Is a VBAC a Valid Choice?

What is a VBAC?

VBAC stands for a Vaginal Birth After C-section or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. Years ago, you would have heard "once a c-section was always a c-section." Then it became okay to have at the very least a trial of labor after a c-section....now many women are told VBACs are unsafe. So what are the facts?

Are VBACs High Risk?

Well, the short answer is no but don't take our word for it. Rather listen to Dr. Bruce Flamm - MD - who states that women who are contemplating a VBAC "have been erroneously told that they are in a very high-risk group." However, according to Dr. Flamm: the fact that "a VBAC candidate will require emergency surgery is, for all practical purposes, no higher than that of any other pregnant woman."

So if doctors refuse to let women have VBACs and this is not based on facts, what is it based on? Truly, it is mostly based on fear of law suits as well as hospital politics. Doctors use scare tactics rather than informed consent - which would mean giving moms-to-be all the facts and then let them make a choice. In case you did not know, doctors no longer practice evidence based medicine but rather "defensive" medicine - aka "cover my rear medicine."

Now, in their defense, doctors have been sued left and right and many of those law suits are frivolous and this affects us all.

The facts are that if you were to compare birthing moms who chose a repeat c-section versus the moms who chose a vaginal birth both would show some increased risks to the mothers. Nevertheless, unless a c-section is truly medically indicated, a vaginal birth - meaning a VBAC - is still safer.

In March of 2010, doctors at the National Institutes of Health VBAC Conference stated: that the risks associated with a VBAC were extremely low and that a trial of labor after a cesarean was not risky.

What!!!!!

Read more about VBAC and informed consent here.

So what is all the talk about the risk of a uterine rupture during a VBAC?

Before we cover this subject, there are some factors we must consider: what type of scar are we talking about (vertical or horizontal), was the labor induced or spontaneous and lastly what type of rupture are we talking about - true uterine rupture versus uterine dehiscence?

A vertical cut - also called a classical cut - is associated with a higher rate of ruptures.

Women who are induced also experience a higher risk of ruptures - same thing if the labor is augmented usually with pitocin.

A true uterine rupture is often sudden and associated with pain, blood loss and fetal death. This type of rupture is more common in an UN-scarred uterus - no previous c-section - or with a vertical cut. A uterine dehiscence - incomplete rupture, occult rupture - is a partial separation of the uterine wall which usually has no symptoms and which rarely contributes to fetal or maternal death. This is type of rupture is more common with a horizontal cut.

There is also a little known secret...choosing a repeat c-section does not eliminate the risk of a uterine rupture, it only lowers your risks. Did you read this right? Yes, you did.

It seems that the highest risks are for women whose labor is either induced and/or augmented - usually with pitocin. So why are doctors still inducing moms with a previous c-section????

Women are induced because the medical community does not believe in a woman's ability to labor and birth her baby unassisted without modern medicine. Doctors do provide services that most women believe they need. Also, doctors prey on the fact that most women at the end of their pregnancy "just want the baby out!" and get it over with. Some women justify an induction by saying it is easier to plan...however, recovery from major surgery is not a walk in the park - especially when you have a newborn to take care of.

Trying to force your body to go into labor and birth your baby will always result in more interventions some of which are likely to lead you to a cesarean at the very worst and a more painful difficult labor at the very least.

Moreover, c-sections are not a low risk procedure. They are major abdominal surgery. They carry higher risks for you and your baby.

Our opinion: Women should be given all the facts so that they can make an informed decision and doctors should live up to their vow of "first, do no harm" and this should include not performing unnecessary surgeries. Does this mean all women can have a successful VBAC...sadly no. Does it mean all women should be given the opportunity to have a VBAC...yes.

Read about a VBAC of triplets!

For more birth stories including VBACs Click Here!

To leave a comment or review about VBACs Click Here

A VBAC ~ Read others' comments and reviews.

You Might Also Like

Co-Sleeping	Baby and Vitamin D	Flower Essences

A VBAC: Reviews

Any thoughts? A story of your own? Share with us!