New Rules for VBAC

If you’ve ever had a cesarean birth (C-section), you may have experienced difficulty in getting a doctor to agree a vaginal delivery for subsequent births.  However, new medical guidelines put in place by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) may make that a thing of the past.

These new guidelines gives mothers more of a say in whether they will have a vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC).  The new guidelines consider women with past C-sections, women expecting twins, and women with C-section scarring candidates for vaginal deliveries.  Current statistics show that 90% of women who have had previous C-sections have C-sections for later births.

While the new guidelines are a step toward a mother’s right to choose, Lamaze International believes the language surrounding these new guidelines regarding the risks of uterine ruptures may still prove to be a limitation.  However, the hope is that the new recommendations will change the minds of those doctors who don’t offer VBACs because of medical liability risks, in addition to lowering the ever-rising C-section rates (currently, 1/3 of all US births are C-sections).

Photo Credit:  Tammra McCauley