The VBAC Link

Meagan Heaton
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The VBAC Link

Join us as we share VBAC birth stories to educate and inspire! We are a team of expert doulas trained in supporting VBAC, have had VBAC's of our own, and work extensively with VBAC women and their providers. We are here to provide detailed VBAC and Cesarean prevention stories and facts in a simple, consolidated format. When we were moms preparing to VBAC, it was stories and information like we will be sharing in this podcast that helped fine tune our intuition and build confidence in our birth preparation. We hope this does the same for you! The purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform- it is not to replace advice from any qualified medical professional.

  1. Episode 354 Meagan & Julie + Hospital Policies Surrounding VBAC

    -4 J

    Episode 354 Meagan & Julie + Hospital Policies Surrounding VBAC

    “Hospital Policy means the principles, rules, and guidelines adopted by the Hospital, which may be amended, changed, or superseded from time to time.” Julie and Meagan break down hospital policies today, especially common ones you’ll hear when it comes to VBAC. They chat all about VBAC agreement forms and policies surrounding continuous fetal monitoring, induction, and epidurals.  Women of Strength, hospital policies are not law. They vary drastically from hospital to hospital. Some are evidence-based. Some are convenience-based. Do your research now to make sure you are not surprised by policies you are not comfortable with during labor! Defining Hospital Policy Birth Rights Article Needed Website How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Welcome, everybody. We are going to be talking about policies today. What do they mean? Why are they created? And when do we have the right to say no or do we have the right to say no? And I have Julie discussing this with me today. Hey.  Julie: You know I’m a policy fighter.  Meagan: Yes, we do. We do. The longer I have gone– in the beginning, I was not a policy fighter. I really wasn’t. I was a go-with-the-flow, sure, okay, let’s do it, you know best. That’s really how I was.  Julie: A lot of people are.  Meagan: That’s true. I think a lot of the time, it’s because we don’t know what our options are. We just don’t know, so I’m really excited to get into this with you today.  I always love it because we kind of get into this spicy mood sometimes when we have topics like this that we are very passionate about. We are going to be talking about policies today. I do have a Review of the Week, and this is actually a very recent review which is so fun. We just posted on our social media for Google reviews. We were specifically looking for Google reviews and podcast reviews.  These are so, so important for us but also for other people to find this platform. We want people to hear these stories. We want people to feel inspired and get educated and know their rights. Your reviews truly do matter, so if you have not yet, please, please, please do so. You can leave a review on your podcast platform, or you can go over to Google and just type in “The VBAC Link”, and then you can type in a review there.  This reviewer is by Savannah, and she says, “I started listening to The VBAC Link Podcast around 16 weeks pregnant and continued throughout y pregnancy. It was so good and encouraging for me as a mama who was preparing for my VBAC. It helped me gain confidence, helped me know what to look for, and what to watch out for in my providers. Hearing others’ stories was so encouraging and helped me gain so much knowledge. I had my hospital VBAC unmedicated with my 8-pound, 15-ounce baby.” You guys, 8-pound, 15-ounce baby is a perfect-sized baby let me just say.  “And I know that the knowledge I gained from this podcast played a huge role in being able to advocate for myself to get my birth outcome.” Huge congrats, Savannah, on your beautiful VBAC for your perfect-sized baby. I say that because you guys, let’s get rid of the “big baby” term. Let’s just title these babies as perfect-sized because an 8-pound, 15-ounce baby for some providers may be categorized as larger or maybe even macrosomic.  it’s really important to know that your baby is the perfect size and your pelvis is amazing. You can do it just like our reviewer, Savannah.  Julie: Your pelvis is amazing.  Meagan: Seriously. All right, you cutie. Look at you. Did you just get a haircut, by the way? Julie: I did, yesterday. It’s a little short. We did some color. It’s a little smidgey shorter, but then I think I wanted it to still go in a low ponytail for births. That was my goal.  Meagan: I’m totally digging it.  Julie: Thank you. Meagan: I should be having fresh hair, but my cute hair lady bailed on me th

    52 min
  2. Episode 353 Ashley's Premature VBAC After Possible Placental Abruption + Advice From a NICU Mom

