- 478 Sarah's VBAC After Breast Cancer & Arrest of Descent Cesarean + Breast Cancer Awareness Month
“This VBAC was so redemptive for me because I felt like it was the first time my body did the things that it was designed to do without the intervention of medicine or doctors. I feel like it healed so many wounds in my soul.”
Sarah was diagnosed with hormone-positive breast cancer at 29, which involved treatment, fertility preservation, and wondering if her body would ever be able to do anything right. After 3 years of hormone suppression, she was cleared to try and get pregnant naturally. Sarah’s birth ended in a cesarean due to arrest of descent, which left her doubting my body again. 3.5 years later, her second baby was born through a redemptive, powerful, primal, and healing unmedicated VBAC!
National Breast Cancer Foundation
The VBAC Link Blog: Failure to Progress
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands50m - Oct 13, 2026 - 477 VBAC After Infant Loss + Short Interval & 44-hr Labor + Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month | Rachel
“Our first daughter, Violet, was born at 30 weeks via C-section due to a variety of health complications. She died 12 days later in the NICU, and we love and miss her so much. We were not aware until after she died that she had a fatal condition called triploidy, which was misdiagnosed as Dandy-Walker. 6.5 months later, through immense fear and grief, I became pregnant with our second daughter, Valerie, and I was lucky to find an amazing VBAC-friendly practice that believed in me despite the short interval between births. Valerie was born at 40+5 after 44.5 hours of labor, and her birth had my doula saying, ‘I’ve never seen this happen before!’
I hope my happy ending provides hope and inspiration to listeners, especially those who have experienced loss.”
Rachel’s story is packed with SO MUCH, including but not limited to infant loss, chromosomal abnormality, miracles, a 16.5-month interval between births, pregnancy after loss, hospital VBAC, long labor, doula support, and pivoting from unmedicated plans to an epidural and Pitocin as helpful tools.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month is a tender time, and we feel passionately that listening to women tell their stories of loss helps us become kinder, softer, and stronger together. We honor Rachel, Valerie, and sweet Violet's memory today.
The VBAC Link Blog: What to Say After Miscarriage or Stillbirth
The VBAC Link Blog: Length Between Pregnancies
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands43m - Oct 7, 2026 - 476 HBAC After PPROM + Circumvallate Placenta & Marginal Cord Insertion | Melle
Melle McPhee is a VBAC Link Certified Doula and mom of three girls. Her first birth was an 11-hour vaginal delivery at 39+6 with an epidural and episiotomy. After PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes) at 36+5 with her second, Melle found out that her baby was footling breech and had an emergency cesarean. Melle struggled with feeling like her body had failed and feared another spontaneous preterm birth.
During her third pregnancy, Melle focused on supporting a full-term pregnancy, including daily collagen protein, exercise, and a nutrient-dense diet. At exactly 40 weeks, she went into spontaneous labor and had a 12-hour physiological home birth VBAC with a midwife. Her water didn’t break until five minutes before birth, and she had no tearing. Melle shares how she approached the recommendations surrounding VBAC, home birth, continuous monitoring, and cervical checks through informed consent and her own risk tolerance. Her biggest VBAC advice is to hire a doula and know that a previous spontaneous preterm birth does not mean your body is broken or that you can’t carry a future baby to term.
Keywords: VBAC, VBAC Doula, HBAC, home birth, PPROM, preterm birth, footling breech, breech prevention, midwife, circumvallate placenta, marginal cord insertion
The VBAC Link Blog: How to Find a VBAC-Supportive Provider
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands48m - Sep 30, 2026 - 475 Induced VBAC at 41 Weeks + Vacuum Assist | Stephanie
“The deck was stacked against me: advanced maternal age, circumvallate placenta, marginal cord insertion, gestational diabetes, induced VBAC, delivery after 41 weeks, 4 hours of pushing, and vacuum assisted delivery.”
After 38 hours of labor, chorioamnionitis, and late decels, Stephanie’s rainbow baby boy was born by cesarean. His umbilical cord was only five inches long, her husband missed the birth after being forgotten outside the OR, and their son spent five days in the NICU.
For her VBAC, she tried all the things to go into labor naturally before being induced at 41+3 with low and slow Pitocin. With the support of a patient OB, doula, and her husband, she labored unmedicated and pushed for four hours before welcoming her daughter with the help of a vacuum. Even with a second-degree tear, postpartum hemorrhage, and a retained placenta, she says that her VBAC was much less traumatic than her cesarean.
