VBAC stands for “vaginal birth after cesarean”. “Once a cesarean, always a cesarean” was the motto until a tipping point was reached in the early 80′s. Women wanted VBAC and evidence was showing that it was safe, or at least safer than having another cesarean, according to Jennifer Block’s Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care . VBAC rates went up until in 1996 one new study and some high-profile lawsuits gave VBAC bad press (Block, pg. 87). Since then, new studies have shown again that VBAC can be safer than cesarean, yet most doctors don’t give women the opportunity to try it.
Why? Because a doctor is much more likely to be taken to court for a VBAC gone wrong rather than a cesarean gone wrong. It’s liability issues trumping best-practices once again. Talk about a double standard and women having a right to choose! “Women must sign a dedicated consent form to have a VBAC, but there is no such a thing for a second, third, or subsequent cesarean, which carry risks of equal or greater magnitude (pg. 91).
If you’ve had a cesarean and are considering birth options for baby #2, consider this risk-benefit analysis of VBAC verses repeat cesarean offered by Jennifer Block based on her extensive (and unbiased) research:
“If you are a woman attempting a VBAC, you have around a 75% chance of delivering vaginally and avoiding another major surgery and at least a 99.5% chance of not suffering a uterine rupture. If you choose a repeat cesarean, you have a 99.8% chance of not suffering a uterine rupture (it can still happen) and a 100% chance of having another major surgery, with all the risks and drawbacks that entails. These include longer hospital stay; longer and more painful recovery; higher risk of infection, organ damage, adhesions, hemorrhage, embolism, and hysterectomy; more blood loss; higher chance of rehospitalization; higher chance of complication with the next pregnancy; less initial contact with the baby; less success breastfeeding; higher risk of respiratory problems for the baby; and twice the risk of the most catasrophic complication of all: maternal death (pg. 90).
If you’d like to plan for VBAC but are having trouble finding a supportive caregiver, contact ICAN. ICAN is a network of online and local support groups that will help you find an option for VBAC.
Related posts:
- Is the Birth Plan a Joke?
- The Unmedicated Hospital Birth?
- The Business of Being Born
- The Best Prep for a Non-Medicated Birth
- Who will witness your baby’s birth?
Tags: birth plan, childbirth, VBAC