    -6 J

    Episode 353 Ashley's Premature VBAC After Possible Placental Abruption + Advice From a NICU Mom

    “Getting that VBAC meant everything to me. It helped so much with the trauma of it all.” At 36 weeks along with her first, Ashley started to have intense carpal tunnel pain. At 38 weeks, it was unbearable. Her provider said that delivery would be the only way to find relief and recommended a 39-week induction.  Ashley had a difficult labor and pushing experience. Her provider recommended a C-section due to a cervical lip and no progress after just an hour and a half. Ashley consented and felt defeated. She started her VBAC prep the day she got home from the hospital.  At 29 weeks with her second, Ashley had plans for a beautiful trip to Saint Thomas with her husband and toddler. She began contracting the night before her flight but didn’t think much of it and made it to their gate– while still contracting. As the plane was boarding, she passed a blood clot in the airport. She knew she needed to go to the hospital.  In spite of many interventions trying to stop labor, Ashley birthed her baby via VBAC just hours later. She later learned that she had a possible placental abruption that wasn’t detected until her doctor examined her placenta after delivery.  Though Ashley’s postpartum experience was tough balancing life with a newborn in the NICU for 8 weeks while having a toddler at home, the victory of having a VBAC carried her through.  The power of a positive birth experience is real and worth fighting for! Pregnancy-Related Carpal Tunnel Article How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello, Women of Strength. It is Meagan with my friend, Ashley. Hello, Ashley.  Ashley: Hi.  Meagan: How are you today?  Ashley: I am good. How are you doing? Meagan: I am doing great. I’m loving all of the stories we are recording and so excited to hear yours. You have a more unique VBAC in the sense that it was a very premature VBAC.  Ashley: Mhmm, yep.  Meagan: Yes. We are going to talk a little bit more about that. You’re going to share information for NICU moms because your baby did go to the NICU. You are a mom of two and a children’s therapist. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do for work?  Ashley: Yeah. I work with kids ages 4-18. Right now, I’m Telehealth only. I actually work in Tooele, Utah, but I live in North Carolina. Everything is Telehealth. It happened with COVID. I was out there during COVID. We moved and continued to do Telehealth since I’ve moved. I really only see 10 and up at this point. Yeah. I see a lot of teenagers all through Telehealth and it’s really wonderful that I get to keep that up.  Meagan: That’s so awesome. That’s awesome that you got to keep doing it, and that you are serving our children. I’m sure that you have lots to say about our children and their mental health that is going on out there, but there is a lot. It is a lot of these kiddos of ours.  Ashley: Absolutely, yeah. It’s hard and challenging, but it’s also really wonderful and rewarding. I love that I get to do it.  Meagan: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for all of your hard work out there.  Ashley: Yeah, absolutely.  Meagan: We do have a Review of the Week, so I want to get into that, then I really want to turn the time over to share both of these journeys.  This review is from Sienna. It says, “After having a very hard conversation with my OB where I learned she was in fact not VBAC tolerant or friendly, I texted my best friend through tears pouring down my face and she immediately sent me a text back with The VBAC Link Podcast. Ever since, I have been listening to every episode of the podcast. It is so beyond helpful and inspiring for anyone preparing for a VBAC. I’m due at the September, and have made the goal to listen to every single episode before then. I can’t say enough for what Meagan and Julie are doing for women like me. I can’t wait to rock my VBAC.”  Oh, I love that review. Thank

    58 min
  3. Episode 352 Anni's VBAC at a Military Hospital + Navigating Pregnancy & Birth as a Servicemember or Military Spouse

    13 NOV.

    Episode 352 Anni's VBAC at a Military Hospital + Navigating Pregnancy & Birth as a Servicemember or Military Spouse