The VBAC Link Blog: The Best VBAC Induction Methods
The VBAC Link Blog: Operative Vaginal Delivery
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands43m - Sep 23, 2026 - 474 VBAC Waterbirth in Scotland | Mhairi
Joining us all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland is our friend, Mhairi. Her first birth in 2023 began with PROM (premature rupture of membranes) without regular contractions or cervical change. She was induced, and after concerns came up for both Mhairi and her baby, the birth ended in an emergency cesarean.
For her second birth, Mhairi planned a waterbirth VBAC despite it being outside her hospital’s protocol. She spent her pregnancy researching her options and met several times with consultants and the head of the birth department. After going into spontaneous labor, she had one final meeting with a doctor while in active labor to discuss waterbirth. Mhairi went on to have her unmedicated VBAC waterbirth, and it was just the empowering experience she hoped it would be.
Keywords: VBAC, waterbirth VBAC, waterbirth, NHS, UK maternity care, emergency cesarean, induction, spontaneous labor, unmedicated birth, doula, midwifery care
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands58m - Sep 16, 2026 - 473 T-incision Special Scar + 2VBACs | CNM & Founder of Lila Laborwear Caitlyn Schollmeier
Caitlyn is our ultimate IT girl. She’s a Certified Nurse Midwife, L&D nurse, doula, two-time VBAC mom of four, inventor of Lila Laborwear and the Lila TENS Unit, Air Force veteran, and was crowned the 2020 Mrs. United States while pregnant with her twins!
Caitlyn’s motherhood journey began with that surprise twin pregnancy, vasa previa, and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which led to a lengthy hospital stay and a cesarean birth with a T-incision.
During her second pregnancy, Caitlyn was strongly discouraged from going for a VBAC. But she knew the evidence, trusted her intuition, and went for it. Caitlyn’s labor was long and challenging, but ended in an empowering VBAC! She went on to have another VBAC with her third that was unexpectedly unmedicated, using her very own Lila TENS Unit as her only pain relief.
Caitlyn shares what she wishes she had known about vasa previa, including treatment options she learned about too late, and dives into pregnancy dating, induction, nipple stimulation, membrane sweeps, castor oil, labor coping, epidurals, unmedicated birth, and preparing for labor regardless of your pain-medication plan. She explains why medical interventions should be approached strategically rather than as all or nothing by asking yourself:
“Is this going to improve my chances of having the outcome that I want?”
When used thoughtfully and appropriately, sometimes interventions are just the thing that will get you there.
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 15m - Sep 9, 2026 - 472 VBA2C + Leaving AMA During Labor | Darby
After a breech C-section in 2022 and an elective repeat in 2024, Darby switched providers to the “king of VBA2C doctors” at 34 weeks to go for a VBA2C. She hired the best VBAC doula in North Texas, did all the things to prepare and educate herself, but at 40 weeks learned her supportive doctor would be out of town. At 40+5, she labored for nearly three days while facing anti-VBAC doctors, repeated pressure for a C-section, and “dead baby” fear-mongering. She ultimately left the hospital AMA, continued laboring close by with her husband and doula, then returned two days later.
Darby finally had a doctor from her supportive practice arrive during an overnight labor, and despite baby’s heart rate struggling with contractions, meconium, severe dehydration with ketones, four IVs due to rolling veins, an epidural, and 45 minutes of pushing resulting in a third-degree tear, she got her VBA2C and the perfect skin-to-skin moment she was dreaming of.
Darby’s message to you all is to know your rights, advocate for yourself, trust your intuition, and stay flexible.
About her resistance from doctors, she says, “It was the most intense and probably most medically traumatizing thing of my life, but the end was the most empowering thing ever.”
Women of Strength, the way you are treated in birth matters. Get educated, and don’t settle for any less than what you deserve!
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands51m - Sep 2, 2026 - 471 Unmedicated VBAC After an ECV | Stephanie
Stephanie’s first two births were vaginal deliveries, her third was a peaceful, scheduled C-section after declining an ECV, and her fourth was an empowering VBAC with an ECV at 37 weeks. She is a doula, prenatal/postpartum fitness specialist, and the founder of Mission Rise and Mission Motherhood.
We loved this piece of advice Stephanie sent us in her intake form:
“One thing I don’t think we talk about enough is that birth preparation should evolve with each pregnancy.
“For a first-time mom, that often means learning as much as you can so birth doesn’t simply happen to you—attending childbirth and breastfeeding classes, considering a doula, and preparing for postpartum (your bedside, having a meal train, etc.).
“For moms who’ve given birth before, preparation often means processing your previous birth before preparing for the next one.
“Every birth deserves to be treated as its own story, and each pregnancy offers a new opportunity to advocate for yourself, explore your options, and prepare with fresh eyes instead of assuming this birth will be just like the last.”
