Parents with baby text states, "Educational Handouts for Parents, Deciding if a VBAC is Right for You: A Parent's Guide.

The VBAC Education Project: A Tool Kit for Mothers, Maternity Care Professionals & Birth Advocates

Oct 11, 2018 | All About VBAC, Planning a Better Birth, Uncategorized | 2 comments

 Since its publication in 2015 all major maternity care professional organizations have agreed that offering mothers with a previous cesaran birth the option of VBAC is best practice. They also respect and support the birthing family’s right to choose how, where, and with whom they want to give birth. The VBAC Education Project is currently being updated to reflect these changes.

There is a wide gap between the evidence that supports vaginal birth after a cesarean and women’s lack of knowledge of the benefits and risks of VBAC. Mothers who do want to labor for a VBAC often encounter stiff resistance by their maternity care providers. This knowledge deficit and lack of provider and hospital support for VBAC contributes to the high rate of routine repeat cesareans and the risk for serious health problems for mothers and babies.

The VBAC Education Project was developed to empower women to make their own decisions about how they want to give birth after a cesarean and to provide VBAC-friendly birth professionals and caregivers with the tools and resources to support them.

The VBAC Education Project

The VBAC Education Project includes several educational components: Deciding if VBAC is Right for You, a slide-set; Handouts for Parents, a companion e-book; Resources for VBAC and Physiologic Birth; VBAC for Educators: A Teaching Guide and Hospital Policies that Support VBAC, Family-Centered Cesarean and Informed Choice.

These education tools can be used by educators, hospitals, physicians, nurses, doulas, ICAN Chapter leaders, birth advocates, health workers, office staff, clinics, community support groups, nursing education, labor and delivery nurses, bloggers, and health reporters.

Here are some creative ways to use the information:

  • Use as written or as an outline for your own birth education class
  • Teach a monthly short class using one or two modules from the slide set
  • Sponsor a Maternity Tea, invite maternity care staff to talk about VBAC in your birth facility
  • Use a public library common room to hold discussions or screen a film about VBAC
  • Offer a session on overcoming psychological issues after a cesarean and preparing for a VBAC
  • Use the information to provide a Nursing in-service
  • Use as the basis for discussion to offer VBAC as a quality improvement project  Parents with baby text states, "Educational Handouts for Parents, Deciding if a VBAC is Right for You: A Parent's Guide.
  • Give out Parent Handouts in a physician/midwife office, public health clinic
  • Download the  posters and display them in a provider’s office, L & D unit, birth center, community clinic, yoga studio, or a daycare center
  • Write an article on VBAC
  • Use as background research for an essay or a paper
  • Share with pregnancy and women’s health websites
  • Develop a webinar
  • Share the information with your local health reporter
  • Sponsor a community screening of a VBAC film,  invite health professionals and VBAC parents for a Q & A and distribute materials from the VBAC Education Project
  • Translate all or part of the the VBAC Education Project into another language

2 Comments

  1. . Muteba lwangu

    Bonjour chers collègues je bien aimé votre projet,je suis membre du white ribonalliance rd Congo depuis 2006 juste la la mortalité maternelle et toujours élèves malgré nos efforts fournis sur place

    Reply
  2. Muteba lwangu

    Salut

    Reply

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