When given the choice, most women prefer to have their children delivered naturally rather than by c-section. There is often much less risk of re-hospitalization, traumatic birth injuries and loss of life in vaginal delivery–but women attempting vaginal birth after surgery are a special case.
If you are considering a natural birth after previously having a C-section, you should weigh the risks very carefully. Many people are unaware that the procedure carries serious risks, and uterine rupture is the most dangerous of all.
The biggest risk to mothers undergoing vaginal birth after caesarean, or VBAC, in Virginia, is the re-opening of the internal scar from their c-section. This is known as a uterine rupture, and can have the same traumatic side effects as c-sections, including birth injury, severe blood loss, cerebral palsy or even infant death.
You doctor should consider the following risks of uterine rupture in Virginia before performing VBAC:
- Chemically-induced labor. Studies have shown that prostaglandin labors increase the likelihood of uterine ruptures up to fifteen times that of drug-free births.
- Infection. If a doctor attempts a VBAC birth, but has to perform a cesarean section delivery because of complications, the mother and child may have a higher risk of injury due to infection.
- Age. The risk of uterine rupture increases with every c-section birth a mother has undergone, and is substantially higher for women 35 and older.
Our Fairfax birth injury attorneys know that no mother is willing to put her child at risk in the delivery room. Unfortunately, she may not be able to control what the doctor chooses during delivery and both she and the baby can suffer as a result of his decisions.
Speak With a Virginia Birth Injury Lawyer
If you believe that your doctor’s negligence resulted in Virginia birth injury, our attorneys can help you get compensation for your suffering. Call Shevlin Smith today at (703) 721-4233 to get a free consultation on your case, or click the link on this page to receive a FREE copy of our book, Do I Have A Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law.
