Why I Chose a VBA2C :: Robin

Robin's Birth

What was the reason for your initial Cesarean birth?
I think it was probably the interventions. I was young and I trusted my doctors. My first baby's birth was hurried along with Pitocin, drugs, and breaking of my water. As a result, my baby boy went into distress and I had an emergency Cesarean birth. My second was a scheduled repeat C-section.

Why did you choose a VBAC?
I had two C-sections and felt that I was missing out on the experience of birthing my child, of acting on my own to bring my child into this world. Had the C-sections been truly necessary I'm not sure I would have felt as strongly about this.

What were your fears and concerns (if any)?
Initially, fear of uterine rupture, but I did my research this time.

What was the biggest challenge during pregnancy and then during labor and birth?
I was totally stressed out about having to justify my decision for a VBA2C when I reached the hospital. I was told upfront I would need to sign a waiver when I got there. Choosing a home birth resolved this fear and I was able to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy.

How did you prepare for your VBAC?
Reading books on natural birth, especially by Ina May Gaskin. I did the Hypnobabies home study and daily prenatal yoga exercise. 

How did you find your care provider and were they VBAC supportive? If so- how? If not, did you think they were and they ended up not being so? How did you respond?
I was with Kaiser, so I saw the midwife at my local office. She was pretty supportive, but let me know that not every doctor would be, so it was good that I knew all the facts and would be able to get them across to them. I didn't want to have to do that while I was in labor when I wanted to concentrate of everything going right. I got recommendations for homebirth midwives from local ICAN members and never looked back.

What would you say to a woman who's considering a VBAC? How would you encourage her? 
It was an absolutely life changing and a life affirming experience. I'd recommend a natural birth with LOTS of preparation. It more than paid off.

Doulas at Home Births

A majority of the women I support are giving birth in the hospital.  I've been asked recently to support a few women who are planning to give birth at home under the care of a Licensed Midwife.  As I've considered what my role might look like in the home setting vs. the hospital setting, I posed the question to a few birth focused communities that I'm a part of on Facebook.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading responses that I received and thought that sharing them here might be beneficial to other women who are considering hiring a doula for their home birth team and/ or other doulas who are asked to provide support at a home birth.  Feel free to comment below with any additional thoughts or experiences.  

Thoughts from women who've birthed at home...

M- I did have a doula, yes. Her role was "whatever needed doing." She offered emotional support to the whole family, helped filling and emptying the pool, helped care for the kids, tidied up about us. I found her really good! I would suggest having a close friendship with your doula though, because women who don't bond well with them don't find them as helpful as I did!

S- Yes. I had my partner, a doula and 2 midwives (they come in pairs for safety reasons). It was extremely helpful especially at end with my long labor and pushing phase. My partner got really exhausted so I leaned on my doula for support. She also helped by taking care of all the little things like water/hydration, birth pool water temp, food, etc., so my partner could attend to me 100%. I would definitely have doula support at my next birth as well! Very helpful! 

Mama Knows Best... Thoughts on Switching Care Providers

This post has been brewing in me for some time now.  Let me start with a disclaimer... as a doula, I have enormous respect for the men and women who are medically trained to provide care for pregnant women and their unborn babies.  I believe that most have the best intentions in mind when it comes to caring for their patients.  I know that they pay one of the highest malpractice premiums out there.  I think that many are doing the very best they can do.

That being said, I've had a number of women in my life, friends and clients alike, who've shared that as they got further along in their pregnancy, they felt uneasy about their relationship with their respective OB.  For some of these women, as they brought up their hopes for labor and birth during a prenatal appointment, they found their OB not all that supportive or willing to really listen.  When asking to discuss their birth preferences plan, their OB snidely responding with "It's the patients who come in with a birth plan who end up with an unplanned c-section."  For others, they felt like their OB had a typical way of going about things (suggesting induction at 39 weeks and/ or urging induction at 40 weeks, performing cervical checks starting at 37 weeks, etc.) and when the patient questioned if this was medically necessary or just routine, the OB growing visibly frustrated and curt with the patient.

These women who've shared with me aren't demanding or inflexible in nature.  They aren't trying to be difficult or suggest that their OBs don't know what they're doing.  They've simply wanted to have a two-way relationship with their doctor- one where they can ask questions and share their wishes for their prenatal care and impending birth, without feeling belittled or like what they've researched is all bunk because they're not the one who went to medical school.  They are hoping that the one they've entrusted with the care of themselves and their unborn baby would be open to conversing and making the best decisions for their care based on their individual situation.  Some of these women have chosen to stick it out and remain with their OB despite not seeing eye to eye and others have chosen to look elsewhere for a care provider who is more in line with what they're looking for.