Can women safely have a vaginal birth after a c-section?

All you women out there, if you've had a c-section, is it safe for you to have a vaginal birth?

Dr. Judith Rossiter from St. Joseph Medical Center says yes.

Carol Parreco had a vaginal birth after a c-section. Her first daughter Olivia was breech.

Carol says, "We couldn't get her to turn and so i ended up having a c-section and the whole c-section experience wasn't what i had hoped for and not what I planned."  

Carol says the healing process after the c-section was the hardest part. So when she got pregnant again, she wanted to try for a vaginal birth.

Carol says, "The healing process was much faster. I was able to get up and move around and take care of both children much easier." 

Dr. Rossiter says women can safely have a vaginal birth after a c-section. But there are some women who are better candidates than others.

"If they had a breach baby their first and they didn't have a chance to labor with that or if they had a complication with pregnancy with their first that's not a reoccurring complication those women may very well be able to deliver vaginally. A not so good candidate is someone who went through labor, pushed for 2 hours and ended up with a c-section."   

Though c-sections are common in the U.S., Dr. Rossiter says women should cafefully consider their options. 

"The c-section though it seems to be taken very lightly in the u-s these days is a major surgical procedure, leaving a significant scar, and causing risks for subsequent pregnancies."   

Which is why Elizabeth Smith, a mother of 2, wanted to have a vaginal birth with her second child after having a c-section. "I didn't want to go through an unnecessary surgery. I didn't want to go through the abdominal surgery for a second time if it wasn't necessary."   

There are risks associated with a vaginal birth after a c-section, so consult your doctor for what's best for you.