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Welcome to the birth prep podcast. I'm Taylor, your birth bestie, who's here to support you as you plan and prepare for the unmedicated birth of your dreams. If you're ready to ditch the fear, conquer the hospital hustle, support that bump and bob and walk into the delivery room like the HGIC you were born to be, then buckle up, babe.
This is where it all goes down. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the birth prep podcast. Today is the very first HGIC hotline.
Every single Thursday, I'm going to hop on here and answer y'all's questions. So if you want the chance to have your question answered right here on the podcast, check out the show notes for the link to submit your questions. And we're going to get started today.
I have three really great questions and I can't wait to chat with you guys about them. Okay. Brittany asked advice on how to have a successful unmedicated VBAC.
If you don't know, a VBAC is a vaginal birth after a cesarean. So if a mother has had a previous C-section and they are now trying for a vaginal birth this time, that is the term we use as a VBAC. We've also hear the term TOLAC is trial of labor after cesarean.
So like basically like, oh, we're going to try for it. That's like a newer term that I've seen over the last couple of years. But another thing that you might see is an HBAC with the home birth after cesarean or like a VBA2C like a vaginal birth after two cesareans or any number can go there.
Those are terms that you might see when you're researching this. If that's something that you want to look into more, but let's chat about this. I get this question a lot.
And my number one piece of advice is to choose a VBAC supportive provider. Not all providers will support VBACs even if they claim to. You need to look for the perfect for you provider who has a high VBAC success rate, supports unmedicated birth, has low intervention rates and gives you options rather than ultimatums.
Here's a red flag to keep your eye out for. If your provider says things like, oh, we'll just see how it goes or we'll all let you try. They may not be truly VBAC friendly, even if that's what they're selling you.
Another thing to consider is the right birthplace. What is the right birthplace for you for this experience? Obviously, the typical options are the hospital, a birth center or a home birth experience. Ask about VBAC protocols and if they have policies that might work against you like mandatory IVs, continuous monitoring, time limits, things like that.
Those are going to not benefit. Those are going to hinder your chances of pulling off, especially an unmedicated vaginal birth after a cesarean. Another thing I really strongly urge you guys to educate yourself on is understanding the risks and the benefits of your options, especially if you're still on the fence.
Is this something that I actually want to do? Is this worth the risk? You would be surprised, especially the way our providers talk about VBAC and the risks and like, oh, it's double the risk. It's 50% more risk. And it's like, when you really look at the numbers, there's not much of a difference.
There is a difference, but even like the maternal mortality rate is better for a VBAC. It's 0.0038%. And then we're talking about infant mortality. We have a 0.05% for a C-section and a 0.13% for a VBAC.
So still over 99% like in your favor, right? And then this is the big one that we always like hear about. It's the uterine rupture. It's the big risk that's always discussed, but it is less than 1% in almost all cases.
The average risk of uterine rupture after a cesarean is 0.05%, which is nearly equivalent to what a first time mama having a vaginal birth is going to be at risk for as well. So know your numbers. That's all I'm going to say there.
Also the benefits, I know the numbers there too, right? VBACs lower the risk of complications compared to repeat C-sections. You also have less risk of interventions. Healing from a vaginal birth is often much easier than a C-section recovery.
Use your little brain, your B-R-A-I-N. What are the benefits? What are the risks? What are the alternatives? What does my intuition say? What if I do nothing at all to weigh the interventions and to weigh your options? Birth is very much a physical and mental event. So stay active, strengthen your body for that experience, work on your beliefs about birth.
That really will shape your experience more than anything in my personal, other than your provider. I think these are my two top tips, provider and mindset. Those are the two that are really going to need your attention.
Most of the work for your mindset is going to be working through any fears that you have about achieving your VBAC and working through any trauma that you may have from really from anything. You can have trauma from all kinds of things that can impact your labor experience, but really truly the, if you had a C-section, especially if it was unplanned, the odds of you having trauma to work through and deal with and heal from is pretty high. So definitely take the time to do that work.
