VBAC //
VBAC is a Vaginal Birth After a Cesarean. HBAC is a Home Birth After a Cesarean. Successful VBAC has a major advantage at home because it is treated as any other healthy normal low risk birth. The risk of cesarean is higher in the hospital because VBAC in the hospital is seen as and managed as a high risk situation.
Several of the reasons for choosing HBAC over a hospital VBAC include:
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high failure rate of hospital VBACs
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difficulty finding a care provider to attend a VBAC
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poor treatment
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trauma related to previous hospital experience
VBAC is a “safe and appropriate choice for most women” with one prior cesarean and for “some women” with two prior cesareans. Being pregnant with twins, going over 40 weeks, having an unknown or low vertical scar, or suspecting a “big baby” should not prevent a woman from planning a VBAC (ACOG, 2010).
Preparing for a VBAC requires additional mental preparation. Many women are terrified of giving birth. They lack confidence in their bodies. There is also a fear of safety for their babies and themselves. Giving birth has been conditioned as a medical procedure requiring close clinical supervision, management, and technical intervention. This is amplified in the case of a VBAC.
There are many resources available to prepare for a VBAC birth. Documentaries and videos are available online. There are helpful birth art techniques described in Birthing From Within. Central Florida is also home to a large ICAN network that host regular meetings. The goal is to become educated on the process of birth as well as to acknowledge and release any fears surrounding you.
