Show Notes
In this bonus episode we speak with Hazel Keedle who is a lecturer at Western Sydney University, PhD Candidate, and midwifery researcher who focuses on women’s experiences of vaginal birth after caesarean. Hazel’s passion for VBAC stemmed from her own personal experience of having a VBAC only 14 months after her caesarean section. She has worked in all midwifery models of care including Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) and as a privately practicing midwife, and now as an academic she spends most of her time producing VBAC research. She undertook a Masters Honours thesis on why women have a VBAC at home, sparking her journey to her PhD looking at women’s experiences of planning a VBAC in Australia. She shares insightful findings from her research with us in this interview, which makes for important listening not only for those who are considering VBAC but health care providers too.
Topics discussed: How to increase your chances of having a VBAC and feelings of positivity about your birth experience regardless of the outcome Control in birth during current Covid-19 pandemic Ways to heal birth trauma Language and attitudes in birth and their effects Is there such thing as a good candidate for VBAC? Understanding risks associated with VBAC and repeat caesarean What Australia can learn from countries with higher VBAC rates
~ Notes ~
Hazel’s VBAC researcher Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VBACmatters/
Book reference: Birthing Outside the System - The Canary in the Coal Mine
Publications Hazel has worked on: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Keedle%20H%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=26337330
**VBAC Birth Stories is a podcast where we share women’s lived experiences. It is not intended to replace medical advice. Should you have any concerns at all during your pregnancy please always consult your healthcare provider.
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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.
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