The VBAC Hub Podcast

April Austin

The VBAC Hub Podcast is for anyone navigating birth after caesarean: parents, partners and birth workers. Hosted by April Austin, a doula, antenatal teacher with over a decade of experience, and the founder of The VBAC Hub. The podcast is part of our mission to bring evidence, compassion and rights informed conversation to a community often overlooked. We slow things down, share stories, explore research and open the space people rarely get in appointments.

Episodes

  1. 9 Feb

    S1 Ep6: Becca's Home Birth After Two Caesareans & Chat About VBAC Birth Culture

    In this episode, I’m joined by Becca, a VBAC doula and hypnobirthing teacher, who shares home/free birth after two caesareans. Becca share's her birth stories which include stays in NICU, gestational diabetes, GBS and navigating evidence, research and trusting her instincts. We also discuss Vaginal Births After Two Caesareans, VBAC birth culture and our thoughts as birth workers and parents who have navigated the system. This episode is honest, raw and if you are feeling reflected, can open you up to difficult but important discussions around the choices we make which shape our our birth stories. ✨ Connect with The VBAC Hub: Instagram: @thevbachub TikTok: @thevbachub 💛 The VBAC Hub is building evidence based resources, training, community spaces and conversations for people navigating birth after caesarean. Every listen and share helps us grow this work.

    S1 Ep6: Becca's Home Birth After Two Caesareans & Chat About VBAC Birth Culture

  2. 21/11/2025

    S1 Ep5: Free Birth Story with Rhiannon, a Midwife and Hypnobirthing Teacher

    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Rhiannon, a midwife and hypnobirthing teacher, who shares her freebirth after caesarean story. Rhiannon talks openly about the contrast between her work in the maternity system and the path she ultimately chose for her own birth. We explore the philosophy behind her decision, the difference between fear and intuition, navigating evidence gaps, and what it means to take responsibility for your birth experience when the system doesn’t always offer balanced or personalised care. This episode is thoughtful, honest and reflective - a story about autonomy, context and the many ways people find their way to birth after caesarean. Listen to Rhiannon’s original freebirth story ✨ Connect with The VBAC Hub: Instagram: @thevbachub TikTok: @thevbachub 💛 The VBAC Hub is building evidence based resources, training, community spaces and conversations for people navigating birth after caesarean. Every listen and share helps us grow this work.

    S1 Ep5: Free Birth Story with Rhiannon, a Midwife and Hypnobirthing Teacher

  3. 05/11/2025

    S1 E4: Lucy’s HBAC Story: Finding the Right Team, Trust, and Continuity

    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Lucy from New Beginnings, a hypnobirthing teacher and doula in training, who shares her beautiful home birth after caesarean (HBAC) story. Supported by an independent midwife, Lucy gave birth in water at home. A calm, connected experience that looked very different from her first birth. Her story is one of deep trust, personal growth, and the power of having the right team around you. We talk about the difference continuity of care can make, how individualised support changes everything, and what it really means to feel seen and held through birth. A grounded, joyful episode that celebrates autonomy, trust, and the quiet confidence that comes from being truly supported. Follow Lucy:📸 Instagram — @newbeginnings.hypnobirthing

    S1 E4: Lucy’s HBAC Story: Finding the Right Team, Trust, and Continuity

  4. 22/10/2025

    S1 Ep3: VBA3C Birth Story with Shannon Whitlock, a VBAC Doula at Moonstone Rose Birth

    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by VBAC doula Shannon Whitlock from Moonstone Rose Birth in Cambridgeshire, who shares her incredible VBA3C (vaginal birth after three caesareans) story. Shannon’s story is one of deep determination, radical self trust, and the courage to challenge a system that often underestimates what’s possible. She faced dismissive meetings with senior staff, coercive practice and the made her fight for every ounce of autonomy. This birth story about resilience, advocacy, and what it means to stand your ground in a system that too often forgets who it’s there to serve. ✨ Connect with Shannon:Website: www.moonstonerosebirth.comInstagram: @moonstonerosebirthTikTok: @wildhoodmotherhood ✨ Resources and Links: Read the latest National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (2025): https://maternityaudit.org.uk/Follow The VBAC Hub CIC on Instagram: @thevbachubFollow The VBAC Hub CIC on TikTok: @thevbachubSupport our work: Crowdfunder – Support The VBAC Hub CIC with start-up costs 💛 The VBAC Hub CIC is building evidence based resources, training, and community spaces for families and birth workers navigating VBAC and repeat caesarean birth. If you’d like to help us grow this work, through sharing, donating, or simply tuning in, thank you! Every listen, every share, every conversation helps shift the culture of birth, one story at a time.

