This is what I have women telling me over and over. "I CAN'T advocate for myself!" "I CAN'T have difficult conversations!" "I CAN'T tell my care provider to fuck off!" Me: Sure you can. We just have a bit of work to do to get you there. So how do we develop these skills in a way that will be useful and powerful for you? Read on and find out...
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Planning and preparing for a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) is a pretty big undertaking. So many women don't realise that the process doesn't start on the big day. It starts the moment that you decide that you'd like to have a VBAC. And the process includes waaaaay more than simply learning some breathing skills and "believing" that it will just happen as nature intended. Because the way you prepare for your VBAC and many of the things you do and people you interact with during your pregnancy can and do have a HUGE impact on how your VBAC will play out. The good news is: we can develop the skills needed to ensure a more powerful preparation and sway the odds in your favour! Choosing your model of care and individual care provider is one of the most important decisions of your VBAC journey. And with growing awareness of all the different ways this model of care could look, it is becoming an increasingly complex decision. No longer is the choice - Public hospital or private hospital. But we have private midwives, homebirth, freebirth, and doulas and student midwives added in to the mix. As always - which model of care will be best for you comes down to, well, you. What you want from this journey and how you want to feel during pregnancy and birth will largely dictate which option is best for you. And options are limited in many areas, especially in rural locations. In this blog post I'm going to go through 3 of the most popular models of care and rate them against my top 3 considerations: Client autonomy; Chances of a VBAC; and What happens in an emergency. This is a question that I see SO MUCH in my group (The VBAC Australia Support Group on Facebook). At the first antenatal appointment most women are given the option of VBAC or routine repeat caesarean with very little useful information. Then they have the added pressure of having to let their care provider know their decision by a certain time. Nevermind all those other decisions that need to be made. For many women this is not a simple decision. We carry so much baggage from our cultural conditioning and previous experiences that colour HOW we will make this decision and what will actually be best for us. Here are the steps that I recommend that you go through in order to get to the decision that will be best for you. So, your birth journey ended in a caesarean. Maybe you didn't want a caesarean. Maybe it was the best choice for you. Maybe it was unnecessary. Maybe it was traumatic. Or not. Whatever it was and however it felt to you, you have now decided that planning for a VBAC for your next birth is the right option for you. And it can be really exciting when you make that decision! You feel like jumping into ALL the groups. And doing ALL the research. And telling everybody about your plans. I'm going to suggest that you hold your horses before you dive in. Take a breath. And read on for my process that will help cut through all the overwhelm and ensure that you get the most out of your preparation. Have you ever considered the many ways that pregnancy, birth and early mothering supports and encourages the patriarchal / capitalist paradigm? You haven’t? Surely you have – it’s one of those big questions of the universe! I've been doing a bit of thinking lately. What with world breastfeeding week, a slightly crazy argument about drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and a post on a friend's timeline about how caesareans are natural and well... My brain has been in overdrive ever since. Today my baby boy turns 9. As always I spend a bit of time around the kids' birthdays reflecting on the experience, how I felt then, how I feel now, and what I learnt. Thomas was baby #2. I had been planning and preparing for a VBAC. I had an iron clad birth plan. I had learnt so much about birth and my rights. I thought that I knew what I needed know. But there was still quite a few things I was about to learn..... Preparing for a VBAC is a huge undertaking. There is so much to learn. So much to explore. So much advice from others about what you MUST do in order to "get your VBAC". What I see is so many women focussed on things that are kind of pointless. When do I need to start dates, raspberry leaf tea, gutter walking and bouncing on the ball? What do I need to take to the hospital to help me get my VBAC? How do I know if I'm a good candidate? Did anyone else in my situation get their VBAC? NOPE. Your time and energy is limited - so let's look at what you REALLY need to know as you start this journey. |
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