ICAN of Atlanta: Bait & Switch Comic

Bait & Switch Comic

	“Hi! I’m newly pregnant and want a VBAC. Do you support VBACs?
	“Yes we do, we looooove VBACs. Come on board!”
	DOC AT 25 WEEKS: “Just want to tell you about some of the restrictions we have for VBACs: You may not remain pregnant a day over 38 weeks, we require continuous electronic fetal monitoring, an epidural will be placed in case your uterus explodes, you can’t have eaten for 2 days prior to going into labor, and the moon can’t be full.”
	DOC AT 30 WEEKS: “Oooo, this baby is getting big! We don’t allow our moms to VBAC babies over 5 lbs. Moms who VBAC with babies over 5 lbs have a 96% risk of their uterus exploding all over the place. Besides, your pelvis is really small and you aren’t capable of birthing a baby over 3.6 lbs anyway”
	DOC AT 34 WEEKS: “I just checked your cervix and it isn’t dilated at all, which means that there is something wrong with your body and you are never going to go into labor. I can tell your baby is going to be at least 7 lbs and you probably aren’t going to deliver before 38 weeks. Let’s schedule your repeat CS. After all, you don’t want to die do you? You don’t want your baby to get brain damage or die do you? New studies have come out that show that the rate of uterine rupture in VBACs is actually 56%. Just remember, in the end all that matters is a healthy baby.”
	DOC 36 WEEKS: “I can’t believe you haven’t scheduled your repeat CS yet. Hmmm. Welll, let’s just do an ultrasound to check on baby’s weight. Won’t that be fun? Uh oh… while we did the ultrasound we found out that your amniotic fluid is low, you have bursitis in your elbow and your placenta is made of ham. Your baby will die if you attempt VBAC. I’m sorry but you have run out of options. We will need to schedule a CS. Which is too bad because I really support VBACs. Oh well – all that matters is a healthy baby!”