Guide
VBAC: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
If you have had a cesarean, you may be able to plan a vaginal birth for your next baby, called a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). For many people this is a safe and reasonable choice, while for others a repeat cesarean is recommended. This guide explains who may be a candidate, the benefits and risks, and how to talk it through with your provider. It is educational, not medical advice; your care team will help you decide.
Who may be a candidate
ACOG considers many people with one prior low-transverse (low, side-to-side) cesarean to be reasonable candidates for a trial of labor after cesarean. Things that make VBAC more likely to succeed include a prior vaginal birth and labor that starts on its own. The type of uterine scar, certain prior surgeries, and some pregnancy conditions can make a repeat cesarean safer. Your provider reviews your history to give you a personalized picture.
Benefits and risks
A successful VBAC avoids major surgery, usually means a shorter recovery and hospital stay, lowers surgical risks like infection and blood clots, and can make future pregnancies simpler. The main specific risk of a trial of labor is uterine rupture, which is uncommon but serious, so VBAC is planned where a team can move to an emergency cesarean quickly if needed. If labor does not progress or concerns arise, a repeat cesarean is done. Both paths aim for a healthy parent and baby.
How to discuss it with your provider
Bring your prior birth records if you can, including the type of uterine incision. Ask whether you are a candidate, what your chance of a successful VBAC looks like, and whether your hospital is set up to support one. Talk through your preferences and your provider's recommendation together, and revisit the plan as your pregnancy goes on, since it can change. Shared decision-making is the heart of choosing VBAC or a repeat cesarean.
How Materna helps
Materna helps you prepare bilingual questions for your provider, organize your birth history, and build a birth plan that reflects your VBAC or repeat-cesarean decision. Spanish-first and Medicaid-friendly.
This guide is educational and not medical advice. Whether VBAC is right for you depends on your history and pregnancy; decide with your provider.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is a good candidate for a VBAC?
- ACOG considers many people with one prior low-transverse cesarean to be reasonable candidates, especially with a prior vaginal birth and labor that starts on its own. The type of uterine scar and certain conditions can favor a repeat cesarean. Your provider reviews your history to advise you.
- Is a VBAC safe?
- For appropriate candidates planning to deliver where an emergency cesarean is available, a trial of labor after cesarean is generally considered safe. The main specific risk is uterine rupture, which is uncommon but serious. Your provider weighs your individual risks and benefits with you.
- What is the difference between VBAC and TOLAC?
- TOLAC means a trial of labor after cesarean, which is the attempt to labor and deliver vaginally. VBAC means that attempt succeeded in a vaginal birth. Planning a TOLAC is how you aim for a VBAC; if it does not work out, a repeat cesarean is done.