Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) is something many parents hope for. Current evidence supports VBAC as a safe option for the majority of parents who previously had a c-section. Doulas help with VBAC in many ways.
Fear of complications, medical policies, and emotional uncertainty can make the journey to a VBAC daunting. This is where a doula becomes an important resource. Doulas provide emotional, physical, and educational support. Doula support empowers birthing people to make informed choices, increase their chances of a successful VBAC.
Doula support also increases the likelihood of experiencing a more positive birth overall, regardless of VBAC or c-section birth.
Doulas Help With VBAC Through Emotional Support and Confidence Building
For many parents, the desire for a VBAC comes with emotional baggage from a previous birth experience. Whether they had an unplanned C-section or felt unheard in their previous birth, these emotions can impact their mindset for a VBAC. Doulas offer a compassionate presence, helping parents process their past birth, address fears, and build confidence in their body’s ability to birth vaginally.
Providing Evidence-Based Information
Misinformation and fear-based narratives surrounding VBAC can deter many parents from trying a VBAC. Doulas help by providing evidence-based information about VBAC success rates, risks, and benefits.
They also educate clients about hospital policies, interventions, and alternatives, ensuring parents can make informed decisions that align with their birth goals. Doulas ensure parents are aware of all their options, including how to choose a provider more likely to help with a VBAC.
Doulas Help With VBAC Through Teaching Advocacy and Communication Support
Navigating the medical system can be intimidating, especially when seeking a VBAC in a hospital setting. Doulas help parents learn how to advocate for their choices by encouraging effictive communication with providers.
Doulas help with VBAC by assisting in developing birth plans, discussing preferences, and ensuring that parents understand their rights and options throughout labor.
Physical Comfort and Labor Support
Since VBAC labors can sometimes be longer or more intense due to scar tissue and medical monitoring, doulas provide essential physical support. They offer comfort measures such as massage, counter-pressure, movement suggestions, and positioning techniques to facilitate optimal fetal positioning and ease labor progression.
Doulas also provide continuous encouragement, helping parents stay relaxed and focused. We should not cause fear in parents by emphasizing that VBAC labors might be longer, but we can help prepare them for realistic expectations. One midwife I worked with once said, “It’s not c-section or a stroll in Paris, however you birth is work.”
Your continuous support can help parents push through the difficult parts of labor.
Reducing the Need for Unnecessary Interventions
One of the keys to a VBAC is avoiding unnecessary medical interventions that could increase the likelihood of another C-section. Doulas help by promoting natural pain management techniques, suggesting labor positions that encourage efficient progress, and ensuring that parents feel supported. More support in making decisions about interventions such as induction or continuous monitoring can also help.
There are times when medical intervention is truly needed or desired to maintain a positive birth experience. However, the role of a doula is to help parents avoid unnecessary or unwanted pressure for optional interventions.
Doulas Provide Partner Support and Involvement
VBAC births can be emotionally intense for partners as well. They may have concerns about safety or feel unsure about how to support the birthing person.
A doula helps partners stay engaged by providing guidance, reassurance, and practical ways to assist. This ensures that both the birthing person and their partner feel supported and empowered throughout the experience.
Doulas do not replace partner support. Doulas aid in helping a family work together and feel supported throughout the birth experience.
Postpartum Processing and Emotional Well-Being
Regardless of the birth outcome, doulas continue to provide support in the postpartum period. They help parents process their birth experience, celebrate their journey, and navigate any lingering emotions.
Whether the birth results in a BAC or another C-section, doulas help families feel heard, validated, and supported.
VBAC is a deeply personal choice that requires informed decision-making and a strong support system. Doulas play an important role in empowering parents with knowledge, confidence, and hands-on support. These things increase the likelihood of a positive VBAC experience.
By choosing a doula, parents set themselves up for a birth experience where they feel respected, supported, and in control of their choices.
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...