This little man is David Ronald. He was born on 12/11/14 and weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces. His Mom was so motivated to achieve a vaginal birth after having had cesarean sections with her other children’s births, she traveled two hours from her home to see me and the Nurse-Midwives at the Fertility and Midwifery Care Center throughout her pregnancy. Despite her best efforts, David was born via repeat cesarean section early Friday morning after a rather long, difficult labor. Yet as I am continually reminded by my patients seeking VBAC, success is not in the achieving, but in the attempting. This birth was no exception; David’s Mom was thrilled that she had the chance to experience labor and attempt vaginal birth. She had a birth team that worked together as good teams do, sharing information transparently and working through options to the best of their ability, continually focusing and refocusing on the ultimate goal. I am also reminded by this birth and all of the births I attend, how fortunate I am to have the privilege of playing a small part in this amazing process with some truly remarkable women.
If you or someone you know has a desire to experience labor and vaginal birth, yet they are uncertain if they could or should because of having had a cesarean section in a previous pregnancy, encourage them to educate themselves on this important topic. Counsel them to interview providers and hospitals before making a decision about their birth plan. Some of my favorite resources are ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network), ican-online.org), our local ICAN chapter, icanfortwayne.blogspot.com, VBAC.com, vbacfacts.com, and birthmatters.com. The decision not to attempt VBAC may be one of the most important of a woman’s reproductive life so the importance of investing the necessary time to make an informed decision cannot be overstated.
A special thanks to David’s very special Mom for trusting me and including the Fertility and Midwifery Care Center in her VBAC journey.