This episode was SO fun to record. We just basked in the beautiful way Stephanie talked about birth, advocacy, faith, and all of her practical tips. And another fun piece of her VBAC was that Stephanie and her sister were pregnant together and got to be each other’s doulas at their births, only 13 days apart!
Natural Hospital Birth, The Best of Both Worlds
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands58m - Aug 26, 2026 - 470 Unmedicated Hospital VBAC After Placenta Previa | Blair
We know her and love her from jingles on all the socials with her husband, Steven. She documented her VBAC prep journey on the internet, and now Blair aka @6.lair is here sharing ALL details with The VBAC Link!
About Blair: She’s a 2x mom based in Michigan who had an unmedicated hospital VBAC in May 2026. As a pediatric ICU nurse herself, she’s a huge advocate for patient centered care, non-pharmacological pain interventions, and informed consent. Her first birth was a scheduled C-section due to placenta previa. Her VBAC was just under 24 hours with AROM, lots of movement, using the shower during contractions, pushing for 1hr and 40 min, the fetal ejection reflex, and no tearing.
You will walk away from her stories with such a deep understanding of the step-by-step process of unmedicated birth. From trying to induce spontaneous labor all the way to the nitty gritty of what recovery from a vaginal delivery feels like, Blair is a girl’s girl who REALLY wants you to know what to expect. It was hard, transition was scary, pushing wasn’t what she thought it would be, AND it was the most empowering thing she’s ever done.
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands55m - Aug 19, 2026 - 469 Birthy Conversations We're Not Having + The Baby Chick® | Nina Spears
She’s the chick who helps moms and babies, the one and only Nina Spears, founder and CEO of The Baby Chick®, is hereeee! Nina is a certified baby planner, birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, newborn care specialist, infant massage instructor, and perinatal nutrition expert who has worked with more than 800 families in person, thousands virtually, and has supported over 350 births over the past 15 years.
She’s also the host of Chick Chat: The Baby Chick Podcast and the author of The Baby Chick Guide to Positive Pregnancy, which just published June 2026. She says it’s, “essentially what I’ve been wanting my clients to have for the last 15 years”.
And what does it mean to have a positive pregnancy?
Nina says it’s all about feeling informed, supported, and empowered.
But, it’s also having conversations about the realities of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum that just aren’t happening…until this episode.
What we aren’t talking about enough that we take a deep dive into today:
- The invisible load of motherhood that starts DURING pregnancy
- Not just holding the baby, but also holding the mama
- Patrescence and the hormone shift of dads
- What actually helps women feel prepared and supported for a baby
- Why peace on earth begins with birth
- Villages are never free
- Deciding to VBAC and honing in on what YOU really want
- The pressures that VBAC moms carry
- Debunking the superiority of birth
Nina is an absolute joy! We promise this episode is SUCH a good one.
The Baby Chick Guide to Positive Pregnancy: How to Prepare Your Mind, Body, and Partner
The Baby Chick on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
Chick Chat: The Baby Chick Podcast
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 0m - Aug 12, 2026 - 468 Home Birth Transfer Hospital VBAC + Cancer Diagnosis | Hannah
Hannah's first labor began at 40 weeks, the day after a membrane sweep. She opted for an epidural but due to fetal tachycardia, had an unplanned cesarean. It was a lonely and confusing postpartum not coping well with the emotional trauma of that birth.
Hannah prepared for a VBAC and planned a home birth with a midwife hoping for a different experience. She felt peaceful about transferring to the hospital when labor stalled at 9cm. She talks about what made that transfer feel empowering, including the sweetest affirmations from her cute husband.
She also shares about her baby girl’s diagnosis with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) at just 7 weeks old and how walking through a rare childhood illness (quite literally 1 in a million!) changed her perspective on birth, motherhood, and life's hardest seasons.
Hannah was a TVL podcast listener herself long before she had her own VBAC. We hope you can find the same inspiration and love that Lily, Paige, and Hannah did when prepping for their own births!
To Lily, she said, “The way that you and Paige honor women’s birth stories is just so beautiful. It’s such a powerful service you provide. It was so inspirational and hopeful, and I still listen every week.”
Our birth stories are meant to be held and shared communally. And this is why we are here.
