Would you consider a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)?

Over the last ten years, the Cesarean section rate in the United States has risen to nearly 27%. With the increase in numbers of primary C-sections, there is also an increase in the number of women who may be considering vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC). Our group of Nurse-Midwives are supportive of women's birth choices and their right to make educated decisions regarding birth, including chosing a VBAC. If you have had a previous Cesarean Section and are interested in whether or not you are a candidate for a VBAC, please consider scheduling an appointment with your provider to discuss your specific case.

- Lindsay Kragle, RN, BSN, CNM

Certified Nurse Midwife

I want to share a patient testimonial with you on VBACs.

My first daughter was born by scheduled c-section in 2004 because she was breech. Although I had a good c-section experience, I desired, for several reasons, to try to have a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with my second child. I also decided that I wanted a natural, pain-medication-free birth, if possible. After I got pregnant with my second child in 2007, I decided that I wanted to use a midwife for the delivery because I learned that midwives are specially trained in natural birth and that they typically spend a great deal of time with their patients both at prenatal appointments and during labor itself. After my doula recommended the practice of Lindsay Kragle, CNM, I switched to Lindsay, and was thrilled to find that her practice embodied all of the great things I'd heard about midwifery. Lindsay took a lot of time with me during my prenatal appointments. Not only did she provide helpful information in response to all of my questions, she took the time to get to know me and learn the details of my first birth experience as well as my hopes for the second one. The labor and delivery of my second child was incredible. I could not have hoped for a better birth, and the main reason for that was the care I received from my midwife. Lindsay was with me virtually the entire time I labored in the hospital. Aside from ensuring that all was proceeding well medically, she kept me company, rubbed my back, held the heart rate monitor in place while I moved around to cope with the contractions, and advised different labor positions and techniques to keep me as comfortable as possible. She, my doula, and my husband worked seamlessly as a team to accommodate my needs. I had written out a birth plan, and was delighted to see that Lindsay remembered it better than I did. She was happy to accommodate my requests to delay cord clamping, to leave the baby on my chest for a very long time, and to initiate breastfeeding within a short time after the birth. She also stayed with me for a long time after the birth and visited with me for an hour the next day. As for the VBAC itself, I was blown away not only at the magic of the birth, but also the ease of my recovery. I was able to take a shower later the day of the birth and was walking around normally that day. Although I thought the recovery from my c-section was easy, it was nothing compared to how quickly I recovered from my VBAC. A year and a half later, I still reflect fondly on that birth experience every day. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Lindsay's care during that pregnancy and birth and how much I appreciate the midwifery model of care. I am so glad I chose to VBAC with a midwife and will definitely do it again with our next child.

- Leigha Simonton Horan