35 | Mara's drug-free VBAC with a short birth interval following emergency caesarean with a posterior baby; Augmented Labour, Cervical Lip, Birth Trauma, Doula, Premature Baby, NICU, Public Hospital
VBAC Birth StoriesShow Notes
Today we hear from Wollongong (NSW) mum of two Mara who had a VBAC with a short birth interval of only 15 months. Mara’s first birth was a deeply traumatic emergency caesarean where she reached full dilation with a posterior baby. She was determined to have a VBAC when the time came, which to Mara’s surprise happened a lot sooner than she had anticipated and this posed some challenges for her as her hospital were very discouraging of a VBAC due to her birth interval being less than 18 months apart.
You’ll hear how Mara bravely confronts her trauma and uses her agency plus a variety of different tools to make her second birth a far more positive experience.
Trigger warning and disclaimer: In this episode Mara talks about how she felt that presenting to hospital for reduced fetal movements contributed to the traumatic birth that she had. We would just like to remind our listeners that if you do experience reduced movements at all in your pregnancy please don’t hesitate to reach out to your care provider. And care providers listening, we hope you can please take on board Mara’s experience to understand the effect hospital policies and procedures can have on birthing women’s experiences and decisions for subsequent pregnancies.
~ Notes ~
Book: How to Heal a Bad Birth by Melissa Bruijn & Debby Gould https://www.howtohealabadbirth.com
Doula: Amelia Coleman https://www.illawarrabirthclasses.com.au
VBAC Australia Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342851302473349
Birth Trauma & Post Natal Depression/Anxiety support:
The Gidget Foundation https://gidgetfoundation.org.au/get-support/
PANDA https://www.panda.org.au/info-support/pandas-national-perinatal-anxiety-depression-helpline
Beyond Blue https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support
**VBAC Birth Stories features women's lived experiences. It is not intended to replace medical advice. Should you have any concerns during your pregnancy please always consult your healthcare provider.
Please connect with us on Facebook or Instagram: @vbacbirthstories
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.