Meditative Exercise for Pregnancy

Baby Breathing©

Excerpt from upcoming “Spiritual Pregnancy” copyright 2010 Shawn Tassone and Kathryn Landherr

Shawn Tassone, MD and Kathryn Landherr, MD

http://www.handsoffmybellyguide.com

This exercise will bring you and your baby together through the breath of life.  In this exercise you will be bring guiding your breath through your lungs and circulatory system into that of your baby and then the baby will give you its waste and carbon dioxide to exhale.  Remember, you are currently one unit functioning as two beings.

Bring yourself either into a sitting position or lying on your left side with a pillow placed between your knees.  The goal here is to be as comfortable and weightless as possible.

Focus on your breath

This very breath, right now will soon be the oxygen that feeds your baby

Focus on relaxing your belly and take in a deep breath

With the next breath imagine this oxygen filling your lungs and entering your heart

With the next breath imagine this oxygen travelling into your bloodstream and heading downward towards your belly.

Once in the aorta the blood will pump towards your uterine arteries and begin filling the uterus with this oxygen rich connection.

Imagine the uterus as light and energy, warm and pulsating. The pulsations coming from you, surrounding your baby with the sounds of your heart and love.

With the next breath allow the oxygen to pulsate into the placenta filling it with the same love and warmth.  Imagine the placenta filling with each individual breath.

When the placenta is full of love, energy and oxygen allow it pass into the umbilical vein coursing towards the baby.

As the umbilical vein fills with oxygen rich blood notice how it bypasses the baby’s lungs (as this breath comes from you) and proceeds to your baby’s heart; the heart that you created.  Even inside this little heart is able to take the baton from you and send your oxygen rich gift throughout its own body.  As the baby’s body uses the oxygen rich love you have sent allow the baby to let go of carbon dioxide and other wastes and give them to you.  Let your baby know you want this and surround it with the acceptance that you are taking care of everything as only a mother can do.

This blood now courses into the umbilical arteries by the pumping of the baby’s heart in cadence with yours and enters the placenta.  With the next exhale now imagine that blood crossing the placenta and entering your vena cava on its way back to your heart.  This blood carries the elements and traces of your baby, this blood has touched every one of your baby’s cells.

Once in the heart this blood now pumps into the lungs and on the very next exhale feel the breath that has been inside your baby.  Notice how every breath has the scent of your child and the connection between the two of you.  Allow yourself to stay in this place until your are done and then slowly open your eyes and realize you are always in contact with your little one.

Earth:

Earth – the grounding the earth pushing back up on you.  This is where the sperm and the egg come together to form the human body.  The body is carbon based and the earth is carbon based.  As the baby moves inside of you it causes movement upon the earth.  The symbolism of the earth being a round egg similar to the maternal egg and how everything comes from that one cell.  We start from the earth and return to the earth.  I like to practice an earth meditation where you simply lie upon the ground and allow your skin to touch the ground beneath you and try to feel the pulsation of the earth.

Connect with the Earth underneath you.  Go out into nature and within a safe place, lie on your left side and allow your bare pregnant belly to touch the ground.  Allow the baby to be supported by the Earth as are you.  If the baby is moving, envision his or her little feet pushing against the Earth through your belly.  One other option is walking a labyrinth or engaging in a walking meditation where every footstep you repeat the name of your unborn baby; if there is no name then choose some other mantra that fits.  You also want to look at your connection with the Earth and the foods that you eat.  You receive vital elements like magnesium, calcium, and iron from the foods you consume; these food provided to you by the sun, water, and Earth.

Fire:

Fire – synonymous with the heat and pulsation of the blood.  Fire is a cleansing element and is also associated with the raw unpredictable power that can be translated to labor.  Fire is unpredictable like the hormones that are powerful messengers flowing through her blood.  The blood itself being red and rich with oxygen carries vital power to the baby through the placenta and umbilical cord.