Keywords: VBAC, planned HBAC, hospital transfer, cesarean birth, tachycardia, membrane sweep, epidural, PPA, birth trauma, husband, birth advocacy, Histiocytosis, infant cancer
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 3m - Aug 5, 2026 - 467 Two VBA4Cs in South Korea! | Ali Craft's 7 Births
One of Paige’s dearest friends and fellow doula in South Korea, Ali Craft, joins the pod today sharing her incredibly inspiring (and hilariously narrated!) seven birth stories, including four cesareans and three vaginal births. Ali was able to advocate for not only a VBA2C in Korea, where it is extremely uncommon for hospitals to offer VBAC support, but she also had TWO VBA4Cs.
Ali’s stories remind us that every.birth.is.different. From long labors to short ones, planned cesareans to unplanned CBACs, induction, epidural, spontaneous labor, and so much more in between, we know you will take away so much inspiration from her stories.
“I love supporting moms now because in labor when they’re dying, I can say, I KNOW. When it’s taking forever, I KNOW. When they end up with the C-section they didn’t really want, I know.”
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 3m - Jul 29, 2026 - 466 LIVE VBAC Q&A | Paige & Lily + TVL Co-Founders Meagan & Julie
For the first time EVER, all four of The VBAC Link hosts are together in one episode! Founders and original pod hosts Julie Francom and Meagan Heaton join current hosts Lily Wyn and Paige Lloyd to answer your live VBAC questions. With more than 15 years of combined doula experience and hundreds of births attended, this episode is jam-packed with wisdom, evidence-based birthy tips, and so much love for our listeners who have been with us all of these years.
Topics include:
- How to decide between a VBAC and repeat cesarean
- Preventing PROM and chorioamnionitis
- 39-week induction recommendation early in pregnancy
- Engaging baby's head before labor
- How to trust your intuition
- Coping with fear
- Tips on practical birth prep
The Birth Narrative Doula Services
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands43m - Jul 22, 2026 - 465 Nurse Practitioner’s Precipitous Birth Center VBAC | Alex
Today we sit down with Alex, a nurse practitioner and mama of two, who shares her journey from a scheduled breech cesarean to a fast, spontaneous VBAC at a birth center. After two unsuccessful ECV attempts, Alex planned for a cesarean with her first baby. Along the way, she also experienced the heartbreak of miscarriage before welcoming her daughter. Alex opens up about navigating conflicting medical opinions (including being told by an MFM that her baby would die– not okay!!) and how her and her medical doctor husband’s views on out-of-hospital birth evolved over time.
Alex also shares why practicing for labor could only take her so far before surrender became the greatest lesson, the importance of surrounding yourself with more than just a supportive provider, and how having an encouraging birth team made all the difference. Alex especially talks about how her VBAC-certified doula was an invaluable part of that team.
We also discuss some of the evidence behind using ultrasounds to measure scar thickness as a predictor of a VBAC outcome or uterine rupture, and why ACOG does NOT recommend it.
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands54m - Jul 15, 2026 - 464 LONG Pregnancies + LONG Labors | Lily & Paige
Today’s episode is a deep dive with just Paige and Lily all about LONG pregnancies and LONG labors. Are due dates expiration dates? Is it okay to go past 41 weeks with VBAC? How do you stay sane and steady when you are more than readyyyy for labor to start?
And when it does and things take much, much longer than you hoped, (you’re in good company because Lily knows all about this with her 66-hour VBAC) we’ve got you. How do you overcome a labor stall? How to reset on the morning of another full day of labor? When is it time to reassess?
Lily and Paige share a peek into their doula brains with lots of tips, research, and stories as two gals who love birth and want you to know that you are stronger than you ever thought. 🙌
2013 PubMed Study - Length of Pregnancies
2001 PubMed Article - Estimating the Normal Duration of Human Pregnancies
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands44m - Jul 8, 2026 - 463 L&D Nurse's VBAC + Velamentous Cord Inserstion | Casey
Casey is a L&D nurse who had both of her babies at the same hospital where she works. Her first birth was an unexpected C-section, but thankfully not traumatic.. Casey brings up how working as a nurse can sometimes make birth harder from seeing the tough stuff, but how that can also actually be really helpful when things don’t go to plan too.
Casey knew she wanted a VBAC, but she didn’t expect anger to show up the way it did during her pregnancy. She fielded a lot of insensitive comments at work but was able to tune out the noise and tune in to her spirituality and faith to keep her grounded.
She was supposed to work L&D the night her baby was born! But instead of helping other moms welcome their babies, her nurse friends were there cheering for her. Casey’s surprise gender VBAC was sweet, sacred, and empowering!
We know you'll love Casey's beautiful personality as much as we do.
Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 2m - Jul 1, 2026 - 462 Induced VBAC with Dilapan Rods & 10lb Baby | Willa
Willa joins the pod from San Francisco, CA to share her journey from a 41+5 spontaneous 30-hour labor with OP positioning and a cesarean with her 9lb, 6oz first baby to a VBAC with her 10lb, 3oz second baby. She talks about switching providers, using Dilapan rods for cervical ripening, being induced at 41 weeks, and navigating another OP baby.
