VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section) is also called TOLAC (Trial of Labor After Cesarean Section). For some mothers who have had a cesarean delivery during a prior pregnancy, it may be a safe and suitable choice to try a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with their next child. Our providers will evaluate your previous pregnancy, the indications for your previous c-section, evaluate the current pregnancy, and review the operative c-section report and how it was performed, to determine if you are a candidate.
It is unlikely to have serious complications whether you have a vaginal birth or a birth by cesarean section. In most circumstances, providers of obstetrical care believe that having a vaginal birth is safer than having a cesarean section—which is a major surgical operation.
Any woman undergoing a VBAC can have complications that might require a repeat cesarean delivery. If patients are carefully selected for a trial of labor after cesarean section (TOLAC), 60-80% of those patients may be successful.
A rare but very serious risk of VBAC is a ruptured uterus along the previous scar. As a uterine rupture can be deadly to the mother and baby, it should only be performed in a facility where an emergency cesarean section can be performed in an effort to save the baby and the mother.
Success rates for VBAC increase when a woman’s labor begins naturally with proper cervical dilation, if she has had a previously successful VBAC with a vaginal delivery, and if the medical condition necessitating a previous cesarean is no longer present.