A special ceremony involving the unpredictability of fire is allowing the flames to consume your fears.  There is an unpredictability to becoming a mother, whther for the first or fourth time.  Take time to write those fears on separate pieces of paper and after writing them down place them into a paper bag or some other parchment and close them up sealing them away from you forever.  In a safe place (preferably outdoors) light a candle or start a fire.  I would recommend a real fire and not some butane induced simile of a fire.  Once the flames are well underway take your bag of sealed fears and burn them in the fire watching as the smoke rises into the atmosphere.  Envision those fears are being shared with the fears of all the other expectant mothers creating a maternal bond that cannot be broken

Water:

Water – obviously water is symbolic for the amniotic fluid.  The amniotic fluid is made mainly from the fetal waste, but it also carries chemicals that are responsible for the maturation of the baby’s lungs and it protection and cushions the fetal bones and umbilical cord.  The baby breathes amniotic fluid late in the second trimester as it practices its own breathing technique.  The amniotic fluid can be increased if the woman is well hydrated because what she drinks will go through to the baby and thus if she is increasing her fluid volume it translates that the baby will urinate more and increase the amniotic fluid.

There is a never-ending support that can be formed by water.  The baby is supported in a weightless type of environment and the fluid is just as essential as the oxygen for development.  Plasma makes up the matrix for the red and white blood cells and we all need water to survive.  If you have the benefit of a heated pool or hot tub you can try to warm the water to 99 degrees and submerge yourself in the warmth of the weightless water.  Feel what your baby feels in this warm environment provided by your warmth and love.  Envision that you were also once in this environment and were provided this luxury by your mother and how you are connecting to the eons of mothers that have come before you.

Multiple Births: Myths and More

By Shawn Tassone, MD and Kathryn Landherr, MD

Multiple births are on the rise in the United States. Twenty years ago, the number of twins born in this country was 90,118; in 2006, that number increased to 137,085. This increase is a result of fertility drugs, medical technology that is used to “save” high risk pregnancies, and women bearing children at older ages. Approximately 35 percent of pregnancies that occur from the use of fertility drugs result in multiple births. Of course, a woman can naturally conceive twins, triplets or quadruplets, particularly if she is:

• Over age 35
• Has a history of multiple births on her side of the family
• Is of African descent
• Has had one previous multiple pregnancy

Myths have always surrounded the topic of multiple pregnancies and births. Following are some statements and beliefs that we frequently encounter in our clinic.

• The majority of multiple births come from infertility treatments.

Believe it of not, this statement is false. The majority of multiple births occur   naturally.

• You can’t breastfeed multiples, or if you do, you must never supplement with or use a bottle.

Another false statement. You can breastfeed twins and you can use a bottle.

The logistics of breastfeeding twins is a good conversation to have with a  lactation specialist.

• There’s a good twin and a bad twin in every pair.

Maybe in movies and books this tends to be true, but not in real life.

• Multiples are always born by C-section.

Although the chances of having a C-section increases with a multiple  pregnancy, the procedure is not always required. If conditions are favorable,  many doctors are willing to try a vaginal delivery. In fact, obstetricians even  have a lower C-section rate with twins than with single births.

• Twins have ESP.

There are no hard facts to prove that twins are more psychic than others.  This is more the stuff of movies and fiction.

Famous People With a Twin

• Mario Andretti, race car driver (twin brother Aldo)
• Montgomery Cliff, actor (twin sister Roberta)
• Vin Diesel, actor (fraternal twin brother Paul Vincent)
• Joseph Fiennes, actor (twin brother Jacob)
• Andy Garcia, actor (parasitic twin brother removed from Andy’s shoulder; died soon after)
• Jon Heder, actor (identical twin brother Daniel)
• Scarlett Johansson, actress (twin brother Hunter)
• Ashton Kutcher, actor (fraternal twin brother Michael)
• Alanis Morissette, singer (twin brother Wade)
• Elvis Presley, singer (twin brother Jesse Garon died at birth)
• Isabella Rossellini, actress (twin sister Isotta Ingrid)
• Curtis Strange, pro golfer (identical twin brother Allen)
• Kiefer Sutherland, actor (twin sister Rachel)

There are so many men out there that have this strange fear that they will poke the baby in the head if they have sex with their significant other.  This is actually one of the funnier myths out there, and it is funny for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the baby is protected by the amniotic fluid, uterine tissue, and finally the cervix.  While the penis is hard it is hardly something sharp and destructive and the cervix is actually about as firm as the penis so if anything women might get vaginal bleeding from the cervix after intercourse.  I think the myths comes from the fact that men have this fascination with their penis’ and the fact that they think it is so long that they will actually be able to hit a baby that is 14 inches away in most cases.  It is also obvious that men have absolutely no conceptual understanding of the female anatomy or the potential anatomy of the pelvis.

