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C-Section & VBAC Care
Family friendly C-sections and VBAC births
Specialty Care for Your Baby’s Delivery
If your baby will be delivered by caesarean section (C-section) or vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), the Birth Center team at Anna Jaques Hospital provides highly skilled care for both you and your baby.
It’s our goal to offer the most advanced care while minimizing unnecessary interventions. We’re proud to have a low C-section rate. This reduces the risk of complications for you and your baby. Our birth team is also one of only a few in our area to offer VBAC. We help you safely achieve a vaginal birth.
Family Friendly C-Section
Our Birth Center features a dedicated operating room on the same floor. And our expert staff, which includes an anesthesiologist, is always on duty if you need a C-section.
At Anna Jaques, we use a family friendly C-section method to make the delivery a more natural event. Your support person may stay with you. Our approach includes:
- A drape with a window that lets you and your support person watch the birth of your baby.
- Allowing your baby to breastfeed while the surgeon completes the procedure, if you and your baby are ready.
- Early skin-to-skin contact in the operating room (with either mom or dad).
Once the procedure is complete, you recover in a special recovery area for one to two hours before moving to your postpartum room. You are allowed visitors as soon as you feel up to it.
A family friendly C-section can provide a more positive birthing experience. Benefits include:
- Better bonding with baby
- Early feeding
- Improved temperature regulation for the baby
To learn more about recovery from a C-section, see details below.
VBAC Delivery
If you previously gave birth by C-section, having a vaginal birth may be an option for you. We consult with you and your physician in advance to ensure a VBAC is the best and safest delivery method for you and your baby.
Many women have successful vaginal births after having a prior C-section delivery. About three out of every four of our patients who attempt VBAC are successful.
We strive to give you the care and support to make every subsequent birth experience a special one.
Recovery After C-Section
With a C-section delivery, you can expect to stay in the hospital for four days. You may eat and drink as soon as you feel able. Your nurse will help you get out of bed within three to four days of delivery.
Once you return home, remember that your body needs time to heal.
How Should I Care for Myself After a C-Section?
After your C-section, be sure to follow these tips for care:
- Attend your postpartum appointments
- Care for your incision
- Eat well
- Get rest
- Manage your pain
- Stay hydrated
- Try different breastfeeding positions to reduce pressure on your incision
What Changes Should I Expect in My Body After Delivery?
As you recover and care for your baby, your body slowly returns to a nonpregnant state. You may experience these or other issues:
- After pains (uterine contractions)
- Breast swelling and soreness
- Emotional changes, such as feeling down
- Hair and skin changes, such as hair loss
- Vaginal bleeding and discharge
What Should I Do if I Feel Overwhelmed or Sick?
Accept any help offered by family and friends. Call your care team if you think you need more support.
If you experience any of the following after your delivery, call your doctor:
- Bad-smelling vaginal discharge
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Feeling depressed or having thoughts of hurting your baby or yourself
- Fever above 100.4
- Heavy vaginal bleeding
- Pain near your incision
- Pain in your breasts
- Pus, redness or swelling at your incision
- Redness or swelling in your leg
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