On today's episode of Australian VBAC Stories, we are thrilled to bring you Emily's incredible birth stories.

Emily's first birth unfolds a bit differently to many of us. For a first time Mum, Emily was very prepared and very educated on the system and physiological birth, and knew exactly how she wanted to approach getting the birth she envisioned.

However, that vision shifted drastically when her waters broke unexpectedly at 34 weeks pregnant, and needed to be transferred to a large tertiary hospital further from home and eventually accept a caesarean section to ensure the safety and wellbeing of her son. She talks so beautifully about how she reframed her perspective as she headed into theatre to meet her baby, and then shares with us her journey as a new mother to a premie baby.

Emily knew she wanted a VBAC immediately, and she sought out the services of a privately practicing midwife for a homebirth, and you'll hear about the way she overcome the challenge to accessing this model of care with a due date near Christmas.

Emily shares her experience with such openness, honesty, and vulnerability and we have no doubt there will be so much that our listeners will be able to take away from her episode.

Emily wishes to thank her beautiful homebirth midwife, Leisa Gittings @leisa_homebirth_midwife and doula, Kellie Whiskin @ourdoula.com.au

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In today's Australian VBAC Stories episode, Olivia shares her incredible birth stories with us including her first caesarean with a baby discovered breech in labour, followed by a breech VBAC with the same Private Obstetrician.

Olivia shares of the complexities of breech birth, including breech VBAC with births less than 18 months apart, and also birthing during COVID lockdowns. She provides many beautiful insights in how to navigate the VBAC process, including with the complexities of breech birth, and also beautifully explains her views on VBAC ‘failure’, what this means and why to her, every woman deserves to feel proud of whatever birth decisions they make.

We hope you’ll enjoy this beautiful birth story as much as we enjoyed recording it – thanks Olivia for sharing!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this episode, we are joined by Rachel, who shares her triumphant journey of achieving a physiological VBAC against challenging odds. Having undergone a caesarean almost three years prior, she discovered at 37 weeks into her second pregnancy that her medical notes deemed her "not suitable for VBAC." Undeterred, Rachel changed hospitals at 38 weeks, advocating for herself throughout her pregnancy.

Rachel's first birth was marked by a cascade of interventions and coercive measures by medical professionals designed to instil fear and doubt in the birthing process. In contrast, her VBAC journey emphasises the transformative power of informed decision-making, education, and self-advocacy in birth. Unable to get on the MGP, Rachel guaranteed herself continuity of care by creating her own beautiful support team, with her husband, doula, and student midwife.

Rachel's story exemplifies the incredible strength of women, and demonstrates how education, self-belief, and the right support team can transform pain into power.

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Resources that Rachel mentioned in this episode include:

The Great Birth Rebellion podcast

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Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, ⁠@australianvbacstories⁠ on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love if you could rate, review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠

COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this episode, we bring you the story of Anna's three births. Anna shares her experience from a scheduled caesarean for elevated blood pressure with a private OB, through an extremely difficult miscarriage to two empowered, informed and supported VBACs with a private midwife, first in the hospital and then, with her third baby, at home.

This episode is an absolute goldmine of information and explores the topics of prodromal labour, care provider impact on birth options, informed decision making, self advocacy, birth support, empowerment, the journey to homebirth, children in the birthspace and the transformational powers of VBAC.

Anna's VBAC journey was so transformative for her that she attributes her experience as the inspiration to pursue her 'dream career' in midwifery.

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Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love if you could rate, review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Today's episode brings you the stories of three births told by Jess. Her first baby was born via emergency caesarean under a fragmented care model, and she was especially unfortunate to develop postpartum preeclampsia afterwards which added to the struggles of that postpartum.

After a journey of self-education, Jess went on to seek out care under the MGP at her local hospital for her VBAC. She powered through a long and challenging labour, and was facing an instrumental birth after an epidural when she pushed her baby out in theatre before instruments could be used.

For her third baby, Jess really wanted to achieve a calm and peaceful birth and so she sought out additional support by way of a doula. She got her peaceful and calm birth, but just not quite the way she expected... Quite an incredible moment on the side of the road!

We hope you enjoy listening to these beautiful stories and can take inspiration and joy from Jess's journey.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Today we are honoured to bring you Renee's gorgeous VBAC story. Renee had her first baby via caesarean following a long early labour which led to an augmentation and a classic "failure to progress" diagnosis during the pushing stage of her posterior positioned baby.

When she fell pregnant with her second baby, Renee knew she wanted to pursue a VBAC. She faced a number of challenges along the way, including being told she wasn't a suitable candidate for for VBAC based on the notes from her previous caesarean - something she hadn't been told after that caesarean.

Renee hired a doula to support her, changed hospitals to find someone who would at least tolerate her decision to VBAC and absolute rocked her labour and birth.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this special introductory episode, your co-hosts Katelyn, Georgia, Bronwyn and Aimee discuss why they have chosen to produce this podcast and why they think VBAC matters.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.