The VBAC Link

Mary's first pregnancy was pretty normal, although she had it in her mind that she wanted a natural birth, she trusted her provider when it was suggested that a C-section was the better way to go. Recovery did not go well for her, and some aspects of being a new mother, such as breastfeeding, were very much a daily struggle. With her second, she attempted a VBAC, but her labor stalled and stal...

Fitness trainer, doula, and VBAC mama Gina Conley is working to get her Masters in Exercise Science, and applying all of that schooling to matters related to pregnancy and childbirth. In this Special Episode, we pick her brain and she touches on a range of topics including preparing your pelvis for childbirth and baby positioning. You can find her @mamastefit on Instagram and at mamastefit.com.  =...

Fran's first pregnancy miscarried.   During her second pregnancy, she and her husband unexpectedly moved across the country in her 36th week, after both being offered jobs that they couldn't pass up, which understandably caused some stress and chaos. But as we know, babies don't wait, no matter what chaos is happening in mom's life.   Fran didn't have much of a birth plan. She...

Sarah's first pregnancy happened very quickly as she and her husband first started trying but unfortunately ended with a miscarriage. Having trouble getting pregnant again, they took the route of intrauterine insemination, which was successful. But, understandably, in the back of her mind, Sarah wondered if this one too would miscarry. Better news this time. The pregnancy went the duration, an...

Today we are talking about the impact COVID-19 is having on the birth world. Hospital policies seem to change daily and restrictions are being put in place to limit the number of people allowed to support the birth giver, in most cases to just one support person. How should you navigate these constant changes as a birthing parent and as a birth professional? Listen in as we dig deep and talk about...

Even though Jennifer's first birth was a scheduled C-section, it still provided for some shocking surprises. But in the end, it all worked out, and it wasn't a terrible experience for everyone involved.   It was recommended to her that she not get pregnant again for a minimum of 12 months after that birth. But it so happened that she found herself pregnant again after only 4 months after h...

Valerie Schwalbe is a physical therapist specializing in pelvic health. But she's had so much hard core schooling and has been practicing for so many years, that she can speak authoritatively on any number of topics. Julie and Meagan pepper her with questions about a bunch of stuff that many of you will find informative and useful. Find her in Murray, Utah at  https://www.wellbeingphysicalther...

Sadly, Brittany's first pregnancy ended with a miscarriage. Her second pregnancy did not miscarry, and like so many first time mothers, she had some sort of vague idea that she wanted what she thought of as 'unmedicated, natural childbirth.' Which is all well and good, but when she reached her due date, a bunch of stuff came flying at her, and fast. More or less regular pregnancy and c...

Even though Nicole hoped for a natural birth with her first, her high blood pressure put the kibosh on that, and she was off to surgery for a C-section, even after days of laboring. And even though the actual Cesarean procedure wasn't that traumatic for her, the post-birth aftermath, particularly with the hospital staff, is what drove her to try for a VBAC with her second. Her second pregnancy...

Brooke thought she was all set up in her VBAC attempt with her second baby- a supportive provider, excellent progress reports through the weeks, trusty midwife at her side, husband cheering her on every step of the way. Then, her provider went Brutus on her and stabbed her in the back (figuratively, not literally), leaving her with few options with only a handful of weeks before her due date. Then...

Kara’s first baby was a C-section, with additional physical trauma and an extended hospital stay. Her second baby was an attempted VBAC, but this one, too, was a C-section; although this time, it was much less stressful for Kara, and she had an overall better experience. With her third baby, Kara was more determined than ever to deliver vaginally. It helped immensely that her provider was 100% one...

In this special episode, we talk about some of the things that parents (first-timers, second-timers, tenth-timers, etc.) will need to know and also bring to light some unexpected things that many parents simply have no idea might come into play in their birth journey. Sometimes these things happen without the parents the wiser! Look at it like this: some parents in the past have learned these less...

