The VBAC Link

Lily Wyn & Paige Lloyd
  • 5.0 (14)
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Here at The VBAC Link, our mission is to make birth after cesarean better by providing education, support, and a community of like-minded people. Welcome to our circle, we are so glad you are here!

  1. L&D Nurse Jen Hamilton + VBAC Vibes

    2 DAYS AGO

    L&D Nurse Jen Hamilton + VBAC Vibes

    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 experience Keywords: 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 vbac Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth Jen's Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack, Website Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    1hr 6min
  2. Episode 455 Tatiana Returns + HBA2C aka HOTEL Birth After Two Cesareans

    6 MAY

    Episode 455 Tatiana Returns + HBA2C aka HOTEL Birth After Two Cesareans

    Tatiana is back with her second VBA2C story!! She first joined us on Episode 107 in 2020 where she dove into all the details around her first two C-sections and her first VBA2C. It was a planned HBAC turned hospital delivery with a supportive OB, but her heart still craved the home birth experience. In this episode, she returns with a full-circle update on the birth of her fourth sweet boy.  Her fourth birth was the HBA2C she was hoping for, aka a hotel birth after two cesareans with a midwife she deeply trusted. If you’re scratching your head wondering about these logistics, don’t worry! Tatiana shares it ALL.  We dive into a critical conversation around access. Many providers and hospitals still restrict VBA2C, and it is especially difficult to find support for an out-of-hospital VBA2C. Tatiana shares why expanding midwifery care matters, how pelvic floor therapy during pregnancy can support better outcomes, and why finding a provider you trust (no matter the distance) can make all the difference. Keywords: VBAC, VBA2C, HBA2C, hotel birth, out-of-hospital birth, cesarean, prior vaginal birth, VBAC after two cesareans, birth access, midwifery care, pelvic floor therapy, provider support, informed consent Episode 107 Tatiana’s VBA2C  NYT Article on Continuous Fetal Monitoring The VBAC Link Blog: The 5 Most Common Reasons for C-section The VBAC Link Blog: How to Navigate VBAC Hospital Policies Needed Website: Code VBAC for 20% Off The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    51 min
  3. Episode 454 Certified Nurse Midwife Paige Boran + All About Fetal Monitoring

    29 APR

    Episode 454 Certified Nurse Midwife Paige Boran + All About Fetal Monitoring

    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 monitoring And 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 Monitoring NYT Article on Continuous Fetal Monitoring The VBAC Link Blog: The 5 Most Common Reasons for C-section The VBAC Link Blog: How to Navigate VBAC Hospital Policies Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    1hr 7min
  4. Episode 453 Catherine's HBAC, CBAC, & Surprise Breech VBA2C in the OR

    22 APR

    Episode 453 Catherine's HBAC, CBAC, & Surprise Breech VBA2C in the OR

    We’re so excited to bring you another episode in our Cesarean Awareness Month series! This one was highly requested in our VBAC Link Facebook Community and we can’t wait for you to hear Catherine’s stories. Today’s topic is all about BREECH, one of the most common reasons for cesareans. Catherine, a mom of four with a bicornuate uterus, shares her four births: a scheduled breech cesarean, a precipitous head-down HBAC, a breech CBAC, and a planned breech HBA2C that ended in a hospital transfer for a CBA2C but with a surprise breech VBA2C on the OR table! Catherine opens up about how communication can shape a birth experience just as much as the outcome, and how even intended healing experiences can have traumatic pieces to them. She shares her passion for informed breech birth, patient advocacy, consent, midwifery care, and navigating both in-hospital and out-of-hospitalbirth settings, along with the importance of emotional processing and support. Her message is a strong reminder not to settle, Women of Strength! When you understand your options, trust your body, and advocate for the care you deserve, you can move through birth feeling informed and empowered, even when things don’t go as planned. Breech Without Borders The VBAC Link Blog: The 5 Most Common Reasons for C-section The VBAC Link Blog: ECV and VBAC Needed Website: Code VBAC for 20% Off The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    46 min
  5. Episode 452 MAC Pioneer Dr. Koen Deurloo + Maternal Assisted Cesareans