    Anni is a mom of two young girls living in Okinawa, Japan where her husband is stationed with the Marine Corps. In addition to her work as a non-profit grant writer, she volunteers with the Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum Coalition and hosts their podcast, Military Birth Talk.  A big challenge for military parents is creating care plans for older children during birth. They often live far away from family or have recently moved and don’t have a village yet. Anni’s care plan was shaken up as her induction kept getting pushed back and conflicted with her family’s travels. Though her plans changed, Anni was able to go into spontaneous labor and avoid the induction she didn’t really want! Her VBAC was powerful and all went smoothly. She was amazed at the difference in her recovery.  Another fun part of Anni’s episode– she connected and met up with two other VBAC mamas living in Okinawa through our VBAC Link Facebook Community! We love hearing how TVL has helped you build virtual and in-person villages.  Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum Coalition How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello, everybody. You are listening to The VBAC Link, and I am with my friend, Anni, today sharing her stories. Anni is one of our military mamas. This is the final episode of the week of military episodes. So even though it is a little bit after Veteran’s Day, that’s okay. We are celebrating our military mamas today.  Welcome to the show, Anni.  Anni: Thank you so much. I’m so excited to be here this week.  Meagan: Me too. I also can’t believe that you are here right now. We were just chatting before the podcast about time. You guys, it is 4:50 AM where she is at. I just can’t even believe it. You’re in Japan.  Anni: Yeah. We live in Okinawa, so I’ve got to do stuff at weird times if I want to stay in touch with anybody in the States. It’s the military thing.  Meagan: Oh my goodness. Yes. She is in Japan. She is a mom of two young girls and like she said, she is living in Okinawa, Japan where her husband is stationed with the Marine Corps. Her personal values are community, joy, purpose, and creativity which all drive how she spends her time. In addition to her work as a non-profit grant writer, she also volunteers with the Military Birth Resource Network and hosts their podcast, Military Birth Talk.  So mamas, if you are a military mom, and I’m sure a lot of people are flocking to these episodes this week, go listen to Military Birth Talk. Can you tell us a little bit more about Military Birth Talk?  Anni: Yeah. So as you said, it’s a part of the non-profit Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum Coalition, so MBRNPC for short. That’s an organization that provides resources for military families who are in the perinatal stage of life, so if you’ve just moved to a new duty station and you’re like, “Oh, I need a doula who’s covered by Tricare,” you can go to their website and reach out to one of their chapter leaders. They provide that kind of resource. Also, there is sort of an advocacy wing of the organization that works on policy changes impacting military families.  This is our podcast, Military Birth Talk. Right now, we’re featuring mostly just military birth stories, but we’re in our third season and this season, we’re going to be adding some additional episodes like policy conversations, interviews with experts, and that kind of thing.  So, as you said, if you’re a military-affiliated person listening and you want to hear some firsthand accounts of what it’s like to give birth within the military healthcare system, we’d love for you to tune in.  Meagan: I love it. Thank you so much for doing that and explaining more.  Anni: Yeah.  Meagan: I just can’t wait for you to share your stories. I do have a Review of the Week, and then we’ll jump right in.  Today

    51 min
  4. Episode 351 Nicole's Precipitous VBAC with a Nuchal Hand After Moving Overseas

