Fighting for Vaginal Birth

By Tine Reese

December 17, 2009

A few months ago, some of my Facebook friends in the natural birth community were posting about a woman named Joy Szabo who was fighting her doctor and hospital for the birth she wanted. The hospital where she lived in Page, Arizona was refusing to allow a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) because they have a slightly higher risk for complications. After battling the hospital executives who wouldn’t budge, Joy and her family moved to Phoenix three weeks before her due date to give birth in a hospital that does permit VBACs. She got the vaginal birth she wanted and delivered a healthy baby boy without any complications.

You can read Joy’s full story in this CNN Article which also lays out a plan for how to talk to your doctor about c-sections and VBAC in the delivery room. Should there be a real emergency where the mother’s or baby’s life is in danger, then a c-section is the obvious answer and there is no time for discussion. However, mothers and fathers going into the hospital already educated about the risks of cesarean surgery are better prepared to ask questions and make informed decisions about what’s best for them.

I have put together a list of websites that provide information about VBAC and cite the latest studies on the topic.

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