Towards the end of her first pregnancy, Tracy’s baby was measuring very small. That specifically wasn’t the thing that led to the C-section, but that C-section was very unpleasant for Tracy. A difficult recovery and postpartum depression compounded her struggles in the weeks after the birth. With her second pregnancy, she ran into similar circumstances as her first, which initially put a damper on...

In her first pregnancy, Tatiana was very young. Her provider used some scare tactics, but Tatiana didn’t think to not trust them 100%, and the baby was delivered via C-section. Tatiana wasn’t happy about it. Second pregnancy: Tatiana was much more prepared and educated this time. She wasn’t happy with any of the providers in her area, so she planned on a home birth VBAC (HBAC). Most of the pregnan...

Rachel’s C-section with her first left her feeling defeated and overwhelmed. Therapy helped her through the months following the birth, but when she got pregnant a second time, she feared the same thing would happen. She studied hard about her options and decided to TOLAC (trial of labor after Cesarean). You know what they say about best-laid plans? Well, Rachel did achieve her VBAC, but to say th...

Warning: this episode includes discussions about severe postpartum depression as well as uterine rupture. Brianna's first pregnancy ended in an unremarkable Cesarean. Unremarkable at least as far as the hospital was concerned, but to Brianna, it was emotionally devastating. Even in the weeks following her child's birth as she physically recovered, that emotional devastation and the shock o...

We are back from a nice holiday break and are happy to start off our regularly scheduled episodes with this one.  In this episode, we speak with our friends, birth photographers and videographers Rowan Steiner and Danielle Wilstead and talk about some of the issues and expectations when documenting births. How did you get started? What exactly do you do? What should parents expect? Do you ever run...

We're back!!! Happy New Year! We are checking in with a fun, short episode to let you know all about what 2020 has in store for us, and YOU. Find out more about all the things we are chatting about at thevbaclink.com and register for our events across the country at thevbaclink.com/events .  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Amy has such a nice voice and a calm, pleasant phone demeanor that you can hardly imagine her as a shrieking, raging woman as she labored for hours with her VBAC attempt, when her contractions were literally coming one on top of the other. Her first two children were born via C-section. She didn’t have the worst experience ever with either of those, but still the desire was in her heart and mind t...

Initially, Allison was a little worried about her VBAC plan, because her provider seemed more VBAC tolerant than VBAC supportive. But midway through the pregnancy, her provider changed his tune to become more VBAC supportive, which was, of course, great news. But then he flip-flopped again. But he wasn't finished yet! Another flip. And again and again and again. What’s a mother to do in this s...

Today is Meagan's birthday! I did a sneaky thing and kicked Meagan out of the recording studio mid-recording to record this very special, very secret special episode for you. Meagan has no idea what is in this episode; in fact, only two people know what it contains so, this is going to have to be a surprise for you as well. Join me as I help make Meagan's birthday a little more special by...

Today we celebrate our 100th episode with Tonya! During Tonya's first pregnancy, it was discovered that she had an abnormally shaped uterus, in her case, it was heart-shaped or bicornuate. Even though her first pregnancy ended in a C-section, the shape of her uterus is unrelated. Her uterus hemorrhaged during her Cesarean to the point where she lost so much blood that she passed out several ti...

Today we answer your emails! How long should I wait between having a C-section and getting pregnant again? How do I deal with an unsupportive provider who doesn't take my VBAC birth plan seriously? How do I know my provider is or isn’t giving me biased or just plain bad information? Do I need to worry about uterine rupture? What should I do if, when trying for a VBAC and my due date is approac...

Patrice’s first pregnancy ended in a C-section. With her second, she was determined to deliver vaginally. The pregnancy was progressing fine. What wasn't fine was her provider’s attitude toward her birth plan. Patrice was much more educated during her second pregnancy than her first, and asked many specific questions to her provider over the course of the pregnancy. Patrice eventually learned...

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you will notice that several common themes come to light--one of which is that your pregnancy will most likely not go exactly as you planned. In this episode, Ashley tells us how her first pregnancy ended in a C-section, and how her second pregnancy, which she intended to be a VBAC, also ended in a C-section. With her third and most recent pregnancy, s...