"Prepare your body and mind to achieve your VBAC and then let go of your attachment to the outcome." If anyone knows how to fight the good fight its Sydney based mother of two and human rights lawyer, Lara. As a VBAC hopeful Lara was fastidious in her birth preparation but in the end the events which unfolded took her and her care providers by surprise. Despite the rare occurrence of velamentous cord insertion and shoulder dystocia Lara achieved her VBAC and a positive birth outcome against...

In this episode we meet Emma, a mum of two boys who lives in Wollongong south of Sydney. Emma is a nurse and aspiring midwife and is also a prenatal yoga teacher and has her own yoga studio. Emma's first birth in the private system ended in an emergency caesarean after she was induced at 39 weeks. It was discovered later that cervical scar tissue from a previous LLETZ procedure may have played a role in not allowing her labour to progress. Emma was determined in her second birth to...

In today's episode we chat to Queensland mum of three and co-creator of the clothing brand Sunday Wild, Crystal, about her VBAC journey which began with an elective caesarean with her twin daughters. Crystal tells her story with a refreshing humour and warmth and speaks to the fact that not all elective caesareans are really wanted. During our chat Crystal touchingly realises with hindsight what could have been possible, but was sadly taken away from her after her caesarean. Crystal's story...

In today's episode we meet Kate, a mum of two who lives with her husband near Newcastle north of Sydney. Kate's had the unique journey of experiencing three kinds of maternity care models across her two pregnancies. Her VBAC journey began with an emergency caesarean performed in Sydney while she was under the midwifery group practice continuity of care model, also known as MGP. Kate walked away from this birth without any overriding feelings of trauma, but for a long time thought there was...

In this bonus episode of VBAC Birth Stories we speak to Karen McClay, better known as the Director of Calmbirth, but a lesser known fact about the registered midwife, nurse and mother of three is that she herself undertook her own VBAC journey. We had the privilege of hearing that personal story in this interview. Karen shares the emotions surrounding her initial caesarean and the complexity of this experience, and how women on a VBAC journey are often forced to look back and examine their...

Today we meet Renee, a mum of two from Sydney who works as a clinical dietician. She is also the co-founder of Nurture the Seed, an encompassing guide to all things nutrition to help those going through preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum through evidence-based research and nourishing recipes (see notes below for more information). In Renee's first birth she had a rare adverse reaction to the prostaglandin induction gel, leading to an immediate emergency caesarean with a baby who was...

In today's episode we meet Talia who shares with us her three birth stories, the first of which ended in an emergency caesarean following an induction for being post-dates. Although the caeasarean experience was fairly positive for Talia she still sought to achieve a VBAC the second time around. At 38 years of age she was classed as a geriatric pregnancy and was told her baby was presenting breech at 34 weeks. Her public hospital only offered a caesarean for breech babies at term, leading...

Welcome to Season 2 of VBAC Birth Stories! In this our first episode of 2021 we hear from Vanessa, a Brisbane mum of two who had an accidental homebirth with her VBAC baby. Vanessa's first pregnancy was textbook all the way through and when her waters began to leak at 38 weeks she headed straight into hospital to be assessed, and it was then she was told she would be induced the following morning. Vanessa, like many first time mums we speak to, did not know at the time that she could have...

In this the final VBAC birth story episode of 2020 we chat to Siobhan who lives with her husband and two children in the Gold Coast. Siobhan's first baby was presenting footling breech towards the end stages of her pregnancy and after an unsuccessful ECV (External Cephalic Version) she reluctantly signed on the dotted line accepting a planned caesarean birth. Whilst the caesarean was text-book and she wasn't separated from her baby, she did experience challenges with breastfeeding and also a...

In this episode we speak to Nikii, originally from New Zealand and now lives with her partner and 3 young boys in Brisbane. Nikii experienced two emergency caesareans and then a deeply healing vaginal birth. Prior to her primary caesarean Nikii had not done any education about childbirth, and just went with the flow, which was the flow of her care provider- a local public hospital. She laboured for 17 hours before being taken into theatre and describes this birth as traumatic. Hoping for a...

In today's episode we chat to Michela, a mum of two living with her husband in Brisbane. Michela knew before she fell pregnant that she wanted to approach birth in a way that resonated more with her life philosophies and hired a private midwife initially to support her at her local hospital's birth centre, but as her pregnancy progressed she decided a homebirth would actually be a better fit. Unfortunately circumstances changed, and Michela's plans to have an intervention-free birth at home...

In today's episode we meet Catherine from the Central Coast of NSW. She is a mother of two boys who speaks to us about her fertility struggles and emergency caesarean which was actually a refreshingly positive experience. Her first baby was posterior and she laboured for a long time with him before being taken into theatre guided by her private obstetrician who she had a very good relationship with. In the early stages of her VBAC pregnancy she was told she had a low PAPP-A level (placental...

