Patient's trust physicians to make tough calls by virtue of our expertise, training and because they believe that we want what is best for them. My fear is that physicians risk losing the trust and goodwill we have with patients if we steer them away from safe vaginal deliveries toward unnecessary cesarean deliveries for questionable reasons. The current trend towards not offering VBAC may have begun due to concerns regarding safety or even medico-legal exposure; however at present, it has metaststatized to inordinant levels that I have referred to as PVH (physician-VBAC-hysteria).The reversals in the rate of VBAC have clearly increased the Cesarean rate in the US, but have not (in any definable way) improved maternal or fetal outcomes. Therefore, presented for your review is my most recent slideset on practical ways that patients can avoid some of the pitfalls which may result in an unnecessary cesarean delivery."
Thursday, December 31, 2009
10 Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary C/Section
An excellent blog/article by Dr. Chukwuma Onyeije, that arose from a story on CNN regarding Joy Szabo. The story detailed the fact that Ms. Szabo had been told that she could not have a VBAC at the hospital where she planned to deliver. As a result, she ultimately moved nearly six hours away from their home in Page, Arizona, to Phoenix to give birth at a hospital that does permit women to have VBACs. And, thus, one woman's quest for a vaginal birth after a cesarean became national news.
