Thanks for your comments, ladies! Is such fun telling the story again as it feels like a real achievement- hope this gives other potential vbac-ers hope & confidence that they too can do it !

Lovely story! <<sniff>>

What a wonderful birth story, congratulations on your little boy (and your clearly much-wanted vbac ). I love that 'looking up and all around him', remember it so well from my own son's birth - pure magic.

Welcome to the world Charlie

So embarrassed to be getting round to doing this after so long but here goes ...

I got my vbac after many anxious weeks of wondering whether I'd really be capable of pushing baby no.2 out myself, following an emergency c-section 4 years ago.

The staff at the hospital were great- they did really seem to have read my birth plan and my wishes were followed as much as was possible-

I was able to be pretty active & upright throughout, lots of 'kit' was supplied at useful points- birthing ball, gym mat, heat pack for my back, plenty of offers of tea/biscuits/sandwiches ... very good communication, explanations of everything that was going on throughout ... I was labouring for a long time before things really properly kicked off contraction-wise but I never felt like I was being rushed along, no clock-watching, FAB !

The whole thing was really in the hands of the midwives, even though I was higher risk due to the previous emcs- registrar only appeared towards the end when I was about to push which meant I was nicely relaxed (so to speak) and things progressed nicely once they did get going.

A couple of wobbles though-

a big sudden bleed when i was prepped for surgery for emcs just in case ('either you're ready to push OR your scar has ruptured')-
this turned out to be the former thank God!

they put a scalp monitor on his head, the beeps slowed right down then suddenly stopped! I was entering transition so totally freaked out, imagining the baby's heart had suddenly stopped ! I start crying, my husband starts crying because I'm crying .... the staff then realise what's going on and reassure me everything's just fine, now just relax ...

I desperately wanted diamorphine by then as had gone from about 5cm to 10cm fully dilated in about 30 mins, was shattered having been contracting all through the night then all through most of the day (waters broke at 2am, this was now about 6.30pm the next day)-
midwife just kept avoiding answering, knowing it was way too late for that.

So I did it on gas & air alone !!!!!!

I was suddenly on my side, they are setting up the stirrups thingies, 3 other midwives appear from nowhere, I feel this massive urge to push (had never felt this with DD as had epidural/doped up to the max)and really try hard NOT to push, is extremely tricky- blow blow blow (as I was blowing into my husband's face, he was doing the same back to me!)

The next bit is not half as bad as I'd imagined, though very surreal- legs up, told to give it all i've got from about 5 midwives- felt like they were shouting on a football team lol !! Only 15 minutes of pushing later and my gorgeous son Charlie is born, looking up and all around him, amazing moment of euphoria and excitement and achievement and exhaustion and wonder ....

Hugely proud of myself but also very grateful to the staff who were fabulous- always felt they were on my side and were doing their best for me.

What an adventure and an experience i shall never forget !