Melanie’s Cesarean & HBAC Stories

In today's episode we meet Katherine and she shares her five birth stories. Katherine’s first cesarean was scheduled due to breech presentation, but when the cesarean was actually performed it was discovered that baby was no longer breech. During Katherine’s next two pregnancies she planned for a VBAC and VBA2C, but ended up scheduling her second cesarean because of the hospital and her third cesarean due to no longer feeling comfortable pursuing a VBA2C. Katherine’s next birth was a VBA3C in the hospital, followed by a UBA3C. Join us as Katherine shares her birth stories, her varying experiences in healing emotionally after each of her births and 3 miscarriages, and the huge difference it can make to feel heard and respected during labor and birth, regardless of the birth outcome. We also discuss listening to your intuition as a mother, the difficulty in not knowing if you’ve made the “right” choices, struggling with postpartum depression and anxiety, talking to older generations of women about their birth experiences, the inability to advocate your way out of abuse, everyone having the right to share their own lived experiences, how each pregnancy and birth experience can lead you to make different decisions, getting out of extreme mindsets and into more of a journey-based mindset, and the importance of every woman being able to make decisions that align with her and her desires in pregnancy and birth. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Alicia, who is a mother of two. Alicia was raised not to fear birth and always knew that she wanted to have a home birth, but when her baby flipped breech right before her estimated due date, Alicia’s home birth plans turned into a cesarean. She went on to plan another home birth with her second baby and had a redemptive HBAC. Join us as Alicia shares her birth stories, the emotional toll that planning a home birth and then having a cesarean can have, why she chose to labor for as long as possible with her first baby even though she knew she was going to have a cesarean, the stigmas and shame that often accompany cesarean sections, and how essential oils played a vital role in her pregnancy and birth. We also discuss battling self-doubt, intrusive thoughts and fear during pregnancy, the importance of who you invite into your birth space and how those present can make you feel pressure to perform or meet certain expectations, getting into the right headspace for birth, how important the language used to present information to pregnant women and mothers is, and the impact that compassionate and respectful care can have during the transition to motherhood. You can find Alicia on Instagram, here. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Coffee, who is a CRNA and mother to five children. Coffee’s first birth was a cesarean after being drug through the cascade of interventions, followed by a scheduled repeat cesarean. When she was pregnant with her third child, the OB she was seeing was unable to support a VBA2C but gave her a recommendation for a local home birth midwife. Coffee then went on to have three HBA2Cs with her next three children. Join us as Coffee shares her birth stories and how her beliefs about birth have evolved throughout her journey. We also discuss the lack of humanity and compassionate care that often comes with routine hospital procedures such as cesareans, how transactional a scheduled repeat cesarean can feel, how much more involved our husbands can be when having a home birth, the lack of bonding that can occur when you don’t experience labor (and the mom guilt that comes with that lack of bonding), feeling confident in the choices you make, exploring the question, “but what if my baby dies?”, and how the good OBs seem to be the ones that end up leaving the field because of how much their hands are tied. Check out Coffee's blog by visiting www.howtobourne.blogspot.com, where she shares her birth stories in detail, along with other pregnancy and mothering related things. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Brittany, who is a homeschooling mom of eight. Brittany’s first two births were cesareans, followed by an unmedicated hospital VBA2C with a 10lb 2oz baby. With her fourth pregnancy, Brittany had another cesarean at 32 weeks with a special scar, followed by an HBA3C with an unlicensed midwife and three UBA3Cs, one of which was with a 11lb 4oz baby. Join us as Brittany shares her birth stories, her varying postpartum experiences, how she navigated planning for a VBAC with a special scar, and what ultimately led her to give birth to her last three babies at home with just her family present. We also discuss bait-and-switch tactics and the lack of informed consent and respect in hospitals, how disruptions in labor and birth can happen at home, the intelligent design of both mother and baby in pregnancy and birth, the importance of support and community, the fear of being reported for making choices that go against the norm, and the importance of rest and recovery postpartum. If you’re looking for more information about special scars, check out the Special Scars Special Hope website, Instagram and Facebook page. To be added to their private Facebook group, follow the instructions on their website. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Morgan, who is a traditional midwife and mother of five. Morgan’s first birth was a cesarean after she experienced the typical cascade of interventions in the hospital, and her second birth was a hospital VBAC that left her feeling like there was still something missing. Morgan then went on to have 3 unassisted births, each of which were vastly different. Join us as Morgan shares her birth stories, how her varying birth experiences led her to stand up for herself and now provide the type of care and support she offers to women as a traditional midwife, and one of the impactful experiences she had while supporting a mother pursuing an HBA3C who gave birth 8 days after her water broke. We also discuss how emergency situations often occur because of unnecessary interventions, how interferences during and immediately after labor and birth disrupt a mother and baby’s natural flow of hormones, how laws, restrictions and licensure for midwifery vary from state to state and have actually harmed women and taken away their choices, how the system specifically targets certain populations of women, being confident in your birth plans even if it means no one else is on board, and how healing yourself can help others to heal.  Connect with Morgan on Facebook here, or on Instagram here. