Customer Reviews

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: The Smart Woman's Guide to VBAC

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I picked up this book thinking it would be a supportive and informative book on VBAC and how to achieve one. But what I found was a discussion only of the risks of VBAC, and repeated (almost word for word) justifications and support for choosing a repeat cesarean. The author herself talks about her VBAC (which she claims she was somewhat pressured into) and how--though it was successful in achieving vaginal birth of a healthy baby--it was still disappointing and the outcome not as she expected. There's nothing wrong with her honesty, and I'm sure there are other women who had disappointing VBACs. What I wonder is, "Why is *this* woman writing this book?" The whole book just seemed pretty negative towards VBAC and claimed that many women are being pressured into having VBACs they're not comfortable with just because insurance companies and hospitals want to lower costs. Not only is this likely not the main reason for the support of increasing VBACs and decreasing repeat cesareans, but this information is outdated. The "pendulum" (to use the author's word) has swung back yet again. Now we are seeing that many women who want a VBAC can't have one because more and more hospitals and birth centers (all in my area that I am aware of) are refusing to offer them due to fear of lawsuits.

Basically this whole book is an out-dated and now irrelevant argument from an obviously still bitter woman as to why women should not be pressured into having a VBAC.

There's nothing really supportive or uplifting here for women who already know they desire a VBAC. In fact, it left me quite depressed. I give it 2 stars instead of 1 only because I think there *is* value in being aware of the risks and worst-case scenarios (however outdated and exaggerated they are), so that one is not completely ignorant or naive about the birth method one chooses. I did also garner a few facts from this book that led to further investigation into and clarification of my c-section fiasco and why everything happened like it did. This is valuable as it will allow me to avoid such interventions and oversights in the future--and give me room to negotiate with doctors if I need to.

Otherwise, a very disappointing book.

It doesn't really list any benefits to VBAC's, only risks. The research is outdated given it is old. It really tells you why you should have another C-section instead of VBAC. If you want to have a VBAC or is considering one, this book is not for you. If you want another C-section, it's the perfect book for you.

If you are, this is your book. As a certified childbirth educator and natural birth promoter, I am supportive of women in their efforts to try VBACs, unlike this author. I bought this book as one of three I was going to share with my students- I was seriously disappointed (not to mention disgruntled) as I read it and saw the way it only showed the negative aspects of VBAC. The first chapter, which discusses reasons why people are promoting a reduction of the c-section rate could not be more inappropriate...she argues that it is mainly because of the insurance companies, when in fact, more activists wish to reduce the c-section rate to prevent moms and babies unnecessary pain and to encourage more immediate bonding and breastfeeding relationships! Do you think there is a connection with the United States having the highest cesarean rate of any country and also being ranked 27th for infant mortality?? Behind countries with c-section rates of less than 5%? The paper this book is printed on is a waste of trees.
- Lisa in Chicago

This is the only VBAC book that presented the option of repeat cesarean. Not everyone wants to try a VBAC and this book explained both alternatives. This book can help you to understand your options and make the best choice for yourself, not the best choice for your doctor or insurance company. I used this book to chose whether or not to try a VBAC, and I know that I made an informed choice that was the best one for me.

This book did not take the "VBAC at any cost" appoach that is disturbingly present in some of the other lit, which seems unwilling to acknowledge that there are indeed necessary c-sections. I can't trust a book that doesn't acknowledge this because my daughter would have died without our section. The other major book I have read contends that only a foolish, fearful woman will resist VBAC...to me, this book deals much more thoroughly with the trade offs of both approaches. Also important, the author emphasizes that these choices should be made on the basis of what the patient believes is best and safest for herself and her baby-- not on the basis of what the doctor/the medical industry prefers.

I'm considering a VBAC and I like this book--I say this after reading many books from various vantage points on the subject. This book is not alarmist, and does not smack of conspiracy theories like some of the others. It isn't a pro-VBAC polemic, but it does lay out many of the realities of birth in the modern world. The best thing it does for me is provide the beginnings of a roadmap for an informed and conscious birth within a medical setting, which is a realistic and noble goal. The tone of this book is positive, and unlike many of the books on the subject does not demean or treat paternalistically those who would choose a different path than their authors.

I didn't give it five stars because the writing could have been a bit less dry and I would have liked to hear more of the birth stories of the women interviewed for the book.

Please read this book for yourself. I found my copy at the library. It provides evidence and statistics for both sides of the VBAC argument. VBAC supporters are against this book because it tells you the truth about the risks and effects of a VBAC on both the mother and baby. There are risks involved with both procedures and it's only fair to lay them all out on the table so you and your Dr. can decide which option is best for you. I've seen the other VBAC books and this is the only one that tells both sides of the story. It's worth reading.

The title of this book is misleading - I thought it was about how to achieve a VBAC, but it seems to warn against them. It claims to be unbiased, but I definitely felt there was a bias in favor of Elective Repeat Cesareans over VBACs! I am preparing for a vbac and was looking for something encouraging. Instead, this book is filled with scare tactics - employed sometimes subtly, sometimes not. Yes, there are risks with vbac that every woman should know about, but the risk of a serious complication is rare, whereas complications from cesareans (most minor, but some serious) are actually common. Although the rate of uterine rupture in VBAC is less than 1 percent, she seems determined to tell you those horror stories rather than the success stories. She also really buys into the idea that true Cephalopelvic Disproportion is very common, and yet that idea is widely disputed these days. The most unforgivable aspect of this book is that it REALLY downplays the risks of repeat elective cesarean section, making it seem like there is little risk for the mother and NO risk at all for the baby, which simply is not true. She examines studies done by doctors who are pro-VBAC, turning their words around and making it sound like those doctors are irresponsible for encouraging it despite the data revealed. And yet, the author is not a doctor or a midwife herself.

The book is also very outdated. She states that there was a nation-wide push to lower the cesarean rate at the time it was written, but I doubt that was really true, since the cesarean rate has in fact risen EVEN MORE since the book was published (25% then vs. the current 31% average, and closer to 40% in some states). She claims that back then women were coerced into trying VBACs against their judgement, when nowadays getting a doctor and hospital to allow a trial of labor after cesarean is usually an uphill battle. New findings have also shown that there are risks to both mother AND baby with cesarean sections that were not known 12 years ago when this book was published. I wonder what the author thinks now about these current trends...

This was an excellent source for presenting both sides of VBAC. If you are considering VBAC read this book. It will provide you with good questions to ask your health care provider regarding their procedures for VBAC. It will aslo provide you the information to decide if you want a repeat c-section. You should be aware of all the risks involved with VBAC, as well as c-section. This will aslo help you develop your birth plan if you have any questions about doing that the second time around.

This book offers none of the available solutions to the risks that are sighted.

There are solutions, managments, and couses of actions to protect yourself, and this book does not do a good job in presenting them.