Why do I hear conflicting information about VBAC vs repeat c-section?
During much of the last century, a woman who had a cesarean section almost always had a planned repeat c-section and not a VBAC for any births that followed. Doctors were concerned that the scar from the past cut in the uterus could open during labor (uterine rupture), and cause serious complications for mother or infant. During the last quarter century, however, many health professionals, advocates, pregnant women, policy makers and researchers encouraged vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) in light of: • change in location of the uterine cut to an area much less likely to open during a VBAC labor • growing body of research establishing the safety of VBAC • growing recognition of c-section risks. Now the pendulum is swinging back from vaginal birth after delivery, with new calls for routine repeat c-sections. This reversal leaves many women with cesarean scars struggling to make sense of conflicting, incomplete, and sometimes misleading information about the safety of VBAC vs. repeat
