Care providers, OBs and midwives, can be broken down into three categories:

1. The ones who tell you outright they don’t to VBACs.  While this is annoying, it is more honorable than the second type of care provider because at least they don’t…

2a. … tell you they are supportive, but then put so many qualifications on their support that it’s almost impossible to have a successful VBAC with them.  I call this a “circus act VBAC.”  They want you to think that if you just jump through all these hoops, you will VBAC.  But what you don’t know as a typical pregnant woman who trusts her OB is, it’s almost impossible to meet the standard they require and, one way or another, you end up with a another surgery.

• if your baby is less than X pounds
• if you consent to an IV
• if you consent to an epidural
• if you consent to continuous external, or internal, fetal monitoring
• if you stay in bed the whole time
• if you come to the hospital as soon as labor begins
• if you have the baby within X hours of labor starting
• if you have the baby within X hours of your water breaking
• if you agree to have a cesarean scheduled at X weeks “just in case” you don’t go into labor
• if you agree to be induced at X weeks
• if you go into labor by X weeks and if you don’t, you agree to have another cesarean or be induced
• it goes on, and on, and on…

2b. Or they tell you that they are supportive, but as your due date gets closer, they start focusing more and more on the risks of VBAC.  Of course, they minimize, or don’t even mention, the risks of having a repeat cesarean.  It eventually becomes clear to you that they will find some excuse either during your labor, or before labor begins, to give you a cesarean.  At which point, how can you trust their medical opinion?  But, they have strung you along for so long – usually this starts in the last couple months of your pregnancy – that you feel stuck and you think that it’s to late to find another provider.  Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.  It never hurts to check out other providers, regardless of how far along you are.  When you have a provider like this, what do you have to lose?

3.  The smallest group of care providers out there are the ones who are truly supportive of VBAC.  You can find care providers by going here and interview them using the questions here.