VBAC Birth Stories
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A podcast featuring Australians sharing their journey of vaginal birth after caesarean. Through sharing and learning from each other's lived experiences the podcast is designed to empower and educate those whose VBAC journey may have just begun. Help all expecting mums achieve a more natural birth if that is their intention, and better inform birth professionals about one's journey to..
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In this episode we chat to Sydney mum of two Rachel who experienced an unmedicated VBAC in a private hospital setting after going through 35 hours of labour. Following her caesarean Rachel went on to experience poor postpartum mental health and reflects how her first birth unfolding the way it did could have contributed to those feelings.
Rachel reveals her reasons for wanting to try for a vaginal birth again and one of those reasons is not one that we would immediately think of, but Rachel so eloquently explains how just the very process of going on a VBAC journey can have the potentia ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In this episode we speak to Adelaide mum of two Rosalie about her two births. Rosalie underwent IVF and speaks about the unique challenges women in same sex relationships face when dealing with healthcare. Her first birth was an emergency caesarean which followed an induction for having a macrocosmic baby and being post-dates. Rosalie was very well educated about birth and was planning a public hospital funded homebirth before she was 'risked out.' She knew about the cascade of intervention yet she was coerced into a procedure that she did not want. This coercion was the catalyst for her ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
Today we have the honour and pleasure of chatting to Hazel Keedle once again on the podcast. Hazel is a lecturer at Western Sydney University and midwifery researcher who has primarily focused on women’s experiences of vaginal birth after caesarean and is now a lead researcher in the Birth Experience Study- the largest study on women’s experiences of maternity care in Australia. Since we last spoke Hazel has completed her PhD and is now an author with her newly released book Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth. We spoke to Hazel way back in Season 1 and you can find this inte ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In this episode we chat to Shelley, a mum of two from Adelaide. Shelley reached out to us shortly after having her baby because she wanted to share the unique circumstances surrounding her first birth and VBAC. Shelley lives with Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Genital, it is classified as a type of STI, and because of the stigma this carries Shelley could not find any stories from women who have navigated pregnancy and birth with this condition.
It is estimated that three-quarters of Australian adults are infected with HSV1.
Shelley talks about how her genital herpes affected the outcome of her ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
Amielia is a 21 year old Djab Wurrung woman and this week we would like to share her birth stories in celebration of NAIDOC week.
Amielia only found out about the details of her indigenous ancestry when she was 12 and who her family were related to. She grew up learning about her cultural practices and a part of the disappointment in her first birth was the disconnect between these practices and the public hospital system. Later she would learn there was a program dedicated to indigenous women that she would seek to be a part of in her next pregnancy.
When she first fell pregnant it was unex ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
Today we meet Tina a registered nurse and mum of two who lives with her husband in Melbourne. She shares her two very different birth and postpartum experiences with us. After Tina's son was born via an emergency caesarean he experienced what is called TTN (Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). Babies with TTN have extra fluid in their lungs or the fluid leaves too slowly from their lungs. It is more likely to occur in c-section babies. She shares what it was like for her having a baby in special care and then the NICU ward. Having an unexpected surgical birth played a heavy role in her overall ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In this week's episode we speak to western Sydney mum of two, Katelyn. Like so many of us in our first birth Katelyn just wanted to experience a physiological birth in a hospital setting, but ended up agreeing to an induction. Interestingly Katelyn intuitively felt that her induction was not medically necessary and there was a good chance she'd end up having surgery that day, yet she felt she couldn't say no.
Katelyn was determined to re-write her story in her second birth, and that she most certainly did even though despite giving her absolute all this birth ended in a caesarean too. On pape ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In this episode we meet Kate who is a mum of two living in Darwin. Kate is the daughter of a midwife so she really did have some knowledge on her side going through her first birth, but after labouring for a very long time she was placed on a caesarean pathway and although there were things about that birth she would change- she was able to bond with her daughter and have immediate skin to skin which we often hear makes all the difference to a positive caesarean outcome.
In her second birth, you will hear of how she came very close to a repeat caesarean, but gave birth vaginally to her posteri ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
In today's episode we hear our first VBAC birth story from Tasmania. Laura is a mum of two who lives in Hobart and had a swift and beautiful VBAC waterbirth at her public hospital. In her first birth she was induced for reaching post-dates and during the pushing phase it was discovered that her baby was breech. Despite the sudden way her emergency caesarean unfolded Laura holds no trauma from this birth and she shares with us why she thinks this is.
In her second pregnancy it's refreshing to hear how well supported Laura was in her desire to have a waterbirth. Laura was fortunate to have cont ..read more
VBAC Birth Stories
1y ago
This week we sat down with Jaihden who is a Sydney based mum of two girls who experienced perinatal depression and anxiety as well as postpartum depression. She bravely shares how she navigated these periods and how the experience inspired her to give back to women going through the same challenges. Jaihden sheds light and humour on some dark moments. She speaks about her challenges and blessings and how her husband and support team of health professionals kept her feeling safe through this time.
For Jaihden her primary caesarean didn’t affect her frame of mind or make her any less of a mothe ..read more