    11 NOV.

    Episode 351 Nicole's Precipitous VBAC with a Nuchal Hand After Moving Overseas

    Nicole is a military spouse who had her VBAC in England. She shares what it was like to unexpectedly move overseas during pregnancy, how she navigated not receiving her household goods in time, and how she made the choice to deliver on base versus off.  Nicole’s first birth was a Cesarean during the height of COVID. During pushing, she was required to pause, take a COVID test, and wait an hour for the results or risk being separated from her baby after birth. Labor had gone smoothly up until that point, and Nicole knew something had changed after the pause. Things felt different, progress stalled, and ultimately Nicole consented to the Cesarean.  Her VBAC was a surprisingly wild precipitous birth with only 2 hours between her first contraction and pushing the baby out! Meagan and Nicole discuss the unique challenges of precipitous births and how important it is to hold space for every birth experience.  Needed Website How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello. Welcome to The VBAC Link. Today is Veteran’s Day. If you are just joining us this month for the very first time, then welcome to your first specialized episode week. I don’t even know what to call it. What would you call this, Nicole? I don’t even know.  Nicole: A one-of-a-kind situation.  Meagan: Last month in October, we had Midwifery Week and now we have Veterans. Nicole is the wife of a Servicemember and she definitely and experience that I think a lot of military members and moms experience and people don’t think about it. I don’t think about that. When I was having my baby, it was like, Which hospital should I go to? There are 10-15 right around me.  Then you’re like, “Oh, hey. I’m pregnant and now I’m moving overseas.” You know? I think it’s something that we just don’t think about. It’s fun to have it be Veteran’s Day and to have a Servicemember’s wife sharing your story today. We might even talk a little bit about navigating the military healthcare system and what choices you made. We learned a little bit about that before we started recording.  We’ve got her amazing story today. Where are you right now? Nicole: I’m in England right now.  Meagan: You are in England, okay. And that’s where you had your baby.  Nicole: Yes.  Meagan: Awesome. So England mamas, definitely listen up for sure. All mamas, really. We do have a Review of the Week so I’m going to get into that then we’ll start with your first story. This is from Roxyrutt and it says, “Inspiring”. It says, “Listening to these podcasts has been truly inspiring and I have been on my own hopeful VBAC journey. Listening to other stories has been incredibly helpful in my mental preparation.”  We were just talking about that before we started recording as well just how impactful these stories can be for anyone but especially during your VBAC journey.  It says, “My due date is April 17th this month–” so this is obviously a little while ago. It says, “I’m hoping to have my own VBAC story to share. Thank you all for what you do.” Thank you so much, Roxyrutt, for sharing your review.  As always, we love your reviews. You can email them to us at info@thevbaclink.com or you can comment “Review” on your podcast. I think it’s on Apple Podcasts, Spotify– I don’t know if Google allows reviews. You might just have to do a rating. But wherever you listen to your podcasts, if you can leave a review, please do so.  Okay, Nicole. Let’s get going on your stories. I seriously thank you so much for joining me today.  Nicole: Oh, thank you so much for having me. Like we mentioned before we started recording, this podcast has been extremely inspirational to me and it really led me to having the VBAC of my dreams.  Meagan: And you had a precipitous VBAC, right? Did you have a pretty precipitous VBAC if I’m remembering right? It was 2 hours or something? Nicole:

    47 min
  5. Episode 350 Wyn's VBAC with a Unicornuate Uterus + Follow Your Intuition

    6 NOV.

    Episode 350 Wyn's VBAC with a Unicornuate Uterus + Follow Your Intuition

    After having an HSG (hysterosalpingogram) due to infertility, Wyn was diagnosed with having a left-sided unicornuate uterus. A unicornuate uterus is a rare condition in which the uterus is smaller than normal and only has one fallopian tube. Common complications from a unicornuate uterus include infertility, IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction), and preterm labor.  Wyn had two unsuccessful IVF treatments followed by two miraculous natural pregnancies! Her first pregnancy ended in an unexpected Cesarean due to a fever and tachycardia in her baby. Her placenta was difficult to remove during the surgery and she was told she had placenta accreta. The OB who performed her surgery also said she had “very interesting reproductive anatomy”. Wyn deeply longed for the opportunity to try for a VBAC and experience physiological birth. Her original midwife supported her decision to VBAC and Wyn made sure to prepare physically and emotionally. At 41 weeks and 1 day, she went into spontaneous labor, declined cervical checks and other interventions she wasn’t comfortable with, consented to the things she felt good about, and pushed her baby out soon after arriving at the hospital.  Wyn also shares her experience with taking Needed products during her pregnancy and postpartum period this time around. Her strongest advice for other women preparing for VBAC is to find a supportive team and really listen to what your intuition is telling you to do.  Needed Website How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello, everybody. Welcome to the show. We have our friend, Wyn, from Alaska with us today. She’s going to be sharing her VBAC story and Wyn has a pretty unique– and maybe Wyn, you can tell me more. Maybe it’s not as unique as it feels but a pretty unique situation where you had a diagnosis of a unicornuate uterus. Tell us a little bit more about that. I feel like we hear some uterine abnormalities. I’m quoting it where it’s bicornuate and all of these different things and people say, “Oh, you can’t have a vaginal delivery with this type of uterus or this shape of uterus,” but tell us more about what it means for you and what it meant for you back then.  Wyn: Yeah, so they found it through an HSG test where they shoot dye up through your uterus and through your fallopian tubes. Basically, just one-half of my uterus formed. I guess when the uterus is forming, it’s two tubes that connect and open up so just the one half formed so I have a left-sided with a left fallopian tube. I have both ovaries so you can still conceive but there are less chances because you have just one side.  Then once you get pregnant, there are higher chances of miscarriages because the blood flow is less. Intrauterine growth restriction and preterm labor are common and then a lot of time, the breech position is common as well.  Meagan: With this one, you did experience IVF as well, right?  Wyn: Yep.  Meagan: Yeah, we’ll have to hear more about that too because there are a lot of people who are getting pregnant via IVF which is amazing but there are some things that come with IVF as well. So we want to talk a little bit more about that before we get too deep into things. I do want to do a Review of the Week, then we’ll let Wyn start sharing away.  This review is from I think it’s Amir, I think. It says, “This podcast was my constant source of reassurance and inspiring stories throughout my last two pregnancies. I achieved my VBAC in 2021 and was so empowered with so much knowledge and mental strength going into this birth because of The VBAC Link. I had my second section in 2022 which was not what I wished for but I do plan on having more children and know that VBA2C (vaginal birth after two Cesareans) is a possibility for me because of this podcast. I continue to listen to your inspiring stories each time I hop in the car and I’m so grateful for all that you sh

