RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the delivery mode preferred by pregnant women with 1 previous cesarean delivery and to investigate the relationship between preferred and actual mode of delivery. METHOD: We reviewed the records of 215 women who were delivered in a London hospital with a history of 1 cesarean delivery. Women who planned an elective repeat cesarean section (ERCS) were compared with those who planned a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). RESULTS: Although 55.3% chose VBAC overall, only 37.8% of those who chose it were delivered by it, whereas 94.8% of those who chose ERCS were delivered by ERCS. Nonwhite women were more likely to choose VBAC than white women (odds ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-6.1) but less likely to be deliver by it (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.68). CONCLUSION: In this study, VBAC was the method of delivery preferred by most women. Nonwhite women were more likely to choose VBAC over ERCS but less likely to be delivered by VBAC.