Vaginal Birth After Two Cesareans: One Mama’s Incredible Birth Story

Can you have a vaginal birth after two Cesareans? For some women, the answer may actually be yes.

I recently came across the incredible birth story of a mama named Lucie, originally shared on the website of OB/GYN. But what makes her story so remarkable goes far beyond the fact that she ultimately had a vaginal birth after two Cesareans.

Lucie and her husband had spent six years trying to conceive, gone through many fertility treatments, and finally became pregnant with fraternal twins through IVF. During that pregnancy, while her husband was deployed to Iraq, she was told she was “too small” to ever deliver vaginally. She trusted that recommendation and delivered her twins by scheduled Cesarean at 38 weeks.

A few years later, she had a second Cesarean with her third baby, still never having experienced labor.

Then came an unexpected fourth pregnancy.

After two previous Cesareans, three children born through surgery, and never having labored before, Lucie eventually found a physician willing to evaluate her individual circumstances and support a trial of labor. She went into labor spontaneously and vaginally birthed a baby weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces.

Almost eleven pounds.

Her story immediately caught my attention, not simply because of the size of her baby or because she had a vaginal birth after two Cesareans, but because of everything that happened before that moment. Lucie had spent years being told what her body could not do before her body had ever actually been given the opportunity to try.

Her story is such a beautiful example of why I believe women deserve education, individualized care, thoughtful informed consent, and providers who can respect both the very real risks that exist in birth and the incredible physiology already built into the female body.

This does not mean that every woman with two previous Cesareans should attempt a vaginal birth, nor does it mean every woman will be an appropriate candidate. Birth is deeply individual, and there are circumstances in which a repeat Cesarean is absolutely the safest path for mother and baby. But two previous Cesareans do NOT necessarily mean that vaginal birth is impossible.

To really understand why Lucie’s eventual birth was so meaningful, you have to start six years before her first Cesarean.

Six Years of Trying Before Her First Birth

Lucie’s journey into motherhood had already required an incredible amount of perseverance long before she ever began thinking about how she would give birth. She and her husband had been trying to conceive for six years and had gone through many fertility treatments before finally becoming pregnant with fraternal twins through IVF. After years of heartache and waiting, they were understandably overjoyed to finally be expecting their babies.

Then, at only 12 weeks pregnant, her husband deployed to Iraq. Lucie was suddenly navigating her first full-term pregnancy, carrying twins, while her husband was overseas at war. As if finally becoming pregnant after years of infertility was not emotionally intense enough, she was also preparing to become a mother to two babies while carrying the fear and uncertainty of having her husband deployed.

Eventually, the conversation turned toward delivery. Lucie recalls being told early on that she was “too small” and would never be able to deliver vaginally. At the time, she did not question it. This was her first full-term pregnancy, she had never given birth before, and after six years of trying, multiple fertility treatments, and finally conceiving through IVF, her focus was simply on getting her babies here safely. She trusted her doctor’s expertise and accepted the recommendation.

At 38 weeks, Lucie had a scheduled Cesarean and delivered her twins. Her daughter weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and her son weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Together, she had carried more than 14 pounds of babies. Her husband thankfully made it home in time for the birth, and they were completely overjoyed to finally meet the children they had prayed and waited so long for.

That context matters. This was not simply a woman who had one scheduled Cesarean and later wondered whether she could have a VBAC. She had spent years fighting to become a mother in the first place. By the time delivery came around, she was not approaching birth from a place of wanting to challenge recommendations or explore every possible option. She was grateful to be pregnant, grateful her husband was home, and focused on bringing two long-awaited babies into the world.

Her Second Pregnancy Brought the Question of VBAC

When Lucie’s twins were only 19 months old, she unexpectedly became pregnant again. This pregnancy happened naturally, something she and her husband did not think was possible after everything they had gone through to conceive the twins.

As her pregnancy progressed, her doctor eventually began talking about scheduling another Cesarean. This time, Lucie asked whether she could attempt a vaginal birth after Cesarean, commonly called a VBAC. She was discouraged from doing so.

According to Lucie’s account, she was warned about everything that could go wrong and was even told that if she attempted a VBAC, she would not be able to receive pain medication because she supposedly needed to feel if her uterus was rupturing. That frightened her enough that she scheduled another Cesarean.

At 39 weeks, Lucie delivered another beautiful daughter, this time weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Again, however, she experienced significant bleeding. She remembers lying on the operating table hearing her daughter cry and desperately wanting to hold and comfort her. When they finally brought her baby close, Lucie began speaking to her and she stopped crying. Then the baby was taken away again and began to cry once more.

It was not until recovery that Lucie was finally able to hold her. Her baby was already a couple of hours old. Once again, Lucie was grateful for her healthy child, and once again she found herself longing for something different.

She had now birthed three babies through two Cesareans, but she had never labored. She still did not actually know what her body would do if given the opportunity.

Then Came a Baby They Never Expected

Several years passed. Lucie and her husband still had frozen embryos remaining from IVF and eventually decided to give them the opportunity to become part of their family. They attempted two additional frozen embryo transfers, but neither resulted in pregnancy.

After the physical, emotional, and financial toll of fertility treatments, they decided that chapter of their lives was over. They already had three beautiful children, and they accepted that their family was complete. Lucie grieved the possibility of another baby and eventually reached a place of peace with it.

