The VBAC Link

Petra joins us today from Modesto, California sharing her unmedicated, hospital VBA3C story! Petra learned and grew from each of her three C-section births which paved the way for her to manifest the birth of her dreams with her fourth.  Though she had very little support around her, Petra stayed steady. She continued to prepare her heart, mind, and body for the physiological birth she knew she co...

“It’s very fitting that this is going to come out just before Thanksgiving because I feel very, very fortunate.” Becky’s two babies were both posterior and asynclitic. They weighed exactly the same at birth, but their deliveries were very different. Becky shares her sweet experience going from skepticism around home birth to fully embracing all that it has to offer.  Her first birth included resid...

Dr. Nathan Fox is a practicing OB/GYN and Maternal Fetal Medicine provider in New York City. Two of his children were also VBAC babies! He joins Meagan on the podcast today where they discuss topics in depth to help listeners make more informed decisions about their VBACs.  Topics today include where to find evidence-based information, how to interpret it, the risks of uterine rupture, VBAC and CO...

Crystal Nightingale is The Mama Coach. Her mission is “to guide families through every stage of their parenting journey by providing evidence-informed education infused with nonjudgmental support, compassion, and empathy.” Crystal chats with Meagan today about some of the many resources available to women who are in the postpartum stages of motherhood.  While we spend a lot of time preparing for o...

The chances of having vasa previa in a spontaneous pregnancy is about 1 in 2500. Our friend, Jessica, shares her experience with vasa previa during her first pregnancy which led to a scheduled Cesarean. While Jessica’s Cesarean experience was difficult and traumatic, she knows it is what her intuition was telling her to do. Meagan gives important advice about listening to that intuition with every...

Meagan and Julie went Live in The VBAC Link Community Facebook Group answering your questions. They recorded the conversation to share with you on the podcast today.  Topics include:  Risks of VBAC, Repeat Cesarean, and CBAC Cook versus Foley Catheters Cervical lips Membrane sweeps VBA2C and VBAMC CPD Thank you for sending in your questions! An educated birth is an empowered one. You’ve got this,...

Meagan is joined today by our friend, Hannah, who has been through so much during her motherhood journey. Hannah’s experiences include a blissful first birth at a birth center, multiple twin pregnancies, miscarriages, a difficult C-section, infant loss, and a redemptive VBAC.  Hannah shares her unexpectedly traumatic experiences with pregnancy, birth, and grief while living in Argentina. Yet even...

“There was no fear. There was nothing traumatic about it. It was just healing and it was so empowering to know that my body could do that. It was an out-of-this-world experience.” Windsar has had three pregnancies and four wildly different deliveries. Her first birth was a medicated, vaginal delivery in a hospital. About 18 months later, Windsar became pregnant with identical twins. Shortly after...

Anneke is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist from Oregon who is a long-time VBAC Link Podcast listener. During her first pregnancy, she would listen to 5+ hours of episodes commuting back and forth from work! Anneke was more than committed to having a vaginal birth with each of her pregnancies, but what she has learned from her births about advocacy, trust, and defining success are beautiful lesson...

After 24 hours of laboring with broken waters, dilating to 10 centimeters, and pushing, Wendy’s first baby was still not descending. She was exhausted and consented to a C-section. When her baby came out at 11 pounds, 3 ounces, the entire medical team told Wendy that her baby would have never come out vaginally due to his size.  Wendy’s second baby was ALSO 11 pounds, 3 ounces, and was indeed born...

“We are pieces of an important puzzle and there are a lot of pieces. Working together, we can effect a lot of change.” Joining Meagan on the podcast today is Dr. Elliot Berlin, a renowned prenatal chiropractor based out of Los Angeles who is making a huge impact on the birth community. Dr. Berlin is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in holistic birth preparation and advocacy. He is a birth d...

Today on the podcast, Sarah joins us from Minnesota. Sarah got COVID-19 very early on in her first pregnancy during the height of the pandemic. The protocol at her practice was to recommend a precautionary 39-week induction. Sarah trusted her doctor and consented to the induction along with other interventions that were suggested. Her birth ended in a Cesarean under general anesthesia.  During rec...