    15 APR

    Episode 452 MAC Pioneer Dr. Koen Deurloo + Maternal Assisted Cesareans

    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 Deurloo MACAZINE Paige’s Maternal Assisted Cesarean Story Needed Website: Code VBAC for 20% Off The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    59 min
  6. Episode 451 Erin’s Twin VBAC + Cholestasis

    8 APR

    Episode 451 Erin’s Twin VBAC + Cholestasis

    Is it possible to have a VBAC with multiples? YES. In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month, Erin, a registered dietitian and mom of four (under 5!), shares her journey through cesarean, VBAC, miscarriage, and a twin VBAC. She opens up about navigating postpartum anxiety, benefiting from medication, and how her hard work and growth helped her have a different mindset when a lot of similar things happened in subsequent births.  Erin’s first birth was a cesarean during COVID due to fetal heart decels, her second was a healing VBAC and her third and fourth births were an induced twin VBAC for cholestasis. Her stories touch on miscarriage, close pregnancy intervals, di-di twin pregnancy, provider support, membrane sweeps, epidural and Pitocin.  She also shares the realities of postpartum recovery, breastfeeding with a nipple shield, and facing a neonatal emergency when one of her twins required surgery at just three weeks old. Erin’s big VBAC tips are to have birth preferences instead of rigid plans while holding strong to your boundaries, find care that is individualized to your unique circumstances, and lean into positive affirmations.  Connect with her on Instagram @the.dietitian.mama or at morningbirdnutrition.com. VBAC Certified Doula Finder The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    59 min
  7. Episode 450 Midwife Katie's Birth Center VBAC + Shoulder Dystocia HBAC & BIG Baby + Cesarean Awareness Month

    1 APR

    Episode 450 Midwife Katie's Birth Center VBAC + Shoulder Dystocia HBAC & BIG Baby + Cesarean Awareness Month

    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 tones And 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 Finder The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    1hr 3min
  8. Episode 449 NICU Nurse Rachel's VBAC Story + Personal & Secondhand Trauma

    25 MAR

    Episode 449 NICU Nurse Rachel's VBAC Story + Personal & Secondhand Trauma

    Rachel, a VBAC mom, NICU nurse, researcher, and soon to be women’s health NP, shares her healing VBAC journey with us today. Her first birth started as an induction and quickly turned into an urgent cesarean. She experienced a failed spinal, aggression from providers, and general anesthesia.  Rachel talks about some tough things she’s seen as a NICU nurse and how trauma can show up secondhand. She shares why it’s so important to process those experiences, and how she uses them to be a more compassionate caregiver. We also talk about what it means to truly be informed during birth. It matters so much to be humanized in those moments, to be talked to and included in decisions as they’re happening instead of being told after the fact. As she prepared for her VBAC, Rachel focused on evidence based care, setting clear boundaries, and building a supportive team around her. We talk about how physiological birth can still be supported in a hospital setting, practical prep like the role of Webster certified chiropractic care, and why partners need time and space to process birth too. Rachel also shares what it was like to have the same doula for both her cesarean and her VBAC and how that support made a difference, not just during birth but in processing everything afterward. Her story is such a good reminder that healing is possible, support matters, and you deserve to feel seen, heard, and respected every step of the way. Keywords: VBAC after traumatic C-section, NICU nurse VBAC story, informed consent VBAC Certified Doula Finder The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List The Evidence on Dates The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents Online VBAC Doula Training Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

    1hr 12min
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Here at The VBAC Link, our mission is to make birth after cesarean better by providing education, support, and a community of like-minded people. Welcome to our circle, we are so glad you are here!

Information

  • Creator
    Lily Wyn & Paige Lloyd
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    462
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The VBAC Link

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