something is going very wrong over here, and I very much doubt that all these women are asking for a caesarean, like everybody keeps saying.
You can have a natural birth after a c-section in Cyprus, but it is not the standard thing to do, as I experienced with my last pregnancy. The medical details and statistics about Vaginal Birth after Caesarean (short VBAC) are available on the web. This article is about local information on therapies in Cyprus. Here in Cyprus, you need to know the right people who will direct you to getting the right information. With my first child I knew from books which therapies might help, but I did not know that there are people in Cyprus that do these and could help. This time round, I knew whom to ask.
The most important factor for having a natural birth was my strong wish that drove me. You have to speak about it with your doctor from an early stage on, since some doctors might not do VBAC. Then you have to make sure the reason why you had your previous Caesarean does not exist in this pregnancy. For me, it was the wrong positioning of the baby.
Like the first, my second baby turned head up around week 30. This time I took it more seriously since that was the reason for my caesarean. Bare in mind I was never 100% sure whether I could actually have a natural birth, until I came to the clinic with strong contractions to give birth. But with my baby's head up, I would not have even gotten that far. So when my private doctor Costas Christoforou saw my daughter's head up, he said that it is most likely my body is a certain shape, which will force all my babies into this position. Well it made sense, but I was devastated. I really wanted a natural birth for the sake of my baby and my body.
This is my personal road to a natural birth from a wrong positioned baby:
One method to stimulate a baby's movement is moxibustion. It relaxes the uterus and gives it more space to move. There is an anaesthetist who is also trained in acupuncture that does this in Larnaca,
Dr. Claire Hadjikakou. I had learned about her from Tina Poetis preparing for my first baby with her antenatal class, but I went to Dr. Hadjikakou too late with my first baby (after week 37). This time I was early enough, and my husband and I did this therapy at home every other day. Very relaxing for the belly, but the baby did not turn.
Of course I did pregnancy yoga and pilates twice a week which you can do with Rachel Petrou at The Body and Soul or with Anna at the Earth Spa or with Marina Kyprigenea at the Zogonos Holistic HealthCenter to stay fit, practice conscious breathing and to be prepared for my little birthing-marathon. There are also a couple of positions which you can do regularly which might help the baby turn. Well it might have worked for others, but not in my case. Having said that, I did not want to miss any of my yoga and pilates lessons!
The next person I turned to was Doula Claire Anne. She came to my house and took my wish for a natural birth seriously, which was great emotional support. She showed me a few helpful things but most importantly she introduced me to ElinePedersen- Chiropractor here in Larnaca. Here I learned about Webster technology and how chiropractic can help you during pregnancy. In short, when your pelvis, which is holding the uterus with the baby inside, is not in place, there might be some restrictions which stop the baby turning. This tension from the misalignment or previous scaring can cause tensions in the ligaments of the uterus which prevent the baby to get in the right position. After my first session I felt so much better. I was less tired, did not need to turn that much during the night and after the fourth treatment the baby turned. It was a bit more than two weeks before my calculated birth date and she was finally in place!
(Another option is an External Cephalic Version of the baby by a gynaecologist. It was not an option for me. If you go for this method, make sure that your doctor really knows what he/she is doing.)
In the end I gave spontaneous vaginal birth without any medication to a healthy girl.
Looking back at both of my experiences and for anybody who is hesitating: I recovered so much faster after natural birth. Yes, you have to be prepared and it is exhausting, but it is definitely doable and a very special experience. The c-section is fast and seems painless, but the physical and emotional trouble you have afterwards with the recovery is so much stronger and longer for both you and the baby. I remember not wanting to wear trousers for months, not because I did not fit but because they were bothering my scar, while I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans only 2 weeks after my natural birth. And I am not even starting to write about the emotional sadness of me feeling after my c-section for month.
The first child usually is the more difficult one. Despite fully breastfed we had colic, sleeping problems.... The second one now is such a happy baby. So balanced and she found her own rhythm with eating and sleeping so fast. All right, we also learned as parents and know now what we are doing: but I am sure in our case, our first child would not have been so difficult if she could have decided when to come out by herself - naturally.
So if they tell you to go for Caesarian because of a wrong positioning of the baby or a previous c-section and you want a natural birth - perk up your ears and see what you can do for you and your baby. Even if the baby does not turn, it is good to know that you did everything you can do and do not have to look back afterwards thinking, this could have been done differently.
If you are in a similar position and need support do not hesitate to contact me through the LPN or facebook or any of the people mentioned in the article.
Of course I did pregnancy yoga and pilates twice a week which you can do with Rachel Petrou at The Body and Soul or with Anna at the Earth Spa or with Marina Kyprigenea at the Zogonos Holistic HealthCenter to stay fit, practice conscious breathing and to be prepared for my little birthing-marathon. There are also a couple of positions which you can do regularly which might help the baby turn. Well it might have worked for others, but not in my case. Having said that, I did not want to miss any of my yoga and pilates lessons!
The next person I turned to was Doula Claire Anne. She came to my house and took my wish for a natural birth seriously, which was great emotional support. She showed me a few helpful things but most importantly she introduced me to ElinePedersen- Chiropractor here in Larnaca. Here I learned about Webster technology and how chiropractic can help you during pregnancy. In short, when your pelvis, which is holding the uterus with the baby inside, is not in place, there might be some restrictions which stop the baby turning. This tension from the misalignment or previous scaring can cause tensions in the ligaments of the uterus which prevent the baby to get in the right position. After my first session I felt so much better. I was less tired, did not need to turn that much during the night and after the fourth treatment the baby turned. It was a bit more than two weeks before my calculated birth date and she was finally in place!
(Another option is an External Cephalic Version of the baby by a gynaecologist. It was not an option for me. If you go for this method, make sure that your doctor really knows what he/she is doing.)
In the end I gave spontaneous vaginal birth without any medication to a healthy girl.
Looking back at both of my experiences and for anybody who is hesitating: I recovered so much faster after natural birth. Yes, you have to be prepared and it is exhausting, but it is definitely doable and a very special experience. The c-section is fast and seems painless, but the physical and emotional trouble you have afterwards with the recovery is so much stronger and longer for both you and the baby. I remember not wanting to wear trousers for months, not because I did not fit but because they were bothering my scar, while I was back in my pre-pregnancy jeans only 2 weeks after my natural birth. And I am not even starting to write about the emotional sadness of me feeling after my c-section for month.
The first child usually is the more difficult one. Despite fully breastfed we had colic, sleeping problems.... The second one now is such a happy baby. So balanced and she found her own rhythm with eating and sleeping so fast. All right, we also learned as parents and know now what we are doing: but I am sure in our case, our first child would not have been so difficult if she could have decided when to come out by herself - naturally.
So if they tell you to go for Caesarian because of a wrong positioning of the baby or a previous c-section and you want a natural birth - perk up your ears and see what you can do for you and your baby. Even if the baby does not turn, it is good to know that you did everything you can do and do not have to look back afterwards thinking, this could have been done differently.
If you are in a similar position and need support do not hesitate to contact me through the LPN or facebook or any of the people mentioned in the article.
