Have you contacted your local hospitals and OB providers yet to ask about their practices in light of ACOG’s new VBAC recommendations?
Stephanie Windgardner in Sioux City, Iowa has. She shares:
My [OB] office previously stated the ACOG guidelines as why I could not try for a VBAC with my next child. Since the guidelines changed, I emailed to see if their standard of care was going to change along with them. Here is my email to them, their reply, and after what they replied, I felt the need to reply back to them- just want to get awareness out there that in my city (Sioux City, Iowa) and the tri-state area of Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, that there are two hospitals, and two OB offices, none of which will “allow” or attend VBAC. I will be going to Omaha or Sioux Falls when I have my next child likely, so that I can have a chance at VBAC! This is a good hour and a half drive for me.
Here is part of Stephanie’s first email to her OB’s office:
After a lot of research and other opinions, I have decided I want to pursue a VBAC with my next child. I am not pregnant yet, but my husband and I plan to begin trying to conceive early next year.
After the release recently of the new ACOG guidelines, I was curious if the physicians in your office would be taking on VBAC patients. I see on your website your practice seems to follow all of the ACOG guidelines, and refer to them for more information.
I really appreciate any information you can give me. If VBAC is not an option…then I want to seek out other options before my yearly check up this fall, so that I can become familiar with a new doctor.
Thank you for your time.
Stephanie Winegardner
And here is her OB office’s reply:
Good afternoon Stephanie, we hope your having a great day. I wanted to let you know that our office and the two hospitals in town do not do VBAC’s. I am very sorry that you had a horrible experience with your last child and we would be more then glad to see you but you would have to have another c-section.
If we can be of any more help, please let us know.
Thanks
Unsatisfied with this response, Stephanie wrote one more email, asking her OB’s office why they won’t be changing their standard of care in line with ACOG’s new guidelines. As of today, she has not heard anything back.
Kudos to Stephanie for taking a mother-sized step toward better maternity care in he community. If you have contacted your hospitals or OB practices since ACOG’s recommendations, share your stories with us!
To find out what hospital policies are in your area, check ICAN’s VBAC Policy Database.