The Dangers of C-section and Benefits of VBAC

I've recently come across quite a few articles and blog posts about c-sections and VBAC's, and I want to share them with you.

Dangerous delivery shows peril of multiple C-sections - This article may be a bit shocking, but I appreciate the candor about the risks of multiple c-sections. The old adage that "once a c-section, always a c-section" is not necessarily true, although many doctors and women still act like it is. The truth is that the more c-sections a woman has the more dangerous it is for her, and vaginal birth after a cesarean can be a viable option.

"The case points out a fundamental truth about surgical delivery: a first cesarean for most women leads to a cesarean with every pregnancy. And while a first section is quick, easy to perform, and rarely complicated, each repeat surgery carries greater risk."

Does Electronic Fetal Monitoring Increase the Rate of Unnecessary Cesareans? - This blog post on The Unnecesarean outlines something that I've read about in other books and articles: Electronic Fetal Monitoring is unreliable and leads to unnecessary c-sections. You know those belts and monitors that are strapped on a laboring woman in the hospital? One of those is the EFM monitor, and that's the culprit we're talking about. If you haven't heard about this risk before please, PLEASE read this post.

"There are numerous reasons that one of three U.S. births now is by cesarean, but Dr. Alex Friedman blames some on an imprecise monitor strapped to laboring women. Too often, he has sliced open a mother’s abdomen fearing the worst, only to pull out a pink, screaming bundle."

"'Everyone knows it’s a bad test,' said Friedman of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. 'You haven’t done the patient a big service by doing an unnecessary surgery.'”

A Doula’s Journey to Vaginal Birth after Three C-Sections - This is a really cool post written by a doula who had a successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) after 3 prior c-sections. She tells her story, her journey, and how she came to experience what she has supported other women in experiencing in her years as a doula. It's a really beautiful story

Dr. Poppy Daniels Surprise VBAC - Dr. Poppy Daniels had scheduled her third c-section and ended up with a surprise VBAC on the same day her surgery was scheduled to happen! I love her perspective as a doctor who is supportive and trusting of women's bodies to birth babies without intervention. She also explains her journey and how she came to have a beautiful surprise vaginal birth.

International Cesarean Awareness Network - For more than just anecdotal evidence, go here for VBAC information and support. ICAN has local support groups everywhere to help women meet and support each other.