BRILLIANT BOOK! I am a 2 VBAC momma and what that book is all about is learning to educate yourself “thinking woman” and stop letting the male dominated medical profession push you around. Complications aside, our bodies are designed to bring healthy happy babies (yay babies!!!) Into the world. This book will give you a totally different perspective on pregnancy, labour and delivery. I also recommend Birthing from Within!

I had a c-section with my first and a VBAC with my second. The recovery from the VBAC was easier but I honestly appreciate them both as great deliveries because I wound up with a healthy baby each time, and that’s all I cared about. For VBACs, there are usually several things that have to go right to make it advisable and they’re all out of your control (like going into labor on your own, preferably a little early, size of baby not being too big).

My best advice is to not get your heart set on anything, because you cannot control how things go all the time. Also, don’t put the process ahead of the result. Bringing home a healthy baby should be the most primary concern.

Birthing a child is an adventure. Being educated about your options and being confident in your choices makes it a better birth. Remind yourself that VBAC is a means to getting that baby into the world, not the goal. I know to many woman who feel they failed their child because the VBAC plans crashed in the late hours of delivery.

@SARAH PARTAIN- thanks for your comment. it must be neat coming from a natural birthing family. glad you had a positive experience… with both, as both resulted in healthy babies :)
@JENNI WILLIAMS- i feel you, truly i do. i was a bit turned off by the title of the book, which i mentioned above, but i’m still interested in the literature, so i’m giving it a shot. i’m glad your experiences have been positive. i had a great experience with my c-section with jackson.

I SO wanted a VBAC with my daughter after having a C-Section with my son. I hired a mid-wife with an open mind. She promised to keep an open mind as long as I did. It was hard wanting that so badly only to have it turn out that I had another C-Section. However, everyone here is right…a healthy mom and baby are really the most important things. The open mind is the most important part.

I just started reading this book today! Her vehement “doctors only do things for the money and their own self-interest” tone is sort of pissing me off, possibly because I’m married to a passionate pediatrician who is in it because he loves kids and medicine and helping people. While I’m sure that some docs are absolutely in it for themselves and the money, I’m not ready to paint all with that broad brush. I know too many awesome ones. I’m interested in what the book has to say though– avoiding an IV, external fetal monitoring, inductions, and unnecessary c-sections sound great to me. I may actually get into a fight with my husband about eating and drinking during labor, despite hospital policy of “NPO.” But I also plan on having my husband, who I trust, and who knows a lot about medical research since it’s like, his job, help me decide if the layperson who wrote the book came to the right conclusions about the data. I’m all for evidence-based medicine, but I need to know I can trust the person weighing the evidence.

This book by Henci Goer is one of my all time favorites. She really breaks down and examines the available research without just relying on sensational headlines. She tells you the actual numbers, and in some cases points out flaws in how those numbers were reached. I have the philosophy that knowing when things are appropriate means you are better informed to make a decision when faced with it – THAT is a better birth. Having the facts and being able to understand the pros and cons of the various decisions to be faced during pregnancy, childbirth and heck – even parenting – THAT is what is better.

VS relying on someone else’s opinion to make our deicions FOR us. That is the better than, in my opinion.

Kudods to you for tackling what is one of the meatiest – deepest pregnancy reads out there!

An easier read that is helpful should you decide to try for a VBAC is an out-of-print book called The Laboring Mind by Carl Jones. Lots of visualization exercises, understandings of the unique process of labor, and tips to help you survive! :-)

@ANGENGLAND- thank you for the encouragement. much appreciated. and thanks for the additional book rec. i’ll take a peak at it.
@ARIELA- ya know what? i saw that book the other day when i bought the one above and i came so close to picking it up too, but i didn’t. i thought i’d give this one a shot, get some recs, and then continue my pursuit for birthing literature. i really appreciate you mentioning another book though. i’m definitely going to scope it out. thank you!

@MAUREEN MICHELS- thanks for sharing. eating a meal almost right after delivering may be reason enough… and also just made me really hungry. :)