TO ALL THE MEN, the female body is made so this type of trauma will not occur and so sex can be an enjoyable part of life even during pregnancy.  In 99.9% of cases the penis is directly pointing at the baby and in fact it is moving past the head of the baby because of the vector of the vagina and the way that we are all made.  Even if it is a straight shot I would say that we all need to be a bit more realistic about the size and length of the penis and the fact that it is not a vorpal weapon that will cut through anything it encounters.  The penis is a soft tissue organ and it is made that way for a reason, although Viagra commercials would have us believe that it needs to be erect 24/7.

Sex is good during pregnancy unless you are specifically told by your physician or caregiver that you need to refrain.  Occasionally, you might be placed on pelvic rest because of placenta previa or premature contractions.  The male semen has a chemical called a prostaglandin that can make the uterus contract.  So, unless you are specifically told not to have sex, go ahead and enjoy your body, either pregnant or not pregnant.  If he doesn’t want to have sex with you because he fears that he is going to poke the baby then give him an anatomy lesson and bring him back to reality.

So much mysticism and mythology surrounds the pregnancy due date.  Much of the mysticism is held by physicians who hold on to the old ways of  determining when a pregnant woman will deliver.  Believe me, most physicians would love a way to determine the due date so we could plan our lives around the deliveries of our patients, but the truth is only 1-2% of women will actually deliver on their due date.  So what determines a due date, and what is the difference between EDC (estimated date of confinement) and EDD (estimated date of delivery) and what the heck is Naegele’s Rule.  This post will help show the origins of the due date and how we are currently using a system that is about 250 years old.

Franz Karl Naegele (1778-1851) was the German obstetrician who initially came up with the rule to determine a woman’s due date based on her last menstrual period (LMP).  There are many ways to calculate Naegele’s Rule.  I use the system where you take the LMP, add 7 days, and subtract three months.  So if your LMP was April 1, 2009 then your due date would be January 8, 2010.  You can impress your friends at parties with this maneuver.  There are problems with Naegele’s Rule and many people have pointed out that this 250 year old method is no longer appropriate for our advanced age.  What are some of the potential errors with calculating the EDC in this method?

• It assumes that you are having a regular period and that you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle.  I am a gynecologist and there are many women out there that have irregular cycles that ovulate on day 20, 25, 12, 15….you get my point.  This obviously would add potential error to the EDC determination and could change things by days to weeks.
• There is another assumption that the routine pregnancy is 280 days long and that is based on our current calendar system.  The problem with this is that there are many months that contain 30 days or 31 days and what happens in a leap year, or if you are not pregnant over the shorter month of February.  The point is that there is a movement out there that is trying to say that the number should be 288 days and that we are inducing women that have premature babies.  A study done in 1990 stated that the proper method for determining a due date was to take the LMP, count back three months and add fifteen days for a primiparous (first pregnancy) woman or 10 days for a multiparous (subsequent births) woman.  This was published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• There are many that argue this method of calculating the EDC is as archaic as the term EDC itself.  Lending to the agrarian societies from whence it came, the EDC literally came from the fact that a woman was confined to her bed for the last part of her pregnancy to prevent preterm labor.  While we still prescribe bedrest today as a possible therapy for preterm labor it does seem odd that the medical establishment uses terminology from the 1700′s.

The due date is as individual as the pregnant mother.  While the EDC is currently calculated by Naegele’s Rule this does seem a bit archaic and inefficient; especially if we are using this dating method to determine inductions and postdatism.  There have been other methods with increased accuracy but they require a woman to measure body temperatures and be move involved in her own self-care.  Many reading this article are very involved with birth and feel as though self-care is very important, but there are many women out there that simply choose not to be observant of their own cycle.  So, what do we “do” with the “due”.  Unfortunately, I think we will keep going with the current system and back it up with ultrasounds which are accurate within 5 days if done in the first trimester.

Approximately 3% of so-called term births (occuring after 37 weeks) are completed with fetal lung immaturity and this could be because the baby may have been between 35-37 weeks and not term.

Are we too involved in the birthing process?  Are there better ways to determine the pregnant due date or should we not worry wbout and just let man/woman  be born in his own time.  The latin word natura gives rise to the word natural and means “to be born”.  Maybe we should just leave well enough alone.

