I have a dilemma. Well, it may not be as much of a dilemma as wishful thinking, but it is still a difficult decision. See, my brother is getting married. 11 days before my due date. In North Carolina. We were asked if Bethany could be the flower girl and said yes before learning I was pregnant. I let them know right away that we may not make it, but they don't really have anyone else that would be suitable for flower girl, so I agreed that if we could make it, she could still be the flower girl. At first, I thought that traveling the 18 hrs over the course of a couple days would be okay, even if I will be ready to pop. I know that, technically, the baby could arrive as much as 14 days before my due date and still be considered "on time", but I feel about 90% sure that I won't go early, since I have been late by 5 days and 14 days in the two pregnancies where I actually went into labor. BUT, since this is my first pregnancy after having a "normal" delivery, and since it is always said that no 2 pregnancies / labors go the same, there is always a chance that this time will be different and I could go into labor early. I suppose, though, if that were the only concern, I still would be okay making the trip, since there are, I'm sure, any number of hospitals I could deliver at along the way. Unfortunately, given my previous cesareans, it is possible that there aren't ANY doctors along the way who would let me VBAC. And while I do want to go to my brother's wedding, I just don't know if the risk, however slight it may be, of having another cesarean just because my doctor is not around, is worth taking. Of course, my doctor didn't even entertain travel as a possibility when I mentioned it to him. I would just feel really bad if I missed the wedding and didn't end up giving birth until 2 weeks late. Any advice?
Comments (3)
This is a tough decision, but if it were me, I'd stay home (unless you are sure that there is a doctor where you are staying that is on board with VBAC).
No two labors are the same. With #1 I was over a week late and had 40+ hours of labor. With #2 I was over a week early and was in labor about 5 hours. I would feel uneasy being so far from home that close to my due date.
Hopefully your brother would be understanding about it if you decided not to go. Maybe they can stop by for a visit after their honeymoon?
Just my 2 cents.
Honestly, I don't think that I would take the risk either....the last thing you want is another bad labor experince.
I'm sure your brother would understand even though it may stink for you to miss the event.
Also, I can't help but think back to my wedding when your dad was sick, and though I am not family, I know that I would have been fine if you had to cancel being a part of my day.
Hope this helps and makes at least some sense.
If your Dr. thinks its a bad idea, I'd stick with his opinion. He's clearly not "overly cautious", in the bad sense, since he is so open to VBACs. Find out the law in NC... are they even ALLOWED to do ANY VBACs? Or are they totally cool with whatever? Some state's OB licensing has some pretty regulatory rules that were made to keep the Dr.s legally safe... not for the best interest of baby and mother. Take whatever info you can find to the Dr., let him know how important it is to you, and see what he says. That's my 2 cents anyway. :->