Tips for Discussing VBAC Options with Your Spouse and Physician

Unfortunately, many people-perhaps including your spouse and physician-are not receptive to women's wishes to try for a vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC). The specific reasons for this are varied, but most of them boil down to fear and concern. Your spouse may be afraid of the unknown outcome and worried about the health of you and your unborn baby. Doctors are understandably concerned about the risk of a lawsuit if anything goes wrong. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for a physician to also avoid a VBAC for their own scheduling convenience. I am fortunate in that the physician I went to when I needed a c-section is supportive of women having the choice of a VBAC. In fact, he mentioned this even before I had the chance to ask him about it. My spouse is on the more conservative side and would rather do whatever seems more familiar and safe, so it was necessary to talk about why I wanted a VBAC.

The first step in discussing VBAC options with your spouse and physician is to be prepared. If you learn that they are not initially supportive of your wish to avoid having another c-section, do your homework before trying to convince them. For example, uterine rupture is the most often cited risk of a VBAC, but it only occurs in approximately 1 out of 1500 cases. Even if uterine rupture happens, it's rare for there to be serious consequences as long as you're able to quickly get the care that you need in a hospital. Surgery also carries an increased risk of infection, longer recovery time, and greater risk of future complications if you have multiple c-sections. The primary reasons why VBAC's are less common than repeat c-sections is that physicians and hospitals want to avoid expensive lawsuits.