It's so important. Have a rock solid birth team. Your provider needs to be fully on board with your VBAC.
Consider hiring a doula. This can be a game changer for a VBAC, especially an unmedicated one, especially if you're doing it in the hospital. I would encourage you to look into that, see if that's an option.
I'm not really a doula girl, but I know enough to be my own, and my partner knows plenty to be that for me as well. But you might not, and you might not want to go through learning all the things like I did, and that's totally fair and fine. You can hire somebody who has done this work and who knows how to basically... One of the best things is translating the medical jargon to, hey, this is what the options are, basically.
It's really helpful. And understanding what the different things can... How they can affect the experience. Like, okay, yeah, this is an epidural, but what could that actually lead to? And do we really want to do that? Stuff like that.
Your partner, make sure they're educated and ready to advocate for you. That day when you get there, you're going to be meeting your nurses for the first time, probably. They can really make or break your experience.
So if there's anybody in the room that is like, ugh, okay, good luck with that kind of deal, fire them immediately and get some supportive people in there that are on board with your plan. If you get pushback during labor, have phrases ready like, I'd like to wait, or what's the evidence for that? Things like that. Just be prepared for... Be prepared for anything kind of deal.
But definitely be prepared for people to not be on board with your plan. You're doing something that a lot of people don't do, okay? A lot of people don't pull off unmedicated births. A lot of people don't pull off an unmedicated VBAC in the hospital.
So there's... You are going to be attempting something that not a lot of people put in the work for and don't pull off. And a lot of people say they want it, but they don't act like it. But I know you and you're going to act like it and you're going to do the work and you're going to go in fully prepared to pull that off because you're here and you're learning and you are going to do the things that I'm telling you to do, because you know that that's what's required of you to pull this off.
Okay. I'm like, we have HGICs here, head girlies in charge. We don't have any like passive stuff going on.
We say we want something and we work for it until we get it. Be ready to navigate the hospital if that's where you're choosing to give birth. Navigating the hospital during labor requires strategy.
Delaying admission until you're in active labor to avoid unnecessary interventions, especially those early ones that seem harmless and fine and like cervical checks and IVs and blah, blah, blah. It's like, okay, all of that is affecting your labor experience. Decline any unnecessary IVs or continuous monitoring unless needed, or unless you feel more comfortable with those things.
Say no to routine interventions, membrane sweeps, artificial rupture of the membranes, like breaking your waters, Pitocin, et cetera. Those things are going to intervene with the experience that you're trying to pull off. If you're trying to do unmedicated, those things we typically try to avoid.
Obviously with all of these things, please educate yourself. Do not just do what I say here. You need to educate yourself and make a decision that you feel is best for yourself and your baby, given your circumstance, given your desire for your birth experience.
Only you can do this work. Only you're the one who can figure out what you want for your birth experience. We already mentioned this, but be prepared for pushback for real.
Hospital staff may just be more cautious with feedbacks. They may just be doubtful, whatever they may be projecting their beliefs about it onto you. Have a written birth plan for this experience and a confident advocate, your partner, doula, whoever, to help you back it up, especially when you get to the point where you can't really advocate for yourself fully.
One more thing I wanted to touch on before we wrap this question up is pain and exhaustion. Those two things are probably going to show up in some way, shape, or form, but you need to plan for that in advance. Have a plan ready, especially for an unmedicated.
You need to have natural pain management techniques in your back pocket. You need to understand how to get through that. You also need to understand how to manage your energy, how to get through.
This is a marathon. We're going to pace ourselves. We're going to do the things when we need them.
We're going to take rest breaks when we need to. We're going to refuel our body when we need to, things like that. Those are my top tips.
Other than prepare for the unexpected, this goes for every birth. A successful unmedicated VBAC is about preparation, mindset, and support. With the right groundwork, you can absolutely achieve the powerful and redemptive birth that you were hoping and praying for.
Quick thoughts before I close this one up. Your body isn't broken. Your baby knows what to do.
Your body knows what to do, and you are way, way stronger than you think or that you've been made to believe. Next question is from Branvin. I hope I'm saying that correctly.
