The VBAC Link

Andrea joins us in the podcast today from Kansas City! She is a mom of two and a pediatric oncology nurse. Andrea shares how her experience as a nurse impacted both of her very different births.  After her traumatic Cesarean, Andrea knew how critically important it would be to find healing inside and out before giving birth again.  Andrea sought EMDR therapy from a therapist who specialized in bir...

Trish Ware is the Labor Nurse Mama! As a high-risk labor and delivery nurse for 16 years and mom of 7, she has helped deliver thousands of babies and seen it all.  Trish founded The Birth Experience to help empower women through birth education. Her true passion lies in teaching families how to make informed choices.  You will NOT want to miss this bold episode. Trish and Meagan do not hold back a...

We are celebrating a HUGE milestone over here:  400 episodes of The VBAC Link Podcast!  Beginning as a phonecall in Target from Julie Francom to Meagan Heaton in 2018, The VBAC Link Podcast now has over 1.3 million episode downloads, guests from all over the world, a management and production team, parent and doula education courses, a thriving social media platform, and a legacy of stories from Y...

Katelyn is a mother of three beautiful daughters with three entirely different birth stories. Her first birth was a Cesarean after three forceps attempts, her second was a scheduled repeat Cesarean, and her third was a long, tough labor ending in a successful VBA2C!  Katelyn talks about making sacrifices to switch providers, spirituality, prodromal labor, nuchal hands, and how to navigate a home b...

“The wound can become a gift.” After a traumatic and long birth that ended in a C-section, Ramieka did extensive research on providers in the central California area to find the most supportive option, and was willing to travel for that support. She utilized pelvic floor therapy, chiropractic, and a VBAC Link Certified doula to achieve a redemptive, unmedicated VBAC. Julie and Rameika talk about w...

Dr. Jen Fraboni, PT, DPT, is an internationally-renowned physical therapist who specializes in helping people overcome chronic pain and maximize physical performance. As the founder of the new platform and app, “Jen. Health,” she brings a unique, whole body approach to strength, mobility and pain-free living. Dr. Jen is the co-host with her husband, who is also a Doctor of Physical Therapy, to a p...

Darby Swan is a faith-based birth doula and the owner of Boundless Grace Birth Services in Central Kentucky. With a passion for supporting expectant families, she provides evidence-based information and nurturing care throughout the pregnancy and birth journey. As the host of the podcast "Birth By Design," Darby shares valuable insights and experiences, inspiring parents to embrace their u...

From a very unexpected pregnancy to navigating a challenging first birth experience, Shannon joins us today to share the steps she took to achieve a successful VBAC.  Shannon describes pregnancy with Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome and insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). She was able to seek support and get the proper progesterone supplementation with her second pregnancy to help with her breastfeeding go...

In this episode, Meagan welcomes Zoei back to share her inspiring VBAC story with twins! Zoei’s first birth was a Cesarean followed by a VBAC with a singleton pregnancy. Her first two birth experiences gave her the confidence to advocate for her VBAC with twins. Her four babies were all born within four years.  Zoei talks about how she was able to carry her twins longer than most, the added anxiet...

We are celebrating the week of TWINS by revisiting Jill’s beautiful twin VBAC story from 2019. This episode is packed with valuable statistics about VBAC and twin pregnancies. Jill’s first birth was a C-section due to failure to progress. Her second was a hospital VBAC at 39+5 over the course of 4 days with a very patient and supportive provider.  When she found out she was pregnant with twins, Ji...

In this episode, Julie welcomes Sophia from Mexico City, who shares her mental, physical, and spiritual journey towards achieving her VBAC. Sophia discusses the challenges she faced in navigating the healthcare system in Mexico, and what she did to find a truly VBAC-supportive provider.  While preparing for her VBAC, Sophia had a hard time finding well-documented VBAC stories from Mexico, so she h...

Molly joined us for Episode 84 talking about her unexpected breech Cesarean and first VBAC story. Today, she returns sharing her second VBAC story! Molly shares her powerful journey through loss, IVF, selecting her powerhouse birth team, preparing for different outcomes, post-dates, a multiple-day induction, a beautiful delivery (where her husband caught their sweet baby!), and navigating a placen...

