The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said VBAC deliveries rose from 2016 — the first year that statistics on VBAC births were available — to 2018. A 2020 story in U.S. News & World Report said the CDC has a goal of reducing the number of first-time Cesarean sections and increasing the number of VBAC births in the U.S. It is not clear exactly what the CDC is doing to reach their goal, but for our part here at The VBAC Link, we are promoting VBAC births and training parents and doulas in the techniques of how to make achieving a VBAC easier and safer.
VBAC deliveries are have a slightly higher risk than a typical vaginal birth, but they are often not as risky as some doctors and hospitals would lead parents to believe. Many doctors believe that it is better and easier to simply do a repeat C-section on pregnant women who have had them before than to attend them through a VBAC delivery. However, we believe that foregoing an attempt at VBAC birth just because the risk is slightly elevated is short-sighted. After all, C-sections come with their own risks. Women’s bodies are built to deliver babies vaginally. If they cannot, or in an emergency, then using other methods is warranted, but the mother’s wishes for the type of delivery she wants should be respected.
At The VBAC Link, we provide an easy-to-use directory of VBAC doulas in your area. They have completed doula training online and have achieved their VBAC doula certification. While all our VBAC doulas are qualified to assist at your VBAC delivery, we encourage you to contact a few in your area and reach out to them in order to find the VBAC doula you are most comfortable with.
Learning any new skill is challenging, but that’s what makes it worth doing. Doulas should undergo training in order to support any type of birth, and extra training is even more important to attend a VBAC delivery. Becoming a doula who helps mothers achieve VBAC births is extremely rewarding. As difficult and painful as many typical vaginal births are, VBAC deliveries can be even more stressful. If we did not have VBAC doulas, not as many pregnant women would be able to attempt VBAC births. We offer VBAC doula training because we want more women to have choices about how they deliver their babies.
As a doula, you are already intimately familiar with the birthing process. However, being a VBAC doula is adding an important skill set to your repertoire. In our VBAC doula training online, we teach doulas how to recognize warning signs during a VBAC birth, how to support and advocate for parents committed to attempting a VBAC delivery and how to help them prepare for a VBAC birth.