International Cesarean Awareness Network

I just went to Allen today to see if I would be eligible for a VBA2C. I was told the hospital will not allow it with 2 or more c-sections at all.

Dr Vellejo is no longer at Allen Hospital in Waterloo, IA (and I havn’t heard of Dr Hintz, maybe that doc also isn’t there anymore?).  I am currently pregnant (due Nov 2009) and met with Dr Ortiz (Sept 2009), who is very friendly, but told me he requires all his VBAC patients to "schedule a date for a c-section" sometime after their "due date", that after 2 c-sections they don’t do vaginal birth, and he recommended I go to a hospital in Iowa City where apparently midwives can deliver VBAC? 

I also met with Dr Kahki (Sept 2009), and he told me very directly that VBAC labors are managed "completely differently" from repeat vaginal moms or 1st time moms.  VBAC patients *will* have continuous electronic fetal monitoring, and yes they do have portable EFM so you can even get in the tub/shower, and you will be hooked up to a "hep-lock" in case you need an IV in the event of an emergency.  Dr Kahki (+Dr Ortiz) said that VBAC labor must stay more strictly "on schedule", i.e. cervix continually dialating.  They have much lower tolerance for fetal heartrate and dialation than they do with 1st time or repeat vaginal moms. 

That said, my OB at Allen hospital is Dr. Moussa, and she has told me she’s done lots of VBACs when she worked at a previous big city hospital (I think she’s fairly new to the Allen OB staff).  When I asked the Allen Hospital midwives (and the nurses of the midwives) in their opinion which Allen OB is most supportive of VBAC, they told me they refer all their VBAC patients to Dr Moussa. 

I do know of a VBAC patient (in labor with her second child) of Dr Moussa’s who decided to go back home when she got to the hospital for the first time and found she wasn’t dilated very far, and that the OB "on call" (Dr Vellejo) told her that would be "Against Medical Advice".  Dr Moussa never came in to attend that patient’s VBAC, apparently b/c the patient went "AMA".  (this patient was seeking a natural childbirth- and did have a successful natural vaginal childbirth!)  When the patient later returned to the hospital, she was seen by Dr Kahki, who the patient said did a very good job for her, and basically stayed out of her way. (Dr Ortiz mentioned to me that b/c of this particular birth- there was much tension among the hospital staff (since the patient went AMA?) and that the hospital is reviewing whether to allow VBAC at all in the future.  I don’t know if this was just a scare tactic, or the truth, since I asked if I too could go home for "failure to progress" as long as baby seems fine.)

I will report with more info after my own expected VBAC!

FYI, Allen Hospital is also getting another new OB sometime in October 2009, supposedly a "high risk specialist". 

Local rumor is that Allen hospital is friendly than Covenant for moms seeking natural childbirth.