The VBAC Link

Willa joins the pod from San Francisco, CA to share her journey from a 41+5 spontaneous 30-hour labor with OP positioning and a cesarean with her 9lb, 6oz first baby to a VBAC with her 10lb, 3oz second baby. She talks about switching providers, using Dilapan rods for cervical ripening, being induced at 41 weeks, and navigating another OP baby. Willa shares the lessons she learned about preparing emotionally for birth, the nuances of birth language, trusting that each birth can be different, and surrounding yourself with people who will be your biggest VBAC champions. And stay until the end to hear the most beautiful poem about her VBAC journey! How Dilapan-S Rods WorkEBB Birth: Pros and Cons of Foley and Dilapan-S® for InductionThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Alexis is a Type 1 diabetic mom of three boys from Nevada. Her first birth was a 37-week induction due to her diabetes that ended in a vaginal delivery. For her second birth, Alexis was told she needed a cesarean because her baby was expected to be "massive," but after birth, he was perfectly average-sized. In the OR, her providers admitted their prediction was wrong, and Alexis was devastated. Alexis was determined more than ever to educate herself and advocate hard for her next birth.During her third pregnancy, Alexis navigated polyhydramnios, multiple provider changes, and concerns about possible fetal heart abnormalities that ultimately turned out to be no issue after birth. But even with these challenges, still advocated and achieved her unmedicated VBAC. Her labor ended with a shoulder dystocia with her baby having a broken arm, but with a smooth recovery. Alexis shares how TVL, research, informed decision-making, educating her support team, and using the B.R.A.I.N. acronym helped her throughout her pregnancy and birth journey.Note from Alexis: “There was never a real explanation as to why they suspected he had ARSA, the increased velocity, or the small hole in utero. And as a tip for anyone in labor, honey is considered a clear liquid, and the cheap honey bears at Walmart are great during labor! I took swigs off of it during labor for energy and to keep my blood sugar up. The midwife came to check on me at one point mid-swig and said that was the first time she had seen that in her 25 years. I couldn’t find honey sticks locally for a reasonable price, but I could find local honey bears.”Keywords: VBAC, Type 1 diabetes, juvenile diabetes, induction, 37-week induction, scheduled cesarean, suspected macrosomia, big baby, polyhydramnios, unmedicated VBAC, shoulder dystocia, broken humerus, birth injury, fetal heart concerns, ARSA, informed consent, B.R.A.I.N., VBAC prepNatural Birth for Type 1 Diabetics Facebook GroupT1D Pregnancy Course Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% OffThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Celia is a mom of four, an Air Force Technical Sergeant, and a passionate advocate for evidence-based communication in birth. In this episode, she shares her four very different birth experiences: a 36-hour induction ending in a forceps delivery and severe tear, another induction that turned precipitous, a breech Cesarean that felt calm and healing, and ultimately a hospital water birth VBAC at a hospital that DIDN’T allow water births! Celia opens up about prenatal depression, birth trauma, knowing your worth, switching providers, and the reality that both cesareans and vaginal births can be traumatic, and both can also be healing.Celia also sheds light on the power dynamics with navigating military maternity care as an enlisted service member treated by officers within the system. She talks about healing from an abusive relationship, how she opened her heart to love and trust again, and the unique challenges that come with a blended family. We encourage all Women of Strength to give grace to the younger versions of yourself just as Celia so beautifully exemplifies!Keywords: VBAC, hospital water birth, birth trauma, military maternity care, MTF, active duty VBAC, switching providers, forceps delivery, breech cesarean, advocacy, prenatal depression, precipitous labor, healing, hospital policiesPostpartum Support International Provider DirectoryNeeded Website: Code TVL for 20% OffThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

