Hello Reader,

Did you see this article from University of Massachusetts Amherst discussing how planned VBAC, aka labor after cesarean or LAC, is only offered in 16% of US counties?

Just look at these maps for 2016 and 2021...

• BLUE is where there there is an OB hospital that offers LAC
• GREY is where there are OB hospitals, but they don't offer LAC
• WHITE is where there are no OB hospitals... maternal deserts

Even when researchers looked at just counties that had OB hospitals, still, only 30% of US counties with OB hospitals had access to LAC.

So when we look at the GREY and WHITE... those are the VBAC maternal deserts. All those GREY and WHITE counties are where most people have repeat cesareans that they don't want or need.

This is why the VBAC rate in the US is only 15%.

I am so grateful for research like this because it confirms the lived experience of women and birthing people: VBAC is hard to access.

This is why I am doubly grateful for opportunities like being the keynote speaker at InJoy Education's 5th Annual Summit.

Their "customers are made up of over 15,000 institutions from health systems and hospitals, private and public healthcare organizations, government and social service agencies, military installations and programs, universities and schools, public libraries, and independent educators and health professionals."

This is EXACTLY the audience that needs to learn more about VBAC.

So I am thrilled to speak with them about:

1. Why it’s important to prevent the first cesarean (oh, I will add those maps to my PPT!)
2. How to prevent that first cesarean
3. If someone has a cesarean, what do they need to know?

I've got only 55 minutes and I am making the most of every second.

If we are going to change the trajectory of this train, we need everyone to work from the same playbook - research & ethics - so we can be an effective team with a common goal: to ensure that everyone with a prior cesarean has access to evidence based and respectful health care.

There is so much fear about VBAC from parents to professionals like.

Here is one thing I know is true: When people learn the facts, fear decreases.

And this shift in emotional response, in perspective, can result in huge shifts in what informed consent conversations look like as well as clinical care throughout the pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

​You can learn more about this virtual conference and register here!​

​If you'd like to bring a fact-filled VBAC training to your community or conference, let's chat. ​

I also want to mention the importance of VBAC education for medical, midwifery, and nursing students.

Right now, we have hundreds of new physicians, midwives, and nurses getting ready to enter health care in the next couple years... how are we preparing them so they can give those with a prior cesarean accurate information and authentic support?

It's one thing to share statistics, it's entirely another to feel confident, calm, and centered while doing so.

Imagine how that would change those maps above?

If you work at one of these educational institutions, let's talk about how we can achieve this goal together so when Amherst updates those maps in a few years, they show increasing VBAC access.

It is 100% possible. We can do it together.

Smiling,

Jen Kamel​ ​CEO & Founder, VBAC Facts® ​vbacfacts.com​

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