Excuse my language but the sh** happening to moms searching for birth options after they have had a c-section is an amazing landslide. Providers say everything from "we'll see" to flat out "no way." Hospitals have flat out bans that lead to moms being wheeled into surgery against their will. Even more disturbing is excess charges for VBAC, frequently an HOURLY fee (let the stressful ugliness of that scenerio sink in), not covered by insurance just so a doctor will actually stick around and wait out your labor at the hospital in case of emergency. How effective is that in discouraging VBAC?
It has nothing to do with the actual risk of allowing a birth to occur vaginally with a previous uterine scar. The risk of uterine rupture that is waved in these mom's faces is actually .5-1%.(See VBAC facts). In fact, c-sections carry greater risk, the most common being infection, blood loss, and blood clots in the mother and breathing difficulties in the newborn.Yet, moms are being refused the right to let nature dictate their birth and face forced needless intervention.
I feel your pain. It is your body and it should be your choice which risks to take, and you should be able to go to any hospital and have evidence-based care and that includes VBAC. Unfortunately, in today's climate you might need to consider a joyful and safe homebirth with a trained attendant even if that would be your last choice (It is possible, even if that trained attendant cannot yet attain legal status where you live). It once seemed crazy to me too, but I'm also a mom not eligible for a natural hospital birth due to misinformation and hospital protocols. Now, I'm becoming a midwife to give women out-of-hospital birth options.
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