We are honored to have THE Jen Hamilton join us on the pod today! Jen Hamilton is a labor and delivery nurse, viral TikTok creator with over 6 million followers, and author of Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth (May 2026), a warm, clinically grounded guide to navigating childbirth with confidence and calm. She is the founder of Hot Mess Express, a nonprofit offering judgment-free house cleaning and organizing for women in need, and a passionate advocate for dismantling systemic racism and misogyny in obstetrical and gynecological care. A 2026 President's Award recipient from the American Nurses Association and a frequent presence in outlets including CNN, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post, Jen has become one of the most recognizable voices in modern nursing through her signature blend of clinical expertise, frank humor, and deep empathy. She is funny, kind, generous, gracious, and quickly becoming a household name!In today’s episode, Jen sits down with Lily and Paige to chat all about creating the best vibes for your birth. They do a deep dive into VBAC, and ask questions that came directly from you all. This is an episode you DO NOT want to miss.Today’s topics include: Using interventions as toolsWhy a provider may be the factor if someone will have a VBAC or notDirty secret of OBHow Jen feels about doulasHow to ask for a new nurseDebriefing your birth Preparing for a different birth experienceExpectations around coping techniquesGiving yourself graceBaton race of coping analogyFunny and memorable stories in L&DUnique VBAC circumstancesFailure to progressHow she would improve cesareans and humanize the experienceKeywords: Jen Hamilton, labor and delivery, L&D nurse, OBGYN, cesarean, vbac, birth after cesarean, cbac, doula, birth vibes, epidural, failure to progress, tolac, vbac consent, hospital vbacEmail info@thevbaclink.com for Jen's free Closure Vibes Debrief Questionnaire. Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered BirthJen's Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack, WebsiteNeeded Website: Code TVL for 20% OffThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

We are closing out our Cesarean Awareness Month series on the most common reasons for C-sections with a deep dive into all things fetal monitoring! CNM Paige Boran, who attended Lily’s VBAC and who we deeply love and trust, answers every question you can imagine. This is definitely an episode you will want to save and listen back to often!Midwife Paige talks about:The history of continuous fetal monitoringThe differences between continuous, internal, and internal monitoringBradycardia and tachycardia readingsCFM and VBACWhen she recommends having CFMHow to advocate informed consent and declinationEarly, variable, and late decelerationsHead compression and cord compressionWhen fetal heart tracings become concerning & what empowered conversations look likeWays to help resolve decelsPlacental insufficiencyAll signs of uterine ruptureHow to make the decision of going for a C-section or continuing to labor Evidence on continuous fetal monitoringAnd more!! We are so grateful for providers like Midwife Paige who we have seen in action and are willing to take the time to help educate our community. For those who question if they made the right call to have a cesarean or continue to labor due to fetal heart readings, we send you love. It is so tough! Fetal heart tones are so nuanced. We hope that with this episode, you feel empowered with more knowledge to find a team that gives you the support and individualized care you deserve. Evidence Based Birth®: Evidence on Continuous Fetal MonitoringNYT Article on Continuous Fetal MonitoringThe VBAC Link Blog: The 5 Most Common Reasons for C-sectionThe VBAC Link Blog: How to Navigate VBAC Hospital PoliciesNeeded Website: Code TVL for 20% OffAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

As we continue our Cesarean Awareness Month series, CBAC and RCS moms, this one's for you. If your future birth looks like a subsequent cesarean, we want to make that cesarean the best, most peaceful, and empowering experience it can be. Better birth after cesarean means better options, and today's episode takes a deep dive into the option of Maternal Assisted Cesareans (MAC). We are joined today by Dr. Koen Deurloo from the Netherlands. Dr. Koen is a Dutch OB/GYN specializing in perinatology and family-centered cesarean birth. Since 2017, his team has performed more than 300 Maternal Assisted Cesareans, developing one of the most experience-based approaches to this technique. He is also the author of Door de ogen van een gynaecoloog and teaches widely on respectful, trauma-informed birth care. His work focuses on creating transparency and calm so parents feel genuinely involved and supported throughout the entire process, especially in the operating room. In this episode, Dr. Koen walks us through how he was first introduced to the MAC (spoiler: it was a mom and her doula!), how the procedure has evolved over time, what his patients have to say about it (another spoiler: 100% recommend it), and how to advocate for this kind of experience with your provider.Birth after cesarean deserves dignity. It deserves options, and it deserves finding a provider who holds your stories with care and who speaks about birth the way Dr. Koen does.We PROMISE this is an episode you will not want to miss!!!Women of strength, we know how difficult it can be to choose between going for a VBAC, pivoting to a CBAC, or scheduling a repeat cesarean. Whether for medical or personal reasons, your choice is valid and good. There are so many brave ways to birth. As always, our team here at The VBAC Link is here to give you options, stories, resources, love, and support!Through the Eyes of a Gynecologist by Dr. Koen DeurlooMACAZINEPaige’s Maternal Assisted Cesarean StoryNeeded Website: Code VBAC for 20% OffThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

