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
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