The VBAC Link

Sarah is our admin, who helps handle our social media and all the messages we receive from all you wonderful people, and so much more for Julie and Meagan! In this episode, Sarah tells about herself, how she got the job, and shares her own birth story. She is SO excited to be a part of The VBAC Link, and has loved interacting with all of you for the last few months, and looks forward to much more...

Emily Jacobson is the owner of Green Bay Doulas, and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Doulas Association, with almost a decade of birth work under her belt. In this episode, Emily shares her VBAC story that wasn't very empowering for her. We talk more about how birth can be hard and difficult even when it is a VBAC, and how that's okay! We think more people need to talk more about the t...

At 39+5 weeks, Sarah’s Provider would no longer support a VBAC due to COVID 19. With the connections of her Doula, she was able to transfer care to a Birth Center and Midwife. After 28 hours of unmedicated labor, with twists and turns along the way, she had an exhilarating VBAC.  How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents ________________________ Keywords/Topics: nuchal hand, triple nuchal...

Katie has had three very different birth journeys delivering her babies. She delivered her first baby with midwives in a hospital and used an epidural to help her meet her baby girl. For her second birth, Katie chose to have care through a birth center. After pushing for four hours, Katie transferred to a hospital to meet her second baby via C-section. Just recently, Katie prepared for her third b...

Alyssa was able to have her VBAC just 17 months after her Cesarean. In this episode, Alyssa didn't go into labor until after 41 weeks, and advocated for herself every step of the way. She changed providers, declined things she wasn't comfortable with and spoke up when she wanted to do something differently. Alyssa goes into so much detail about her mental state of preparing for a VBAC and...

 Heather endured 3 long days of labor before welcoming her baby into this world. Throughout her labor she told her doula and midwife that they didn't need to come, because she was doing fine. Eventually, her doula insisted that she come right away. Once she arrived, she saw that Heather's baby was in a posterior position by the way her sacrum was bulging. Her doula called her midwife to co...

In this episode, Grace tells her story of finding a VBA2C supportive provider and having to do appointments online (due to Covid-19) after finding out her baby was breech. She tried EVERYTHING she could not knowing whether it was working or not until she could go into the office at 36 weeks. In spite of all her efforts, her baby continued to stay breech, but her doctor said he was still willing to...

In this episode, Shilo shares her VBAC story where the majority of her prenatal visits were done virtually, because she lived 2.5 hours away from her provider (this was before Covid-19). She timed her contractions well and made it to the hospital 6 cm dilated, but only progressed one more additional centimeter in 5 hours. Her doula suggested doing a labor position called Walcher's Technique, w...

In this episode, Laura Hatch, an OG VBAC Link podcast listener, tells us about her 3 births with 3 different providers in 3 different hospitals. Those births include a vaginal birth, a Cesarean section with an anterior placenta, and a VBAC. Through her journey, she realizes how important it is to educate and advocate for herself - which led to her unmedicated VBAC. She discusses how important it i...

Julie and Meagan talk all things postpartum! They go into detail of how a woman's body heals after giving birth via Cesarean and vaginal birth. In this episode, Meagan and Julie discuss when you should meet with a pelvic floor specialist, and talk about the importance of postpartum hydration.  The VBAC Link ________________________ Topics/Keywords: heal, hemorrhoids, postpartum, stitches, hydr...

In today's podcast, Elyssa tells us what it was like to have her CBAC during the Covid-19 pandemic. She changed birth providers three different times. One being during her induction to a different hospital that would allow her doula to be there. After hours of Pitocin and not being able to find a good position for the baby to get enough oxygen, she decided to have a CBAC but was resilient in g...

Lynn, a women's health physical therapist, talks about the importance of Cesarean scar massage and how it can help relieve different pains and problems you may be having. In this episode, we also talk about birth trauma and how it can be affecting your body. Lynn's website and directory Lynn's Youtube Channel ===== Topics/keywords: bladder frequency, painful intercourse, low back pain,...

Delivery nurse Liesel answers your questions about labor and delivery from a nurse's perspective. Liesel is a labor and delivery nurse from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is a mom, wife, and business owner! She works part-time at the hospital she delivered her own son at, and spends the rest of her time blogging and creating captivating Instagram content for her brand - Mommy Labor Nurse! She st...

First pregnancy- Pitocin, epidural, 8 hours labor, still at 4 centimeters dilation, so it was off to surgery for the C-section. Difficult recovery with infections and just a general traumatic over the experience. For her second birth, she found a new provider who was very much more VBAC supportive than her first. Labor for her second was just as long if not longer than her first. She elected for a...

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...