There are a lot of reasons that we ought to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). Maybe if I was braver, or more determined, this would be an easy choice.

I wrote about some of the great reasons to delivery vaginally after a C-section, including a shorter recovery time and a better chance for vaginal deliveries of any future children we may conceive. Since then, I’ve been encouraged to give my child the gift of a vaginal birth and not be scared by the seemingly small odds of uterine rupture or the chance of a repeat emergency C-section.

“The literature says that VBAC is safer than most people think. I tell patients that if they come in [to the hospital] in labor, we should give it a try,” says Ron Jaekle, MD, professor of Clinical OB/GYN, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “VBAC is a completely reasonable choice in the right situation.”

But is mine the right situation?

I could wait to go into labor naturally and give it a whirl. The idea of giving birth without another eight-inch souvenir across my bikini line is appealing, as is nursing and carrying my baby directly after birth. Some theories speculate that women who give birth vaginally are better able to bond with their babies, due to the rush of hormones that occurs during the process.

But do I feel any less attached to my second daughter, who was born by C-section, versus my first daughter, who was born during a drug-free vaginal birth? Truthfully, not at all. And the first recovery process was more arduous than the second. I experienced extreme blood loss due to a partially separated placenta, and the subsequent anemia dogged me for months afterward.

Next: Am I at risk?