ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2019
A narrative analysis of women's experiences of planning a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) in Australia using critical feminist theory.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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13 citing papers in PubMed.
- "I did it": a phenomenological study of women's experiences of midwife-supported vaginal birth after cesarean sections in South Korea.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea) · 2026Article
- "I have to listen to them or they might harm me" and other narratives of why women endure obstetric violence in Bihar, India.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2025Article
- What are the influences on women's preferences and decision-making when planning mode of birth in high-income countries? A qualitative systematic review.AJOG global reports · 2025Review
- "I was able to take it back": Seeking VBAC after experiencing dehumanizing maternity care in a primary cesarean.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2023Article
- Feeling anxious'- women's experiences of having a baby in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Voqual real time app.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- A bit of medical paternalism? A qualitative study on power relations between women and healthcare providers when deciding on mode of birth in five public maternity wards of Argentina.Reproductive health · 2023Article
- Vaginal birth after cesarean section: A quantitative study exploring women's understanding and experience regarding VBAC rates in Greece.European journal of midwifery · 2023Article
- Breaking the silence about obstetric violence: Body mapping women's narratives of respect, disrespect and abuse during childbirth in Bihar, India.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- From coercion to respectful care: women's interactions with health care providers when planning a VBAC.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Women's experiences of planning a vaginal birth after caesarean in different models of maternity care in Australia.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- Birthing outside the system: the motivation behind the choice to freebirth or have a homebirth with risk factors in Australia.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- Identifies Current Trends in Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Section in IRAN: A Qualitative Study.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
- Non-Indigenous women's experiences of obstetric and gynaecological inequity in rural and remote South Australia: A feminist post-structuralist analysis.Women's health (London, England)Article
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4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMost women who have a caesarean can safely have a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) for their next birth, but more women have an elective repeat caesarean than a VBAC.
methodsThe aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women planning a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) in Australia, the interactions with their health care providers and their thoughts, feelings and experiences after an antenatal appointment and following the birth. The study explored the effect of different models of care on women's relationships with their health care provider using a feminist theoretical lens. Eleven women who had previously experienced a caesarean section and were planning a VBAC in their current pregnancy used the 'myVBACapp' to record their thoughts after their antenatal appointments and were followed up with in-depth interviews in the postnatal period.
resultsFifty-three antenatal logs and eleven postnatal interviews were obtained over a period of eight months in 2017. Women accessed a variety of models of care. The four contextual factors found to influence whether a woman felt resolved after having a VBAC or repeat caesarean were: 'having confidence in themselves and in their health care providers', 'having control', 'having a supportive relationship with a health care provider' and 'staying active in labour'.
conclusionsThe findings highlight that when women have high feelings of control and confidence; have a supportive continual relationship with a health care provider; and are able to have an active labour; it can result in feelings of resolution, regardless of mode of birth. Women's sense of control and confidence can be undermined through the impact of paternalistic and patriarchal maternity systems by maintaining women's subordination and lack of control within the system. Women planning a VBAC want confident, skilled, care providers who can support them to feel in control and confident throughout the birthing process. Continuity of care (CoC) provides a supportive relationship which some women in this study found beneficial when planning a VBAC.
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