Did you birth a child via a Cesarean Section (C-section)? If so, you might be wondering if you must have another C-section if you have another baby. You’ll be happy to know that it can be possible to have a vaginal birth after a C-section. You can educate yourself about VBACs, choose your health care provider team carefully, and create a birth plan.

Personal Story

I was able to have all my children with vaginal births. I have other friends who have had to have C-sections. One of them also chose to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean birth (VBAC).  It is a very personal decision to decide to have a VBAC. There are risks and benefits to consider and medical advice from a medical professional is essential.  

Educate Yourself

To give you the best shot achieving a VBAC, you may want to educate yourself about the subject so you can confidently talk with your health care provider about it.

• Nearly 80 % of women who try to have a VBAC birth are successful.
• You might also think about why your past C- section occurred. Since it was due to failure to progress in labor, it is not likely to repeat in each pregnancy.

Arming yourself with this knowledge will be helpful as you talk with your doctor.

Choose Your Support Team Carefully

Your team can include your doctor, childbirth educator, and doula.

• You will want to choose your healthcare provider very carefully by asking many questions about their philosophy. Many doctors are not willing to attend to a VBAC patient, so you will want to choose one who will educate you about risks versus benefits and will be supportive of your choices.
• You can consider taking a natural childbirth class to learn techniques for relaxation and pain relief in labor so that it can progress in a good manner.
• It may be helpful to enlist the services of a doula to help you make a birth plan and to help you focus in labor toward the end goal of a natural birth.

Your team can help you with knowledge you need to create a birth plan.

Create a Birth Plan

Some things you may want to consider as you create a birth plan are the place of your baby’s birth, having an early ultrasound to figure out your “real” due date, avoiding a routine ultrasound after twenty-four weeks, avoiding the screening for macrosomia, and avoiding an induction.

• An accredited birth center with midwifery care may be a good birthplace option.
• Calculating the due date based on an early ultrasound is a more accurate method of determining the baby’s due date than others and might help avoid an induction for a post due pregnancy.
• A late pregnancy ultrasound screening may increase the risk of having major interventions including a c-section.
• Macrosomia is a term used to describe a big baby that is “too big” to be born vaginally. Measuring the size of the baby, pelvimetry, has an error margin of 10-20% and medical experts state that it should not be used to make decisions about having a vaginal or cesarean birth.
• You may want to avoid a labor induction, which carries a higher risk for a cesarean section. Inducing labor with Pitocin when the cervix is unripe sometimes results in a long, slow labor ending with a c-section. An induction could also impact your newborn’s oxygen supply and heart rate, causing fetal distress.

Create a birth plan with the understanding that the plan must be flexible to adjust to situations that arise during childbirth.

Action

The biggest take-aways: VBACs are possible through education, a team of professionals, and a creating flexible birth plan. I hope you’ll start learning today.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. Have you ever had a VBAC?