    30 min
  6. Episode 349 Prepping for a VBAC? How to Obtain Your OP Reports with Meagan

    4 NOV.

    Episode 349 Prepping for a VBAC? How to Obtain Your OP Reports with Meagan

    Meagan records a short and sweet episode for you today talking all about OP reports. What are they and why do you need them for your VBAC prep? How do you request them?  If you have a hard time interpreting your OP reports, try reaching out to your provider for clarification. You can also send us an email at info@thevbaclink.com where you can schedule a one-on-one consultation with Meagan for extra help and encouragement! How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello, everyone. It is Meagan today. We are going to be talking about OP reports. What is an OP report? Why do we want to get an OP report? How do we get an OP report and how long are OP reports available before they go away? We do have a Review of the Week so we are going to get into that and then I’m going to go over OP reports. This review is from Brittanyhenley9478. She says, “Such an amazing resource.” Her review says, “I am pregnant with my second baby and will try for a VBAC in 4 months. Since finding this podcast, I have learned so much and gained a lot of confidence in my decisions. I’m so thankful for the podcast, their Instagram, and the website. I can’t wait to come back and share my successful VBAC story with them later this year.”  Brittany, if you are still listening to us and you are still with us, let us know how your birth went. I hope that it was amazing and thank you so much for your review. You guys, I say it every single week multiple times a week now, we love your reviews. I seriously love them so much. It makes me smile. It makes my heart so warm so if you have not yet left a review, would you mind doing that for me? I would love it and appreciate it so much. You can go to wherever you listen to your podcasts and leave us either a rating or a review. I know Apple Podcasts and Spotify actually I believe, allows you to do a written review or you can Google “The VBAC Link”. Remember VBAC is V-B-A-C, and then you can leave us a review there. That also helps people find the podcast, find the website, the blog, and even our Instagram account.  As a reminder you guys, if you are just listening to the podcast, hello. Welcome. I am so glad that you are here but I also don’t want you to miss out on all of the other amazing resources that we have. We have our Instagram account and Facebook account. We have a private Facebook group. You can look that up at The VBAC Link Community on Facebook. You do have to answer some questions so answer those questions and then we can let you in. It is such a beautiful space with people who are really in the same place as you– wanting to know their options, wanting to know the evidence, and wanting to feel that community love during this journey.  We have a YouTube account and we do have our blog and our website and we also have a course. You can find all of that at thevbaclink.com. You can enter in your email there. We can put you into our subscription where we send weekly emails on updated blogs, updated studies, tips, resources, and all of the amazing things that we feel is really important for you to know during your VBAC journey. Again, you can find that at thevbaclink.com and of course, you can check it all out for free and again, enter your email in and we will make sure to get you those weekly emails.  Okay, I’m going to go really quickly today but I really feel this is such an important thing to know. It’s not something that I one, knew was even a choice that I could have or two, was something that I should do so I could really learn more and understand more of what my provider was saying about my births and the reasons why the births happened with my body and my post-recovery and all of these things. It’s so good to know what they are saying about your procedure and your Cesarean, your birth.  So okay. Steps to get OP reports. There are multiple ways and I know since I started requesting my reports back in 2015