I might butcher these names. I shouldn't even have said names. I should have just done an anonymous, but you know what? We're going to try our best, and you guys love me for it anyways, right? Branvin wants to know how to make sure your desires are advocated for, even if your partner does not fully understand your desires.
This is a good question. If your partner isn't 100% on board or just straight up doesn't get it, you don't have to go into birth feeling on your own. Here's how you're going to set yourself up for success and make sure your desires are respected, even if your partner isn't the strongest advocate.
One, get crystal clear on what you want. Before you can expect anyone to advocate for you, you need to be unshakeable in your desires for this birth experience. I would encourage you to write out your top non-negotiables, like no epidural, immediate skin-to-skin, stuff like that.
Whatever is non-negotiable for you, you are not going to compromise on it no matter what. Make sure those are concrete, for you especially. Secondly, have a flexibility plan.
What are you willing to compromise on? What's just a hard no? I know a lot of women believe that having a physical printed-off birth plan is the best thing to do, but a lot of women I see overcomplicate it, so keep your list short and strong. Too many details can make it easier for others to ignore the most important things or just totally get the most important things get lost in all the prettiness and just all the little details and things, so make sure your non-negotiables are on there. Highlight them, bold them, put a box around them, whatever you need to do to draw attention to those things that are most important, and just keep it brief.
I always recommend a one-sided sheet of paper, very plain, black text on a white sheet of paper, very simple, easy to read, upping the odds of it actually being addressed and read and all of that. I know it's fun to make the pretty things. I like pretty things, okay, I get it, but also I know what the odds are of that actually being touched and read that day and how to up the odds.
Those are my tips for that, but let's talk about actually communicating with your partner because we still have time to get partner on board and to get partner to understand. If they don't get it, don't just repeat yourself louder. That does not work.
We want to explain it in a way that they are going to understand, so if you have a very logical thinker for a partner, give them data. Research shows stuff like that, like here's the evidence, here you go for your logical brain, will this get you on board? I understand you think continuous monitoring is the safest thing, but actually the data shows that it increases the need for interventions without actually improving the outcomes compared to monitoring intermittently. Find a way to help them understand.
This is what it all boils down to. If they're not hearing it the way you've been saying it, try it a different way. Maybe even have them listen to a podcast episode or watch a video or something because sometimes hearing it from someone else just clicks better, or sometimes hearing it from somebody with more authority, more education, just maybe they'll receive it a little better knowing like, oh, okay, she's actually done this.
There's people that agree with what she's saying. It doesn't sound as crazy as it does coming from someone who maybe has never had a baby before, or it's going to be a lot different than the first time you did it, or whatever the case may be. Whatever helps them get on board, it's worth trying to get them to understand your point of view because at the end of the day, everybody in the room that day is supposed to be helping you achieve the goals that you've set for your birth experience.
And of course, we want our partner on our side. If your partner is very against what you're trying to pull off, they might not be the person to bring to the birth room with you. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna always tell you the truth, okay? That might be the truth for your situation.
I don't know. Only you can make that call. Another option, they're just not hearing you and you're like, okay, I can't depend on this person to advocate for me, but also I still want them to be there.
They're just going to be more of a spectator than a supporter. And that just is what it is. You are going to need somebody else who gets it, even hiring a doula possibly.
You might want to look into that. Someone who is understanding of your birth preferences and plan and strategy and is willing to back you up. Say even if you get your partner on board, having somebody else to step up when your partner gets overwhelmed, if that happens.
And if you can't hire a doula or there just isn't one available or you can't have one for whatever reason, train a friend to do it. Have a family member do it. Have somebody else that you know that is willing to do that work, willing to learn with you, willing to advocate for your wants and needs that day.
Who is on your team is a big deal. If you're not confident in your partner's ability to speak up, even if they are on board with your plan, they are ready to advocate for you. They just don't know how.
Maybe they're easily pressured. Maybe they have a hard time speaking up. Give them a little secret code, code phrase, whatever, to stall or slow things down.
