"The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development convened a Consensus Development VBAC Conference in Bethesda, Maryland from March 8–10. The last time a national consensus conference on cesareans took place was in 1980 when the NIH recommended that women be offered the choice to plan a VBAC since the majority of women who labored for a VBAC had a safe birth.

The U.S. saw an increase in VBACs from the 1980s through the mid 1990s, but the VBAC rates have consistently declined since. One in four women had a VBAC in 1996 compared to 1 in 100 today.

In 1999 despite any scientific evidence to support improved outcomes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that hospitals not to provide care for women who wanted a VBAC unless they could make a cesarean “immediately available” in case of complications. Hospitals chose to withdraw medical care for women who wanted to plan a VBAC, but interestingly enough the same guidelines are in place for women who have an induction or an epidural, but hospitals have not chosen to block access to these two interventions."

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH CONSENSUS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE STATEMENT NIH Consensus Development Conference: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights March 8–10, 2010 (pdf)
consensus.nih.gov/2010/images/vbac/vbac_statement.pdf

Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ)
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights
www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/vbacuptp.htm

Follow some of the commentaries and responses to the conference.

Science & Sensibility Blog
www.scienceandsensibility.org

Citizens for Midwifery Blog
cfmidwifery.blogspot.com/2010/01/grassroots-network-nih-vbac-consensus.html

The Feminist Breeder
www.thefeministbreeder.com/tfb-covering-the-nih-vbac-conference

The Unnecesarean
www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2010/3/1/i-have-an-idea-for-the-ican-blog-carnival-about-vbac.html

International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) Blog
blog.ican-online.org/2010/03/08/vbac-blog-carnival-why-is-vbac-a-vital-option