
Vaginal Birth After Caesarean: The VBAC Handbook
Women are over four times more likely to have a caesarean birth now than they were thirty years ago and eight times more likely than they were fifty years ago. One of the main reasons that the rate is so high is that women are not encouraged to give birth vaginally once they have had a caesarean despite there being no evidence of the benefit of repeat caesareans for mother or child. Aimed at women who have had a caesarean or repeat caesareans, Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) provides suggestions for constructive ways to achieve vaginal birth when this is the right option for mother and baby. As well as detailed explanations of all the pros and cons of VBAC, the book contains several real-life birth stories, a comprehensive glossary of terms and essential information for parents-to-be.
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Useful and succinct
This is a neat little book absolutely packed with useful information for mothers considering a VBAC, and those supporting them.<p>It is worth reading just for its forthright introduction explaining exactly why the authors choose not to adopt the tentative and controlling jargon often used by health professionals. The careful use of language in the book is in itself empowering.<p>Reading this book, I learned that 70-80% of VBACs are successful; that the risk of VBAC is lower than the risk of a planned Caesarean; and that the reasons commonly given not to "try" to have a VBAC do not appear to be evidenced across the board. Even the section dealing with higher risk groups shows that in most cases a VBAC can be possible.<p>The second part of the book includes several VBAC stories, not all of which were successful; however the stories demonstrate and affirm the wide range of experience even within this segment of birth and labour.<p>This is a useful and succinct guide, and I highly recommend it.