Promoting vaginal birth after cesarean section.

New data support the safety of vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC). Physicians and hospitals that provide standard obstetric care can also provide care for women attempting VBAC. The management of labor in such patients differs little from that in other patients, and an understanding of the normal course of labor in these patients should help eliminate inappropriate interventions. Family physicians can play a major role in promoting VBAC in appropriately selected patients.