About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
How you prepare
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you choose VBAC, boost your odds of a positive experience:
- Learn about VBAC. Take a childbirth class on VBAC. Include your partner or another loved one, if possible. Also discuss your concerns and expectations with your health care provider. Make sure he or she has your complete medical history, including records of your previous C-section and any other uterine procedures.
- Make sure your health care provider will be available throughout your labor. Close monitoring can decrease the risk of complications.
- Plan to deliver the baby at a well-equipped hospital. Look for one that has continuous fetal monitoring, a surgical team that can be assembled quickly, and the ability to administer anesthetics and blood transfusions 24 hours a day.
- Allow labor to begin naturally, if you can. Drugs to induce labor can make contractions stronger and more frequent, which may contribute to the risk of uterine rupture — especially if the cervix is tightly closed and not ready for labor.
- Be prepared for a C-section. Some complications of pregnancy or delivery may require a C-section, even if you had your heart set on a vaginal delivery. For example, you may need a C-section if you develop preeclampsia or other pregnancy complications, there's a problem with the placenta or umbilical cord, your baby is in the wrong position, your labor fails to progress, or your baby doesn't tolerate labor.
It's also important to take good care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet, include physical activity in your daily routine — with your health care provider's OK — and get plenty of rest. These good-for-you habits will help you prepare for a vaginal delivery, as well as the demands of caring for a newborn.
- Welischar J, et al. Trial of labor after cesarean delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 28, 2009.
- Grobman WA, et al. Can a prediction model for vaginal birth after cesarean also predict the probability of morbidity related to a trial of labor? American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2009;200:56.e1.
- Macones GA. Clinical outcomes in VBAC attempts: What to say to patients? American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;199:1.
- Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp070.cfm. Accessed Dec. 28, 2009.
- Healthy pregnancy: Labor and birth. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/childbirth-beyond/labor-birth.cfm. Accessed Dec. 28, 2009.
- Healthy pregnancy: Staying healthy and safe. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/staying-healthy-safe.cfm. Accessed Dec. 28, 2009.
- Baydock SA, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for urinary and fecal incontinence four months after vaginal delivery. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2009;31:36.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 12, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on