title: Comparison between continuing midwifery care and standard maternity care in vaginal birth after cesarean.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether continuing midwifery care has more benefits than standard maternity care in vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on women in labour who had history of previous cesarean section and received vaginal birth in obstetrical department of our hospital from May 2013 to November 2014. The included patients were divided randomly into observation group and control group. The women in labour allocated to the observation group received continuing midwifery care, and those to control group received standard maternity care in all the stages of labour. The duration of labor stage together with the rate of fetal distress, neonatal asphyxia, vaginal birth and postpartum bleeding were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-six participants were included in the current study, forty-eight in each group. The length of labor was significantly longer (p<0.05), the vaginal birth rate was significantly lower (p<0.05) and the postpartum hemorrhage rate was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the control group than the observation group. In addition, the rate of fetal distress and neonatal asphyxia were higher in the control group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The continuing midwifery care has more benefits than the standard maternity care in vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
authors.affiliation: Tieying Zhang, Chief Nurse, Obstetrical Department, Tianjin 4th Centre Hospital, Tianjin, 300140, China.
authors.forename: Tieying
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Chunna Liu, Chief Nurse, Obstetrical Department, Tianjin 4th Centre Hospital, Tianjin, 300140, China.
authors.forename: Chunna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: Continuing midwifery care; Standard maternity care; Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)