Ending Bans on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

Ending Bans on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

A cesarean section is defined as the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision of the abdominal wall and uterus. Cesarean sections are performed when there is a risk that puts either the mother or baby in danger.

Some factors that may require a mother to have a planned c- section include labor being slow or hard or if labor has stopped completely, the baby shows signs of distress, the baby is too large to be delivered vaginally, or if there are problems with the placenta or umbilical cord (Caesarean Section).

Some reasons a person may need a planned cesarean section may include the baby’s head not being positioned down close to the mother’s due date, the mother has an infection that could be passed to the child during vaginal birth, the mother is carrying more than one child, or if the mother has had a c- section in the past and is experiencing some of the same problems, or if the doctor thinks labor may cause the mother’s scar to tear or rupture (uterine rupture) (Caesarean Section).

Evidence shows that doctors should be performing far fewer cesarean sections. Sometimes c- sections are necessary, but many are not. They are done (very rarely) for the convenience of the mother, or, far more commonly, for the convenience of the doctor. Many people may argue that having c- sections puts women at risk for complications such as hemorrhaging, infection, hysterectomy and deep vein thrombosis (Rosenberg), but although Cesarean sections are the most common surgery performed in the United States they are also more expensive than vaginal births. Because of this, bans on Vaginal birth after Cesarean Sections should be lifted.

Women who have previously had a cesarean section may want to give natural birth a try, but often are not given the opportunity to do so because of these so called “V.B.A.C. bans” that numerous hospitals have policies against (DeNoon). These policies forbid that hospitals perform vaginal births after cesarean sections unless the hospital is fully staffed and equipped with surgical and anesthetic services. Since a majority of hospitals are not able to satisfy these set guidelines many women do not receive a say in the matter. After these guidelines went into effect thirty percent of hospitals stopped offering women this freedom (Denoon).

When Marie Scott, a mother from Casper Wyoming, found out she was