Episode Details

Hearing about risk is hard. Interpreting risk is even harder, but deciding which risks are comfortable for you is an essential part of birth!

Meagan and Julie discuss how to tell the difference between relative and absolute risk, and what kind of conversations to have with your provider to help you better understand what the numbers mean. 

They also quote many stats and risk percentages around topics like blood transfusions, uterine rupture, eating during labor, epidurals, Pitocin, AROM, and episiotomies.  

And if you don’t feel comfortable with accepting a certain risk, that is OKAY. We support your birthing in the way that feels best to you!

Risk of Uterine Rupture with Vaginal Birth after Cesarean in Twin Gestations

Journal of Perinatal Education Article

What are the chances of being struck by lightning?

Needed Website

How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents

Full Transcript under Episode Details 

02:52 Review of the Week

06:08 Determining acceptable risk for you and your provider 

08:00 Absolute versus relative risk

15:21 More conversations need to happen

25:29 Risk of blood transfusion in VBAC, second C-section, and third C-section

30:37 Understanding the meaning of statistical significance 

32:05 “The United States is intervention intensive” 

36:27 Eating during labor and the risk of aspiration under anesthesia

43:03 Epidurals, Pitocin, AROM, episiotomies, and C-section percentages

44:43 The perspective of birth doulas and birth photographers

Meagan: Hello, hello everybody. Guess who I have today? Julie!

Julie: Hello. 

Meagan: Hello. It’s so good to have you on today. 

Julie: Of course. It’s always fun to be here. 

Meagan: It really is. It’s so fun. When we sit and chat before, it just feels so comfortable like that is the norm still for me even though it has been a while, it just feels so normal and I love it. I miss you and I love you and I am so excited to be here with you today. 

You guys, we are going to talk a little bit about risk. We know that in the VBAC world, there’s a lot of risk that comes up. I should say a lot of talk about risk that comes up whether it be is it safe to even have a VBAC? Is it safe to be induced? What are our real risks of uterine rupture? Is it safe to VBAC with an epidural or without an epidural? What about at home out of the hospital? Is that safe? I don’t know. Let’s talk about that today. 

Julie: Let’s talk about it. 

Meagan: Let’s talk about it. I think it’s really important to note that no matter what— and we’re going to talk about this for sure today, but no matter what, you have to take the risks that you are presented and that is given and still decide what’s best for you. That risk doesn’t mean that is what you have to or can’t do. Right? 

So I think while you are listening, be mindful