THANK YOU to this sweet birthEDucated family for sharing both their story and images/videos of their birth. We are so thrilled to have this amazing documentation of your VBAC! If you are VBAC hopeful or even VBAC curious and would like to join us for our VBAC Prep workshop our next scheduled class is December 5th. If you need a class sooner or later than that please CONTACT US.

When I reached 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant with my 3rd baby, I was convinced I’d be pregnant forever. Both of my previous births had been right around 39 weeks - one was a planned c-section and one was a hospital VBAC. This time I was planning for a home birth, and so hopeful that my body and my baby would be able to do it. I started having contractions about 9pm, and they were coming every 10 minutes. I brushed them off however, as I had been having contractions at night for weeks. Again, I was convinced I’d be pregnant FOREVER. I fell asleep, fully expecting to wake up in the morning with no progress.

I woke up at 12:30 to a stronger contraction. As I crawled back into bed, I felt a pop and then a gush. My water had broken!!! I was thrilled! This meant something. We started timing my contractions and they were 4-6 minutes apart, for over an hour. As a birth worker myself, I had to shove a lot of guilt aside and I called the birth team of my doula, photographer, and midwife. Everyone arrived by 3am. And of course, as soon as everyone arrived, my contractions slowed down. We giggled in my kitchen and ate watermelon, and admired the fire my husband had built. I Was changing positions, doing what I could to try to remain upright, and generally encouraging the contractions to come closer together.

My boys woke up around 7am, and my midwife suggested that we take a walk outside. So my six year old, my midwife, my birth photographer, and I headed out for an early morning stroll. It was during this walk that I think I moved into active labor. We got back inside, and decided to try the birth tub. The water felt so amazing. It truly felt like nature’s epidural. It felt so good that of course, contractions slowed again. This was so frustrating to me. I was convinced that I would be in labor for another 20 hours, and that I wouldn’t be able to do it either at home or without medication.

At the suggestion of my team, I got out of the water and began doing stairs and sitting on the toilet. I was mentally spent. I told them all that I was going to bed, I was done with labor and I was going to go to sleep it off. I went to bed and laid on my side, and just willed everybody in my house to leave. I was thinking about how I could get to the hospital and get an epidural or a C-section, without any of my birth team noticing that I was gone. While all I wanted was rest, the contractions were so incredibly painful while I was lying on my side. I believe it was here that I entered true transition. My wonderful Doula and birth assistant convinced me to change positions, and eventually get out of bed. We finally made it to the “dilation station “, a.k.a. the toilet, again.

As I walked to the toilet, something inside of me shifted. While I still knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do it, I decided to start lying to myself. So while I was on the toilet, experiencing very intense contractions, I began yelling “I want this!” Each time a contraction would come, I would repeat (read: yell) this mantra, again not really believing it but knowing I needed to lie to myself. At this point contractions were every minute, and my midwife suggested that we had back upstairs. I remember thinking “that sounds like the equivalent of running in ultra marathon right now “, but we began the journey. I think I had a contraction on every stair, and it took me about 20 minutes to climb the one flight of stairs. Soon after I got through the stairs, I had a very intense contraction where I instinctively pushed and my water exploded everywhere. It was surprising and messy and triumphant!

My midwife had been gently suggesting that perhaps I was ready to push, and this was my validation. I hadn’t experienced Fetal Ejection Reflex (FER), but I knew it was time. I climbed back into the tub, and began pushing like a maniac. My midwife calmly suggested (though she had to say it quite loudly over my screaming) B that I had to slow down in my pushing. She suggested I see how close baby was, and I could feel her head emerging. I took a break through the next contraction or two, and then in one push out came her head. In the next contraction and push out came her body. I remember looking down and thinking “there’s a baby at the bottom of the pool” My midwife handed her to me, and it was the most amazing sweet relief and joy I have ever felt. I remember looking up at my husband and seeing him sob. I couldn’t believe it. She was here. I just had a baby, in my living room. I was 38, high BMI, history of cesarean, and I did it.

My husband brought my six-year-old over to meet the baby well she was still in the pool with me, which was the most sweet and incredible moment. I stood up to exit the pool, and birthed my placenta very easily. I reclined on the couch, with my baby on my chest, while the team attended to me. Everything was fast and professional, and I felt safe and cared for the entire time. I was fed, they assisted with breast-feeding, and were busy checking vitals and cleaning up. My husband, son, new baby daughter, and I were able to just marvel at each other for a few minutes.

I still can’t quite believe it happened to me. It feels like the most incredible dream. My postpartum time with her has been incredibly different than with my first two births. I have felt relaxed, happy, completely cared for by my team, and empowered. Having a homebirth, birthing a baby without medication, has proven to me that I can do the hardest of things. I cannot wait until she is old enough to hear her birth story, and know that the strength is within her as well.

Midwife: Kari Michalski - Thrive Midwives

Doula: Brandy Quinn

Birth Assistant: Samantha Collins

Photo/Video: Brooke Burns/Gather Birth Co-Op

birthED VBAC Story - The Strength Within