At Enjoy Birth we offer special support for VBAC moms!
Enjoy Birth offers the following for VBAC moms:
emotional support
references to supportive care providers
Hypnobabies childbirth classes: I love teaching the Hypnobabies program because it has a fear release CD you can listen to as many times as you need as well as SO many tools and so MUCH empowering information that can empower you to have the best birth possible. Hypnobabies now also has supplemental CD's especially for VBAC moms!
Doula services: All of our doulas have experience providing support to VBAC moms. We understand that your needs are different than other birthing moms. We want you to have the most positive experience with your birth and we are here to help you.
A vast lending library with great books and DVD's such as:
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin and
The Thinking Women’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer.
They both have VBAC chapters in them as well as other empowering information on pregnancy and birth.
How do you know if a VBAC is right for you?
You need to do your research on this topic. Don't blindly take your OB's word on if it is the right choice for you. OB's are often motivated by insurance companies and hospital policies. I think it is horrible that in some areas it is nearly impossible to find a care provider who will support VBAC's. This is often due to insurance companies, hospital policies and misinformation. (Click here for a story of an OB who was pressured by her hospital to up her cesarean rate) It is important to find a care provider who will support your decision and there are some in Orange County who will support VBACs.
I did research for myself and found that elective repeat cesareans have risks of their own. The risks for VBAC are no higher than the elective cesareans... just different, but that can be put into perspective.
For me, I wanted the experience of having a Vaginal birth and decided after weighing the pros and cons of both, that a VBAC was the best choice for ME.
You have the right to make the best decision for YOU and your baby. It is your body and your birth. There are risks with both VBAC's and Elective Cesareans... study and choose for yourself the path you want to take. If you decide to have a VBAC find support to help you on your path. If you decide you want a repeat cesarean I am gathering information to help moms have more positive cesarean births.
I have had 2 great VBAC’s. I think there were quite a few things that contributed to my success.
Hypnosis: I feel that hypnosis really helped me to get over my fears from my first birth and to develop a positive I can-do it attitude. I felt very confident that I would be successful birthing my baby, I was able to recover a trust that my body could carry a baby full-term and have a vaginal birth.
It also helped me to be calmer during my pregnancy and stay relaxed and positive when things came up that in my first pregnancy freaked me out.
During the birth hypnosis helped me to stay calm and in control allowing me to make good choices. I also was able to stay comfortable and mobile which helped my babies to descend and get into ideal birthing position.
Hypnobabies now has supplemental CD's just for VBAC moms!
Supportive Care Providers: My husband was supportive, my OB was supportive and the hospital staff was supportive. This helped immensely in my success.
Doula Support: I think this can be invaluable. I didn't have one for my first VBAC but did for my 2nd one. It was really wonderful to have an extra person to give me support, my husband loved it too!
Reading positive birth stories of successful VBACs helped encourage me.
LINKS for VBAC information
ICAN is a great resource for information about VBAC’s and support if you feel you are being forced into having a repeat cesarean.
I like this website for their straight forward information about VBAC’s and their risks.
http://www.childbirthconnection.org
also check out
Great information about C-sections
http://www.spinningbabies.com/Cesarean.html
Think hospitals have something to do with the crazy rise of C-section rates? You are right... here is an article about an OB who left a hospital because she was being pressured to increase her c-section rates.
http://www.earthybirthymama.com/articles/sandlandarticle.html
"Let's put this all in perspective stats from Williams Obstetrics and Varney's....
The concept of uterine rupture is scary. It certainly is a risk to be considered when thinking about a VBAC. However it is important to note that nothing is with out risk.
Lets say the risk of uterine rupture is 0.19-0.8% with a low transverse incision.
- The risk of miscarriage after amniocentesis is 0.5 to 1% (a procedure offered routinely to many women)
- The risk of a cesarean delivery following induction is 5.9 to 11.9%
- The risk of hysterectomy after an elective cesarean is 0.2%
- The risk of long term affects from an epidural are:
- Backache 19%
- Frequent headaches 4.6%
- Migraines 1.9%
- The risk of fever with an epidural is 15%
- The risk of developing gestational diabetes is 7%
- The risk of a hypertensive disorder (high blood pressure and related issues) in pregnancy is 5-10%
- The risk for preterm birth is 12%
The point of this is not to be doom and gloom. The point is that uterine rupture needs to be put into perspective, that the risk is not an outlandishly high number, when in fact, the risk is very low when proper screening and proper precautions are taken. "