…your head is full of knowledge and your heart is full of love…

When Jen Kamel advertised her VBAC Facts videos on Facebook, I jumped all over it! Being a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) mom myself, and having had several clients who either had or attempted a VBAC, I wanted to know all I could. I’m still neck deep in information to process, and loads to learn before I’m done with the initial course information, but I’m so excited to have gotten my hands on this, and soon to follow, my brain wrapped around these facts and policies.

My cesarean “meet the baby” picture.

Most important is to avoid the first cesarean, if possible, but oftentimes that’s not an option. When it’s not, it is imperative that moms don’t have their rights for a VBAC stripped from them even before they make it to labor. My goal as a doula is to help mothers have their ideal birth whenever possible, and now armed with this information, I feel much more prepared to share this with moms, and help them to go in prepared if/when they’re told for whatever reason they’re not a candidate for a TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean).

My VBAC “meet the baby” picture.

The images above speak volumes on the difference between something being stripped from you, and being able to choose the path for yourself. In both of these pictures I’m greeting a baby about to be whisked off to the NICU for being born too early, and underdeveloped lungs. In the first you’ll see someone holding my son, “allowing” me to kiss him before they rushed him off. In the second, until her cord is clamped, and she is relying solely on herself to breathe, I’m holding her, and being able to count toes and fingers and smell that new, wet baby smell that helps the breasts produce colostrum. This is what mothers and babies deserve to have the opportunity to have. Even when you know there’s going to be an urgent situation once baby is out, baby and Mom have a crucial first moment of bonding.

This is what we doulas strive to provide for our clients: the voice, the knowledge, and the rights of both mother and child.