Episode Details

This episode goes back to the basics and is a great place to start on your VBAC journey! Julie joins Meagan today as they talk about many common questions beginning with reasons why providers tell women they can’t go for a VBAC. 

Topics today include: 

• Nuchal cords
• Big babies
• Small pelvises
• Arrest of descent
• Third-trimester ultrasounds 
• Cervical dilation
• Induction
• Due dates
• The ARRIVE Trial
• Why there is so much contradicting VBAC info
• Pregnancy intervals 
• Epidurals

Meagan and Julie also reflect on how their perspective toward each of these topics have changed over the years. Allowing for nuance is so necessary when approaching birth. Know that you always have options and never feel pressured to make a decision that doesn’t feel right for you.

The VBAC Link Blog: Pregnancy Intervals

Needed Website

How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents

Full Transcript under Episode Details 

04:24 Review of the Week

07:48 Intro to the basics

09:53 Nuchal cords

13:30 Big babies, small pelvises, fluid levels, and third-trimester ultrasounds

17:08 How will this change my care?

18:47 Cervical dilation

25:54 Due dates

28:18 Vulnerability and the ARRIVE trial

30:44 Inducing a VBAC

36:15 Julie’s social media story

38:29 Contradicting information

41:36 Pregnancy intervals

46:38 Epidurals

54:13 Allowing for nuance

Meagan: What’s up, everybody? This is Meagan. We have Ms. Julie with us today and we are going to be talking to you about what we need you to know about VBAC. We obviously like to talk about different topics but Julie and I decided this morning as we were getting ready to record that we need to do an episode on just the basics again. Don’t you feel like it’s the basics? 

It’s not to shame anyone for not knowing the information. It’s honestly to– I don’t even want to say the word shame– but providers are not educating their patients. They are just not. We see it time and time and time again where people just don’t know. 

We saw a post, I don’t know, maybe a month or so ago. I think maybe Julie sent it to me. It was just saying, “Hey, so can you have a VBAC no matter what reason the C-section was for?” Someone said, “Well, it depends because if it’s something like a cord wrapped around the baby’s neck, if that was the reason you had your previous C-section and if your last baby had its cord wrapped around their neck and was having struggle, yes. You have you have a C-section.” 

Julie: I am getting a little salty. I feel like maybe salty is not the right word, but direct. I jumped in and I’m like, “That’s actually not true. The cord wrapped around a baby’s neck preventing them from descending is a perfect VBAC candidate because it’s not anything to do with the pelvis or labor stalling or anything like that.” Anyways. 

Meagan: Even with that said, even with that said– 

Julie: People still argued with me.