What We Want You to Know About Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

The birth experience is singular, and you want to take this journey, but you’ve had a Cesarean section (C-section), and you’re wondering whether vaginal birth is still possible.

We’re going to give you a short answer to start — in 70% of cases, women can successfully deliver a baby vaginally after a C-section. As you can see by the numbers, however, vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) isn’t always an option.

To paint a clearer picture, we turn to the team at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley, which is led by Dr. Fernando Otero. We’ve helped many of our patients navigate high-risk pregnancies and VBAC goals and here’s some of what we’ve learned along the way.

Benefits of VBAC

Let’s start with the advantages of pursuing VBAC for your current or future pregnancy, which are many and include:

Fewer surgical risks

Anytime you have surgery, there are risks that include infection, blood loss, and collateral tissue damage. If you can avoid another C-section, it can reduce these risks, as well as shorten your recovery and hospital stay after birth.

Better health for your baby

When you deliver vaginally, you can provide your unborn child with a few health boosts. First, a vaginal delivery helps to expel amniotic fluid from your baby’s lungs so that their first, and subsequent, breaths are easier.

Second, as your baby travels through your vaginal canal, they get an immunity boost before they enter the world.

Last, you get to have that singular experience of birthing a baby naturally.

Potential pitfalls of VBAC

Now that we've covered some benefits, let’s look at some potential hurdles, which include:

Number of prior C-sections and surgeries matters

When we mentioned that 70% of women who have a history of C-section go on to deliver vaginally, these numbers refer to women who have one C-section in their past. If you’ve had more than one, success rates drop to about 50%.

As well, if you’ve had other surgery around your uterus, such as uterine fibroid removal, you may not be able to pursue VBAC.

Type of prior C-section matters

Most C-sections are done using a transverse incision across the lower part of your uterus. If you had a high vertical incision during your past C-section, VBAC isn’t a good option, as your risks for uterine rupture are higher.

Health of the mother matters

Another consideration we factor into the VBAC equation is the mother’s health. If there was a health issue that drove the first C-section, and that issue remains, VBAC may not be an option. 

Moving forward with VBAC

Our final point is an important one — we often encourage mothers-to-be who want a VBAC to aim for it. This means navigating your pregnancy with that in mind and planning accordingly. 

From our standpoint, we will do the same, knowing that, if necessary, we can pivot at the last minute and perform another C-section. Ultimately, whatever is safest for the mother and child at the time of birth is what will guide us.

If you want to learn more about VBAC and whether this option is available to you, we invite you to contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule an appointment.