Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Vaginal Birth after Previous Cesarean by County of Residence, New Jersey, 2018-2022
Why Is This Important?
VBAC is associated with decreased maternal morbidity and a decreased risk of complications in future pregnancies.[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30681543 ^1^]
Definition
A vaginal delivery by a mother who had a cesarean for one or more previous deliveries.
Data Sources
- Birth Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/) - National Vital Statistics Reports, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of births delivered vaginally after a previous cesarean |
| Denominator: | Total number of live births to mothers who previously had a cesarean |
How Are We Doing?
The vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rate rose rapidly and steadily throughout the early 1990s but peaked in 1996 and began a rapid decline that lasted until 2008. The VBAC rate has been slowly but steadily increasing again since then. VBACs are much more common among residents of Ocean County than elsewhere in New Jersey.
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
The VBAC rate in New Jersey (15.0%) was slightly above that of the nation as a whole (14.6%) in 2022.
Footnote References
1. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30681543 ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 205: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery]. 2019 Feb;133(2):e110-e127.