If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ve probably heard women say they did all the things to get their VBAC.

But what actually are “all the things”?

This episode covers it!

As moms prepping for their own VBACs and now doulas helping others do the same, Paige (coming hot off a birth!) and Lily sit down to talk about everything you can do before conception and during pregnancy to prepare for an empowering VBAC or repeat cesarean. Scar mobilization, acupuncture, therapy, Webster-certified chiropractic care, what books to read, how to find the right doula, choosing your birth location & team, finances, nutrition, processing trauma, positioning, and so much more.

Comment on this episode and let us know what you did to prepare that we missed!

ALL THE LINKS:

How to Find a Truly Supportive Provider

Signs It's Time to Switch Your Provider

Deciding Home vs Hospital Birth

Choosing VBAC or Repeat C-section

Episode 119 Pelvic Movement in Pregnancy and Birth With Gina Conley

Episode 160 Everything Left Unsaid

Episode 386 Dr. Stu Fischbein & Midwife Blyss Young

Our Favorite Books

VBAC Certified Doula Finder

The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training

Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story

Breastfeeding is natural, but that doesn’t mean it always comes naturally. In this episode, we chat with Lily’s personal boob fairy🧚🏼 Angela Das (IBCLC, CLC, CNPE and two-time VBAC mom!) about how preparing BEFORE birth can make a big difference in your feeding journey.

Angela first shares her own birth stories from her unexpected c-section to her two induced VBACs and the differences in her breastfeeding experiences.

She also shares practical tools like prenatal hand expression, what to do if you’re separated from your baby after birth or how to navigate NICU time, and how the hormones of breastfeeding support bonding and milk production. We talk about the differences women often experience when breastfeeding after a cesarean versus a VBAC, and how preparation and support can make all the difference.

Angela also breaks down the differences between IBCLCs, lactation nurses, and CLCs, and what it takes to become an IBCLC, the highest level of lactation certification.

And if your first breastfeeding experience didn’t go the way you hoped, Angela shares ways to reset and set yourself up for a more supported journey this time around.

Most importantly, this episode sends love to every parent listening. However you birth your baby, your experience matters. One path isn’t superior to another. You’ve got options, you’ve got the TVL team cheering for you, and now, you’ve got Angela in your corner too!

Watch the full episode on YouTube

Motherhood Untamed Lactation with Angela Das, IBCLC, CLC, CNPE

VBAC Certified Doula Finder

The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training

Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story

Ashley Adynah is a wife, mom of four boys (one bonus son and three birth stories of her own), and the creator behind The Parenting Strategy. She went into her first birth aware of the gap in Black maternity care, spoke up, and was assured by her team that she would be well taken care of. But Ashley’s induction ended in a traumatic C-section compounded by a uterine infection, infected incision, passing out at home, and needing a home nurse. She was dismissed and not believed over and over again.

9 months later, Ashley became pregnant again, and knew she wanted a VBAC. She educated herself, switched providers at 38 weeks after being told she’d need another C-section for a “big baby,” labored at home, and was 8cm when she got to the hospital. She had a pain-free, unmedicated VBAC, delivering her 9 lb 6 oz son with no tears!

Her third pregnancy brought new fears when her placenta grew into her previous C-section scar, aka placenta accreta. Lily, Paige, and Ashley dive into what placenta accreta is and what it means for birth. After meeting with lots of specialists and facing the possibility of serious complications, she leaned hard into her faith. During her cesarean, it was confirmed that her accreta had grown into her first C-section scar (and this is why preventing primary cesareans and having the option to VBAC matters!). But Ashley’s placenta detached on its own, she was able to have a horizontal incision, and keep her uterus. Her little boy was 4lb, 11oz and spent 11 days in the NICU. Ashley is incredibly resilient, strong, and so inspiring!

Keywords: Black maternal health gap, traumatic C-section, postpartum infection, VBAC story, unmedicated VBAC, placenta accreta, NICU, birth trauma healing, maternal advocacy, birth after cesarean

VBAC Certified Doula Finder

The VBAC Link Supportive Provider List

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training

Submit Your VBAC/CBAC Story