Willa shares the lessons she learned about preparing emotionally for birth, the nuances of birth language, trusting that each birth can be different, and surrounding yourself with people who will be your biggest VBAC champions. And stay until the end to hear the most beautiful poem about her VBAC journey!
EBB Birth: Pros and Cons of Foley and Dilapan-S® for Induction
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands53m - Jun 24, 2026 - 461 VBA2C After HELLP Syndrome + Scar Extension | Yazmine
After an emergency cesarean at 29 weeks due to HELLP syndrome with an ICU stay for herself and a 2-month NICU stay for her baby, Yazmine was told she would never have a vaginal birth. She was also given mixed information about the type of uterine scar that she had. But with lots of diet changes and medication, Yazmine didn’t have preeclampsia or HELLP the second time around. She chose a repeat cesarean following her doctor’s strong recommendation.
During her third pregnancy, Yazmine educated herself on VBA2C, found a supportive provider through another TVL mama on the podcast, and continued with the same lifestyle changes as before. She had PROM at 38+6, labored for 40 hours with a Foley bulb, Pitocin, and got an epidural before having her beautiful VBA2C at 39+1. Yazmine had no tearing and the amazing recovery she was hoping for!
Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands48m - Jun 17, 2026 - 460 Type 1 Diabetes VBAC + Shoulder Dystocia | Alexis
Alexis is a Type 1 diabetic mom of three boys from Nevada. Her first birth was a 37-week induction due to her diabetes that ended in a vaginal delivery. For her second birth, Alexis was told she needed a cesarean because her baby was expected to be "massive," but after birth, he was perfectly average-sized. In the OR, her providers admitted their prediction was wrong, and Alexis was devastated. Alexis was determined more than ever to educate herself and advocate hard for her next birth.
During her third pregnancy, Alexis navigated polyhydramnios, multiple provider changes, and concerns about possible fetal heart abnormalities that ultimately turned out to be no issue after birth. But even with these challenges, still advocated and achieved her unmedicated VBAC. Her labor ended with a shoulder dystocia with her baby having a broken arm, but with a smooth recovery. Alexis shares how TVL, research, informed decision-making, educating her support team, and using the B.R.A.I.N. acronym helped her throughout her pregnancy and birth journey.
Note from Alexis: “There was never a real explanation as to why they suspected he had ARSA, the increased velocity, or the small hole in utero. And as a tip for anyone in labor, honey is considered a clear liquid, and the cheap honey bears at Walmart are great during labor! I took swigs off of it during labor for energy and to keep my blood sugar up. The midwife came to check on me at one point mid-swig and said that was the first time she had seen that in her 25 years. I couldn’t find honey sticks locally for a reasonable price, but I could find local honey bears.”
Keywords: VBAC, Type 1 diabetes, juvenile diabetes, induction, 37-week induction, scheduled cesarean, suspected macrosomia, big baby, polyhydramnios, unmedicated VBAC, shoulder dystocia, broken humerus, birth injury, fetal heart concerns, ARSA, informed consent, B.R.A.I.N., VBAC prep
Natural Birth for Type 1 Diabetics Facebook Group
Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 5m - Jun 10, 2026 - Episode 459 Allison's (PT, DPT) Induced VBAC + Epidural + Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Allison Parker is a pelvic floor physical therapist and mom of two from South Carolina, joining us today to share her journey to an induced VBAC after a cesarean for breech presentation. She talks about navigating a failed ECV, postpartum hemorrhage, postpartum preeclampsia, and her tough second pregnancy which ultimately led to an induction at 37 weeks due to preeclampsia. Allison tells us what helped her feel prepared, including finding a supportive provider, hiring a doula, hearing other women’s stories on The VBAC Link (!), and learning to pivot when things had to change.
As both a VBAC mom and pelvic floor PT, Allison also shares practical advice for preparing for birth and recovering postpartum. We discuss perineal massage, C-section scar massage, open glottis pushing vs. when to use closed glottis pushing, pelvic floor recovery, healing after a 3rd degree tear, and why the mental and emotional preparation are just as important as the physical.
Keywords: VBAC, induced VBAC, breech, ECV, preeclampsia, postpartum preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, pelvic floor physical therapy, 3rd degree tear, pelvic floor recovery, vaginal recovery, C-section recovery, scar massage, perineal massage, epidural VBAC, supportive provider, doula
Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands1h 7m - Jun 3, 2026
