The VBAC Link

124 Elyssa's CBAC + Birthing in a Pandemic

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 getting the care she and her baby deserved during and after her Cesarean.

Do you want to know more about how to process your birth if you don't end up with the VBAC you worked so hard for? Check out our blog, How to Cope When you Don't Get your VBAC. 

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Topics/Keywords: CBAC, preeclampsia, induction

123 Cesarean Scar Massage and Care with Lynn

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

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Topics/keywords: bladder frequency, painful intercourse, low back pain, sacrum, pelvic floor muscles, dense adhesions

122 Liesel Teen (Mommy Labor Nurse) Talks VBAC

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 started her brand in February of 2018 as a way to educate more moms in the online space about the birth process. After having such a fulfilling birth experience at her hospital, she felt that she wanted to educate other moms in hopes that more women feel empowered and educated about their births, instead of scared and anxious. She has always had a passion for educating women and thoroughly enjoys spreading knowledge and awareness about birth! 

Website: mommylabornurse.com

Instagram: instagram.com/mommy.labornurse

Birth Courses: mommylabornurse.teachable.com

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Topics/keywords: changing positions, TOLAC, cesareanrates.org, birth plan, uterine rupture, doulas vs nurses, VBAC unsupportive nurse, doula mommy.labornurse

121 Roxy's VBAC + Long Labor

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 an epidural, which helped greatly, and actually may have been the pivotal decision in her path to accomplishing her VBAC.

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Topics / keywords: round ligament pain, placenta circumvallate, shoulder dystocia, IUPC inter uterine pressure catheter, epidural

120 Mary's VBA2C + VBA2C Tips

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 stalled and stalled, and she ended up with a second C-section.

Third time's a charm? Yep, third time's a charm.

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Topics/keywords: VBA2C, breastfeeding, postpartum

119 Pelvic Movement in Pregnancy and Birth with Gina Conley

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. 

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Topics / keywords: LOA, ROA, LOT, pelvis, pelvic types, mamastefit

118 Fran's VBAC + Processing Fears

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 got to 10 centimeters. But problems with the epidural catheter, among other things, led to a C-section. And physical complications in postpartum recovery ushered in a rocky start to her newfound parenthood.

 

For her third pregnancy, she dove in headfirst and did a bunch of research to learn what her options were for delivery.

 

A new complication with this pregnancy was her high blood pressure, but that didn't stop her from getting her VBAC.

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Topics/keywords: miscarriage, epidural, postpartum, chiropractor, induction, fear processing

117 Sarah's VBAC + Birth Locations

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, and she was fully prepared when she went to the hospital to have the baby, or she thought she was.

 

Labor was not pleasant (I mean, is it for anybody?), and even though she reached 10 centimeters dilation, the hospital staff pushed her into agreeing to a C-section.

 

She had difficulty finding a supportive provider or even a midwife after finding out she was pregnant again a year or two later, so she said to herself, 'You know what? Fine. I'll do it myself, at home. No medication, no intervention, no nothing. Just me and my husband.'

 

And, she went through with it. Hear how it went for her in this episode.

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Topics/keywords: trans machine (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation machine), nitrous oxide, birth plan, pelvic organ prolapse, Autonomous Birth Project on FB, Birth Uprising, 

116 COVID-19 Is Affecting the Birth World -- What You Need to Know

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 the things we are seeming and how we are working through them. 

Birth Monopoly put out a great list of resources lately of policies and guidelines from reputable organizations that you can use to help advocate for lower restrictions on doulas, here is the list but we encourage you to go to their website for even more detailed information. 

– Community letter to hospitals [link]
– AWHONN position statement on continuous support [linked above and here]
– WHO (World Health Organization) brief on “Companion of choice during labor” [link]
– DONA (Doulas of North America) recommendations on “COVD-19 & Doulas” [link]
– ACOG and SMFM (Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine) guidance for providers on treating pregnant patients suspected of or confirmed to have the virus [link]
– CDC recommendations for treating patients suspected of or confirmed to have the virus [link]
– CDC recommendations for inpatient obstetric healthcare settings [link]
– DONA letter to hospitals [link]
– ACOG practice advisory on COVID-19 [link]
– ACOG committee opinion on “Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth” [link]

115 Jennifer's VBAC + Irish Twins

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 her first was born. Surprisingly, she didn't have too much trouble in being approved by her provider to try for a VBAC.

 

Her second was born via VBAC without complications, except for some significant tearing and lots of stitches. Then for her third, she wanted to go for a home birth VBAC. Listen and find out how that went for her. And listen towards the end of the show about the repercussions for her midwife for allowing a home birth under these conditions.

 

But wait, there's more.

 

For her fourth baby, she wanted to go for a home water birth VBAC. Would this prove as successful as her others?

 

Even though this is very much a shorter episode, it's still packed with great stories and great information.

 

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Topics/keywords: placenta previa, rubella, four-month interval between birth and pregnancy, short interval, stitches, home birth, water birth, Irish twins,