This is a birth story from a doula client of mine turned midwifery client of Charlie's. A big part of my role as a doula prenatally is giving families information and then holding the space for them to make decisions about their care. I can't tell anyone how to give birth, I can only support the way they want to do it. I want all families to feel good about the support they've chosen. I am so happy that this mama didn't give up looking for the care she wanted during this important time. I'm so grateful she decided to share her VBAC after Special Scar (VBASS) story here with all of you. -Mary Catherine

My VBAC baby is 12 weeks old and I finally have my birth story together to share! Here is my HBAC after special scar story...

Next up in our interactive resource list is a great chiropractor and just super nice dude, Dr, Jeff Langmaid! I had the pleasure of walking with Dr. Landmaid and his beautiful wife through the pregnancy and birth of their first daughter. It is so great to care for colleagues who really understand holistic wellness!  We recommend that all of our mamas see a chiropractor who is certified in the Webster technique throughout their pregnancies, then also have their babies seen soon after birth and throughout their lives for optimum wellness. Over the years, I have seen chiropractic care really change the course of pregnancies and births by allowing babies to get into the optimal position for delivery as well as helping newborns transition from womb to world. 

​We are so honored when our families share their birth stories here in this blog space, and we are honored to share another very important Birth Story with you that is being told through film.

​Like most birth workers, we love us some Ina May. For those of you who aren't familiar, she's known as the "mother of modern midwifery," a self-taught, straight-talking, gentle soul who isn't afraid to take on the establishment for the good of maternal health and better outcomes for birth.

A new study on birth centers has just been released yesterday in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, and of course it has a special place in my heart not just because of my midwifery aspirations but because we chose to welcome our son in a free-standing birth center.

My story is a tad different from many women. I knew what I wanted from my birth experience. I knew from the very beginning that my body was made to do this so I treated my pregnancy as a blessing. In month 4 I went to my OBGYN and handed over the rough draft of my birth plan to see what their thoughts were. I was a member of a practice of 6 doctors, 5 women, and 1 man. The doctor during this visit sat down with me and said “You are going to need some sort of classes to help you get through your first birth naturally. Try either Bradley Method or Lamaze classes. But you’ll need something. We get a lot of women that want to do it naturally…..until they get into the labor suite. Women who prepare have a better chance.” That afternoon I got on my computer, contacted Melissa, the local Bradley instructor, and by 6 pm I was sitting in week 3 of a 12 week session. I got all the materials I needed and my partner, Anthony, and I looked forward to how the class would prepare us for the birth of our child. Weeks went on and on and Bradley Method graduation day came. After completing the course I started toying with the idea of switching to a birth center birth though I planned on a hospital birth. Unfortunately, due to my pregnancy history of anemia, I was risked out of that being an option. Because of this same reason I did not consider a home birth because our house was too far from a hospital should anything go wrong. I had my final birth plan approved by the obstetricians who were on call around the time of my due date, I had two wonderful doulas, bags were packed, and I was prepared to deal with a hospital staff who may scoff at my desires to do things naturally.

Birth is an internal process that is easily disturbed by unnecessary interventions. According to midwife Ina May Gaskin, “sphincters are shy”.

A woman’s dilated cervix can easily close in the presence of disruptive people or actions (cervical reversal). In a normal birth, vaginal exams and other handlings of the perineum during labor are interventions that can interfere with the natural birthing process.

At any other time in our lives, our vagina is considered "private". During birth a woman is told to lay back, open her legs and allow her body to be explored by strangers. A laboring woman loses her dignity, privacy and trust in herself in the hands of the people that she has hired to assist her in this sacred moment.