Doulas and VBAC...?

[hawleyclan]

Hi! Have any of you attended VBAC mothers? How is it different from attending other mothers? What are some concerns you would watch for? Are there any recommendations you would make for nutritional needs, or exercise routines? Also, is there a difference if the mother has had repeat Csec?

Can you recommend any good books or articles on VBAC moms?

Thank you for any information you can share...

The Lord bless you,
Zoie

[Shaz]

VBAC

Hi Zoie!!

I am a Doula and most of my clients are VBAC.

Books I would recommend are "Silent Knife" Nancy Wainer Cohen&Lois Estner; "Open Season" Nancy Wainer Cohen; "The VBAC Companion" Diane Korte; "Birth After Cesearan: The Medical Facts" Bruce Flamm.

Also the Jan/Feb issue of Mothering Mag has two incredible VBAC articles in it

Letting them talk through their c/s birth and just listening to them really helps. Let them know it's ok to grieve the loss of their birth experience. Most of these mom's have been told "oh well, at least you have a healthy baby". Also, www.birthlove.com has some wonderfully inspiring VBAC birth stories and articles.

Hope this helps!!!!

[SJane]

The biggest thing for me as a VBAC mom was that my doula didn't treat me an differently. We did, of course, talk about the what ifs, and processed my past birth experience. But it was important to me that someone was just treating me like a plain ole pregnant woman and not as a c-section candidate. Does that make sence?
But I do agree with the book lists posted before... reading is always good. And as a doula now myself, I search out VBAC moms and do make sure they are educated and healthy, but I would do that for all my cleints.
Maybe I would make sure they were drinking their pregnancy tea a little more than other moms
Good luck!!

[Milo]

As a VBAC mama - I couldn't stand the book by Flamm, MD-but that's just my opinion. A little booklet on "Optimal Foetal Postioning" (sorry, I don't have the author's name - she's a midwife in New Zealand or Australia) was very helpful. My first was Occiput-Posterior, and the difference in labor between the first and second babies was remarkable. The book includes advice on posture and exercise to encourage the baby to lie "the right way" for an easier delivery.

[hawleyclan]

Hi! And Thank you for the wonderful responses! I will be helping my first VBAC mom... and I know her selfesteem has taken a beating... Her confidence levels are not good, she is a very sweet but soft-spoken lady who has not been assertive in her births, and ended up with 2 Csecs. Her husband is not very active in her pregnancies and births... And the Doctor was pretty sneaky about the last Csec, he tricked the MIL into leaving for a rest, then he preped her and scurried her in for a Csec...

Ususally my moms are more relaxed and confident, and they warm up to the realization that they are able to birth well rather early on. I'm not sure what to expect from this mom yet, I have met her before on a casual basis at a baby shower, and she is nice. We will be meeting soon to discuss her interest in having a doula at her birth- to fill in the gaps for her husband who is not comfortable at births... I am looking forward to helping her, and I want to be as prepared as I can...

Pray for me that I have the wisdom to help her find the confidence in her body that she needs to accomplish this...

The Lord bless you,
Zoie

[Jyotsna]

Where are all the attorneys?????

As someone who just this past weekend attended an ALACE birthing assistant workshop....WHERE ARE THE ATTORNEYS???

And the Doctor was pretty sneaky about the last Csec, he tricked the MIL into leaving for a rest, then he preped her and scurried her in for a Csec...