In this episode, we’re sharing something a little different in honour of Caesarean Awareness Month.

Zoe joins us to reflect on the birth of her first baby: a journey that began with a deeply intentional plan for a homebirth and unfolded into a caesarean after a long, steady labour at home. This isn’t a VBAC story (yet), but a story from the in-between... the space where many women find themselves after a caesarean, holding both the weight of what was and the hope of what could come next.

Zoe speaks openly about her preparation for birth, the experience of labouring for over 30 hours, and the moment she knew it was time to change course. She shares the powerful role of connection, intuition, and support throughout her experience, as well as her reflections on flexibility, informed decision-making, and what it means to feel at peace with a birth that didn’t go to plan.

This episode is a reminder that the path to a VBAC often begins here: in the processing, the integration, and the quiet rebuilding of trust in your body and your choices.

From Zoe:

I am a first time mamma, relationship and sex therapist, animal lover and total birth junky. Having been fascinated by birth since I was a little girl, I always looked forward to my own one day.

And while I had always wanted a home birth in my garden, whenever anyone asked me about my birth plan, I always followed up with - whatever gets my baby into this world in the most natural and safe way.

So I hope my story ignites courage in all its forms - courage to be intentional, courage to be informed, courage to advocate for yourself and trust your intuition and courage to therefore adapt when you feel it’s right to.

Because I truly believe when we are empowered AND adaptable, there is always room for nourishment, enjoyment, beauty and bliss, no matter what the journey may end up looking like.

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Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Australian VBAC Stories are back! And we've got a cracker of a VBAC story for you... In celebration of Multiple Birth Awareness Week, Katelyn speaks with Brooke who shares her amazing TWIN VBAC story!

Brooke’s first birth ended in an emergency caesarean after a breech diagnosis and a series of interventions that ultimately left her feeling disempowered and separated from her baby in those early hours. Despite having strong birth knowledge and support, the experience was not what she had hoped for, and it shaped how she approached her next pregnancy.

When Brooke fell pregnant again, she discovered she was carrying twins. Navigating a twin pregnancy after a caesarean came with its own set of challenges, both physically and within the maternity system.

Her labour with the twins was intense and, at times, overwhelming. Brooke speaks candidly about the impact of past trauma during labour, the moments she felt like she couldn’t continue, and the support around her that helped her keep going. After a long and demanding labour, she birthed both of her boys vaginally with assistance, describing the experience as one of the hardest and most significant moments of her life.

In the postpartum period, Brooke reflects on the realities of recovering from a twin VBAC, navigating feeding challenges, and adjusting to life with newborn twins and a toddler. She also shares the role of community support, both during pregnancy and after birth, and how this shaped her overall experience.

This episode explores the intersection of preparation, support, and circumstance, highlighting how different each birth can be, even with the same mother. Brooke’s story is a reminder of the importance of informed choice, supportive care, and the space to process birth experiences in your own way.

Brooke would like to share the following thanks:

Would love to thank My amazing midwife and mother Janine O’Brien @ibirth. The wealth of knowledge you have is incredible. I always felt, loved, heard and supported through every decision I made. To my birth team - Dr Marisa Martin thank you for supporting and believing in me that I could achieve a VBAC! Jo hunter, Chantelle, Ash and UTS student midwife Lara, thank you so much for creating a safe space and for being there for me even though, I almost turned into a wild banshee during birthing my babies earth side lol 🤣 To all the people that helped out with providing services to me pre and post labour I’m so grateful. Love to you all. I GOT MY VBAC!! X

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this episode, we speak with Josi, who shares her experiences across four pregnancies from a breech caesarean, to an unexpected twin pregnancy complicated by HELLP syndrome, to finally planning and achieving a VBA2C.

Josi walks us through her first birth after moving from Germany, navigating an unfamiliar maternity system, an unsuccessful and painful ECV, and an overall positive planned caesarean, somewhat initially complicated by a botched spinal. She then describes falling pregnant with twins while breastfeeding her first baby, shifting into high-risk care, and the rapid chain of events that led to their early arrival and NICU stay.

She speaks candidly about the months that followed, managing feeding complications, sourcing donor milk, recovering from major surgery, and caring for three children under 16 months without much local support.

Years later, a surprise fourth pregnancy prompted her to re-evaluate her options. With fears about another spinal and limited support for VBA2C at her local hospital, Josi sought private midwifery care, changed hospitals at 30 weeks, and prepared thoroughly for a vaginal birth. When her baby turned breech late in pregnancy, she navigated her options again, ultimately going ahead with a successful ECV before going on to have her VBA2C.

Josi’s episode offers a clear look at the practical decision-making, self-advocacy, and system navigation involved across very different pregnancies and births, and how this path changed her career trajectory into doula work herself.

Josi would like to thank her midwife, Meg, from It Takes a Village midwifery (https://www.facebook.com/ittakesavillagemidwifery) for taking her on so late, driving across the country side for over 2 hours to get to her chosen hospital and believing in her.

Find Josi at www.instagram.com/nurturedby_by_josi

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA https://panda.org.au/

Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/

COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/

Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.