Doulas are currently getting all the attention and praise they deserve. Many employers and health coverage programs are reimbursing expectant parents for services provided by birth and postpartum doulas. Doulas, this is your moment! World Doula Week Giveaway is here...
October is Accreta Awareness Month. Placenta accreta is a rapidly rising complication of childbirth. One in 272 pregnant people is at risk for this potentially life-threatening condition. It is the abnormal attachment of the placenta in the area of a prior uterine...
In its 2017 guidelines for VBAC the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states, “Available data confirm that TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean) may be safely attempted in both university and community hospitals and in facilities with or...
These guidelines are based on the content of the VBAC Education Project. Planning a VBAC presents different challenges for different women. Some are ready to face labor head on without any drugs for pain relief choosing instead a variety of comfort measures, doula...
Maternity care professional organizations are finally beginning to acknowledge the health risks of avoidable cesarean sections and the benefits of supporting women who want a normal vaginal birth after a prior cesarean (VBAC). Medical guidelines currently state that...
May 6-12, 2017 is National Nurses Week, a time to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the important work that nurses do. In particular, maternity care nurses play a significant role in helping mothers who want to labor for a VBAC. Women laboring for a VBAC may have...
For a mother who has had a prior cesarean birth, understanding the medical pros and cons of laboring for a VBAC is essential, but not enough. She is also likely to need psychological support, guidance for maximizing her chances for a vaginal birth, and access to...
Women’s emotional reactions and adjustment to cesarean birth vary widely. Although some women recover fairly quickly and accept the surgical birth as a necessary step to a healthy baby and to becoming a mother, others experience various degrees of sadness,...
The VBAC Education Project (VEP), endorsed by the International Childbirth Education Association and the International Cesarean Awareness Network, was developed to empower women to make their own decisions about how they want to give birth after a cesarean and to...