VBAC = Victory Birth After Cesarean
This is the story of my Victory Birth After Cesarean. If you haven’t already, please read my blog about my previous birth by cesarean section to really understand the impact that it had on me. After my first birth, I made it my duty to educate myself in all things related to birth.
That education included lots of Google searches, podcasts and documentaries about breastfeeding and different models of maternity care. This is how I learned about the midwifery model of care and it sounded very different from the care that I received during my first pregnancy and birth experience. I wanted this type of care for my next birth. I wanted to feel safe, nurtured and cared for personally and I didn’t want to feel like just another patient being seen for a visit on a regular day. At this point in my life, I was looking for job opportunities in the healthcare field that aligned with what I was learning while obtaining my healthcare administration degree. I was hired to work as a secretary for a midwifery office and the timing was perfect!
In 2014, I married my best friend and we created a beautiful angel baby. I switched my provider immediately and trusted the group of midwives that I worked with to provide me with excellent prenatal care. I was also accepted into graduate school and the semester was set to end 6 days after my due date. Like any good student, I didn’t miss a night class the entire semester in case I went into labor early. I read Ina May Gaskin’s “A Guide to Childbirth” during my pregnancy and had my mind made up on the birth that I wanted. I wanted an unmedicated vaginal birth! I needed this! I had spent 4 years questioning my body’s ability to give birth vaginally.
I had planned to work all the way up to the day I gave birth, but my son had other plans. April 21, 2015 was a regular day. I went to work (I loved my job!), had spicy jerk chicken and rice for lunch, finished work around 5pm and went home. I finished up a school assignment right before midnight because I was eager to stay on top of my work and to finish out the semester. Every pregnancy is different which I knew, but I didn’t expect this baby to come before the semester was over. As I was getting into my bed something just didn’t feel right. I went into the bathroom and my water broke! This was a win for me since last time around my water didn’t break on it’s own. Excitedly, I called the midwife on call to let her know and since I wasn't contracting, she told me to get some rest. How could I rest? My water continued to leak, like a lot, so I camped out on the toilet for a while, then I took a shower. I wasn’t in any discomfort and was planning to go to sleep and go into work in the morning. My contractions were very noticeable at about 3am, prior to that I didn’t feel anything. Another win for me, I didn’t feel contractions during my first labor. I began timing my contractions and they were about 3 minutes apart so I called my midwife back and she asked me to come into the hospital.
I arrived to the hospital at around 4:45am and was 4cm dilated; early labor at home was a breeze for me. I was 38 weeks, 6 days pregnant and ready to rock this labor. I really wanted to labor in a sport’s bra and shorts, but I made it about a few minutes before I needed to change out of my shorts because my water continued to leak. Once we were settled into our room, active labor hit me hard. I tell all of my doula clients you will know you’re in active labor when you can’t laugh or talk through contractions anymore. The contractions were so close together, I didn’t feel like they ever really stopped. I did my best to cope and breathe through them focusing on my goal of having this baby without any medication. Thankfully, I was able to get into the jacuzzi tub that was in my room, but I didn’t really feel like that was helping at all. My sweet midwife, Helene, was there with me for what seemed like hours. She sat there with me rubbing my back and encouraging me. I must have been her only patient at that time because she never left my side. After the tub, I rocked in a rocking chair for a while and I was about 7 cm dilated at this point. The rocking chair really helped bring my baby down and in no time I felt pressure and it was time to push. I got up on the bed and pushed for 20 minutes while my husband fed me ice chips in between pushes and my baby was born at 11:24am. I needed a few stitches but man this was the best experience ever!! I was able to hold my baby skin to skin right away and he was perfect. I was able to get up out of my bed after 2 hours and I remember telling the nurse I can do jumping jacks right now. I was able to get him to latch as best as possible and we went home after 2 days.
All in all, it was an awesome experience. I was supported by my providers and the nurses. My son was readmitted at 5 days old due to jaundice which was a surprise to me at the time. Thankfully, he only needed to stay for 2 days and I was able to stay with him so that I could provide my milk for him every few hours.
As a doula, I am a huge advocate for knowing your options and understanding birth to the best of your ability in advance. Please take a childbirth class; the information you will learn is so valuable and will prepare you for what to expect. You should also checkout resources that cater specifically to birthing people who are planning a VBAC. I have a few listed on the resources page. Please also check out our shop; we have merchandise that bring awareness to both VBACs and Cesareans.
