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Background: Rates of cesarean birth (CBs) are steadily increasing and account for 36.7% of all births in New South Wales (NSW), with primary cesareans driving the increase. NSW Health guidelines recommend women attempt a vaginal birth after a previous CB (VBAC); however, rates of VBAC are decreasing, particularly within the private hospital setting. This study aimed to determine the rates of adverse outcomes for women who planned a VBAC (pVBAC) compared with women who planned an elective repeat CB (pERCB) at one private hospital in Sydney, Australia., Method: This retrospective data review evaluated patient records over a 10-year period (2010-2019). Records (n = 2039) were divided into four groups: pVBAC, pVBAC + EMCB, labor + ERCB (lab + ERCB), and pERCB. The incidence of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes is reported as counts and percentages. Regression and chi-squared tests were used to compare groups. Significance was determined at a p-value of <0.05., Results: Overall, very low rates (N = 148, 7.3%) of women had a VBAC compared with a repeat CB at this private hospital over the 10-year period. The incidence of adverse outcomes was low regardless of study group. Outcomes differed significantly between groups for postpartum hemorrhage (pERCB seven times less likely than VBAC group) and special care nursery admission (pVBAC + EMCB is 4.6 times more likely than in the VBAC group)., Conclusion: Overall, it is safe to attempt a VBAC at this private hospital, and labor after a cesarean should be recommended, yet very few women had a VBAC at the study site. The incidence of adverse outcomes was low compared with other published research., (© 2024 The Authors. Birth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The provision of informed consent for antenatal and intrapartum care remains a contentious issue among healthcare professionals and has been the topic of controversies in the pages of this journal. Recently, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Health has fundamentally changed the ground rules for the provision of maternity care within the state. In this opinion piece, we try to provide guidance to clinicians to help them deal with the medicolegal environment created by this document which is likely to affect practitioners not just in NSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]