OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital Leads the Way with VBAC Deliveries

OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital is now offering Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) deliveries. This option gives women who’ve previously delivered a child via c-section the opportunity for a vaginal birth.

One success story is that of Lindsey Blair, BSN, RN, a clinical nurse manager at Mansfield Hospital. Blair, a mother of five, had delivered her first three children vaginally, but underwent an emergency c-section with the birth of her fourth. When expecting her fifth, she had concerns about delivery.

“I was nervous that I would have to have a C-section or go down to Columbus — if I wanted to choose a vaginal delivery again,” Blair told Richland Source. “I was very, very excited to learn that I could continue with my OB group here and stay locally for my care.

With desire for a quick recovery and to be more present for her family, Blair opted for VBAC.

“I just think in my situation, the benefits outweighed the risks, and I knew I was in good hands here [Mansfield Hospital],” she said.

On January 4, 2023, Blair became the seventh patient to undergo a successful VBAC at the hospital, giving birth to her son, Deacon.

The VBAC program began in June 2023. Michael Parker, MD, a practice medical director for the OB hospitalist program, assisted with its inception. He works for Pediatrix Medical Group of Ohio which contracts with Mansfield Hospital.

“I did work with the department to be able to coordinate efforts to start the trial of labor program after cesarean section and having an OB doctor in-house 24 hours a day, seven days a week makes that possible,” Dr. Parker said.

He shared that despite the rare risks such as c-section scar rupture, which occur in occurring approximately three times per 10,000 pregnancies, there are many benefits of choosing VBAC

“The success rate of trial of labor after cesarean section is around 60 to 80 percent — depending on the indication for the first cesarean section,” Dr. Parker said.

The procedure helps women avoid additional abdominal surgeries and allows for future vaginal deliveries.

“Proper selection of the appropriate patient to have a trial of labor after cesarean is important,” Dr. Parker said. “Some women are not going to qualify, but a lot of women are.”

Criteria for eligible candidates include no more than two previous c-sections, a prior vaginal delivery, non-labor related c-sections, and the baby being in the head-down position.

“If we can, and the patient is a good candidate, we like to encourage them to try a trial of labor after cesarean section,” Dr. Parker said. “If you’ve never had labor and your cesarean section was done for say, a breach presentation, your chances of having a vaginal delivery after a cesarean section is just as good as if you’ve never had the cesarean.”

With the recent success of the eighth VBAC on April 28 at Mansfield, the hospital continues to provide a local option for expecting mother seeking VBAC deliveries.

“There’s been a really big push in women’s health right now — to up our services, care and safety,” Blair said. “That’s been a really big point for OhioHealth this year.”

“If we have the ability to offer more trial of labor after cesarean section, we may be able to affect that rate of those that are being performed — but also reduce the maternal complications and risks associated with repeat cesarean sections all-around,” Dr. Parker said.

To learn more about OhioHealth Women’s Health services, click here.