Slight Risk in Vaginal Birth After C-Section Women who choose to have a vaginal birth after a previous Caesarean section may be at a slightly increased risk of complications. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia studied 2,345 women who had had a Caesarean birth; 1,237 chose to have a subsequent vaginal delivery, while the rest chose a repeat Caesarean. All of the participants had full-term babies and were considered by their obstetricians eligible for a planned vaginal birth. There were no infant or maternal deaths in either group, but there were two stillbirths of unknown cause in the vaginal group. By most measures, there was little difference between the groups in maternal or infant health. But women who gave birth vaginally were significantly more likely to have a serious hemorrhage or to require blood transfusion, the researchers found. And among the vaginal deliveries, 2.3 percent of babies suffered serious neonatal medical problems, compared with less than 1 percent of those delivered by Caesarean. The researchers, led by Dr. Caroline A. Crowther, an obstetrician at the University of Adelaide, conclude that there is a slightly increased risk for fetal or infant death with a vaginal birth after Caesarean, but that the risk is not great. The authors added that their study provides no information about long-term risks. The study appeared online this month in PLoS Medicine.