Okay- thinking about TTC for our second child in the next few months. Honestly I’m terrified because my first experience was a ✨nightmare✨.

Backstory- I had my daughter last year with a due date of 12/8/2019. At around 35 weeks I started itching horribly all over my body. At 36.5 weeks I couldnt take it anymore and reached out to my doctor about the possibility of cholestasis. She immediately made me get blood work done and my levels were on the brink of diagnosis. So the next day (Friday) they make me come in and tell me they want to induce me Sunday because I will be on the 37 week mark.

I come in Sunday afternoon. They start me on cytotec and I’m .5 cm dilated. Around 9pm they insert a foley bulb, then this comes out around 5am the next morning. Monday afternoon rolls around I’m still only 2 cm and they start me on pitocin. They increase my pitocin every 45min-1 hour literally all day long. By Monday night I’m maybe 5-5.5 cm dilated and my cervix is RAW. The contractions were NOTHING compared to the pain I felt when they were checking how dilated I was. I opt for an epidural and then they break my water. Tuesday morning rolls around and something doesn’t feel right. My epidural has totally worn off and with every contraction it feels as though she’s trying to come out of my butt. The pressure was indescribable. They refused any sort of medication and just wanted to reposition me.

This goes on until 4pm. I absolutely cannot take it anymore. I make it to 7.5cm and I beg for a c section. Finally they say okay. I threw up 3 times on the operating table. And the doctor tells me my cervix was very swollen and it would have been very hard/ painful for my daughter to come naturally.

We get back to the room and I notice there is a hematoma on the back of my daughters head maybe the size of a golf ball from hitting my sacrum with each contraction(explains the butt pain). She was okay, and I healed beautifully.

My concern is, I don’t want to go through that again if I were to get cholestasis a second time (since the chance is very likely). So do I just ask for a c section from the start? Or request a VBAC ONLY if I do not get cholestasis?

I must add my OB did say a c section would probably be very likely given my cervix did not cooperate, but said a VBAC wasn’t off the table.