34 | Lara's positive gentle caesarean due to breech positioning + drug-free VBAC; PCOS, Miscarriage, Shoulder Dystocia, Velamentous Cord, MGP, Doula, Public Hospital
VBAC Birth StoriesShow Notes
“Prepare your body and mind to achieve your VBAC and then let go of your attachment to the outcome.”
If anyone knows how to fight the good fight its Sydney based mother of two and human rights lawyer, Lara.
As a VBAC hopeful Lara was fastidious in her birth preparation but in the end the events which unfolded took her and her care providers by surprise. Despite the rare occurrence of velamentous cord insertion and shoulder dystocia Lara achieved her VBAC and a positive birth outcome against all odds.
Thankfully in both of her births she was treated with dignity, respect and the exceptional standard of care we have come to recognise from care providers who are on the pulse of birthing women’s needs. As we hear from so many of you the difference this can make cannot be underestimated.
Her first baby was breech and after two unsuccessful ECV’s Lara had a trial of labor followed by a gentle caesarean. Despite the positive surgery Lara could not help but feel disappointment following her first birth and she discusses the complexity of this for caesarean mothers. Determined by nature, Lara researched and prepared extensively before both of her births, but it seems the one thing that both experiences taught her is that you can’t control every aspect of what unravels but you can shape your own view of the circumstances and there’s some true wisdom that I’m sure we can all take from Lara’s two birth stories.
Throughout her story you’ll hear how Lara mixes this determined grit with a calm and articulate approach to her public hospital birthing experiences, both under case load midwifery care.
Motherhood has taught us all that no matter what you prepare for our babies will have a different plan and at times this is unpredictable. Lara calls on us to bear witness to the beauty in surrendering to the most ordinary of moments with our babies.
More from VBAC Birth Stories
In this episode we chat to Sydney mum of two Rachel who experienced an unmedicated VBAC in a private hospital setting after going through 35 hours of labour. Following her caesarean Rachel went on to experience poor postpartum mental health and reflects how her first birth unfolding the way it did could have contributed to those feelings.
In this episode we speak to Adelaide mum of two Rosalie about her two births. Rosalie underwent IVF and speaks about the unique challenges women in same sex relationships face when dealing with healthcare. Her first birth was an emergency caesarean which followed an induction for having a macrocosmic baby and being post-dates. Rosalie was very well educated about birth and was planning a public hospital funded homebirth before she was 'risked out.' She knew about the cascade of intervention yet she was coerced into a procedure that she did not want. This coercion was the catalyst for her birth trauma and PTSD.
Today we have the honour and pleasure of chatting to Hazel Keedle once again on the podcast. Hazel is a lecturer at Western Sydney University and midwifery researcher who has primarily focused on women’s experiences of vaginal birth after caesarean and is now a lead researcher in the Birth Experience Study- the largest study on women’s experiences of maternity care in Australia. Since we last spoke Hazel has completed her PhD and is now an author with her newly released book Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth. We spoke to Hazel way back in Season 1 and you can find this interview by searching for our 7th episode. In this episode we cover: The inspiration for the book Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth and what readers can expect to gain from reading it Interesting preliminary observations from data collected from The Birth Experience Study Survey which had almost 9000 respondents Feminism and birth and the impact of social media Impact and importance of continuity of midwifery care Encouraging words of advice for midwives and student midwives navigating fragmented care in our Australian maternity system + much more Follow Hazel at these locations: Instagram: @hazelkeedle Facebook: @VBACmatters https://www.facebook.com/VBACmatters Twitter: @HazelKeedle For links to papers, events and more: https://linktr.ee/hazelkeedle Buy the book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/vbac-book Stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY of Hazel's book Birth After Caesarean for VBAC Birth Stories listeners :) Be sure to be following the pod and Hazel on social media.
In this episode we chat to Shelley, a mum of two from Adelaide. Shelley reached out to us shortly after having her baby because she wanted to share the unique circumstances surrounding her first birth and VBAC. Shelley lives with Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Genital, it is classified as a type of STI, and because of the stigma this carries Shelley could not find any stories from women who have navigated pregnancy and birth with this condition.
Amielia is a 21 year old Djab Wurrung woman and this week we would like to share her birth stories in celebration of NAIDOC week.