Take it from us, a team of VBAC moms, doulas and expert educators in the birthing space, preparing for a VBAC is no walk in the park. We know because we’ve been there – searching for evidence-based information, inspirational birth stories and a community of like-minded women.
Look no further.
The VBAC Link Podcast exists to educate, inform and inspire your VBAC journey. With nearly 400 episodes, we share detailed VBAC (and CBAC) stories from women around the globe and from all walks of life as well as concise VBAC information and facts.
Ready to feel seen, supported, and empowered? Listen to The VBAC Link Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (transcripts available, too). Looking for a good place to start? Check out our Top 10 Episodes linked below. From VBAC basics to long labors, HBAC to CBAC, these 10 episodes will empower and inspire your VBAC journey.
1. Episode 312 – VBAC Basics with Meagan & Julie
This episode goes back to the basics and is a great place to start on your VBAC journey! Julie joins Meagan today as they talk about many common questions beginning with reasons why providers tell women they can’t go for a VBAC.
2. Episode 285 – Selah’s 48-hour VBA2C + Changing Providers in Late Pregnancy
Selah’s journey to her VBA2C included discovering The VBAC Link, building her supportive community, prenatal chiropractic care and relentlessly educating herself to make sure she was set up for success. Though her labor was MUCH longer than expected, the spiritual, emotional and physical transformation she experienced was completely worth it.
3. Episode 290 – Hayley’s Unmedicated VBAC + Epidural and Prolapse Talk
Hayley joins the show sharing her breech Cesarean and unmedicated hospital VBAC stories. Meagan and Hayley dive deep into the pros and cons of getting an epidural and why providers tell women so many different things when it comes to epidurals and VBAC!
4. Episode 282 – What You Need to Know About Assessing Risk
Meagan and Julie discuss how to tell the difference between relative and absolute risk, and what kind of conversations to have with your provider to help you better understand what the numbers mean. They also quote many stats and risk percentages around topics like blood transfusions, uterine rupture, eating during labor, epidurals, Pitocin, AROM and episiotomies.
5. Episode 280 – Arianna’s VBA2C + Far Travel, PPROM, Short Interval & Gestational Diabetes
Arianna traveled 2.5 hours each way for routine midwife and OB appointments in Montana to have VBAC-supportive providers. She faced many roadblocks including a short pregnancy interval, gestational diabetes, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), a medical induction, other interventions she wasn’t planning for, and slow progress. But her team was patient and encouraging, Arianna felt divinely watched over, and her VBA2C dream literally came true!
6. Episode 294 – Hannah’s Induced VBAC due to Preeclampsia + More on the Pelvic Floor
Meagan is joined by a pelvic floor physical therapist and a VBAC Link doula located in Georgia as well as Hannah from North Carolina who shares her birth stories. This episode stresses again the true importance of not just a supportive provider, but of a supportive practice including hospital policies, the team of rotating providers, and the nurses.
7. Episode 284 – Kara’s VBA2C With Unexpected Twists
Kara joins us today from the Los Angeles area sharing her VBA2C story! Kara’s first birth was a scary and chaotic emergency Cesarean. Though her second planned Cesarean went smoothly, Kara did not love how her birth felt like such a medical procedure. She just knew that her body was capable of having a vaginal birth. Kara pulled out all of the stops with her VBA2C prep. She built a birth team she felt great about. She prepared physically. She processed past fears and trauma.
8. Episode 295 – Dr. Kendra’s Empowering HBAC + Tips From a VBAC Doula
Dr. Kendra Ohora is a Licensed Clinical Marriage & Family Therapist and also a VBAC mom. From being told she would never have children to currently expecting her third baby boy, Kendra shares how prioritizing her mental health helped her through some really tough years.
9. Episode 278 – Rebecca’s CBAC + What To Do With a Swollen Cervix
We love hearing stories of how our Women of Strength navigate birth in an empowered way, no matter the outcome. Rebecca’s story shows how she carefully selected the most supportive homebirth midwife, created a safe birth space in her home, labored hard and beautifully with her husband, took time to process information, assessed her situation, and consented to her second Cesarean when the time felt right to her.
10. Episode 279 – What are the chances if…?
We know that unique circumstances in pregnancy can make a VBAC feel farther out of reach. Do your chances of having a VBAC go down if you had preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy or your current one? What if you have a special scar? What are the chances of having a VBAC if you were diagnosed with “failure to progress”? What about fibroids or gestational diabetes? Julie Francom joins Meagan on today’s episode discussing evidence-based research around all of these topics.
We hope this is just the right starting place for you as you explore birth stories, information and facts surrounding VBAC. Remember, you can listen to (or read) hundreds more episodes right here. If there is a certain topic you’re looking for, head to our Podcast page and use the search bar to find all of the episodes related to that topic.
As always, I’ll leave you with this affirmation and reminder…
9 VBAC Prep Essentials Worth Every Penny