Australian VBAC Stories Australian VBAC Stories

Welcome to Episode 19 of Australian VBAC Stories, and today we’re thrilled to be hearing from Jo who shares her journey to her 2VBA2Cs! That’s two vaginal births after two caesareans. You already know this is going to be a good one. 

Jo experienced the very classic cascade of intervention in her first pregnancy and birth journey, and found herself with a caesarean that was unexpected and traumatic. While she scrambled to figure out how to take care of her baby and what she was meant to do with her, she was told off by staff at the hospital for things beyond her knowledge or control as a first time mum, and overall had a rocky start to feeding and motherhood.

She planned a VBAC with her second baby, but despite doing some incredible work in her labour reaching almost fully dilated, she developed an infection and was immediately taken for a caesarean to birth her baby. Despite a much calmer and more positive caesarean experience, and easier breastfeeding journey, Jo’s recovery was far more challenging while she now balanced her surgical recovery with caring for a newborn and a toddler. 

Her third baby was born during covid, and Jo found some key players at the hospital who supported her goal of a VBA2C, despite the overwhelming negativity and naysaying from hospital obstetricians in particular. She laboured beautifully, and achieved her VBA2C with the assistance of forceps, and was over the moon. Her recovery was tougher than she expected with an episiotomy also involved, but she felt physically better far quicker than with her caesarean recoveries, and emotionally and mentally felt significantly better. 

She was then blessed with a surprise fourth baby, and thought having a 2VBA2C would be a much more straightforward and supported journey, given she had now done this once already. Unfortunately, she experienced just as much push back and even coercion from the hospital. She stayed firm, and did a huge amount of mental preparation as well as physical, and ultimately pushed her beautiful boy and pulled him up to her chest from standing next to the bed in the hospital. 

We know you will all benefit so greatly from Jo’s stories, and how she advocated for herself in the face of so much negativity. We hope you enjoy learning from her incredible birth experiences!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Welcome to Episode 18 of the Australian VBAC Stories Podcast!

Today we are delighted to have Imogen on the podcast sharing her somewhat unusual journey to VBAC with us.

Imogen's first pregnancy was a beautiful surprise, but before she could really come to terms with it, sadly, she lost that baby at 7 weeks. However, this experienced had opened up her heart to the idea of having a baby, and her and her partner Courtney started trying to fall pregnant again.

Imogen was very motivated to have a natural birth, and ended up at a private midwife information night where she was quickly sold on the idea of a PPM and a homebirth that the immediately booked in for. As her pregnancy progressed beyond 40, and then 41 weeks, nerves kicked in from all sides as she faced needing to transfer into hospital if she passed 42 weeks gestation in her corner of the world.

After a couple of stretch and sweeps, she did begin contracting just ahead of the deadline, and a long and challenging labour began. Imogen shares her experience of labouring at home and knowing things weren't happening as they should, and before long, being transferred into hospital.

A classic cascade of interventions occurred once in hospital, and she eventually found herself labelled "failure to progress" and being wheeled into an emergency caesarean. She talks us through the delay she found in bonding with her baby, and her chaotic experience of postpartum including moving house multiple times.

When she was ready to have another baby, Imogen knew she wanted a VBAC, and she decided to try a different model of care and booked in under the public hospital.

This birth involved a similarly long and challenging labour, and Imogen expresses how important her support team was in holding her through those crises of confidence along the way, including the beautiful hospital midwives who she met at arrival to the hospital who really advocated for her to get the birth she wanted.

We hope you are inspired by Imogen's tenacity and strength as much as we were, and that you can take away some incredible inspiration for her story!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!
If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:
PANDA https://panda.org.au/
Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/
COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/
If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:
Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/
Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/
Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this episode we have Nadia, an incredible mama of two, sharing her caesarean and VBAC journeys. Her stories are rich with reflection, exploring her first birth journey involving a baby with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) and sudden induction leading to a caesarean, and her following, empowering VBAC with the support of her husband, doula and a private OB.



Nadia beautifully shares her thought processes and reasoning throughout these journeys with such wisdom, including her struggles with breastfeeding and perinatal anxiety and how she worked through these experiences. We are sure you will love hearing her incredible birth stories. We are so excited to share it with you and would love to hear your thoughts!



Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠

COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Australian VBAC Stories Podcast!

