When Lisa LuGullo, who lives in Calgary, was pregnant with her third baby, she knew she wanted to try for a VBAC?a vaginal birth after Caesarian?and her doctor agreed that it was a good choice. After a relatively straightforward vaginal birth with her first child, LoGullo ended up with an emergency C-section with her second. ?I much preferred the vaginal delivery because the recovery was so much easier,? she says. ?Plus, I enjoyed the process of actually being in labour and having it all unfold with my husband and sister there.”
More and more evidence shows that VBACs are a safe option for the majority of people who have had C-sections before. And yet they?re declining in popularity across Canada: In 1995/96, 35 percent of births after a C-section were vaginal, and in 2015/16, only 19 percent of them were. That?s mostly because of an incorrect belief that vaginal births after Caesarian are risky, says Leslie Po, an OB/GYN at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. ?There?s a misconception that you can?t have vaginal delivery after a C-section, but about 90 per cent of people who?ve had one C-section are eligible for it,? says Po. In fact, recently updated guidelines from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada go so far as to recommend them over a planned Caesarian for those who are considered good candidates.
Here?s what you need to know about VBACs.
What is a VBAC"
A VBAC is when someone who?s had a C-section before g...