Vbac – Vaginal birth after a cesarean
Yes it is possible ! I don’t know who decided to say once a cesarean always a cesarean but that really isn’t true !
As a new doula its quite a shock to me that most people really do think that its not possible or weren’t even aware that it is an option … This is very much an option to any woman that has had a non – complicated and healthy pregnancy.
When Angie reached out it was 7 days before her due date, while I don’t think a lot of doulas would have taken a client on that was so last minute but I didn’t even hesitate. From the beginning I just knew that I was meant to support her ! The idea that your doula lives 2 hours away may stress out some of my clients but not Angie. We communicated mainly through whatsapp and phone calls. The very first time I met Angie, was at her home on a Wednesday afternoon. I met this beautiful woman, small and petite, with a beautiful glow. We really clicked from the beginning but when we met face to face, I knew the universe had a reason for bringing us together. We spent the next 3 days at her home working together to bring her baby earth side. By Friday she was 41+3 weeks and she had to go to the hospital to be induced. So off we went to the hospital after all the checks and questions, she was transferred into a different ward … We then decided it would be better for me to go home as we didn’t know what is going to happen and because of strict Covid protocols you really never know what is going to happen. So I left Cape Town Friday afternoon with a heavy heart and a lot of tears ( mine mostly ).
I kept in touch with Angie via whatsapp to just stay on top of things. By 8.30 pm Angie said she was going home and was still pregnant ! I was so happy and a bit confused but none the less over joyed. She explained the whole story about what happened at the hospital and how she hadn’t progressed but she and baby is fine and that she simply asked the doctor to go home because she still had her twins at home, and ultimately she was discharged and able to go home.
So Easter weekend came and went …
That Monday night she started experiencing some light pulling on her tummy and some pressure on her pelvic area. They were coming and going every 45 mins. I explained to her that this can be the beginning of labor but she shouldn’t get to excited and rather try to go back to bed and try to sleep while still possible. She experienced surges through the night a few that woke her up from her sleep. Me being me and not giving up or giving in, I packed my bags that night and left for Cape Town as soon as the sun came up. (Keep in mind I really did think I would not be there to support her when her baby is born.) I remember saying that if I was able to support her right up until the hospital doors, then I will but I will be there in person.
I arrived at Angie’s home that Tuesday morning and by then she was 42 weeks. Her surges were already between 6-7 mins so we stayed at home for the day and we walked up and down in her garden, she had some nice hot showers to ease up the pressure on her lower back and every now and then I did some hip squeezes for her. Her partner, her mom and the kids joined us a bit later that afternoon. I showed her partner and her mom how to give her hip squeezes and just explained what they can expect to happen through the night and when to call me !
I left Angie’s home at around 9pm that night, with the intention of going home taking a quick shower getting something to eat and then going back to spend the night with her. I quickly went home had a shower and as soon as I finished eating I got a whatsapp from Angie and so I made my way to her … I was halfway there when I got a call saying I should rather meet them at the hospital. I arrived at the hospital 10 mins before them and met them at the door. At that point it was 11.15pm and there we sat in-front of the hospital, by this point her surges were quick on each other and they were intense… I told them that they should start thinking of going in and Angie said that she really wants me to go in with her and support her. Her husband fully supported her and he also knew that she would be fully supported and cared for. I kept her husband updated on whatsapp as he went home to keep the twins calm, I sat and waited outside until I was allowed into the ward. Her waters broke on their own at 12.24am, I was then allowed in the ward to support her. Things escalated fast but Angie was a goddess, she handled her surges really well from the beginning and was in control from the very beginning ! I was and still am so proud of her. She went from 6cm to 8cm quite fast and this is to be expected as this isn’t her first baby ! She asked for some pain relieve and was offered some gas. They came to monitor her again and by this time I could see that something was happening … her whole body started to respond and she started pushing, she was still on the monitor when she turned over looked at me and said she can feel something I looked down and I could see the top of her baby’s head, I called the nurse over but baby wasn’t stopping ! The nurse grabbed her gloves and rushed over, Angie gave one long, big push to get baby’s shoulders out and he was here. Baby Anthony joined us earth side at 1.42 am on a Wednesday Morning
Angie was in shock, she couldn’t believe that she had just given birth to her baby ! He started crying and Angie looked at me with this look of pure joy in her eyes ! That is my very favorite part of every birth, seeing the joy, that feeling of achievement its a beautiful moment to bear witness to. I was able to spend an hour afterwards with Angie and I watched a new mom bond with her baby. This was such an amazing experience ! I am so thankful that I was able to support Angie on this important day !
A woman in birth is at once her most powerful, and most vulnerable. You can do this !
