Vaginal Birth after 4 c-sections

Most C-sections are done when unexpected problems happen during delivery. These include

* Health problems in the mother
* The position of the baby
* Not enough room for the baby to go through the vagina
* Signs of distress in the baby

Today, doctors have experienced success in about 60-80% of women who have originally had a cesarean delivery that give birth though the vagina later. This is called vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) delivery. VBAC can be a safe option for many women. However, it is not the right choice for all women, and there are some risks.

Please read this webpage with information about the risks and success rates of VBAC from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for more information. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_e ducation/bp070.cfm

It will be very hard to find an OB or midwife that will let you, but it is possible. If you are low risk, the best thing to do is labor at home as long as possible. And if you are healthy, please don't get pressured for going 'overdue'. You will go into labor on your own, some women even go to 44+weeks with a healthy child.

I truly hope you get the birth you want! Good Luck!

~*Natural Labor Dust*~

www.ican-online.org

Please be careful when asking around though. I work in a hospital lab. We have a lot of women come in and ask for the VBAC. While some women can, those who have had more than 2 term pregnancies and have had c-sections are NOT advised to give birth through the vagina. The more pregnancies you have, the more your uterus has been stretched. The more the uterus has been stretched, the more it is weakened and prone to tearing. A tear can be life threatening for you and your unborn baby. You need to be informed of the risks and weigh them against the benefits. You have to look at your OWN risks, not the risks of others. While you can "try" for a natural birth (I am all for that), please go to a hospital that will allow you to try in an operating room so that an emergency c-section can be performed if needed. Most doctors will not do VBACs in women who have already had more than 2 c-sections due to the risks of uterine rupture. It is not because they don't feel like it or because c-section delivery is faster and easier (on them). It is because of the risks involved and sadly because of the medical malpractice risks.
So, if I were you, and I REALLY wanted to have a VBAC, I would first weigh the risks against the benefits (some of the risks for you may be why you had c-sections in the first place i.e. large baby, too small hips, long labor without producing birth...these are all risks for VBAC, large babies stretch the uterus even more, prolonged labor makes the risk of uterine rupture greater, small pelvic canal and hips make delivery difficult)and make sure I found a doctor who would most definitly be there for my delivery, a doctor who knows to try the natural route in the OR in case of complications.