Caesarean rates in Australia are high (about 21.9% in 1999) but not as high as Caesareans rates in the United States, which approach more like 25 to 30% (although there are some individual hospitals in Australia with rates as high as this). Repeat Caesareans for 'previous Caesarean' makes up around 40% of these Caesarean statistics.
Planning and achieving a VBAC in Australia is much less successful than in many countries overseas. A recent Australian study of 11 major obstetric hospitals over a 5 year period (1992 to 1997) looked at the rates of vaginal birth after Caesarean (VBAC) in Australia.
The planned VBAC rate was 9.2% (compared to about 28% in the United States in 1995). The rate of women who planned a VBAC and had a vaginal birth was 25.3%. This is extremely low compared to most overseas rates being 60 to 85% averaging at 70%.
The reasoning behind these figures is not explained, but our experience in working within the Australian maternity health care system is that:
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It is often difficult in Australia to find a sympathetic caregiver who is willing to support a woman planning a VBAC. In many cases a non-medical reason is given to repeat the Caesarean, or discourage the VBAC. |
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Even if you do find a caregiver who is willing to support you, achieving the vaginal birth may be impeded by other medical interventions (such as continuous monitoring or being induced) or not being given adequate time to progress in the labour. |
You may need to shop around and do some research to enable you to plan a VBAC and optimise your chances of achieving a vaginal birth.