Unmedicated, Spontaneous VBAC Birth Story
Unmedicated spontaneous VBAC
My first daughter was born by (unplanned but not emergency) caesarean in early 2020 [in the NMH]. It was most likely the safest way for her to be born, but I never say I gave birth to her because it has never felt that way to me - I was not an active participant in the process (no judgement for those who feel differently!) The actual surgery itself was calm and straightforward, I feel that our preferences were generally respected and my daughter did well, even started breastfeeding in recovery. Unfortunately my experience - both how I was treated by staff and physically - before and after the surgery wasn't great, and I was determined that I would do everything possible to avoid another caesarean and c-section recovery in future, and have as physiological a birth as I could next time.
I got pregnant with our second baby very quickly, but had hyperemesis gravidarum again and it took longer to get it under control. Though I was attending a different maternity hospital than in my first pregnancy [the Coombe], I still had some unpleasant experiences with healthcare staff, both related to HG and planning a VBAC. Ideally we would have planned a homebirth given what I knew about VBAC success rates in hospitals, but HSE was obviously ruled out and PMI had no availability for my dates. I knew that extra support of a doula would help me have the best outcome possible (which, for me, meant a safe birth with minimal intervention). I’m pretty well-informed so for me the key part of doula support antenatally was to be a sounding board for me, to help me clarify what I needed and how to ask for it, and Rachel was great at that.
Happily I was (eventually!) able to have midwife-led care at the hospital and this continuity, and confidence in my ability to have a straightforward birth, really helped me navigate hospital care, and having Rachel to vent to helped too!
Skip to 41w… my older daughter was born before 38w so every day I was more pregnant than I had ever been! I had had a few hours of mild cramps on some nights for about a week but they didn’t go anywhere; at 41w1d at around 2am I woke up with what I thought was more of the same. I was able to go back to sleep after a few hours but in the morning the cramps continued so I decided to rest, eat, stay distracted and keep my fingers crossed (this was the day before my 41w appointment and I was really hoping to avoid the induction discussion!).
That evening, we contacted our doula to give her a heads up but I still felt comfortable at home and that I didn’t need her. By 10pm I had my eyes closed most of the time, the TENS on, and no longer wanted any distractions - my parents picked up our toddler and I got into the birth pool. After a while before my husband realised the contractions were now three minutes apart, one minute long and that I was basically non-verbal between contractions as well as during them. I still thought it wasn’t time to call the doula but my husband persuaded me it was definitely time to go to hospital (11:30pm).
The hospital admissions process was much more stressful than it needed to be (e.g.: waiting in the foyer for my file, vomiting and contracting; urine sample; admissions midwife insisting on a 20m CTG despite us signing a form refusing CTG antenatally…) Again, having our doula there helped my husband stay calm and advocate for me - he felt more panicked than he expected - and, once they were allowed to be with me, her physical and emotional support felt like a necessary buffer between us and the staff. Things moved quite quickly thankfully and in the hour or so between being checked in admissions and checked in delivery, I had dilated from 3cm to 9.5cm. My gorgeous healthy 8lb 9oz baby girl was born 3h after arriving in hospital with minimal tearing (no stitches required) and no medication - I was absolutely delighted. The placenta was “delayed” so I had an IV for bleeding, but I couldn’t believe how well I felt and how quickly compared to the c-section - I could get up, shower, etc., and we were able to go home about 12h after she was born.
It wasn’t 100% my ideal birth in every aspect, but I was so happy with the outcome and how amazing it was. To me, a doula is a key support to navigate the hospital system, especially if you want anything that’s not “policy”. Rachel understood deeply how important it was to me that I was listened to, and that I was supported to give things every chance to go well.
I’m not planning any more children (HG will do that to you…) but I recommend a doula to anyone who will listen!
“To me, a doula is a key support to navigate the hospital system, especially if you want anything that’s not “policy”.”
Have a birth story you want to share? We love receiving birth stories and clients love to read them. can keep them anonymous and you don’t have to have used our services or used doula support to share them. We will publish them here and on social media (with your permission), and you will help inspire and inform others waiting for their birth day. If you would be interested in sharing your story please email: mary@doulacare.ie
