“No one can force you to have a cesarean” is false
Update: Since this article was originally published, it has been updated with several new resources (listed at the bottom) as well as a video. “No one can force you to have a cesarean.” I see this all the time in message boards. Don’t worry about...
Shoulder pain is a symptom of uterine rupture
I’ve written before about the symptoms of uterine rupture as well as how having an epidural does not interfere with the diagnosis of uterine rupture. One uterine rupture symptom that some parents – and professionals – are surprised to learn about is...
Applying medical research to clinical realities
Isabel recently asked over on Uterine rupture rates after 40 weeks: “I wonder however if there are studies that compare the method of induction. My Doula said that the increase rates of uterine/ scar rupture was due to using high dosages of Pitocin, but now the...
New Research on Home Birth with an Obstetrician
Over the last five years Dr. Stuart Fischbein, a Southern California obstetrician, has attended 135 home births. These deliveries included VBACs, vaginal breech and vaginal twin deliveries. A summary of these births has been recently published. Here are some...
What I told the California Medical Board about home VBAC
A little backstory Back in October, I attended my first Interested Parties Meeting held by the Medical Board of California regarding new midwifery regulations as required by AB1308. (Read more about AB1308 here.) Up for discussion was which conditions or histories...
Home VBAC threatened for California families
There has been a lot of confusion regarding AB1308, the legislation that went through at the beginning of this year in the state of California. It said that LMs were no longer allowed to attend home births in some situations (such as breech, beyond 42 weeks gestation,...
A husband’s experience with VBAC and lessons learned
“I have just seen so many women who have husbands who aren’t supportive because they don’t understand. My husband would love to help more men understand.” A couple recently shared their VBA2C (vaginal birth after two cesareans) journey with...
You need to talk to the doctor/midwife face-to-face
Trying to find a VBAC supportive health care provider can be a (very, very) difficult process. Understandably, some women choose to call various providers rather than meet with them face to face. This woman’s experience illustrates the pitfalls of this method....
Resources for processing traumatic births and losses
A dear woman contacted me. 15 months after her cesarean, it was still hard for her to read my posts without crying. This simply broke my heart. She is not alone. There are many women who carry the grief and pain of their traumatic vaginal or cesarean births or the...
Induction is wrong, wrong, wrong… wait, what?
I hear all the time how induction in VBAC is contraindicated. This is false. This is the kind of misinformation that materializes when we demonize all induction rather than specifying between elective and medically indicated inductions. It’s important to use...
