Hospitals Around The Country Are Now Banning Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery
Are you hoping to experience a vaginal birth after having had acesarean delivery? You may find your hopes are squelched bymodern practitioners.Hospitals around the country are now banning vaginal birth aftercesarean delivery and insisting w...
...omen undergo repeat cesareandelivery. Hospitals say they cannot comply with the guidelinesissued in 1999 by the American College of Obstetricians andGynecologists. The guidelines call for a doctor to be available"immediately" throughout active labor when a woman is attemptinga vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, in order to perform anemergency cesarean section if needed. Previous guidelines hadcalled for a physician to be "readily" available. In order for ahospital to comply with the new recommended guidelines, a wholeoperating crew, an anesthesiologist and obstetrician would haveto be in the hospital around the clock. Only major medicalcenters, with in house physicians, will be able to continue tooffer vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. Smaller hospitalsmay now have to abandon the practice.Why the controversy? Women attempting vaginal birth aftercesarean delivery are at a greater risk for uterine rupture thanwhat was once believed. Uterine rupture can be life threateningfor both the mother and her baby. Some patients with uterinerupture may require a hysterectomy and some infants may die. Thecontroversy that arises with the risks associated with vaginalbirth after cesarean delivery is that many women are willing totake the risk, but their freedom of choice over who controlschildbirth is being steamrolled by physicians and hospitals.Women are not being allowed to have a choice in their mode ofdelivery. Doctors say their position is based on concern for thepatient's safety.Doctors now have a new worry that women trying to avoid repeatcesarean delivery may give birth at home or in birthing centersthat are not equipped to perform emergency cesarean surgeries ifnecessary. Also of concern is the possibility that laboringpatients may wait to the last moment to go to the hospital toavoid repeat cesarean section.The controversy surrounding vaginal birth after cesareandelivery is not only a health care issue, it is becoming awomen's civil rights issue. A woman should have the right tochoose her mode of delivery. Currently the right of a woman tobe involved in her birth plan is being crushed under the weightof new laws and strict healthcare limitations that should be acause for concern for all women across the nation.If you are considering a vaginal birth after cesarean, becertain to discuss your options completely with your healthcareprovider. http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/pregnancy_week_36.htm
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