Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Rethinking the VBAC Ban

Frederick Memorial Hospital in Pensylvania institued a VBAC ban in 2004, but is rethinking its policy, according to the Frederick News-Post:
Dr. Chen [head of the obstetrics and gynecology department] believes the decision to perform a VBAC should be between the physician and patient upon evaluating a woman's individual risk for complications. Depending on the circumstances of a woman's previous Caesarean(s), the risks from VBAC are different for each person, he said.

The main reason FMH doctors stopped performing VBACs is because of rapidly increasing medical malpractice rates.

"Hospitals don't want to say that. That's the only reason," he said.
Another choice quote:
Rebecca Mack of Frederick recently delivered her son at home because she did not want to have a C-section for her second child.

Her first child was delivered via Caesarean at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. She said her experience at Shady Grove was unpleasant, and she did not want to go to the Rockville hospital to have her second child, despite the opportunity to have a VBAC there.

"I felt that if they had given me a chance to relax and rest my body for awhile ... I could've gotten through it," she said. "I'm still bitter."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Just a small correction, Frederick Memorial Hospital is in Frederick Maryland.

And they DID reverse the ban finally in '06 citing "community pressure" as the reason.

We've since reversed a second ban that emerged in Maryland as well.

-Barbara Stratton