    9 min
  7. Episode 348 Rebekah's Birth Center VBAC After an Unexpected Breech Cesarean

    30 OCT.

    Episode 348 Rebekah's Birth Center VBAC After an Unexpected Breech Cesarean

    Rebekah’s first Cesarean was a birth center transfer after her baby boy unexpectedly flipped breech during labor. Though she was confident in her decision to consent to a Cesarean, she was devastated and left with a lot to process.  Right away, Rebekah’s midwives instilled confidence that she was a great VBAC candidate and introduced her to The VBAC Link. Rebekah thoroughly researched and prepped for her VBAC knowing it was the path she wanted to take. She decided to stay with the same birth center as she felt so loved and supported by them.  Her second pregnancy was filled with physical, mental, and spiritual preparation for her VBAC. Rebekah developed a deep connection with her baby girl and shares precious stories during both her pregnancy and labor when she knew just what her baby was trying to communicate.  Rebekah’s VBAC was healing in so many ways. It was particularly special to birth in the same suite that she labored in with her first and have such a different outcome. All of Rebekah’s intentional work paid off to help her have a very sacred birth and postpartum experience! How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Hello, everybody. Welcome to The VBAC Link. We have our friend, Rebekah, here today and she is local to me here in Utah so it’s always so fun to hear a Utah story especially because I usually know the provider and the location and things like that or I’ve served with them so it’s fun to hear the stories that I have served with the people who are serving these amazing VBAC mamas.  We have our friend, Rebekah, like I said and she is a mama of two. She is a stay-at-home mom and is in Spanish Fork. She is passionate about birth and hopes to one day pursue birth work. She hired one of our VBAC Link certified doulas so just as a reminder, if you guys are looking for a doula, let me just tell you that our doulas are amazing. These doulas truly love birth and love VBAC and are all certified in VBAC so you can check that out at thevbaclink.com/findadoula if you are looking for a doula.  Rebekah left us a note. It says, “The after-birth high doesn’t always happen. I have heard so many stories of women who experienced it and I was expecting to feel that. I however did not.” She says, “Don’t feel robbed of it.” She was confused why she didn’t feel it but she is going to talk a little bit more in her story. I love that message because I didn’t feel the birth high with some of my kids either and it is weird. I remember sitting there thinking, Wait, aren’t I supposed to be crying right now or aren’t I supposed to be screaming how happy I am right now? It just didn’t come.  Please know that if you didn’t have that immediate birth high, it’s okay. It’s totally okay.  We do have a Review of the Week. It is from Yulia and this is actually on our VBAC Course. It says, “This is an amazing VBAC Course that helped me understand how I can educate and support families in the best way.” She is actually one of our VBAC doulas so again, if you guys are looking for more information on VBAC and you really want to learn just all of the history of VBAC and Cesarean and how you can increase your chances of VBAC, check out our course at thevbaclink.com and let us know if you take it. Let us know what you think about it.  All right, Ms. Rebekah. Your hometown is Utah, same as me. We are here together. You’re in Utah County. You’re probably 45-50 minutes away from me so just shy of an hour. Where did you give birth for your VBAC?  Rebekah: It was the Utah Birth Suites in Provo.  Meagan: Okay. Awesome, awesome. Well, I’m so excited to get into your stories today. I know that with your first one, you went through it. It was spontaneous labor turned unplanned Cesarean. Now if you are listening, I’m sure you can raise your hand. How many of us are having the same situations? We are going into labor and we have tha

    1 h 4 min
  8. Episode 347 Colleen's VBAC After Fertility Challenges & Navigating Trauma + MTHFR & Velamentous Cord Insertion