Thank to Laurie Puhn at Expecting Words for allowing us to be guest authors on her website.  We wrote an article on 5 pregnancy myths you need to know.  Obviously there are many more in our book, but we put 5 of them out there that you might not have heard of or didn’t know the answers.  Click on the link to read our article 5 Pregnancy Myths You Need to Know

It seems that there are few things out there as polarizing as labor.  I know, I know, labor shouldn’t be a polarizing issue because it is a natural process and we should just leave well enough alone.  I agree there are many times health care providers add things to the labor process that are not always necessary, but the oft public opinion is that we are doing so because we as providers are too much into the technology and not the natural process of labor.   I know many obstetricians that are fans of the natural childbirth.  I am more of a proponent of woman’s choice and one of the choices that many women make during labor is what to do for pain control.  If you were to ask most women that have never been in labor what they want to do for pain control, most of them would probably say that they would prefer no pain medication.  By the time active labor sets in and the reality of the pain takes hold, many of these laboring women have changed their minds because the pain is too intense.  Are we coddling these women by asking them if they would like an epidural?  Aren’t epidurals bad things that prolong labor and increase the rates of cesarean section?  Don’t epidurals interfere with the bonding between mothers and their babies?  What do you think?  I wanted to address some of the myths out there and some of the realities out there that patients have about epidurals and in the long run, remember, that it is your decision and only you know what it feels like to be in labor

1). Is it true that epidurals increase the cesarean section rate?  Well, there are many things that increase the rates of cesarean section and the epidural may be a small part of that but it is not a causal relationship.  The majority of women that have an epidural do not then go on to have a cesarean section.  The problem with the argument that it increases he cesarean section rate is the question ,”Would these women have had a cesarean section if they would not have had the epidural?” and this question is almost impossible to answer.  The reason that a epidurals potentially increase the risk of cesarean is because they do have a propensity to slow the labor process.  The reason for this process is not directly know, but it has been documented and this can be cause for the starting of pitocin  and other forms of active management of labor.  Many advocates of the natural birthing process claim that once you receive an epidural you are opening a Pandora’s Box and potentially sliding down that slippery slope towards a cesarean section

2). Epidurals will decrease my blood pressure.  This is true n some cases.  Because the epidural decrease sympathetic tone it can cause the blood vessels to relax just like the muscles, this could result in a drop in blood pressure and a subsequent change in the fetal heart rate.  If this happens the anesthesiologist will administer IV fluid or medications to increase the blood pressure.

3). I will not be able to move if I get an epidural.  Some patients have a very difficult time moving when they undergo an epidural, but in many cases you will be able to move your legs.  When you go to the dentist and have your lip numbed you can still talk, albeit not as well, but you can usually still speak and this is because you recruit the surrounding muscles to help.  This is also the case with movement of the legs.

4). I wont bond with my baby if I don’t feel the pain.  My wife had two cesarean sections and she has one of the strongest bonds with our children that I have seen.  I would challenge this statement until my last breath.  The bonding experience has much more multifactorial than just the evidence of pain during labor.

These are just a few of the myths surrounding epidurals and we go into much more detail in our book “Hands Off My Belly!: The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods” published by Prometheus Books and available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders booksellers

MEDIA ALERT

Some people are fearful of the H1N1 vaccine, and being pregnant may add to a woman’s concern.  Myths about the vaccine are spreading, and these myths only increase fears.  

Drs. Shawn Tassone and Kathryn Landherr–a husband-and-wife OB-GYN team and co-authors of the new book Hands Off My Belly!: The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods–are available to speak on this topic:

What are some common myths about this vaccine and pregnancy?

• Vaccines don’t work in pregnant patients

• There are many serious side effects or it can cause birth defects
• It is untested and not safe in pregnancy
• I will become ill with H1N1
• If I get the vaccine it will weaken my immune system and pregnancy already has weakened me
• The vaccine contains thimerosal
• Pregnant women are contraindicated for the vaccine
• I may have had H1N1 so I am immune and don’t need the vaccine

What is true about this vaccine?

