May is Maternal Health Awareness Month, and at The VBAC Link, we deeply believe that maternal health is so much more than physical well being. We recognize the complexity of every birth experience, and for those struggling, we send our love, solidarity, and support.

In this HIGHLY anticipated episode, Lily and Paige sit down with birth trauma therapist Ashley Ward, LPCC about what trauma is, the many different ways it can present itself, and where to find healing. They talk about the culture of “ranking” birth stories and normalize the experience of feeling icky about a birth story, even if everything seemed perfect on paper.

Ashley also shares her personal experiences with birth trauma in her most traumatic birth that appeared to be picture-perfect at a birth center. Her perspective gives both clinical insight and validation for experiences that are often minimized or misunderstood.

Ashley believes that sharing birth stories matters, and they deserve a witness. In a world where shame can become the loudest voice in the room and birth conversations can split into divisive binaries, she aims to bring nuance, compassion, and dignity-informed care into the perinatal space. Birth does not happen in a vacuum, and Ashley beautifully reminds us that every birth is part of a larger story, one that existed before labor began and continues long after delivery.

Topics include:

• What a panic attack can feel like
• The definition of trauma
• Birth trauma vs. medical trauma
• Ranking birth stories as “better” or “worse”
• Feeling unsettled by your birth story
• Radical acceptance
• Grieving things you may never experience
• Body acceptance
• Postpartum mental health
• Birth story processing
• Shame
• Finding joy
• Signs that you need professional help

Keywords: birth trauma, healing, postpartum, VBAC, CBAC, birth after cesarean, cesarean, C-section, mental health, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, panic attacks, radical acceptance, birth story processing, motherhood, trauma-informed care, postpartum therapist, birth center, induction, maternal mental health, perinatal therapy

Postpartum Support International Provider Directory

Ashley Ward Therapy

Needed Website: Code VBAC for 20% Off

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training

We are honored to have THE Jen Hamilton join us on the pod today! Jen Hamilton is a labor and delivery nurse, viral TikTok creator with over 6 million followers, and author of Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth (May 2026), a warm, clinically grounded guide to navigating childbirth with confidence and calm. She is the founder of Hot Mess Express, a nonprofit offering judgment-free house cleaning and organizing for women in need, and a passionate advocate for dismantling systemic racism and misogyny in obstetrical and gynecological care.

A 2026 President's Award recipient from the American Nurses Association and a frequent presence in outlets including CNN, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post, Jen has become one of the most recognizable voices in modern nursing through her signature blend of clinical expertise, frank humor, and deep empathy. She is funny, kind, generous, gracious, and quickly becoming a household name!

In today’s episode, Jen sits down with Lily and Paige to chat all about creating the best vibes for your birth. They do a deep dive into VBAC, and ask questions that came directly from you all. This is an episode you DO NOT want to miss.

Today’s topics include:

• Using interventions as tools
• Why a provider may be the factor if someone will have a VBAC or not
• Dirty secret of OB
• How Jen feels about doulas
• How to ask for a new nurse
• Debriefing your birth
• Preparing for a different birth experience
• Expectations around coping techniques
• Giving yourself grace
• Baton race of coping analogy
• Funny and memorable stories in L&D
• Unique VBAC circumstances
• Failure to progress
• How she would improve cesareans and humanize the experience

Keywords: Jen Hamilton, labor and delivery, L&D nurse, OBGYN, cesarean, vbac, birth after cesarean, cbac, doula, birth vibes, epidural, failure to progress, tolac, vbac consent, hospital vbac

Email info@thevbaclink.com for Jen's free Closure Vibes Debrief Questionnaire.

Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth

Jen's Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack, Website

Needed Website: Code TVL for 20% Off

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training

Tatiana is back with her second VBA2C story!! She first joined us on Episode 107 in 2020 where she dove into all the details around her first two C-sections and her first VBA2C. It was a planned HBAC turned hospital delivery with a supportive OB, but her heart still craved the home birth experience. In this episode, she returns with a full-circle update on the birth of her fourth sweet boy.

Her fourth birth was the HBA2C she was hoping for, aka a hotel birth after two cesareans with a midwife she deeply trusted. If you’re scratching your head wondering about these logistics, don’t worry! Tatiana shares it ALL.

We dive into a critical conversation around access. Many providers and hospitals still restrict VBA2C, and it is especially difficult to find support for an out-of-hospital VBA2C. Tatiana shares why expanding midwifery care matters, how pelvic floor therapy during pregnancy can support better outcomes, and why finding a provider you trust (no matter the distance) can make all the difference.

Keywords: VBAC, VBA2C, HBA2C, hotel birth, out-of-hospital birth, cesarean, prior vaginal birth, VBAC after two cesareans, birth access, midwifery care, pelvic floor therapy, provider support, informed consent

Episode 107 Tatiana’s VBA2C

NYT Article on Continuous Fetal Monitoring

The VBAC Link Blog: The 5 Most Common Reasons for C-section

The VBAC Link Blog: How to Navigate VBAC Hospital Policies

Needed Website: Code VBAC for 20% Off

The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents

Online VBAC Doula Training