[Dr. Lauria] "If a woman decides she wants to plan a VBAC, it's really important to understand the hospital's opinion about VBAC."
[Kim] "One way to investigate a hospital would be to talk to other women who've given birth there.
In particular if you can locate someone who's had a vaginal birth after cesarean in that particular hospital.
Childbirth educators are a good source of information."
[Dr. Lauria] "Choosing a hospital that does a lot of planned VBACs is important.
Ask them if they have any patient education materials.
Because if an institution has gone to the trouble of creating patient education materials about VBAC, often that represents an institution that's really thought about the risks and the benefits of both choices."
[Dr. Byrne] "Very often physicians are reluctant to offer VBAC because they don't necessarily have the resources available in the hospital to provide so on a safe basis.
To offer VBAC you need to have anesthesia resources and physician resources to allow emergency cesarean in those times that a uterine rupture occurs.
And in some smaller communities, it's difficult to meet those requirements."
[Kim] "So then the consideration is ... is traveling to another city a possibility?
Often, if you live in an urban area with large hospitals, you have a lot more choices."
[Dr. Lauria] "You can only take advantage of a choice if you know about it.
And that's why knowledge is so important, because the more knowledge you have, the more choices you have.
And the more say you have in what happens to your body."
