I am sure that I am not the only person to ask myself this with the announcement of the National Institute of Health VBAC Conference announcement. But unlike most, I know more than my fair share about VBAC after having a cesarean with my first child it became more than a healthy obsession to me. But sadly the more I learned, the more sad I became about the access to VBAC nationally.
In a 2009 survey from The International Cesarean Awareness Network, it was found that nearly 50% of all hospitals in The United States has some sort of a VBAC Ban in place. Whether it be a formal policy written by hospital administrators, or a de facto ban, meaning there simply are no providers who will take on a patient who wishes to have a Vaginal Birth after Cesarean.
But what does this mean for women nationally? For the women who have had cesarean sections, whether medically necessary, or unnecessary? It means that once they have experienced once cesarean birth, they have no choices regarding future pregnancies or deliveries. Essentially leaving them with no real informed consent. To me, as a huge activist, that is not only a violation of a patients rights, but it is a major human rights and bodily anatomy violation.
Right now, 90% of women who have had one cesarean section will go on to deliver all of their children through multiple major abdominal surgeries, the next more risky than the last. When the safe and relatively low risk option of a VBAC is not available. But lets look at the numbers regarding the risks of VBAC as opposed to repeat cesarean sections.
The major risk associated with a Vaginal Birth after a Cesarean section is something most near the most not knowing the risk is so low. Uterine Rupture. Not something we should discount or not worry about, but when we look at the statistics, the average healthy woman who has had one previous cesarean section has a 0.6% chance of experiencing a uterine rupture.
When I went through the process of filling out and signing my VBAC consent form for my second pregnancy, there was paragraph after paragraph panting VBAC in a scary pictre, then a small paragraph with the minor risks of a repeat cesarean, almost like the practice of Obstetricians backing my midwives wanted me to change my mind and run in fear.
This form was not informed consent by any means, it was skewed, biased, and provided misinformation, but sadly this is what we are seeing Nationwide today.
But I can hope with the NIH VBAC conference we can start to see a change in the way that VBAC is handled nationally.
Women have the right to real informed consent, and give birth vaginally if that is what they choose for their own birth.
For more information on Cesarean Awareness, and Advocacy, check out The International Cesarean Awareness Network.
I remember the consent forms that I was given when I was planning my VBA2C. One line in particular in the form said..( if the Physician on call did not agree w/ my decision to VBAC, that I may have to have a Cesarean! I decided to take the form home, then scratched out that paragraph, and wrote my own that read..( If the Physician on call does not agree w/ my decision to have a VBAC, It does not change my DECISION OR PLAN to have a VBAC. I put two lines, one w/ my signature and the other for my O.B. to sign. Upon reading this you could say that my O.B. was well…a little perturbed! He got over it, because he did sign it. The irony of it all is that I never turned it in to the deskclerk nor hospital and I still have the original form. I did have a successful yet challenging hospital VBAC, and since have had a HBA2C as well. I speak out to women every chance I get. I spoke as a Consumer on VBAC at the Growing Healthy Children Conference in 2009, urging Hospital’s and Doctor’s to encourage VBAC and do more to inform women of their options. Thank you as well for your awesome efforts in this feat.
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