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10 Things to Do to Prepare for a VBAC or HBAC

Published on: October 16, 2023

Preparing for birth can sometimes feel impossible with all of the things going on. As I was scrolling through the posts in ourย Facebook Community, I came across this post:

and I was reminded how grateful I am for thisย positive supportive spaceย we have all created with ourย Facebook groupย and ourย Instagram community.

This post also made me want to address this question with top things to doย toย prepare for a VBAC.

Weโ€™re often askedย HOW TO PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR A SUCCESSFUL VBAC. Here are a few tips and tricks:

1. GET A BOOK

If you only have time for one book, we highly suggestย Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (skip the first half of the book with birth stories, if you’re short on time and read the advice part). It is filled with incredible stories, stats, and more. If youโ€™re interested in reading other books, here is aย list of our favorites.

2. PRENATAL VITAMINS

Prenatal vitamins help nourish your body. Our favorites are fromย Neededย (and we getย 20% offย with codeย VBAC20ย just for our mamas). Pro tip: check your current prenatal vitamins: Did you know, 97% of mamas take prenatal vitamins, and yet 95% are depleted, so it is important to pick theย rightย vitamin. I have seen a huge difference with my doula clients who takeย Neededย prenatals.

3. RED RASPBERRY LEAF TEA

Drink 2-3 cups of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea each day – a cup for each trimester: 2 in the 2nd trimester and 3 in the third (bags we likeย hereย or if you prefer loose herbsย here). Red raspberry leaf has been used medicinally since at least the sixth century. This is not something that will induce labor but will help tone the uterine wall and help it be more efficient when contractions do start.

Image courtesy of Amazon

4. DATES

Eat 6ย dates each day starting at 37 weeks for ‘shorter, easier laborโ€™. Dates are veryย nutritious. They contain a high percentage of carbohydrates, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

โ€‹

5. WEBSTER-CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTOR

ย Webster-certified chiropractor can be a huge help in ensuring you are aligned and your baby is in the optimal position for labor (aka labor starts and progresses quickly). Extra Tipโ€ฆ If you havenโ€™t been seeing one yet, we recommend you give thisย articleย a read. It is also a great idea to find a chiropractor that will be able to adjust you during labor if needed. We recently had the honor of having Dr. Elliot Berlin, one of the world’s best chiropractors on our podcast – give this episode a listen to learn more.

6. GET ON THE SAME PAGE WITH YOUR PARTNER

We truly believe that your partnerโ€™s buy-in on your birth plan can make a huge difference. If you havenโ€™t taken ourย Parents How-to VBAC (or HBAC) courseย yet, now is the perfect time. Clickย hereย to register. We HIGHLY recommend taking it together with your partner. It is a 6-8 hour self-paced course filled with the history, uterine rupture rates, VBAC/VBAMC/HBAC stats, how to support a VBAC mom during birth and so much more.

Image courtesy ofโ€‹ Julie Francom Birth

7. CONSIDER DR.CHRISTOPHER BIRTH PREP

Look intoย Dr. Christopher Birth Prepย (definitely talk to your doctor about this one!). Itโ€™s not right for everyone, but some women of strength reported great success by taking this supplement starting at 34 weeks. After research and discussing with my midwife, I decided to take it with myย VBA2C babyย – I think that truly helped me avoid tearing. It is known to help with elasticity or perineum and helps prep/soften the cervix.

โ€‹

8. CONSIDER BREAST/NIPPLE STIMULATION

There isย some evidenceย thatย breast/nipple stimulationย can help get your cervix softened (helps with effacement too).ย We love hand nipple stimulation for a couple of reasons:

1)ย Expressing colostrumย (we loveย these containersย andย this videoย for teaching you how to hand express). Itโ€™s also a great way to have that magic gold while you are recovering from birth, and working on your milk coming in. It can even help your partner bond with your baby while feeding them your frozen colostrum. You can freeze colostrum once it is collected. Your body produces colostrum from around 24 weeks, so itโ€™s safe to collect and freeze colostrum if you are leaking but be sure not to do stimulation until your provider says itโ€™s safe or your baby is at least at term. Start gently and slowly, eventually, you could be expressing at least once daily for 3-5 minutes (frozen colostrum needs to be used within 3 months).
Collecting colostrum using Haakaa
2)ย Nipple stimulationย can act as a self induction method if you are facing a scheduled CS or Induction.
3) Many women report that expressing colostrum also helped them understand milk production and their breasts better, which in turn helped them with breastfeeding, once the baby is here.

9. WALK WALK WALK WALK

Spinning babiesย (weโ€™re big fans over here!) recommends walking 3 miles daily. This can help you prepare for birth and encourage your baby to get in the optimal position for labor. I know it can be very hard to find the time and energy to do this. I had a talk with my husband and asked him to support and encourage me in this effort. It was my time after my babies were asleep to talk to my baby in my belly, listen to my VBAC Link Podcast stories and just be. So often, we are on the go go go, and it’s hard to find time to mentally prepare for birth. Walking 3 miles (3-5 times per week) was my way of creating this mental and physical space for my birth and prioritizing me and my baby.

10. SUNSCREEN WITH ZINC HELPS MINIMIZE MELASMA

Getย sunscreen with zinc to avoid melasma during pregnancy. Our bodies can be super sensitive to the sun during pregnancy. Our favorites are thisย one, this one,ย and thisย one, but anyย sunscreenย with zinc is a great idea for at least the duration of your pregnancy. We encourage all VBAC mamas to use sunscreen with zinc. The benefits of zinc are well-researched. Zinc oxide, unlike other chemical sunscreens, doesn’t absorb into the skin and sits on the surface, protecting you from the sun damage and skin cancer.

I will leave you today with this reminder and an affirmation:

Weโ€™re so grateful to be on this journey with you! We love seeing and sharing your stories!

โ€‹Donโ€™t forget to join ourย Facebook community, follow-us onย Instagram, check out ourย Parents VBAC and HBAC Educationย course, and give ourย podcastย a listen where other incredible women share their VBAC journeys.

About Meagan Heaton

Hello! My name is Meagan Heaton. My goal is to help you and your family walk into your birthing experience, feeling empowered and confident.

As a birth doula of seven and a half years, I have served over 280 couples with expertise in VBAC. I personally understand the struggles one can face as I have personally had a VBA2C. As Co-founder of The VBAC Link, I have loved making connections with families further than just my local community.

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