Episode 306 Kelsey's Birth Center VBAC + Talk About Forceps The VBAC Link

Our friend, Kelsey, shares with us today what giving birth is like in Canada. From moving and traveling between provinces, Kelsey had experienced different models of care and when it came time to prepare for her VBAC, she was very proactive about choosing a birth environment where she felt safest. 

From a scary Cesarean under general anesthesia to an empowering unmedicated VBAC in a birth center, Kelsey’s journey is entertaining, beautiful, and powerful. We love hearing the unique details of her story including giving birth at the same time as her doula just in the next room over! 

The personalized care she was given during her VBAC is so endearing and heartwarming. As her husband mentioned, it should be the gold standard of care and we agree! 

The VBAC Link Blog: Assisted Delivery
Fetal Tachycardia in the Delivery Room
Is There Still a Place for Forceps in Modern Obstetrics?
Forceps Delivery Complications
Needed Website
How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents
Full Transcript under Episode Details 

07:36 Review of the Week
09:27 Kelsey’s stories
11:47 Logistics of giving birth in Canada
14:38 A normal pregnancy
17:50 Arriving at the hospital
21:37 Stalling at 7 centimeters
26:22 Asynclitic and OP positioning
29:31 Kelsey’s Cesarean under general anesthesia
34:50 Second pregnancy and VBAC prep
41:07 Switching to midwives
46:14 Beginning of labor
51:07 Driving to the birth center
54:49 Pushing baby out in two pushes
1:00:24 Differences in care
1:02:11 Enterovirus
1:08:02 Risk factors for forceps and vacuum deliveries


Meagan: Hello, Women of Strength. We have our friend, Kelsey, from Canada. Is that correct? 

Kelsey: Yes. Yeah. 

Meagan: She’s sharing her story with you guys today. Something about her first story of her C-section that stood out to me was that she had a forceps attempt that didn’t work out. Sometimes that happens. I want to talk a little bit about forceps here in just a minute before we get into her story. Kelsey, I wanted to ask you that this is something that in our doula practice we will ask our clients. If it comes down to an assisted birth with forceps or a vacuum, what would you prefer? It’s a weird thing because you’re like, Well, I’m not planning on that, but a lot of people actually answer, “I would rather not do those and go straight to a C-section.” Some people are like, “I would rather do every last-ditch effort before I go to a C-section.” 

Did you ever think about that before? Had it ever been discussed before as their style? That’s another thing. Some providers are really vacuum-happy. Some are really forceps-happy. I know it’s a random question, but I was just wondering, had you ever thought of that before going into birth? 

Kelsey: So no. I didn’t think about whether I wanted a C-section or a forceps delivery. However, I was really staunchly against having a C-section. That was primarily nothing against it, it was just that I have a really huge fear of awake surgery so with my forceps attempt, the OB who was there because it wasn’t my provider. That’s not the way Canada works. The OB who was there who was called in said, “Are you sure you want to do forceps? You could tear.” 

I told her, “I would rather tear than have a C-section.” That was just a personal preference for me because I was so terrified of having a C-section. 

Meagan: Yeah. I think that is very common and very valid to be like, “No, I would rather try this.” 

Kelsey: Yeah. 

Meagan: So I did. I wanted to go over just a little bit. I mean, I have seen a couple of forceps and they are not happening as often these days, but there was an article that said, “Is there still a place for forceps delivery in modern obstetrics?” I’m trying to say obstetricians and obstetrics. We’re just going to stop. 

Kelsey: We know what you mean. 

Meagan: You know what I mean. There was an article and I was like, That’s a really good question, because I think a