April is Cesarean Awareness Month and Women of Strength, we are aware of YOU. All month long, we are bringing you VBAC stories & discussions featuring these most common reasons for cesareans:• Big babies• Failure to progress• Twins• Breech• Fetal heart tonesAnd for our CBAC and RCS mamas, we’ve got a special episode all about maternal assisted cesareans, so stay tuned!! In today’s episode, we talk with Katie, a Certified Professional Midwife from Oregon, whose journey into midwifery began after her own VBAC. Her first birth began spontaneously at the start of COVID and ended in a cesarean with an asynclitic, sunny side up baby. Her second birth was a healing VBAC at a freestanding birth center with midwives.Her third birth at home was longer than her previous VBAC and required her to let go of expectations and trust the process. This birth ended in a successful VBAC with a shoulder dystocia, postpartum hemorrhage, and a second degree tear. We’ll let you listen to the episode to find out just how big her record-setting baby was!Katie talks about just how different births can be, what it takes to become a CPM, ways to manage postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia maneuvers, safe transfer from out-of-hospital to hospital care, and recent policies that impact midwives attending VBACs. Katie reminds us to choose your birth team wisely, the mind is a powerful thing, and sometimes letting go of expectations is the only way through.VBAC Certified Doula FinderThe VBAC Link Supportive Provider ListThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingSubmit Your VBAC/CBAC StoryAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ve probably heard women say they did all the things to get their VBAC. But what actually are “all the things”? This episode covers it!As moms prepping for their own VBACs and now doulas helping others do the same, Paige (coming hot off a birth!) and Lily sit down to talk about everything you can do before conception and during pregnancy to prepare for an empowering VBAC or repeat cesarean. Scar mobilization, acupuncture, therapy, Webster-certified chiropractic care, what books to read, how to find the right doula, choosing your birth location & team, finances, nutrition, processing trauma, positioning, and so much more.Comment on this episode and let us know what you did to prepare that we missed! ALL THE LINKS: How to Find a Truly Supportive ProviderSigns It's Time to Switch Your ProviderDeciding Home vs Hospital BirthChoosing VBAC or Repeat C-sectionEpisode 119 Pelvic Movement in Pregnancy and Birth With Gina ConleyEpisode 160 Everything Left UnsaidEpisode 386 Dr. Stu Fischbein & Midwife Blyss YoungOur Favorite BooksVBAC Certified Doula FinderThe VBAC Link Supportive Provider ListThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingSubmit Your VBAC/CBAC StoryAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Ashley Adynah is a wife, mom of four boys (one bonus son and three birth stories of her own), and the creator behind The Parenting Strategy. She went into her first birth aware of the gap in Black maternity care, spoke up, and was assured by her team that she would be well taken care of. But Ashley’s induction ended in a traumatic C-section compounded by a uterine infection, infected incision, passing out at home, and needing a home nurse. She was dismissed and not believed over and over again. 9 months later, Ashley became pregnant again, and knew she wanted a VBAC. She educated herself, switched providers at 38 weeks after being told she’d need another C-section for a “big baby,” labored at home, and was 8cm when she got to the hospital. She had a pain-free, unmedicated VBAC, delivering her 9 lb 6 oz son with no tears!Her third pregnancy brought new fears when her placenta grew into her previous C-section scar, aka placenta accreta. Lily, Paige, and Ashley dive into what placenta accreta is and what it means for birth. After meeting with lots of specialists and facing the possibility of serious complications, she leaned hard into her faith. During her cesarean, it was confirmed that her accreta had grown into her first C-section scar (and this is why preventing primary cesareans and having the option to VBAC matters!). But Ashley’s placenta detached on its own, she was able to have a horizontal incision, and keep her uterus. Her little boy was 4lb, 11oz and spent 11 days in the NICU. Ashley is incredibly resilient, strong, and so inspiring! Keywords: Black maternal health gap, traumatic C-section, postpartum infection, VBAC story, unmedicated VBAC, placenta accreta, NICU, birth trauma healing, maternal advocacy, birth after cesareanVBAC Certified Doula FinderThe VBAC Link Supportive Provider ListThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingSubmit Your VBAC/CBAC StoryAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Allison Champ is a mama of three and a VBAC Link Certified VBAC Doula serving families in the Dayton, Ohio area. Her first birth was an induced, epidural vaginal delivery with a premature manual removal of the placenta, which required a uterine scraping procedure. Allison, Lily & Paige chat about that third stage of labor and what is/isn’t evidence based. Her second pregnancy began as a planned home birth but changed after a 20-week placenta previa diagnosis. Following multiple significant bleeds, she delivered by cesarean at 34 weeks, where placenta accreta was discovered. Allison walks us through what accreta is and what her doctor did to save her from having a hysterectomy. Her baby spent one week in the NICU and Allison shares how tough it was to not be able to go home to her toddler due to COVID. For her third pregnancy, Allison planned a home birth (HBAC) with co-care. She had a fast labor, a surprise gender (boy!), and a shoulder dystocia that was smoothly resolved by her team. Her girls were right by her side taking pictures with their Polaroid cameras and cheering their mama on. Allison wraps up her episode by saying how each of her very different births have made her a better doula. She is thankful that the tough moments have helped her savor the sweet ones even more.Keywords: induction, cesarean, NICU, VBAC prep, co-care, placenta accreta, placenta previa, advocacy, third stage management Allison's Doula WebsiteVBAC Certified Doula FinderThe VBAC Link Supportive Provider ListThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingSubmit Your VBAC/CBAC StoryAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Our first VBAM (vaginal birth after myomectomy) was Episode 189 with Mabel back in 2022 and we are SO excited to finally be bringing you another! Maria Magdalena “Mags” Campbell joins us from Cape Town, South Africa to share her inspiring story through loss, fertility challenges, and ultimately TWO VBAM births. With the support of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, progesterone, and a fertility coach, Mags went on to conceive her son naturally. She met with 8 doctors before finally finding a VBAM supportive provider and hospital at 32 weeks. After a successful ECV for a breech baby, she went on to have a hospital VBAM with an epidural at 9 cm at 40+1 weeks, welcoming her 3.9-kg son.Her second pregnancy came easily and felt very different. Mags prepped similarly with things like Chinese medicine and acupuncture, but leaned even more into holistic prep through breathwork, meditation, yoga, and doula support. Mags chose a hospital birth over a home birth and went on to have a euphoric, unmedicated vaginal water birth at 40+3 weeks, welcoming her 4.1-kg daughter.During her prep, Mags connected with Mabel and she hopes that her stories can bring the same inspiration that Mabel’s did for her. We are also posting a new blog all about VBAM in honor of Mags’ episode that you can find at www.thevbaclink.com/blog. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AOGS)PubMed StudyEuropean Journal of Obstetrics & GynecologyJournal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada JOGCScienceDirect ReviewEpisode 189 Mabel's VBAM (Vaginal Birth After Myomectomy)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

