Birth. ():, JUL 2018

DOI: 10.1111/birt.12386

,  

PMID: 30051510

Issn Print: 0730-7659

Publication Date: 2018/07/01


Share this on facebook   Share this on Twitter   Share this on LinkedIn   Email this article  



Print

Women's preference for vaginal birth after a first delivery by cesarean

Laura Attanasio;Katy Kozhimannil;Kristen Kjerulff;

+ Author Information


    loading  Checking for direct PDF access through Ovid

Abstract

BackgroundNearly 90% of United States pregnant women with a prior cesarean give birth by repeat cesarean. Public health goals encourage greater use of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), but there is little prospective data on predictors of women's preference for VBAC. We characterized predictors of women's preferred mode of delivery after a first cesarean and thematically categorized reasons for their preference.MethodsData were from a cohort of 3006 women whose first childbirth was in Pennsylvania in 2009–2011. The analytic sample included women who had their first birth by cesarean and reported mode of delivery preference for their next delivery at 12 months postpartum (n = 616). Associations with future birth mode preference were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, and reasons for preference were categorized using content analysis.ResultsAt 12 months postpartum, 45% of women who delivered by cesarean in their first birth wanted to have their next delivery vaginally. Independent predictors of VBAC preference were Black race/ethnicity, nonrecurrent indication for the first cesarean, planning three or more additional children, and difficulty recovering from the first cesarean. The most common reason for preferring a vaginal birth was wanting the experience of vaginal birth; the most common reason for preferring cesarean birth was that the first birth was by cesarean.ConclusionNearly half of respondents preferred VBAC in future births, but national estimates indicate that only about 12% of women with prior cesareans have a VBAC. This suggests a need to ensure greater access to VBAC for women who want it.

Related Topics

        loading  Loading Related Articles