Johanna is a girl mama joining us today from Canada. She had an unplanned C-section with her first, an HBAC with her second, and was pregnant with her third at the time of recording!  Johanna reflects on her experiences with both supportive and unsupportive care during her pregnancies. Meagan and Johanna dive into your options surrounding PROM,  the significance of intuition in decision-making, th...

In this special episode, Kristin, host of Ask the Doulas podcast and founder of Gold Coast Doulas, gives tips on building your supportive birth team. Kristin and Meagan talk specifics on HOW to switch providers if you’re feeling the push to do so. Once we have our dream team, we’re good and don’t have to do any more work, right? Nope! We keep educating and preparing ourselves. That’s the way to tr...

Liz, a mama of two from Long Island, New York, joins us today sharing her experience with preeclampsia, an unexpected C-section, and her successful VBAC with her second. Liz had a perfect health history and never had any surgeries before her C-section. It was so frustrating to feel so out of control.  In between her birth and her second pregnancy, Liz’s mom unexpectedly passed away. She shares how...

Meagan welcomes Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins, a board-certified OB/GYN, to discuss everything related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the VBAC experience. With over 23 years of experience and more than 1,000 deliveries, Dr. Rankins shares her insights on common questions and concerns from expectant mothers. From the importance of mindset during labor to understanding the implications of the word “all...

Originally aired in June 2019 as our 73rd episode, we still often think back to this amazing first conversation we had with Dr. Stuart Fischbein and Midwife Blyss Young! Now, almost 6 years later, the information is just as relevant and impactful as it was then. This episode was a Q&A from our Facebook followers and touches on topics like statistics surrounding VBAC, uterine rupture, uterine a...

In this episode of The VBAC Link Podcast, join Julie as she sits down with Ambrosia to discuss her journey from a teen pregnancy to achieving a VBAC after two C-sections. Ambrosia shares her unique experiences, the challenges she faced, and the importance of advocating for herself in the medical system.  Julie and Ambrosia give insights into the myth of a small pelvis and preeclampsia. How is a sm...

While we can't control many parts of birth, there is so much we CAN do to quite literally change the trajectory of our birth outcome.  First: Feel safe with where and with whom you will give birth. Second (but just as important!): Prepare yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  During her first VBAC attempt, Maria hired a midwife. Her second birth had so much more advocac...

“I don't think anyone pushes like a VBAC mom pushes.” In this episode, we chat about premature rupture of membranes (PROM) with Noel, a stay-at-home mom from Texas, as she shares her personal experiences and successful VBAC story. We dive deep into the importance of finding a supportive provider and the realities of induction. Noel was never able to fully dilate during her first birth. She and...

In this powerful episode, we hear the story of Alice, who shares her brave journey through two contrasting pregnancies and the impact of intimate partner violence on her mental health. Co-host Sarah joins as one of our VBAC Link certified doulas to discuss the importance of mental health awareness, especially during pregnancy and postpartum.  This episode dives into the significance of having a st...

“I am not a TOLAC patient. I am a VBAC!” Julie sits down with Colleen, a mother from Long Island, New York, who shares her journey towards achieving a successful VBAC despite facing challenges such as gestational diabetes. Colleen recounts her traumatic first birth experience and the uphill battle she faced with her second pregnancy. She was bombarded with messages that her baby would suffer perma...

If you are looking for VBAC inspiration, Kelsey’s episode is a MUST-LISTEN. Kelsey is a VBA2C mom and speech-language pathologist living in Erie, Pennsylvania. You will feel literal full-body chills as she tells her birth stories on the podcast today.  As a first-time mom, Kelsey chose a Cesarean over physiological birth thinking it was the safer, easier route. But after experiencing the reality o...

Lily’s VBAC birth story episode is finally here!!!  You know and love her just like we do. She not only manages the social media content here at The VBAC Link but also spends so much time connecting with you personally. She has the biggest heart for VBAC and champions all types of empowered birth. Lily walks us through her experiences with ectopic pregnancy, loss, her traumatic Cesarean, and how s...

Join Susan on our podcast today as she shares her journey to a beautifully empowering CBA3C! Susan had three C-sections that didn't have anything to do with her body. They just happened to be circumstantial. All three of her births had been traumatic emotionally and did not go how she wanted at all. As far as making decisions for herself and doing what she really wanted to do, that was not pre...