This wonderful couple didn’t do a hypnobirthing course with me, but they are parents that I have always admired since we had babies at similar times, and they agreed to share their positive VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) with me! This is especially important, as Megan couldn’t find many positive VBAC stories for herself when she was expecting her second baby.
“In May 2023, I found out I was expecting baby number two. I had my first baby in December 2021 at the tail end of Covid, and I was still very much under some Covid restrictions (mask-wearing, isolating, etc.). After a very typical first pregnancy with no real issues, I was induced at 39 weeks due to polyhydramnios, which means I had excess amniotic fluid. This was heart-breaking, as my plan had been to have a water birth at the local birthing centre. The induction worked, and after two days, I reached 4 cm, had my waters broken, and was given the hormone drip due to my labour not progressing further. This caused intense contractions that were very close together for hours. After what felt like a lifetime of contractions caused by the drip with no further progression, I opted for an epidural—something I had set out to avoid in my birth plan. Unfortunately, the epidural failed and only numbed me from my thighs down, making everything harder since I could no longer move around. I eventually reached 10 cm, but my baby still didn’t come out. Finally, after the longest day ever, I had an emergency cesarean. Despite everything, I was so relieved to meet my precious boy, but I was utterly exhausted after days of contractions.
By the time I fell pregnant again, I had already looked into VBACs, but I struggled to find much information online. Among my many friends and relatives who had undergone caesareans, not one had had a VBAC. I had to search hard for VBAC birth stories and only found a few.
At every appointment, I expressed my strong desire to aim for a VBAC. Because I had an emergency caesarean before, I had additional consultant appointments and scans throughout my second pregnancy. While the midwives I encountered were incredibly supportive, some doctors and consultants were hesitant due to the increased risk of uterine rupture.
Having followed the consultant’s advice to induce labour during my first pregnancy—which I feel had led to a caesarean—I did a lot of research postpartum to understand what had happened. I can’t change the past, but I’ve learned from it.
The biggest lesson? To be well-informed before making medical decisions and not simply agree to anything without considering all factors.
So, when researching the risks of uterine rupture, I realized how low the actual risk was—far lower than it had been made out to be. In my opinion, this risk was lower than the potential risks to both myself and my baby that could occur during a caesarean, which is a major surgery. This time, I had not only a newborn to care for but also a toddler, and I knew a caesarean would make things significantly harder.
Throughout my pregnancy, I had to stay strong and resilient in my decision. I was questioned by doctors many times, and at points, I was made to feel as if I was putting my baby at risk—which simply wasn’t true. In my view, a repeat caesarean carried greater risks (physically and mentally) for both me and my baby than a VBAC did.
At about 38 weeks, I started having very mild contractions. Since I was still breastfeeding my son, I knew that the hormone released during breastfeeding was the same one that brings on contractions, so I wasn’t alarmed. (Knowledge is power!)
At 40 weeks + 2 days, I experienced some leakage. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was my waters breaking, as it was such a small amount. I contacted the hospital triage, and they recommended I come in to be checked.
At around 6 p.m., I was examined, and the midwife confirmed that my waters had broken but not completely, which was normal due to the baby’s position. Then, a consultant came in and recommended that I stay the night and began measuring me for compression socks—in preparation for a cesarean in the morning.
I stood my ground and questioned this decision. I was given several reasons why I should stay in the hospital, but they didn’t seem relevant to me (such as the number of surgeries scheduled that day and available staff). My contractions had been steadily getting closer together throughout the day, but they had stopped once I arrived at the hospital. I listened to my body—it was telling me this wasn’t the right environment for me.
I needed to go home, relax, and let my labour progress naturally.
As soon as I got home and into my comfortable environment, my contractions started again and were moving in the right direction. I took a bath and then got some rest until they were five minutes apart. At that point, I woke my husband up. (I had encouraged him to rest so he’d have enough energy to support me through labour.) He started tracking my contraction times and ran another bath for me.
Once my contractions got closer together, we made our way to the hospital—a 40-minute drive from our house. Fortunately, since it was the early hours of the morning, the roads were empty.
When I arrived at the hospital, I was 6 cm dilated, and they had a birthing pool ready for me. The room was calm, softly lit with beautiful fairy lights, and filled with a few home comforts we had brought with us.
I laboured in the pool for four hours, and my baby was delivered by a wonderful midwife and student midwife. I finally got to meet my beautiful baby boy. I can’t describe the feeling of knowing that my body did it.
I know it sounds silly, but after my first birth, I felt like I had failed—not because I had a caesarean, but because I hadn’t listened to my gut. This time, after facing so many people telling me I couldn’t, I did. I had my dream water birth.“