Kristen joins us today to share her tough C-section and two beautiful VBAC stories! After a 41-week elective induction that turned into a C-section and a 2.5-week NICU stay due to meconium and heart decelerations, Kristen was very nervous about giving birth again. She found The VBAC Link Podcast and found hope. Through her VBAC research, she gained the determination and confidence she needed to try again. 

When she was showing symptoms of preeclampsia, Kristen accepted the reality of a medically necessary induction. She was nervous but knew things would be different. She labored well and had moments of discouragement, but she used the tools available and achieved her VBAC. 

Kristen also had some preeclampsia symptoms but was able to avoid induction, labored almost completely at home, and caught her baby in a wheelchair at the hospital waiting for the elevator!

How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents

Full Transcript under Episode Details 

01:11 Review of the Week

04:23 Kristen’s first pregnancy

06:20 Agreeing to induction

08:27 Emergency C-section and NICU stay

12:55 Gaining confidence to VBAC and getting pregnant again

17:28 39-week induction

21:18 Feeling discouraged

27:15 Getting the epidural and pushing for less than an hour

30:58 Third pregnancy

34:41 Forced to find a new provider at 36 weeks

40:45 Labor begins

46:11 Rushing to the hospital

48:06 Delivering her own baby in a wheelchair

51:27 Preeclampsia article and calibrating your blood pressure cuff

Meagan: Hey everybody, welcome to the show. We have our friend, Kristen with us today. Hello, Kristen. 

Kristen: Hi. 

Meagan: We have her and her little baby as well so you can hear those little cute coos in the background. You can just smile. I love when we have little babies on the podcast or kids. The other day, we had a little toddler. It was so fun. It makes my heart so happy. How old is your little baby now? 

Kristen: She is over a month. Just over a month. 

Meagan: Just little little. This is a VBAC baby. 

Kristen: Yes, she is. 

Meagan: We were just talking before we got recording. Kristen had a C-section and then a VBAC and with that VBAC, she had preeclampsia. We are going to talk a little bit more of what that looked like, but that has definitely been one of the themes that our listeners have been asking about. Is VBAC possible with lab-positive preeclampsia? The answer is yes. It is. We will talk a little bit more about that and then she has a surprise. 

01:11 Review of the Week

Meagan: We are going to read a review and then we are going to dive into her stories. 

This review was left in March 2023 by mcgrace and it says, “Must-listen For Every Mom”. It says, “This podcast is a must-listen not just for a mom preparing for a VBAC, but for anyone who gives birth and has given birth or plans to give birth in the U.S. Meagan wonderfully walks through personal stories while prepping for helping for helpful advocacy tips and a solid dose of empowerment in each episode. If you want to hear people discussing their plan to VBAC, if you are curious about what giving birth in the U.S. is like, and if you are wanting to have tips on how to mentally, emotionally, and physically prepare yourself for the best birth, this is the podcast to listen to.”

I love that. Thank you so much and I agree. This is such a great place for everybody, anyone preparing for birth to listen. I think with crazy-high Cesarean rates, we’ve talked about this before. We have to talk about why they are happening and this podca