    28 OCT.

    Episode 347 Colleen's VBAC After Fertility Challenges & Navigating Trauma + MTHFR & Velamentous Cord Insertion

    Colleen’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 6 weeks. At 12 weeks along with her second pregnancy, Colleen and her husband found out that their daughter would be born with a genetic condition called Trisomy 18. Colleen shares her experiences with Trisomy 18 and how she found the right support to help her navigate through it all. Due to IUGR and other medical concerns, Colleen had her daughter via Cesarean with an 85-day NICU stay afterward.  To her surprise, Colleen had a third pregnancy just 6 months after her daughter’s delivery which ended in a heartbreaking second-trimester miscarriage. After discussing her pregnancy and birth histories at an appointment, Colleen’s doctor referred her to be screened for a MTHFR gene mutation for which she came back positive.  MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) is a gene that impacts your ability to process and absorb folate. It can be responsible for complications during pregnancy and is detected through a simple blood test.  Colleen and Meagan talk more about what MTHFR means, and what Colleen was able to do to have a fourth uncomplicated pregnancy and a beautiful, smooth VBAC delivery!  Needed Website How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  Meagan: Welcome to the show, everybody. We have our friend, Colleen, on with us today sharing her stories and navigating through this amazing journey that we call birth. Birth is such a journey, wouldn’t you agree, Colleen? Colleen: Absolutely.  Meagan: One of the most unique things about it is obviously through the stories we all hear. They are all unique and individual to us and even one birth that you’ve given doesn’t mean the next birth is the same. So we’re going to be talking today about navigating through birth and we know that a lot of the times through these journeys whether it be because of a Cesarean or because of how we were treated or because of how our body responded or whatever it may be, sometimes and a lot of the times, we experience trauma. Trauma is viewed differently from everybody and processed differently. We are going to be talking about navigating through trauma.  Then Colleen is actually going to share some of her fertility journey as well. I think that’s also a really important thing because we have so many mamas out there– we know. We know. We see it. They have to navigate through fertility challenges. We’re going to be talking about that along with a VBAC.  Let’s get into that here in just a minute. We do have a Review of the Week then like I said, I’m going to introduce Colleen and turn the show over to her so she can share her beautiful stories.  This review is from lexieemmarie. It says, “So thankful. I just wanted to say thank you for creating this podcast. I had my baby girl via emergency Cesarean at 30 weeks due to several medical complications with my baby. We spent 95 days in the NICU and while in there waiting for my sweet girl to grow, I started to research VBACs to see if it was right for me. Once I found this podcast, it sealed the deal. I absolutely can’t wait to VBAC with my next pregnancy. You all are incredible to listen to because you provide the wealth of knowledge and positivity but are also fun and entertaining to listen to. Amazing job, ladies.”  Aww, that just made my heart so happy. Oh my goodness. Thank you so much, Lexi, for your review. As always, we love these reviews. They make our hearts and our minds so happy. You guys, this is what we want. We want you to have that wealth of knowledge. We want to have you feel inspired and guided and uplifted and educated along the way through all of these stories.  As usual, leave a review if you haven’t yet. We would be so grateful.  Meagan: Okay. We have Ms. Colleen. She lived in Michigan. Did you have your VBAC baby in Michigan?  Colleen: I did, yes.  Meagan: You did.  Colleen: My husband and I live in a suburb of Detroit in Gr

    56 min
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Join us as we share VBAC birth stories to educate and inspire! We are a team of expert doulas trained in supporting VBAC, have had VBAC's of our own, and work extensively with VBAC women and their providers. We are here to provide detailed VBAC and Cesarean prevention stories and facts in a simple, consolidated format. When we were moms preparing to VBAC, it was stories and information like we will be sharing in this podcast that helped fine tune our intuition and build confidence in our birth preparation. We hope this does the same for you! The purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform- it is not to replace advice from any qualified medical professional.

Informations

  • Création
    Meagan Heaton
  • Années d’activité
    2018 - 2024
  • Épisodes
    361
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Site web de l’émission
    The VBAC Link

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