VBAC Facts, with Jen Kamel

There’s a lot of misinformation when it comes to having a Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC), with many people being told they are not allowed to VBAC. Often the risks of having a VBAC are exaggerated, while the risks of repeat cesareans are downplayed or not even brought up. That’s an unbalanced conversation that does not allow you to make a true informed choice. What are the facts? Jen Kamel has answers. Check it out.

What we talked about:

• What does “VBAC” mean?
• VBAC specific risks
• What makes a good VBAC candidate
• Uterine rupture: truth and myths
• Risks of repeat cesareans
• Placenta accreta: truth and myths
• Differences in procedure difficulty between an dealing with an uterine rupture vs. a placenta accreta
• Is is really true that you can’t be forced into a cesarean?
• Difference between VBAC-supportive and VBAC-tolerant caregivers
• Finding a VBAC-supportive caregiver and hospital
• Required timing between pregnancies and other VBAC myths
• Misunderstanding in ACOG’s guidelines that lead to more restrictive policies and VBAC bans, and more recent guidelines in support of VBACs
• The politics of VBACs
• The disconnect between the number of people who want to have a VBAC and the number who actually achieve it

Related resources*:

• International Cesarean Awareness Network website
• Birth Monopoly website
• Want a VBAC? Ask your care provider these questions, VBAC Facts
• The 5 Simple Steps for Planning a Vaginal Birth After Cesearean, VBAC Facts
• ACOG Issues Less Restrictive VBAC Guidelines, VBAC Facts
• Panel Questions “VBAC Bans,” Advocates Expanded Delivery Options for Women, from 2010 NIH VBAC Conference
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC): Resource Overview, ACOG

Related Birthful episodes:

•  Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, with Nancy Wainer
  

Courtesy of Jen Kamel

About Jen Kamel

Jen Kamel is a VBAC strategist, nationally-recognized consumer advocate and the founder of VBAC Facts, an educational, training and consulting firm. She has been invited to present Grand Rounds at hospitals educating obstetricians, maternal fetal medicine specialists, midwives, residents, and midwifery students on the latest VBAC evidence. She has traveled the country as a California Board of Registered Nursing Continuing Education Provider presenting her signature program “The Truth About VBAC” to hundreds of professionals and highly motivated parents. She speaks at national conferences and has worked as a legislative consultant in various states focusing on midwifery legislation and regulations. She has testified multiple times in front of the California Medical Board and legislative committees on the importance of VBAC access, is a board member for the California Association of Midwives and the California Association of Licensed Midwives, and has served as an expert witness in a legal proceeding.

Learn more at VBACFacts.com

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).