Women of Strength, believe in yourselves! Brittani shares her inspiring two VBAC stories with us today-- one where she mostly prepared physically and one where she focused on intense mental preparation. While all three of her birth stories are wildly different, each taught Brittani valuable lessons. The image of Brittani standing in her bathroom being held up by her husband and doula while she pus...

Have you heard of radical acceptance? Julie Francom leads our episode today alongside Meagan as they discuss what this concept is and how it is helping them process their births even now, years later.  Meagan gets especially vulnerable today as she shares a part of her VBA2C birth story that has never before been shared on the podcast.  Women of Strength, birth can be all of the things– empowering...

You don’t hear VBAC stories with gestational diabetes very often, but we want to change that! Charlotte joins Meagan on the podcast today sharing her experience with gestational diabetes and a surprise preterm delivery at 32 weeks.  Though she had some pretty significant curveballs thrown at her, Charlotte’s commitment to controlling what she could along with an amazingly supportive team allowed h...

“This is going to change the course of your life forever.” Ashley’s first Cesarean was after a 48-hour labor at almost 42 weeks. She deeply desired and prepared for a VBAC with her second baby, but consented to a second Cesarean after another 48-hour labor at just over 41 weeks.  With her third baby, Ashley pulled out all of the stops. She was committed to having a VBA2C in all the ways she knew a...

We are so honored to have today’s guest, Henci Goer, joining Meagan today. Henci has made it her life’s work to help women make informed decisions about their care in the birth space. She has written multiple books, received countless awards, and has made current obstetric research more accessible to women worldwide.  Henci defines uterine scar separation and talks about what factors may contribut...

Meagan and Julie talk about the ARRIVE trial and compare those findings with new research released from a retrospective study conducted at the University of Michigan. Many first-time moms and VBAC moms are being told by their providers that an elective induction at 39 weeks will reduce their chances of a C-section.  Is this really true? Meagan and Julie will empower you with information about elec...

After finding wonderfully supportive midwives who were willing to deliver a breech baby at home, Jaime was sure that her first delivery would be peaceful and empowering. Things quickly turned traumatic, however, when she developed a fever and was rushed to the hospital where she was treated poorly and sent straight to the OR. It took seven years for Jaime to finally get to a peaceful place where s...

Kelsey would title her VBAC story, “When Everything Goes Wrong”. This episode is a must-listen as she shares her VBAC birth after testing positive for Group B Strep. Kelsey’s first provider:  Pushed a scheduled C-section due to a possible big baby Chose elective C-sections for all of her own births Kelsey’s second provider: Wasn’t concerned about Kelsey’s blood clotting disorder Didn’t push for in...

“Because of that VBAC, it has opened a new me. I did not birth my daughter. I had a rebirth of myself, a stronger self." Nurul joins Meagan on the podcast today all the way from Singapore! She shares how finding The VBAC Link gave her the hope she needed to believe a redemptive birth could be possible after a traumatic C-section experience. After interviewing 11 doulas and many doctors, Nurul...

Dr. Kimberly Spair does it all! She holds a Ph. D. in Holistic Natural Health and Nutrition along with lots of additional certifications and degrees, all of which have helped her create an amazing career around helping others find holistic healing.  Dr. Spair specifically helps postpartum women find ways to naturally combat symptoms like anxiety, exhaustion, and overall depletion. She is a VBAC ma...

We have a very special guest on the podcast today, Julie Sawaya, who is one of the co-founders of Needed, a company that focuses on providing women with the highest quality of vitamins needed during the entire perinatal period. Julie shares with Meagan the research behind Needed's prenatal vitamins and supplements. She talks about why you need a prenatal vitamin in the first place, the optimal...

“Doulas are great. How do I get one?” ‘Hope you’re rich, bye!’ “Wait, now I can’t have one?” We are so happy to be joined once again by our friend, Kaitlin McGreyes with Be Her Village. Meagan and Kaitlin talk all about the benefits of doulas and what they love most about being doulas themselves.  Not only that– they also talk about how to actually afford one. Every mama deserves continuous suppor...

Abby Inman is a pelvic floor therapist, a soon-to-be mother of four, and one of the authors of the book Baby Got VBAC: An Inspiring Collection of Wisdom for Better Births After Cesarean . Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Abby is advocating for hospital policies to make pelvic floor therapy more accessible to all birthing women.  As a VBAC mom herself, Abby talks with Meagan about why every woman s...