So it could be anything. Or you can be like, hey, we need a moment to discuss this. Hey, can we have some privacy to decide? Or even just simply, hey, we're going to be following our birth plan for now, but thank you.
You can even have a little silent signal option like squeezing their hand or tapping their wrist just so they know to pause the conversation and to ask for more time. It's always a possibility. If it were a true emergency, you'd already be back on the operating table.
Another thing that might help if your partner's not confident in their advocating abilities or just you're not confident in their abilities, having kind of like role-playing some typical responses, especially for things that you know you're going to possibly get some pushback on. Don't wait until you're in labor to figure out what to say. You can pre-plan your responses for common scenarios, like maybe your provider comes in and is like, hey, we need to break your waters to speed things up.
And you have your question ready to go, okay, what are the benefits and what are the risks of waiting? Because that's what we would like to do. So can you please explain with evidence and research what that looks like? This is something you guys can sit down and do together and be equipped and ready to both do this work. And one of the best things you can do for advocating for yourself during your birth experience is actually advocating for yourself now during your prenatal care.
Ask the hard questions at prenatal visits. Don't let your provider bully or dismiss you. If they do, just straight up fire them and switch providers.
Practice saying no to small things now so it's easier in labor. And just make sure they know like, hey, I'm actually an active participant in my care. I'm the HGIC, you know, like I'm in charge, you're working for me.
Not that we have to straight up be like, listen, you work for me, like they do. You can definitely say that if you want to, but we can be respectful and assertive and all of the things at the same time. And it's just important to kind of just set the tone.
If you're a passive patient during your entire prenatal experience, that's what they're going to expect walking into the delivery room with you. So set yourself up for success now while you're pregnant, while you're doing this work, you know, show your provider like, hey, I'm really going for evidence-based here. This is my plan.
This is what I'm trying to do, blah, blah, blah. Um, so those are my thoughts on that. Even if your partner, isn't your strongest advocate, there are plenty of ways to ensure your birth preferences are honored.
The key is communication preparation, backup plans, and just setting yourselves up for success. Okay. Last question for today is from Camille.
She said almost everyone around me has had to have a C section. What can I do to try and avoid one? Great question. First things first, let's just get this out of the way.
Just because everyone around you has had a C section doesn't mean that you will. This is a typical, like, Hey, we need to give these stories back. These are not serving you.
You are writing a new story here. It's like mindset work that I do, like basic stuff with all my students. It's like, give these stories back just because they did it just because it happened last time, just because whatever, whatever, whatever doesn't mean it's going to happen this time.
So on that note, the U S C section rate is way higher than it should be, but that doesn't mean your body's broken. That doesn't mean that a surgical birth is inevitable for you. And here is how to stack the odds in your favor to avoid an unnecessary C section.
The number one, most important factor and avoiding a C section is choosing a low intervention vaginal birth friendly provider. You can straight up ask your providers as you're interviewing them before you hire them, or at any point, if you've already hired them and are considering firing them, you can ask, Hey, what is your C section rate? If your provider has a 70% C section rate, you may want to consider firing them. If your provider is more around the 20%, 25, 30%, that's great.
That's below the national average. We love to see it. So that is really important.
So look for an OB or a midwife with a high vaginal birth rate, ask them very specific questions. Like what is your C section rate? At what point in labor would you recommend a C section? Like what actually calls for a C section delivery and how do you support unmedicated birth? Some red flags to watch out for. Oh, we'll just see how your body does.
Or most first time moms just need a little help. Or even like, I don't allow going past 39, 40 weeks, like inductions, we already know lead to failure to progress, which is the number one cause of C sections. So we don't want to play those games.
If they are not fully on board with you switch providers ASAP, even if you are late in pregnancy, you will probably not regret it. I haven't talked to a single mother who has switched late in the game and has regretted it because she had a good reason to switch. Be strategic about where you give birth.
Not all hospitals are C section factories, but some definitely are. If your hospital has a high C section rate, you're going to have to fight harder for a vaginal birth. That's just a fact.
