After my first delivery ended in an emergency c-section, I was able to do a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) for the birth of my son last year. The experience was transcendent and magical – a fabulous reward for a scary pregnancy, much of it spent on bedrest. I was lucky enough to be under the care of an OB/GYN practice that supported the choice to try a VBAC, something that is not true for all women in this country.

But times are changing. The American Congress of Obstetrician and Gynecologists has just released new, less restrictive guidelines for VBACs. In an effort to reduce the high C-section rate of about 32%, now women who’ve had two Cs or are carrying twins can go for a vaginal delivery, as long as the incision was low and horizontal. However, round-the-clock access to “emergency care” is still a requirement to try a VBAC, which is part of the reason so many hospitals don’t do them. It remains to be seen how this will play out and if it will really make VBACs more accessible.

Did you try a VBAC – or did you want to but couldn’t?