Lauren's VBAC birth story

My VBAC journey began as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I knew that in order for me to have the best chance of a successful VBAC, a trusted support team was a must. I contacted a good Doula friend of mine (who would be on maternity leave when I gave birth) for recommendations of Doula's in our area. Moran was one, and from our first phone call my husband and I knew she was the perfect fit for us - extremely knowledgeable, highly experienced, confident, professional and gentle. I actually broke down in tears after our initial call as Moran gave me hope and a sense of relief that I would have her by my side giving me the guidance I needed throughout my pregnancy and birth.

My husband and I attended the two day birth boot camp workshop which equipped us with the knowledge and confidence to go forward with a hospital birth. These workshops are a must for all expecting parents! Moran also gave me the reassurance I needed after my hospital appointments (some ending in tears) and regularly checked in to see how I was emotionally coping.

While I was adamant I would not have any interventions to help bring on labour (I was induced with my first and ended up with an emergency cesarean and was terrified of this happening again), along came 42 weeks and still nothing had happened.

With Moran’s guidance I decided to have a stretch and sweep and also booked in for a rupture of membranes a couple of days later.

Moran helped me work through my self doubt about my ability to birth naturally, reminding me to trust my body - she whole-heartedly believed that I could do it, an advocate for me all the way.

I ended up having a truely amazing birth experience. My waters were broken and thankfully my contractions started within the first hour. With some persuasion (by my husband, who luckily isn’t scared of confrontation) the hospital staff allowed my contractions to progress naturally and for me to birth in the bath. Being in the water gave me so much pain relief, it was a game changer. Nine hours later our baby girl came earth side. It’s a moment I will never forget, the feeling of ‘I did it!’ and the immense gratitude I felt for having the incredible support of my husband and Moran - I will be forever grateful ❤️

Thank you Lauren for sharing your story with us.