• H1N1 vaccine is made just like seasonal flu vaccine
• It is expected to be as safe as seasonal flu vaccine
• The single dose injections do not contain thimerosal (mercury)
• This H1N1 vaccine will not prevent seasonal flu
• You can get both seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines when pregnant
• It is an inactivated virus and will not cause the flu
• All pregnant women are recommended to get the vaccine
• Pregnant women are one of the highest risk groups for this virus
• Pregnant women are being admitted to hospitals with severe flu infections

Contact Prometheus Books publicity at 800-853-7545 or publicity@prometheusbooks.com to request author contact information, a review copy or press materials.

In a hurry? Contact the doctors directly at 520-544-0906 or ladeaobgyn@yahoo.com to schedule. See their bio here: http://www.handsoffmybellyguide.com/bios.php.

By Shawn Tassone, MD and Kathryn Landherr, MD – Husband and Wife OBG Team, and Authors of ‘Hands Off My Belly! The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods’ – Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY.

Is there a way you can tell the gender of your unborn baby before it’s born?  So many myths surround gender prediction that it’s often difficult to discern the real from the surreal.  Of all the pregnancy myths, gender prediction myths are probably the most encountered. The most common of these rely on fetal heart rate to predict whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

In our clinic we hear expectant mothers declare that a heart rate of 140 beats per minute indicates a girl; others swear that the cut-off is the 150 mark. The truth of the matter is that a normal fetal heart rate fluctuates between 120 to 160 beats per minutes. In fact, if measure the fetal heart rate at ten minute intervals during an hour, you might just get six different heart rates, some below 140 beats and others below 140.

This variation has more to do with the developing fetal brain than the genitalia (although some would argue that the male brain and genitalia are one in the same.) The fetus’ brain is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system (the flight or fight response) and the parasympathetic system (relaxation.) As the fetus develops, these two systems engage in a power struggle. The heart rate speeds up when stimulated by the sympathetic system, and slows down when controlled by the parasympathetic response. We usually listen to the fetal heart for about ten to thirty seconds at a time in the office. If the baby is moving, the rate may be higher than if it were sleeping.

This variation also applies to men and women, boys and girls, none of whom have different heart rates based on gender. If someone stood behind a curtain, for instance, and I told you that person’s heart rate, you would not be able to determine if that person were male or female.  The same holds true for an unborn baby.  Thus, science again rears its materialistic head and claims this myth is simply not true.  The wonderful thing to remember is that your baby does not easily fit into some descriptive box, and he or she is as individual as you are.

Six Common Pregnancy Myths

 

Excerpts from “Hands Off My Belly! The Pregnant Woman’s Guide to Surviving Myths, Mothers, and Moods” Prometheus Books (2009), Amherst, NY.

Shawn A. Tassone, M.D.

Kathryn M. Landherr, M.D.  

1).  I heard that if I eat more breakfast cereal I will have a boy

• Really, can you imagine?  Actually this is a shred of truth in this statement based on a study done in England regarding pre-pregnancy diets and their relation to fetal gender, scientists found more boys are born to women who ate a high-calorie diet.  More specifically, a higher percentage of boys were born to women who ate breakfast cereal each morning prior to becoming pregnant.

2).  You must drink whole milk when you’re pregnant  and especially if you are  going to breastfeed

• Got Milk?  The National Dairy Council would have you believe that drinking milk is necessary for strong bones and healthy teeth.  Realistically, we are the only species that drinks milk into adulthood, and bovine milk at that.  There are many other ways to get calcium and more importantly vitamin D into your diet.  If you like milk, go ahead and drink it, but please do not feel as though you must drink milk in order to have a healthy pregnancy.

3).  There are more babies born during a full moon.

• One study actually evaluated individual behaviors and their relationship to the lunar cycle.  The researchers discovered that, contrary to popular belief, he phases of the moon did not increase the rates of birth.

4).  I will automatically receive an episiotomy during delivery

• Episiotomy is probably one of the more common procedures that is performed on a pregnant woman, but that is not to say that the procedure itself is common.  It has been estimated that episiotomies are performed in less that 5% of all deliveries and the numbers are decreasing.  In most instances the baby’s head or shoulders will make its own room as it comes out.  Your physician should discuss the episiotomy before performing the procedure and you should have a say as to whether or not you agree to have the episiotomy performed.

5). Clean teeth mean lower chances of preterm birth.

• You have many reasons to smile when you’re pregnant.  Healthy teeth and gums will indeed reduce the risks of preterm birth.  The preterm birth rate for those women receiving regular dental care was 6.4%, while the birth rate for those not receiving dental care was 11 %.

6).  If the fetal hear rate is below 140 beats per minute, it’s a boy; if it’s above 140, it’s a girl

• This is probably the most common of the fetal gender prediction myths we discuss in the book.  Studies, however, show no significant difference between a male and female heart rate, at least statistically speaking.  Fetal hear rates are normal anywhere between 120-160 beats per minute and if they are excited or relaxing will have a direct effect on their heart rate.

 

Over the past few weeks I have been noticing a significant amount of discussion on Twitter, and elsewhere, that seems to be centered around cesarean sections and the horros of a hospital birth.  Personally, I think that if a woman wants to deliver at home, or in a birthing center, then she should be able to do so, and I have often joked that you don’t need an obstetrician when a baby is delivering; you need us when they are not delivering.  The flip side of this observation is that women who wish to have a delivery in the hospital should be able to do so as well, and there are many myths utilized as scare tactics.  Some of the mythical items I see on these websites are listed below.

• The cesarean section rate is high because your physician simply wants to go home and have dinner. Ultimately, this saddens me to think that women would feel like this is something an ethical physician would do.  I am sure that this happens and that it has happened in the past.  Do we like to have dinner, sure who doesn’t? Unless of course we are having fish and then I am not really excited about dinner.  My concern is that there are things being stated about perceptions of certain physicians and that maybe this fear  is based on the few doctors out there that might do something like this, but what about the thousands of us out there that put the needs of the baby and the patient above our own on a daily basis.  The fearmongering is casting doubt on a situation that needs trust and reassurance.
• The cesarean section rate has increase by almost 50% in the last decade or so.  Depending on the numbers this may be true, but why?  First and foremost, there are many women out there that would choose to have a repeat cesarean rather than attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).  Now, you VBACers out there hold on, I understand that many women might have a repeat c-section because of the bias physicians impose in their counselling, but what else would you have us do?  There is a 1 in 200 chance of having a uterine rupture during VBAC.  That means there is a 199 in 200 chance that this will not happen.  If there was a 1 in 200 chance that you would get in a major car accident today if you went to the grocery store, would you go or would you stay home; I think most people would stay home; so why is does it cause so much ire in the minds of those who are pushing natural birth.  If this is truly a woman’s choice then so be it and let her choose.  There are a few cases out there where women are being refused the right to have a VBAC, but if we choose to let the woman have a choice then should we not offer the same choice to physicians.  If a physician does not want to perform an abortion then we don’t make them, and we shouldn’t make then offer VBAC if they are not comfortable doing so.  They should be able to refer that patient to a provider that does offer that procedure and they should not take care of the patient until it is too late to transfer.  My point is that we should offer the same rights to physicians that we offer to patients.  I truly understand that there are risks with a cesarean section, but I have persoanlly worked at 2 hospitals where VBACing patients had uterine ruptures and in both instances babies did nto survive, and this is totally avoidable.  I’m sure there will be comments on this but it is my opinion, biased as it might be.
• Recovery from a cesarean section is more difficult than a vaginal delivery.  This is true, but mom can still breastfeed and do the things she would have done with a vaginal delivery.
• You should ask your doctor their cesarean section rate.  I don’t have a problem with a patient asking me what my rate of cesarean section is and even why, but what are you going to do with the information?  First of all, the hospital usually runs these reports for a national database and if there are providers that are coming out ahead of the hospital average then there is uually an investigation into why this one provider is falling outside of the usual.  There are also so many factors that go into the decision for a cesarean section that the data points can be skewed.  Say for instance you physician is the only physician in town that will allow patients to request a primary cesarean section and because of this these women go to his/her practice.  This might make him/her look like they have a higher rate, but their patient poulation is skewed towards cesareans sections by market factors and patient choice.
• Once a c-section always a c-section.  This is not true, but truthfully it is getting harder trying to find a provider that will do VBAC deliveries.  The pendulum is swinging back towards this rule, but we are not there

Overall, this is a personal decision and should be made with info from both you and your physician.  This topic invokes fear, anger, and potentially misleading information.  Arm yourself with knowledge and try to stay objective in the information you process.  If you trust your provider and you trust yourself then you should feel good about the choice you have made.