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Ashton, who shares her four birth stories. Ashton’s first baby was born via cesarean at 37 weeks due to her doctor estimating that he would be a big baby. Her next two births were hospital VBACs, followed by an HBAC with her fourth baby who was over 10 pounds. Join us as Ashton shares her birth stories, how she involved her children, specifically her son, in her home birth, and how traveling down the rabbit hole of researching physiological birth can lead to lifestyle changes as a whole. We also discuss how different the perception of VBAC can be between providers or in different areas of the country, the lack of discussion of risks surrounding interventions, inductions and cesareans, the importance of honest and straight forward conversations with your care team, being in control of your choices during pregnancy and birth, how difficult it can be for husbands to witness their wives in pain during labor, and the importance of sharing the home birth stories that aren’t totally serene and peaceful. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Reba, who shares her four birth stories, as well as her experiences with stillbirth and an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in losing an ovary and a fallopian tube.  Join us as Reba shares her birth stories, the trauma she has endured, how it has shaped her into who she is and has influenced the decisions she makes for herself and her children, including her choice to birth unassisted after a cesarean twice. We also discuss if there is a true necessity for an induction if it is being scheduled around someone else’s schedule, how failed inductions are presented as a problem with a woman’s body instead of a problem within the medical system, how your mind and body protect you during and after birth, the problems associated with active management of the birth of the placenta, the intentionality and responsibility behind the choice to freebirth, how hospital policy is often built around provider liability and what is going to protect them from a potential lawsuit, obstetrical abuse and rape, common perceptions of those who choose home birth and unassisted birth, and how prenatal care differs between mainstream OB care, midwifery care, and doing all of your own care. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Lily, who is a mother of three. Her first birth ended in a cesarean after her water broke and the hospital wanted to speed up the labor process, which resulted in interventions that caused her son distress. Lily’s second birth was a hospital VBAC, followed by an HBAC for her third. Join us as Lily shares her birth stories, how she made the switch to plan a home birth in the middle of her third pregnancy, and the things that she has learned about how her body likes to give birth. We also discuss safe co-sleeping, the importance of having support postpartum, what the Fetal Ejection Reflex (FER) feels like, the importance of actually waiting for the urge to push, the fact that just because you’re dilated to 10cm doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s time to start pushing, how family-centered midwifery care can be, involving your older children in the labor, birth and postpartum time, how unrealistic it is to expect women to meet a deadline to go into labor, and the importance of education and knowing your options.  Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Melanie, who is a mother of two. Melanie experienced the cascade of interventions after an induction for being “overdue” with her first pregnancy, and after her birth trauma and a difficult postpartum time, beginning with her son spending some time in the NICU, she immediately knew that she wanted something different the next time. For her next pregnancy, Melanie went on to plan an HBAC and gave birth to her baby at home. Join us as Melanie shares her birth stories, how connecting with and talking to other women who have gone through similar experiences has helped heal her birth trauma, and the emotions she has experienced when looking back at her first birth after having her HBAC. We also discuss the importance of every woman having options and choices in regards to where and with whom she gives birth, the differences between OB and midwifery care, how prodromal labor can actually be beneficial in preparing your body for labor and birth, the difference between contractions produced via Pitocin vs. natural contractions, the importance of having a supportive provider and birth team, how hospitals are set up to make the doctor look like the authority in birth and give the illusion that women cannot say “no” to anything, and how belittling and diminishing the saying “at least you have a healthy baby” is after experiencing birth trauma. ***As a disclaimer, Melanie does discuss some of the birth trauma that she experienced with her HBAC. It is very important to bring awareness to and provide support for the fact that birth trauma can occur with any type of birth, however, if this is upsetting to you it may be best to skip over. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.

In today's episode we meet Courtney, who has had a wide variety of birthing experiences. Courtney had a cesarean with her first baby after going through the cascade of interventions that started with an induction for a suspected “big baby,” and then had a hospital VBAC, a birth center VBAC and an HBAC.  Join us as Courtney shares her birth stories, as well as her experience with having a miscarriage and her family’s journey in fostering and adopting. We also discuss feeling dehumanized and like you’re part of an assembly line when giving birth at the hospital, how cesareans can affect family planning, having a people-pleasing personality and experiencing pushback when making choices that go against the mainstream narrative, how having high expectations can affect the labor and birth process, entering labor and birth with an open mind, how different each and every pregnancy can be, the differences between having a VBAC at the hospital, at a birth center and at home, and the growth that you go through as a mother when you stop caring what other people think and feel confident in the decisions that you make for yourself and your children. Be sure to subscribe to The Home Birth After Cesarean Podcast on your favorite podcast app to be notified when new episodes are available, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-date information. Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] to get in touch. This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.