So research your hospital's rate, consider a birthing center or a home birth if you're low risk, if that's something that you want to do. And if you're stuck at a high intervention hospital, get a rock solid plan and strategy in place. We don't just make plans right here.
We back them up with, with the preparation work. When you arrive, ask, can I have the most natural birth friendly nurse, please? Nurses matter so much and how your birth unfolds way more than your provider does, honestly. And unfortunately for the majority of us, we don't meet our nurses until we walk in the room that day.
And they can switch at any point in time on, you know, if you're in the middle of a, of a shift change during your labor experience. So just a little pro tip, stick that in your little labor toolbox. Ask about the nurses.
If you have a nurse, you walk in like, Hey, my plan is to go on Medicaid. And she rolls her eyes and is like, good luck with that. I'm fired.
Absolutely not get out of my space right now. You are not welcome again. Avoid inductions that are not medically necessary.
And most inductions are not medically necessary. Inductions skyrockets your risk of a C-section. The longer you're in the hospital before active labor, the more likely interventions will snowball.
We call it the cascade of interventions if you want to look into it more. So wait for labor to start on its own, unless there is a real medical reason or you feel most comfortable choosing an induction. Obviously this is a decision that you need to make for yourself, where the risks and benefits apply to your specific situation and make the decision you feel is best for yourself and for your baby.
My little disclaimer, um, saying no to elective inductions, especially before 41 weeks, y'all elective inductions almost always use Pitocin and the Pitocin, uh, insert straight from the manufacturer literally says not to be used for elective inductions. And they do it every freaking day. Like there's a black box warning, do not use this for elective inductions.
And they're just like, no, we could, we can totally do that. It's fine. Um, so just like know your stuff y'all.
Okay. If induction is needed, ask for the gentlest methods first, like a membrane sweep or a Foley balloon or nipple stimulation or whatever. And then mate, you know, if you've been there for a while, they're making you stay, start a low dose of Pitocin.
Then at that point, it's like, do it gentle, do it low, do it slow. This is where you're going to need to work with your body, not fully against it straight out the gate, you know? So we're avoiding induction. So we're start having contractions.
Oh my gosh, is this it? Is this time you're going to labor at home for as long as possible. The longer you stay at home, the less likely you are to get caught in the hospital's intervention cycle and most hospitals intervention cycles end in the operating room. So a lot of doctors tell you to use the 5-1-1 rule contractions every five minutes, lasting one minute for one hour.
So that I don't really necessarily agree with all the time. That's just more of a, let's trust our intuition. Let's go when we think it's time kind of deal.
Not everyone's going to get to that point. And some people get to that point way before they should even be walking into the hospital. So it's a great, like first time, like you don't know what you're doing kind of deal to go in, but also at the end of the day, trust your gut.
It's not like a hard, fast rule. Okay. Ignore your early labor.
Just like, oh my gosh. Like I remember when I had my first baby, I was like, oh my gosh, this is it. And I just, that's all I was focusing on was the contractions and the, the, you know, making sure I was continuing to walk and make it go faster and blah, blah, blah.
I'm like, all right, let's go. Let's go. It's game time.
I forgot to eat. I didn't take a nap. I just was so consumed with it.
I was tired by the time I got to the hospital and I was just entering my active labor experience. And that was just, um, foolish in hindsight, if I'm going to be really honest with you, um, with my last couple of babies, I just like went about life as normal. I was cleaning, I was sewing last time I was crafting, I was doing whatever the heck I wanted to do, taking naps, eating food, resting whenever I needed, um, playing games, whatever I wanted to do.
That's what we did. Um, just kind of ignoring, like it's even happening like, oh, this could be it, but you know, we're just going to see how it goes. We're going to just ride this out.
We're going to take things slow, no panicking, no stressing. That just is like a waste of your time and energy. To be honest with you, you need to save your energy for later.
I promise. I would personally go in to the hospital when you can't talk through your contractions anymore, and they're getting really intense. They're really hard.
You might want some support. You know, you want to get settled in soon because the car ride's probably going to be really uncomfortable if we can't even talk. Um, so that, that's when I would, would, I would go in versus the 5-1-1 rule.
