Today we hear from Wollongong (NSW) mum of two Mara who had a VBAC with a short birth interval of only 15 months. Mara’s first birth was a deeply traumatic emergency caesarean where she reached full dilation with a posterior baby. She was determined to have a VBAC when the time came, which to Mara’s surprise happened a lot sooner than she had anticipated and this posed some challenges for her as her hospital were very discouraging of a VBAC due to her birth interval being less than 18 months apart.
You’ll hear how Mara bravely confronts her trauma and uses her agency plus a variety of different tools to make her second birth a far more positive experience.
Trigger warning and disclaimer: In this episode Mara talks about how she felt that presenting to hospital for reduced fetal movements contributed to the traumatic birth that she had. We would just like to remind our listeners that if you do experience reduced movements at all in your pregnancy please don’t hesitate to reach out to your care provider. And care providers listening, we hope you can please take on board Mara’s experience to understand the effect hospital policies and procedures can have on birthing women’s experiences and decisions for subsequent pregnancies.
~ Notes ~
Book: How to Heal a Bad Birth by Melissa Bruijn & Debby Gouldhttps://www.howtohealabadbirth.com
Doula: Amelia Colemanhttps://www.illawarrabirthclasses.com.au
VBAC Australia Support Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/342851302473349
Birth Trauma & Post Natal Depression/Anxiety support:
The Gidget Foundationhttps://gidgetfoundation.org.au/get-support/
PANDAhttps://www.panda.org.au/info-support/pandas-national-perinatal-anxiety-depression-helpline
Beyond Bluehttps://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support
Copehttps://www.cope.org.au
**VBAC Birth Stories features women's lived experiences. It is not intended to replace medical advice. Should you have any concerns during your pregnancy please always consult your healthcare provider.
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