    S1 Ep3: VBA3C Birth Story with Shannon Whitlock, a VBAC Doula at Moonstone Rose Birth

  5. 15/10/2025

    S1 Ep2: Gaby’s VBAC Waterbirth Story: The Power of Preparation and Trust

    This week on The VBAC Hub Podcast, April sits down with Gaby, also known as @pure.perinatal, to share her beautiful VBAC waterbirth story. After a previous caesarean, Gaby spent months preparing, asking questions, building her knowledge, and surrounding herself with the right support. Her birth unfolded calmly and smoothly in a hospital birth pool, showing what’s possible when trust and preparation come together. In this conversation, we unpack the power of information, continuity, and confidence in navigating VBAC within the maternity system, and how Gaby’s experience highlights the importance of evidence based preparation and supportive care. ✨ Listen if: You’re planning a VBAC or supporting someone who is.You want to hear what a calm, physiological hospital birth can look like.You’re curious about what kind of preparation really makes a difference. Connect with Gaby:Instagram: @pure.perinatal Connect with The VBAC Hub:Instagram & TikTok: @thevbachubCrowdfunder: Support The VBAC Hub CIC If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or tag us in your stories. Every listen helps this project grow and keeps balanced, evidence-based information on VBAC accessible to all. Produced by The VBAC Hub CIC.

    S1 Ep2: Gaby’s VBAC Waterbirth Story: The Power of Preparation and Trust

  6. 08/10/2025

    S1 Ep1: What are my chances of having a VBAC with founder April Austin

    This week’s episode with our founder April Austin looks at what the data actually says about your chances of having a VBAC. We unpack the latest findings from the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA 2025), to make sense of what that 14.2% VBAC rate really means in practice. These numbers are useful, but they don’t tell the whole story. They reflect a system, not a person. Your circumstances, your body, your care, your support all matter so much more than population data. In this episode, April explores what that national figure represents, how the VBAC rate has changed over time, and what we can take from it without getting lost in percentages. She also shares a few simple, evidence based ways to tilt the odds in your favour, including: Debriefing your previous birthFinding continuity of careBuilding your support network and alliesProtecting your physiologyResources mentioned: 📊 National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA 2025 – covers 2023 births):https://maternityaudit.org.uk/pages/reports 🩺 RCOG: Birth After Previous Caesarean Birth (Green-top Guideline No. 45, 2015)https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/birth-after-previous-caesarean-birth-green-top-guideline-no-45/ 📘 NICE Caesarean Birth Guideline (NG192, 2021):https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng192 Follow The VBAC Hub:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thevbachubTikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@thevbachub Support our Crowdfunder 💜We’ve launched a Crowdfunder to help get The VBAC Hub CIC off the ground, creating accessible, evidence-based, trauma-informed resources for people planning birth after caesarean. Your donations go directly towards:– Developing free VBAC information resources– Building our community platform– Funding our first education and support pilots Support or share here:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-the-vbac-hub-cic-with-start-up-costs-a-no

    S1 Ep1: What are my chances of having a VBAC with founder April Austin
  • 6 Episodes

About

The VBAC Hub Podcast is for anyone navigating birth after caesarean: parents, partners and birth workers. Hosted by April Austin, a doula, antenatal teacher with over a decade of experience, and the founder of The VBAC Hub. The podcast is part of our mission to bring evidence, compassion and rights informed conversation to a community often overlooked. We slow things down, share stories, explore research and open the space people rarely get in appointments.

Information

  • Creator
    April Austin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © April Austin
  • Show Website
    The VBAC Hub Podcast