Question

Those of you that see the Dupage Medical group of OBs- Kagen/Weeks/Li/Stoeffler/Martin etc. do you know what their stance is on VBACs? Has anyone had one with them?  

Answer 1

I delivered with Li in November with an emergency section after laboring and baby boys HR starting to dip with every contraction. She has left it up to me for when we’d like to have our next child but did say that it is more risk of infection and that I’d have to go into labor by myself. Which I didn’t do with my son I was induced.  

Answer 2

I wanted a VBAC with my second and that was my group. Each dr I spoke to was great, discussed my options and did discuss the risks but it was my decision. The VBAC didn’t work for me but I was in labor for 27 hours and I was the one who brought up a c-section.  

Answer 3

They are very very supportive. I had a vbac a year ago and it was a great experience. I actually asked Dr Weeks to just do a c section because I had been in the hospital for 5 days because of preterm labor. I was consistently contracting day and night for 5 days (they kept giving meds to stop them) and by the time it was go time I was so exhausted I couldn’t imagine pushing. He actually looked me in the eye and said I know that you’re tired and I know you really want a vbac so I really think we should try. I know you can do this. An hour later I had my baby and repeatedly thanked him for not letting me get the c section. The recovery was SO much easier than my last. I was so impressed with him.  

Comments

@curl I can totally picture him saying that. What a great doc!  

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I could see him doing this too. He delivered my first and he was just so wonderful coaching me through it. I was so scared! Great doctor. <3 <3 <3

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Dr Weeks is THE BEST!  

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@curl I love Dr. weeks. His bedside manner is the best! You can tell he takes his oath as a Dr very seriously.  

Answer 4

It depends what your CS was for the 1st time, risk factors with this pregnancy, etc. They will not induce you so you will have to come in in labor on your own. Some of the doctors will do pitocin to augment labor, some will not.  

Comments

@machinery usually when you have a CS for failure to progress they look at you as an unlikely candidate. However, given that you were preterm and it was your 1st baby. they might take that in to consideration. I'm assuming you had 2 days of cervidil and pitocin ( ugh! ). Hopefully pressures will be good with this one and you can atleast try!  

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@machinery even if you have to have another cs look at it in a positive way. Look at it as having healthy children and a safe delivery. I understand that it may not seem like that in the moment, but I have seen it go the other way and no one wants that. No matter HOW you give birth it doesnt make you any less of a mother and your children don't care❤.  

Answer 5

Yes! I used that group and had a successful VBAC. They were all very supportive! I was told that because my previous c-section was related to my daughter being breach, I was a good candidate for a VBAC.  

Answer 6

I started going to that practice after I'd had all of my children. Dr Weeks is my most favorite physician I've ever seen. Not what you asked but I'm certain he would be attentive to what you'd like to do and honest with his recommendations.  

Answer 7

Go with a midwife OB’s will not give Pitocin for VBAC assuming you can find one who will agree to it so if you get an epidural which slows labor and cannot have Pitocin labor will likely slow enough they will require a csection. Normally once an epidural is given it is followed by Pitocin to keep labor moving. Alternatively, if it has been over five years it may be easier to find an OB willing to give Pitocin anyway. With my first VBAC I just didn’t sign the permission to do csection upon decision by doctor and they didn’t catch it until I was in labor but oh did they fight to do it anyway because I got an epidural. If you’re up for it all natural is the way to go. I meditated through my third labor with my midwife in the hospital and while I had the heparin lock in case of emergency I was able to remain fully in control and the bill before insurance for this delivery and 24hour hospital stay was $1280.  

Comments

@orndorff I have always wondered why there is such a strong push to get patients to get an epidural. I get it makes since if the patient is out of control in pain but the last two kids the nurse was clearly annoyed when I declined even though I was relaxed. You mentioned you don’t like for patients to decline an epidural just because they read something on the internet but why would it matter to you if a patient chooses an epidural or not?  

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@paternal personally I dont care if my patients get epidurals or not. I just dont like when they are misinformed by things they have read on the internet. Part of my job is making sure patients have the correct information as well. It is my job to make sure the patient has a good experience and that in the end both mom and baby are healthy!  

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@orndorff I searched what you said about epidural not slowing labor and it seems that is the result of a fairly new study done within recent years. That’s great to hear! Previously, the medical world also believed epidurals slowed labor. I have no idea what slowed mine if it wasn’t the epidural because it was very close in time and the report said it did but maybe it was triggered by the fact it drops my blood pressure. Anyway, just for future reference epidurals slowing labor is outdated information once told to many laboring moms by medical staff rather than just misinformation one read in the internet. I am not splitting hairs but if you encounter an older mom like me saying what I did just understand she simply isn’t up to date and politely inform her otherwise possibly with a link she can look it up for herself. Medical standards update so often it can be very frustrating for an experienced mom because unless one has kids back to back it’s a very different standard every time! In 2001 with my first, the hospital had strict visiting hours and all newborns spent the nights in the nursery. In 2004 with my second, they insisted I keep baby in the room with me and I fell asleep with him in bed with me on accident and drugged up still but co-sleeping was an acceptable thing back then. I was bothered nobody woke me to put him back in his bed. With my third in 2013 I was shocked that free diaper bags were no longer a thing because at the time there was a movement for breastfeeding. Also, my third baby actually DID come with an instruction manual! My negative/positive hospital experiences have always revolved around the demeanor of the nurses caring for me and their ability to not transfer how busy and stressed they were to me when they came in. ❤️ Thank you for taking your job so seriously in assuring it’s a positive and healthy experience!  

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@paternal I'm sorry you had negative experiences. I love what I do and I think everyone should have a positive birth experience.  

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@paternal I did a ton of research when I decided I wanted to vbac and absolutely found most of those who received an epidural to have labor slowed down and the pushing time was much longer. I’m talking hours vs minutes. I just vbac’d in November and both my nurses agreed with me once it was over and said they see it happen all the time. I vbac’d 3 times now and no epidural. I was induced with one too. Pushed 3x in 10 minutes with one and 2x in 5 minutes with 2. No way in hell would I risk an epidural getting in the way of that prolonging it for over an hour or hours. ‍♀️

Answer 8

I had to separate VBAC’s at Edwards hospital. Dr. Hsia practice. I can’t remember which insurance we had at the time but the nurses at Edwards were phenomenal and I couldn’t have done that without them.  

Answer 9

They offered it for me even though I was high risk and originally had a c section scheduled. Baby was in a “good position” and they wanted to make sure I still wanted the c section. It was dr. Martin on call when I went into labor. I chose the c section anyways because I just didn’t want to risk it, but it was super nice he wanted me to make an informed decision on the chance of doing the vbac this time.  

Answer 10

Dr Martin encouraged my successful VBAC

Answer 11

They were extremely supportive. I had a successful VBAC with my second one, two years ago. Love this group.  

Answer 12

Stay. Away. From. Stoeffler. Weeks. Martin. Li. Frangella. All of them are great. Stoeffler is not and when she messes up she will go out of her way to make sure she is not held accountable. She’s the reason I have no Fallopian tubes. So spare yourself.  

Comments

@machinery I know. I got lucky with my daughter and weeks was there when I arrived and Martin delivered my daughter the following morning. Loved them both.  

Answer 13

I saw Kagen to discuss my post divorce but can’t take the pill anymore BC options. I was 43 at the time. He was very helpful in going over my options & inserted my IUD that same day. No judgement, just helpful advice for a woman who’d been married for 20 years & was moving on