Tips for Planning a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
In a prior post, I introduced the issues pregnant people need to know regarding vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). That post concluded, “if you are pregnant after a cesarean, fear, politics, risk management and physician preference may filter the options and information available to you in navigating your care.” As a result, folks planning a…
Supporting Sufferers of Birth Trauma: A Pitfall to Avoid
I recently saw a fellow doula share a post targeted toward folks suffering from birth trauma that said, “When you replace ‘Why is this happening to me?’ with ‘What is this trying to teach me?’ EVERYTHING SHIFTS.” I would like to respectfully offer an alternate view on this. I am a doula, someone who experienced…
VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean): An Intro
In this country, 9 in 10 women with a history of cesarean will go on to have a repeat cesarean delivery in any future pregnancy. Only 1 in 10 will have a vaginal birth after cesarean, known colloquially as “VBAC”. When this statistic is reported, it is often without the necessary context; people may understandably…
Tips for turning a breech baby: you have options!
Evidence indicates that around 4% of babies (about 1 in 20) are in the breech position at term. “Breech” refers to a baby that is head-up, rather than head-down. Prior to 30 weeks gestation, it is normal for the baby to periodically be in a breech position. In fact, pregnant people sometimes report being able…
Doulas and homebirth: yes, they go together!
Folks planning out-of-hospital births commonly believe that they don’t need a doula. This is a reasonable assumption; after all, cesareans and other interventions occur at very low rates in the homebirth population. Further, the risks doulas combat in the hospital (overuse of interventions, lack of privacy and autonomy, interruptions and harsh or hurried care from…
Why those planning for an epidural still need a doula
Doulas are most commonly associated with those planning unmedicated deliveries, sometimes referred to as “natural births” (a term I don’t really love, but that’s another story). This has led to a curious belief that doulas and epidurals are an “either/or” proposition: if you want one, you don’t plan on getting the other. Or, if you’re…
How I Got Started & Where I’m Going
My journey in the birth world began in 2012 when a friend working in obstetrics asked my opinion on unnecessary and non-consented care she routinely observed in her job. As an attorney whose law school thesis focused on conflicts between provider preference and women’s bodily autonomy, the legal and ethical issues immediately resonated with me.…
- « Previous
- 1
- 2