kaira: I don't think you need a three year gap for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-sect) - you just need to a find a doctor who is skilled to do it. Lots of Singaporean docs just don't like doing VBACS because they get nervous doing it, so they use excuses like, "you need a three year gap" etc. If you're keen to explore, you should go for it and find a gynae who is willing to do the VBAC -mine does and I'm sure others do too.
From the UK Caesarean Website:
How long after a caesarean should I wait before having another baby?
The gap that you should have between your last pregnancy and the next is your decision, although there is evidence that the uterine scar does become stronger over time. Research has looked at different gaps between pregnancies from those grouped as "less than 6 months" up to those grouped as "longer than 2 years". The risk of uterine rupture or of the scar separating remains small even with small intervals, but gaps of less than 6 months had the highest risk.
However, the risks are tiny in all cases and most mothers who go on to have a small gap between pregnancies do not encounter problems. Despite research showing slightly higher scar separation rates when inter-pregnancy gap is shorter, it can still be argued that a VBAC is the safer choice.
Child spacing is a very personal decision, which is far more complex than consideration of caesarean scar rupture statistics. It is your decision to make and factors such as your age, how easily you are likely to conceive, your general level of health, and how ready you feel to start another pregnancy, are all likely to be important to you in making that decision.
There are plenty of women who have had perfectly straightforward vaginal deliveries when the gap between pregnancies has been very short.