Today, on the International Day of the Midwife (5th May), we are so excited to be sharing Kim's incredible birth stories! Kim shares her inspiring and awesome journey to a VBA3C, including 3 public hospital caesarean births and then a VBA3C with a private midwife.

Kim's first pregnancy resulted in a little girl born via caesarean due to high blood pressure and breech positioning at her local, low-risk public hospital. While Kim wasn't thrilled at the prospect of birthing via caesarean she describes that she had a positive caesarean experience, but also that her partner (Nick) struggled with this birth given it was unexpected and he hadn't experienced theatre previously. Kim describes her breastfeeding journey and the sudden conception of her next two babies within a year of birth each time. Given the local public hospital didn't support VBAC she prepared herself for a repeat caesarean each time, though she did ask about VBAC not only at her local hospital, but further afield as well.

A little over a year after her 3rd baby's birth, which was another caesarean, Kim found out she was pregnant again! In the interim she had spoken with a private midwife and this time she knew she was going to plan a VBAC! She contacted the private midwife, Ashlee Anslow, who had admitting rights at a hospital about 2 hours away and she prepared for her VBA3C.

Kim's story is rich with information and inspiration, guiding women towards trusting their innate knowledge and intuition. It not only talks about her incredible VBA3C but also about her caesarean experiences, pelvic floor and core rehabilitation, navigating breastfeeding struggles, having small age gaps between children, relationship changes and dynamics with multiple babies and the fragmented hospital system. Kim describes navigating all of these hurdles in an empowered and conscious way, finally celebrating the triumph of birthing her baby into her arms, in the water, after having not experienced a single contraction during any birth prior.

We know you'll be so inspired by Kim's powerful story and can take so much hope, information and encouragement from her sharing. Thank you, Kim!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!
If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:
PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠
Gidget Foundation ⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠
COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠
If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:
Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠
Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠
Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In honour of Caesarean Awareness Month this April, we are bringing you some incredible stories from women whose VBAC journeys resulted in repeat caesarean sections.



Today, on her birthing day, we are so excited to share Emma's incredible birth stories! Emma journeyed through a planned caesarean for her twin babies' births, where the presenting twin was breech, through the public hospital system. During this pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey she experienced fragmented care, a term pregnancy with twins, a planned caesarean, the special care nursery, breastfeeding difficulties and postnatal depletion.



Emma went on to plan a homebirth with a private midwife, Teena Welsh, and her doula (our co-host Aimee). She describes the challenges of getting beyond 42 weeks when all of her homebirth plans changed, and she agreed to an induction which ultimately failed and resulted in a repeat caesarean. Emma shares her breastfeeding experiences, how she avoided postnatal depletion the second time around, and what it felt like transitioning from a family of 4 to a family of 5.



Emma shares her birth journeys with us complete with such beautiful insights into her decision making processes and feelings throughout the journey. She describes how different the care of her team was in each birth journey and beautifully highlights the benefits of having both private midwifery and doula support, especially in the hospital setting.



We know you'll find this episode incredibly inspiring and insightful, and are sure you'll learn so much from the wisdom Emma so willingly shares.



Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠

COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In honour of Caesarean Awareness Month this April, we are bringing you some incredible stories from women whose VBAC journeys resulted in repeat caesarean sections.



Today, we are thrilled to share Helen's incredible journey from a failed induction after suspected preeclampsia under fragmented care in the public hospital system where she was bounced around between a couple of hospitals and really suffered from a lack of continuity and of not being known at all to any care provider she met along the way.



Her first caesarean also meant a separation from her baby Theo, who was fed formula before she had a chance to latch him, and they continued to experience significant breast refusal from then on, meaning Helen's breastfeeding journey with Theo was not at all as she desired.



Helen knew she wanted a very different experience with the birth of her second child, Hannah, and had done her own research which led her to plan a HBAC under the care of a privately practicing midwife. She was supported to wait for spontaneous labour, and had a long but lovely labour at home before a few indications that something wasn't quite right led them to transfer into hospital.



Another long while later in hospital, Helen eventually decided to accept a repeat caesarean, and it was in the theatre that her baby's shoulder was discovered to have pushed through a rupture in her uterine scar from her first caesarean.



Helen describes the difference in these two experiences of caesareans in such a beautiful expression of just how crucial continuity of carer can be.



We hope that you will find this an inspiring and wonderfully educating episode, learning from Helen's wisdom and eloquent discussion around comparing her care models and treatment within the hospital during her two births.



Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.