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Eight-months pregnant and expecting her fourth son, Joy Szabo will be moving over 300 miles from her husband and three children in the next few weeks so she can have the delivery she wants.
The reason? The local hospital near the Szabos’ Arizona home refuses to allow Joy to have a VBAC — aka Vaginal Birth After C-Section.
When Joy delivered her second son, Michael, at the hospital, she had to have an emergency c-section.
“I’m grateful for that C-section,” Joy said. “It saved Michael’s life.”
When her third son, Daniel, was born, she delivered him at the same hospital vaginally without complications. But since Daniel’s birth, the hospital’s policy has changed. A month ago, Joy and her husband Jeff were told that she’d have to have a C-section.
Although studies have shown VBACs carry with them an increased risk of a uterine rupture compared with births in women who’ve never had a C-section, the risk is less than 1 percent, according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.
Joy and Jeff feel the risks of surgery outweigh the risks of a VBAC, so they spoke to the CEO of their local hospital who refused to allow the attempt at a vaginal birth.
“I was a bit flabbergasted, because that seemed rather extreme,” Joy told CNN. “I’d already had a VBAC at Page and it went fine. And if something happened, I know they can do an emergency C-section, because they did one for Michael.”
So, Joy and Jeff decided to have her move to Phoenix — which is over 300 miles away — so she can deliver at a hospital that will perform the VBAC. Most likely, Jeff won’t be able to be with her, as he’ll be home taking care of their three boys and their family business.
What do you think? Would you travel away from your family to give birth your way?
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