Can Can I Have a VBAC? Your First Birth Doesn’t Define Your Next
One of the most common statements I hear from parents is:
“I have to have a Caesarean because my first pregnancy ended in one.”
But here’s the truth: that belief is rooted in outdated, misinformed thinking.
Your previous birth experience doesn’t dictate your future. With the right support, evidence-based care, and a VBAC-positive team, you can have the empowered birth experience you deserve.
What Is a VBAC?
VBAC stands for Vaginal Birth After Caesarean. It’s a safe and often healing option for people who’ve had a previous C-section and wish to give birth vaginally in a subsequent pregnancy.
Despite what you may have heard, VBAC is not risky by default — and for many, it comes with physical, emotional, and psychological benefits.
Benefits of Choosing a VBAC
1. Heal from Birth Trauma
Many Caesarean births, especially emergency ones, can leave women feeling disempowered, unheard, or even traumatised. Choosing a VBAC, when safe and supported, can offer a path toward healing and closure — helping you reclaim your birth power and rewrite your story.
"The way you birthed your first doesn’t define how you birth your next."
2. Lower Complication Rates
Let’s clear this up:
The risk of uterine rupture during VBAC is less than 1%.
Multiple Caesareans carry increased risks for both mum and baby — such as placenta previa, abnormal bleeding, and breathing issues for newborns.
With proper care and monitoring, VBAC is often the safer long-term choice.
3. Experience an Empowered, Oxytocin-Fuelled Birth
There’s something primal, powerful, and incredibly transformative about vaginal birth. It’s not just about how your baby arrives — it’s about how you feel during and after the experience.
Women who achieve a successful VBAC often describe it as the “best high of their life” — a rush of inner strength, connection, and confidence, supported by:
Faster physical recovery
Improved breastfeeding outcomes
Increased emotional satisfaction
How to Prepare for a VBAC
If a VBAC feels aligned with your values and your "why" — here’s how to set yourself up for success:
✅ Choose a VBAC-Supportive Provider: Not every hospital or care team is VBAC-positive. Find one that respects your choices and prioritises your safety without fear tactics.
✅ Hire a VBAC-Experienced Doula: The right doula can advocate for you, provide emotional grounding, and guide you through your birth options with compassion and clarity.
✅ Do the Research, Trust Your Body: Knowledge is power. And your intuition? Even more so. Don’t let one birth define the next.
A Final Word on Caesareans and Choice
Not all Caesareans are traumatic — many are necessary, respectful, and even empowering. But choice is what matters most. Informed, supported, evidence-led choice.
If you’re exploring VBAC or healing from a past C-section, know this:
You are not broken. You are not limited. You are powerful.
And you absolutely deserve the birth that honours you.
Thinking About a VBAC?
Let’s chat about how I can support you as a VBAC-positive doula, hrough evidence-based education, emotional guidance, and birth planning that puts you at the center.
Your next birth can be a reclamation. Let’s make it one.