After an induction at 41+3 weeks turned emergency cesarean with her first and a second cesarean at 42 weeks due to failure to progress, Irene had an unmedicated VBA2C with full placenta previa pregnancy that resolved at 30 weeks!Irene started her VBA2C pregnancy journey at a new practice that was not VBAC supportive and told her to schedule a cesarean at her first 8-week appointment. She switched providers at 20 weeks and owes her successful unmedicated VBA2C to the many different people and routines she incorporated into her pregnancy. Irene shares allll of her prep details with us including prayer, meditation, zoning out to Pink Floyd, and how she created a special labor visualization ritual so that when it was time for the real thing, she was excited, ready, and so at peace. She says, “If providers aren't informing you about all the resources out there that you can utilize to prepare for your VBA2C, they're likely not going to be very supportive during your birth.”Keywords: VBAC, placenta previa, birth stories, maternal health, pregnancy, women's empowerment, childbirth education, supportive care, doula, prenatal preparation The VBAC Link Blog: VBA2C: The Facts and StatisticsThe VBAC Link Blog: 6 Ways to Physically Prep for VBACThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

We’re bringing you a bonus episode this week!!Your new hosts Lily and Paige sit down and turn the tables on each other with a fun game of 20 Questions. They share everything from their personal backgrounds to their favorite things, silly stories, and opening up about what led them to The VBAC Link and doula work.They also talk about their hopes for the future of the podcast and how much they’ve already loved working together. While change can feel big, they’re so grateful for this community and excited for what’s ahead. Most of all, Paige and Lily promise to keep showing up with heart and continuing to bring you the best education, support, and encouragement to help you feel empowered on your journey to a beautiful birth experience!And if you have more questions for either Lily or Paige, send us an email at info@thevbaclink.com.Episode 357 Paige's Maternal Assisted Cesarean in South KoreaEpisode 379 Lily Wyn's 66-Hour Redemptive Hospital Water Birth VBACThe Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands