Flagstaff Medical Center, in coordination with local obstetricians and anesthesiologists, will now offer elective vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) and trial of labor. The recent decision followed a change in guidelines outlined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for the delivery of VBACs.
“FMC is pleased to be able to offer this birth option to our moms and families,” said Lynn Belcher, B.S.N., M.H.A., Flagstaff Medical Center chief nursing officer. “We committed to providing a full range of birth options and services to expectant mothers, while providing excellent, individualized care. We are thrilled to work with our physicians to allow moms who have had a cesarean delivery the option of trial labor and vaginal delivery.”
The new guidelines outlined by ACOG call for the obstetrician and anesthesiologist assigned to the OB unit to be immediately notified that a woman who had a previous cesarean delivery is in labor on the unit. Both the obstetrician and anesthesiologist must be at the hospital and able to respond without delay. The guidelines are in place because in the rare, but catastrophic complication of a ruptured uterus, both the lives of mother and baby are threatened.
Prior to the new guidelines, a surgical team, anesthesiologist, nursing staff and surgeon had to be standing by on the OB unit and dedicated only to the patient attempting a VBAC; this required a level of resources not available at FMC.
FMC’s Women and Infants’ Center has 11 private labor/delivery/recovery rooms and 19 private obstetrical rooms. The Center offers a breastfeeding center, parenting classes, new parent support groups and an open-air courtyard. Additionally, FMC’s Level II Enhanced Special Care Nursery has 18 beds for the youngest and most fragile patients who need extra care.
For more information about the programs and services available at FMC’s Women and Infants’ Center, visit FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com/OurServices and click on the Women and Infants’ Center link.