Many mothers opt for vaginal birth after their first cesarean. VBAC is very common and there are usually many reasons behind it. Medical science too supports VBAC as it is usually good for both the mother and the child. The plus points of opting for VBAC are enumerated as follows-
Advantages of VBAC:
It is safer for both the mother and the child. The chances of complications from surgery are minimized.
The mother is at a lower risk of catching infections that may occur due to surgery.
Since there is no surgery, postpartum recovery of the mother is very quick. The postpartum recovery period is also not painful as in the case of a cesarean surgery. This also spells into shorter hospital stay for the mother.
Labor is known to be good for the baby as it prepares the baby for extra-uterine life. A baby born through the vagina often doesn’t suffer from the respiratory problems like persistent pulmonary hypertension that are often seen in the cesarean babies.
Vaginal birth is also conducive to breastfeeding. Since the mother recovers quickly postpartum, she can nurse her baby easily and effectively.
It prevents less blood loss and VBAC is a lot less expensive than a normal cesarean surgery.
The risks usually associated with VBAC:
One of the primary concerns among mothers is that of the risk of uterine rupture. It often leads to extreme complications often leading to the baby’s death. This fear is very common among mothers but doesn’t have much hold in the present days. The fear was justified when cesarean was done with vertical incisions. But nowadays the incisions are of the low transverse variety,there are two types of uterine ruptures which is complete uterine rupture (these are rare nowadays) and incomplete ruptures(this happens about 1-2%,where the women would be asymptomatic and the mother and the baby will not need any assistance).
The women opting for VBAC may also develop an infection of the uterine lining which may or may not lead to hysterectomy. But this is seen in case of repeated cesareans.
In many cases, the mother may be apprehensive because she is suffering from genital herpes. In such cases, unless there is a visible lesion at the time of birth, vaginal birth is normally risk free.
VBAC doesn’t need any extra preparation. The same rules of healthy diet, exercising and taking precautions are applicable here too. But, each individual is different and some may have medical complications. Hence, even though VBAC is harmless, one should discuss it with the doctor and decide as per their body condition.
