The VBAC Link

Renay is truly an inspiration! Her first birth, a Cesarean, left her feeling defeated and exhausted. Over the next three years, she worked so hard to get her body in the best physical shape for pregnancy and birth. She lost a lot of weight and drastically improved her overall health. She prepared in all the ways she could and educated herself as much as possible about VBAC. She was one of the very first students to take our How to VBAC course for parents. After three days of labor, she got her VBAC! Just wait until you hear the intricate details of her journey. It is a must-hear! Read more about VBAC pregnancy nutrition on our blog VBAC Pregnancy Nutrition and then head over to our Facebook and Instagram pages and let us know what YOU did to prepare for VBAC!

Please note, to get stories from all over the country and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Today we get to hear the story of Brittany’s 3rd Cesarean from Illinois who had a repeat Cesarean after an attempt at a VBA2C. Her birth journey led her through some inspiring moments where she was really able to connect with her intuition and her baby. She did lots of research ahead of time for family-centered Cesareans and how to have the best Cesarean experience possible, if it came to that. This allowed her to have a really great experience with her birth, despite its unexpected turn and her diligence in preparing for VBAC. Find all the info mentioned in the episode and how to cope when you don't get your VBAC on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/blog. 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

What a more fitting episode for labor day than an episode all about body autonomy DURING labor! You raved about special episode 14 with Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss from Dr. Stu’s Podcast so we invited them back for an episode on body autonomy and birth. Here we discuss with them what the most important thing is for making your voice heard, especially in areas where you have limited access to birth choices and/or VBAC. What is more important, common sense or education? Can you walk into a birth room with all the education in the world and still not be respected? Is saying “NO!” simply enough? We discuss all that and more so you can walk away knowing exactly what you need to know to have full control of your birth. Find out more about All things VBAC related on our VBAC blog at www.thevbaclink.com/blog. 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Today we get to hear from Shannon, one of Julie's doula clients, share the story of her VBA3C (VBAC after 3 Cesareans). So many women hear that VBAC is not an option after just one Cesarean, let alone 3. As you listen to Shannon's story, pay attention to how she tuned into her intuition, got educated, and was entirely in control of her pregnancy and the 41-hour long induction at 41 weeks and five days. The induction came after her provider recommended a repeat Cesarean and told her she would only have a 10%-15% chance of success. Then, find out more about VBAMC on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/post/vbamc.

Please note, to get stories from all over the country and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

One of the questions we get asked the most is how far between pregnancies should a parent wait before getting pregnant when preparing for VBAC. Today we have Jana from Missouri with us sharing the exciting story of her VBAC just 15 months after her Cesarean, that’s just 6 months between pregnancies! The current facts show that after 6 months your Cesarean scar is as healed as it will ever be and that after 6 months there is no increased risk for rupture. You can learn more about that and find the referenced study on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/length-between-pregnancies-c-section-to-vbac 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Today we are chatting with Molly from Alabama. States in the deep South are notoriously NOT VBAC friendly and women in these states have an even harder time finding the support they need. Listen closely as Molly shares the details of her birth while navigating the difficult local birth culture. Her first Cesarean was due to her baby being breech, and her second baby, her VBAC, was posterior until AFTER her due date. Learn more about breech babies and how to get them to turn on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/why-babies-go-breech-and-5-things-you-can-do-about-it

Listen to this podcast on your favorite podcast app or at thevbaclink.com/podcast. 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Jessica’s story is an exciting one. Her first birth was a crash C-section under general anesthesia at 34 weeks gestation with a 2 and a half week-long stay in the NICU for her baby. Her VBAC baby was born after just 5 hours of labor and was a healthy, full-term baby. Listen closely through Jessica’s journey as it unfolds and hoe she trusted in herself and her ability to guide her through her birth. Find out more about trusting your intuition on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/intuition 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Today we are honored to have the notable, social media dominating Flor Cruz of Bad Ass Mother Birther with us! Flor is taking the birth world be storm by sharing uncensored images and videos of all types of birth on her social media pages. Today, we get to listen to her own amazing VBAC story and listen to how her births brought her to doula work and changing and influencing the birth world. Make sure you are following her on Instagram @badassmotherbirther and on Facebook.

More about Flor Cruz taken from her website https://badassmotherbirther.com: 

I have a deep seeded passion for childbirth and always have.  I have been supporting families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum for over 4 years now and love what I do.  To be able to help families on a larger scale with easier accessibility, I started BAMB in 2017. My focus is teaching about rights and options in childbirth, and exploring normal physiological birth.  The U.S. has a dangerous cesarean rate and the highest maternal mortality rate in a developed country with the numbers continuing to rise. I am dedicated to spreading awareness and normalizing the birth process.  And I also believe that sharing uncensored, raw images of birth helps to normalize birth in a spectacular way. Above all, I want families to be aware of risks, benefits, options, choices and bodily autonomy. With all that, each family can make educated decisions that are right for them.  There's no "right" or "perfect" way to birth. That idea varies from person. Acceptable and unacceptable risks vary from person to person. But families cannot make those decisions with full consent or refusal if they do not have all the information being made available to them. This is my goal and hope.

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

Today we are talking to Katelyn from Boise! We first heard of her VBAC success when she posted some amazing images of her birth in our Facebook community, The VBAC Link Community, of her catching her own baby at the hospital. Her labor was an unassisted home birth transfer and lasted 42 hours total, all unmedicated. One of the coolest parts of her story? She was 42 weeks and 4 days pregnant! Tune in for a crazy journey and such a fun story. Then make sure to join our VBAC community and find her post to see all the cool images from her birth. 

Please note, in order to get stories from all over the country, and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.

You will remember Chelsey from episode number 4! She was with us when we were brand new, very first starting up the podcast, and we are so excited to have her back with us again. Chelsey’s first birth was a breech VBA2C; you can listen to her story on the podcast AND watch a video of it on our youtube channel here. This time she shares her story of her second VBA2C, also beech, and you will NEVER guess where this little one decided to be born! This episode is a must-listen, and you will be giggling the whole way through right along with us! Find out more about breech birth on our VBAC blog at thevbaclink.com/why-babies-go-breech-and-5-things-you-can-do-about-it 

Please note, to get stories from all over the country and even other countries, we record using phone lines. For this reason, audio quality may vary between episodes and speakers.