The differences between a cesarean birth and a natural VBAC
Did you know the most commonly performed major surgery in the United States is the cesarean section?
And unfortunately the commonality of cesareans (with an alarmingly high number performed in El Paso) is not due to safety concerns or necessity, but purely their convenience for the hospital and staff.
Here’s a good article about this problem.
Women and babies suffer physically and emotionally when their needs aren’t put first in birth.
When Annette found out she was pregnant with her fourth baby, she knew there had to be a more peaceful, comfortable, safe way to birth.
Annette welcomed her fourth daughter peacefully under the care of Midwife Lynn Arnold. Here’s her VBA3C story, and the differences she experienced from her previous hospital births.
Looking for a more personal birth
Annette’s previous three births were all c-sections — two of them emergencies — and the experiences were tainted by the constant hurry and impersonal nature of surgical birth.
“We never felt like actual patients, we were just a number. A number that was rapidly accruing a hospital bill! Not once were we really offered care or bonding. It was just go-go-go,” says Annette. Her last c-section recovery was also particularly painful. There had to be a better way.
“We wanted something different. Something more personal and bonding for us,” Annette says.
She envisioned an intimate, natural VBAC experience surrounded by a handpicked team of people she trusted to join her in that quiet time and place — the people she trusts most.
With a natural VBAC, there aren’t any frustrating hospital policies. No sense of rush. There are no strangers rotating their shifts and asking you questions as you labor and bond with your new baby.
Building a dream team
There’s a great deal of fear-inducing misinformation about the safety of natural VBACs, but once Annette and her husband Jorge met Lynn Arnold, they felt confident that she had the experience to offer them their dream birth.
“Lynn is a strong, knowledgeable, assertive, caring, and humble woman. Lynn is passionate, and her expertise was calming during our entire pregnancy and during birth. David and Jeanna assisted her during the birth as well,” says Annette, adding, “We now consider them family. I felt extremely cared for. They answered all of our inquiries and random concerns, whatever time of day it was. I knew deep in my heart that I could come to them with anything, and they'd be there to support us 1000%.”
The couple were happy to learn that their older daughters, mothers, and Annette’s sister Natalie could be as involved in the prenatal appointments and birth as they desired.
Rather than bracing for a busy rotation of strangers, they bonded with their intimate team of family and midwives. “During our pregnancy our family bonded the most that we have in our lives. Even with our in-laws, my mother, and my sisters, we all came closer as a family with this pregnancy,” says Annette.
A beautiful, natural VBAC
With her supportive, handpicked team at hand, some wonderful Hypnobabies training and support from doula
Lety Knight, and confidence in Lynn’s ability to guide her through a natural VBAC, Annette labored through the late hours of March 22nd, 2017.
When baby girl Frida was ready to greet the sunrise early on March 23rd, Annette welcomed her with open arms and a smiling team of loved ones.
Are you yearning for a safe, natural VBAC birth in the El Paso area?
To learn more about having a VBAC, call 915-449-1025 today to schedule your free interview-consultation with Midwife Lynn Arnold
Images courtesy of Annette.