An Unassisted VBAC- A VBAC Interview

This mother has had about every birth situation imaginable!  I loved reading her stories and her thoughts and I hope you do too.  Birth is beautiful, but it isn't always what we expect.  Enjoy!

~

So, I would love for you to first give a brief rundown of your first birth/s and what you feel like happened and why you had a c-section.

• First Baby = Typical Hospital Birth (Epidural/episiotomy/etc etc etc) It was my learning experience. I knew birth could be better. I didn't like how I was treated or how my baby was treated.
  
• Second Baby = My first natural birth. Freestanding Birth Center
• Third Baby = My first waterbirth at home!
• Fourth Baby = Cesarean Section due to complete placenta previa. He was born at 33 weeks because of hemorrhage. I had 2 blood transfusions in the process and it was an emergency c-section. I was under general and my husband was not permitted in the room. It was extremely traumatic to me and my husband. I felt violated, disregarded, and dehumanized. Perhaps it was all necessary (quite possibly), but the experience was as hard to recover from emotionally as it was physically. (If not harder.)
  
• Fifth Baby = HBAC! Another waterbirth. My first VBAC and first unassisted birth. (Midwife arrived 20 minutes after the birth.)
• Sixth Baby = Another awesome HBAC waterbirth.

-What made you desire a VBAC when they seem so hard to come by in the current obstetric climate? VBAC was something I already believed in prior to my c-section, but after having my own cesarean (something I never thought would happen to me), I had to look into the risks/benefits much more closely. I had to consider possibilities I never imagined I'd have to think about. After having looked at the research more extensively, VBAC still seemed like the healthier choice for my baby and myself.

-How did you find a care provider who would support you? I joined (and helped to form) our local ICAN chapter and got plugged into our local birth network and learned all the birthing options. I learned a LOT about all the local providers. The choice became very clear.

-What was labor like for you? Surprisingly long. But pleasantly peaceful.

-What helped you VBAC?
Having accurate information, the right support, the right environment, and the knowledge that my body could do this. I'm a very blessed girl to have such incredible family and friends supporting me.

-How did you prepare for your VBAC (was there anything you did differently)?
I attended an ICAN conference which was extremely helpful in almost every way imaginable. I did the Hypnobabies home study course and attended all of our local ICAN meetings. I'm a co-leader of our chapter.

-Describe your VBAC birth story.  We would LOVE to hear about it!
It was healing after the trauma and disappointment of my emergency cesarean.
My first VBAC birth story is here.
My second VBAC birth story is here.

- Has the postpartum experience been different than your other birth/s?  What about it surprised you?
The postpartum experience after my first VBAC was beautiful. It was the first birth after which I had no tearing. I felt terrific almost right away and recovery was a breeze compared to the major abdominal surgery I had experienced before.