Um, so that is just something that you need to educate yourself on. You also need to factor in like how far away is the hospital? Um, what does this look like? What, what if we have baby in the car? Like, okay, make a plan for that. So many people like, well, what if you have your baby in the car? Okay.
What if, what if girl make a plan? Do you have, so you know, like what if that happens? It totally could happen. If you're leaving your house, no matter what, that could happen. And you want to just make sure you know what to do.
We make a plan for it. Very simple. Once you are in your active labor phase, I would strongly suggest moving a lot.
Stay upright, change your positions up. This helps labor progress faster and smoother. We're walking, we're swaying, we're lunging, we're squatting.
We're sitting on the birth ball. We're getting in the shower or the tub to get some pain relief, hydrotherapy vibes. We're on our hands and knees for back labor.
That helps a lot. That also can really help baby get into position easily too. Avoid lying on your back.
Holy cow. I don't know why that is the go-to. That is the worst thing you could do during this moment.
This can slow labor and make your baby's descent harder. If you need to rest and lay down, consider a sideline position if you're comfortable in that. I know if you're, you know, like shoving something between your knees and stuff can help if you're contracting and your pelvis is working on shifting and all the things like that can be uncomfortable.
But lying on your back is one of the worst things you can do in this moment. And also, if that's how you're most comfortable and you need to be there, that's okay too. And then consider saying no to routine interventions that lead to C-sections.
Many standard hospital practices actually increase your C-section risk. Like routine IV fluids, they can cause swelling, they can make pushing harder. It's a whole thing.
Continuous monitoring can lead to unnecessary interventions. Breaking your waters early can increase your C-section risk if labor is stalling. Once they break your water, you are put on a time clock.
And then if you do not deliver that baby by the time their timer ends, they're going to remove the baby. And also, if you're considering an epidural, getting it too early can slow your labor. If given before your active labor around like six centimeters or more, it can slow your labor, it can slow the progress, it can really affect the situation and your risk of C-section goes up.
So just remember that you don't have to agree to everything just because it's the hospital policy. Use your brain to make decisions. Again, what are the benefits? What are the risks? What are the alternatives? What does my intuition say? And what if I do nothing? What happens if we just wait? We watch, we wait, we do nothing yet.
And my last tip for this, other than have a bang and birth team, but we already talked a lot about that, but mentally prepare for your labor. Fear can quite literally stall your progress. Fear equals tension.
Tension equals pain. Pain can equal a stalled labor, more interventions, which can lead very easily to a C-section. Fear and tension, pain is like a cycle.
It goes around and around. The pain brings more fear, then there's more tension, then there's more pain. And it goes around and around and around.
If you're scared, labor gets harder. So I'm not saying go in fear-free, that's not the goal, but also it kind of should be a little bit, right? We should be dissecting our fears. We should be getting our brains ready for this experience.
Your mind also affects your cervix. Stay calm, stay confident, stay in control. The more you can be in control that day of your brain, your body will follow suit.
Your body already knows what to do. It's your brain that's going to be the one to sabotage everything that day if you're not careful. So prepare your mind for your birth experience.
You already know I got lots of resources for that. And just because you are wanting to avoid a C-section doesn't mean we don't make a plan for a C-section. If that is necessary or becomes necessary or whatever happens that day, don't go in blindly.
Make a plan. Make sure it's on your terms. If that has to be the route that you end up going, make sure it happens on your terms.
There's gentle C-section options. You can absolutely keep baby with you. You can advocate for a slow, respectful birth experience.
Planning for a C-section doesn't mean you'll have to have one. It just means you're prepared for anything. And that's what my HGICs do.
We are prepared for anything so that we can continue to be the ones in control of the situation despite what our birth may bring. So wrapping that up, just because everyone around you had a C-section doesn't mean you have to. With the right prep, the right provider, and the right support, you can absolutely set yourself up for a vaginal birth.
And that is it for today. This was fun. I liked this.
I love when you guys send me your questions. You guys
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