In today's episode we meet Hannah, a midwife and mum of two living with her husband in Brisbane. Hannah was not expecting her first birth to end in a caesarean at all, but despite a difficult and challenging labour her son's birth was overall a positive experience. Hannah suffered an early miscarriage in-between her son and her daughter's births, but knew when the time came to give birth again she would definitely try for a VBAC. Her third pregnancy was going pretty smoothly until she was...

In this episode we meet Kristi, a mum of two living with her husband and two boys in Brisbane. In Kristi's first birth she was recommended an induction due to Obstetric Cholestasis (liver disorder presented in pregnancy which causes itchiness). Despite dilating to 10cm and reaching the pushing phase of labour, Kristi was taken into theatre for an emergency caesarean. She did not know what actually caused her caesarean until years later. After a difficult start to breastfeeding which involved...

In this episode we meet Perth mother of two, Sophia. In her first pregnancy Sophia was diagnosed with Polyhydramnios, a condition where there is an excess of amniotic fluid. Her obstetrician recommended a c-section based on the findings of this but also the risk of shoulder dystocia given the baby was predicted to be large. Sophia begrudgingly elected for a c-section and while she describes her experience as perfectly fine she immediately knew she would want to try for a VBAC next time...

In this episode we chat to Jessica who lives with her husband and two children in Torquay at the start of the beautiful great ocean road in Victoria. Jessica reflects on how she made the decision to not make a birth plan for her first birth and just go with the flow, but knowing what she knows now she wished she had prepared herself a bit better- a sentiment that rings true for many of us. Her first birth ended in an emergency caesarean following an induction at 40 weeks for high blood...

This week we chart the high seas with birth cartographer, author and artist Catherine Bell. A former marine biologist Catherine is now completing her PhD on 'Birth Mapping' which looks at how health care providers can work with birthing women to pursue mutually beneficial pathways in all birth settings. We cover: - What the difference is between a birth plan and a birth map - The importance of your birth partner and support person in birth - How to ensure your care provider is on board with...

In this episode we meet Jess who lives with her husband and 3 children in Samford Valley in Queensland. All of Jess' babies presented breech, which was the reason behind her caesarean in the first place. Yet Jess went on to experience two very different vaginal births following two successful ECVs (External Cephalic Version) which involved her babies being manually turned to be in the cephalic (head down) position. Jess' first VBAC included medical intervention and her second VBAC was an...

In this episode we meet Michal, a midwife and mother to 3 boys who lives with her husband in Melbourne. Michal has had three very different birth experiences. Her most recent birth was only three months ago during the current COVID-19 pandemic where she was treated as a potential COVID-19 patient in labour due to her being ill at the time. Michal experienced a miscarriage before falling pregnant with her first son. His birth was an emergency caesarean despite reaching full dilation - which...

In this episode we bring you three birth stories from Aimee Sing, mother of three living in the Blue Mountains in Sydney. After commencing her career in environmental science Aimee found her true calling in birth advocacy. She's now the coordinator of Homebirth New South Wales and Homebirth Australia. She's also the Co-founder of Homebirth Consortium Australia, and is a doula and breastfeeding counsellor. Aimee had planned a homebirth with her eldest daughter Willow, but ultimately needed a...

In this episode we meet Amberley, a Registered Midwife (endorsed) who lives with her husband and two children in Melbourne. Amberley was working as a midwife at the time of both of her births. Her first birth was a planned vaginal breech birth which ended in a caesarean, and although an overall positive experience and recovery she was determined to have a VBAC for her next baby. Amberley's reflections on both of her births are thought provoking and moving. We discuss birth plans and consent...

In this episode we meet Marion, whose first pregnancy ended in a traumatic emergency caesarean following an induction due to what was termed 'static growth' of her baby in the final weeks. Almost 44% of women will have their labour artificially induced in Australia and Marion's experience is a testament to the birth trauma that can be experienced as a result of such intervention. While not every induction unfolds in this way- it is important to understand the effects that induction of labour...

In this episode we meet Annalise, a midwife from the Gold Coast who is a mother to three children. Her primary caesarean was an emergency following an induction at 41 weeks for being past her due date. She was led to believe that her childhood spinal surgery for Scoliosis could have played a role in the way things unfolded in that birth. When she fell pregnant again she was told an elective caesarean would be her safest option, so she proceeded with one. She experienced post natal anxiety...

In this episode we meet Ashleigh who experienced three very different births in a Sydney public hospital under the caseload midwifery care model. Ashleigh suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum in her first pregnancy only. She went into preterm labour in her first birth at 36 weeks and was prepped for a caesarean after her son was showing unexplained foetal distress. She was taken into theatre where it was found that she had suffered from placental abruption during the labour. This occurs when...

In this episode we meet mother of two and registered nurse and midwife Emma who lives with her two boys and her husband, also a nurse, in Queensland. After working in hospitals and having exposure to a variety of emergency situations Emma had decided that she would elect to have a maternal-assisted caesarean which she describes as a fantastic experience. Emma has an underlying heart condition called POT Syndrome (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia) which caused her some perinatal anxiety as...