Then, only a few months later, she started feeling strange. She was so convinced something was wrong with her stomach that she made an appointment with a gastroenterologist. When the office asked whether she could possibly be pregnant, Lucie essentially dismissed the idea. After everything they had gone through with infertility and two recently failed embryo transfers, pregnancy seemed extremely unlikely.

Still, before undergoing additional testing, she picked up a pregnancy test. A faint line appeared. Then another positive test. And another. For five days she kept testing because she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

At eight weeks, she saw her baby’s heartbeat. The baby she thought could not exist was growing inside of her, and this pregnancy would ultimately change the way she understood her own body.

For the First Time, She Began Learning About Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

Lucie’s sister had recently experienced a successful VBAC herself and asked Lucie whether she had considered trying for one. Initially, Lucie thought the idea sounded frightening, but her sister began sharing books and information with her, and Lucie started reading.

She read about labor. She read about vaginal birth after Cesarean. She read women’s birth stories online. Slowly, something started changing. She describes sitting at the computer crying as she read stories of mothers who had vaginal births after Cesareans. She imagined holding her baby immediately after birth. She wanted to bring him directly onto her chest, speak to him, kiss his head, experience skin-to-skin contact, and actually be present for those first moments. She wanted the opportunity to labor.

What I find fascinating about this point in her story is that nothing about her physical body had suddenly changed. Her pelvis had not changed. Her previous Cesarean scars had not disappeared. What changed first was her understanding of what might actually be possible. Education expanded the conversation.

At her next appointment, she asked her OB about attempting a VBAC after two Cesareans. She was immediately told no. Again, the risks were emphasized, and Lucie left knowing that if she wanted to seriously explore this possibility, she was going to need another opinion.

Through her sister and another local mother, she eventually heard about a doctor that may be open to it. She scheduled a consultation and walked into that appointment prepared for another rejection. She explained her history and told him she wanted him to be her physician if he would consider supporting her attempt at vaginal birth.

His response was simple: “Let’s do it.”

That did not mean, “I guarantee you will have a vaginal birth.” It did not mean there were no risks, and it did not mean she absolutely would not need another Cesarean. It simply meant he was willing to evaluate her situation and explore the possibility.

Her History Was Considered Without Automatically Deciding Her Outcome

Her doctor established conditions around her planned trial of labor. According to Lucie, he wanted her labor to begin spontaneously and did not plan to induce or augment her labor with Pitocin. If circumstances changed, another Cesarean remained available. Safety of mother and baby was still the priority.

The difference was that surgery was no longer the predetermined outcome before her body had even entered labor.

This is such an important distinction in conversations about physiologic birth. Supporting natural physiology does not mean pretending complications do not exist. It does not mean ignoring medical history, refusing monitoring, or avoiding intervention no matter what happens. It means making room for normal physiology when it is reasonable and safe to do so, while maintaining the ability to intervene when circumstances genuinely require it.

Lucie had given birth to three children, but this would be the first time she had ever labored. No one actually knew what her body would do, and as her due date approached, there were moments when she began doubting whether she would ever find out.

She Passed 40 Weeks With Almost No Cervical Change

By 39 weeks, Lucie was only fingertip dilated. She was disappointed because she had been cramping and experiencing changes in her body and assumed her cervix would have made much more progress.

At her next appointment, around 40 and a half weeks, there was still essentially no change. She was exhausted, swollen, and not sleeping well. Her husband was becoming concerned and was ready to schedule the Cesarean, but Lucie wanted to wait.

As long as she and her baby remained well, she and her OB agreed to give her body more time, with a plan to proceed with a Cesarean if spontaneous labor did not begin by the point they had agreed upon.

Eventually, Lucie stopped obsessing over when labor would begin. She spent time with her family, went out to lunch with her husband, and decided to enjoy her brother’s visit rather than continue worrying about whether labor would start. She also began making peace with the possibility that another Cesarean might ultimately be how her baby arrived.

Then, at approximately 2:00 in the morning, a contraction woke her out of a deep sleep. The contractions continued, and a little before 4:00 a.m. she felt something different, got up to use the bathroom, and realized her water had broken.

After weeks of wondering whether her body would ever begin labor, it had begun completely on its own.

The Labor She Had Never Experienced

Lucie contacted her OB and eventually headed to the hospital as her contractions became stronger and closer together. When she arrived, she was only about one and a half centimeters dilated.

Her doctor encouraged her to move, get out of bed, use a birth ball, and find ways to work with her body as labor progressed. Lucie did, but this is also where I love the honesty of her story. This was not one of those serene birth stories in which the mother quietly breathes through every contraction while soft music plays in the background.

Lucie was in pain. She became nauseated, thought she might pass out, questioned why she had chosen this, and became overwhelmed. Eventually, a nurse asked whether she wanted something for pain.

Lucie was surprised because she still remembered being told years earlier that women attempting a VBAC could not receive an epidural. She asked them to make sure her OB was comfortable with it, and he was. She received an epidural and finally felt some relief.

Labor continued. At approximately noon, Lucie had reached five centimeters. Several hours later, she was nine and a half.

The woman who had once been told she was simply too small to deliver vaginally was now almost completely dilated.

Soon, it was time to push.

Then She Pushed for Hours

Lucie began pushing with her husband beside her. One hour passed, then two, and still there was no baby. She became incredibly exhausted and describes falling asleep between contractions, sometimes snoring until the pressure woke her again.

She began doubting herself and asking for help. At different points she wanted an episiotomy, vacuum assistance, or anything that might bring the process to an end because she was exhausted and no longer believed she could continue.

Her baby’s heart rate dipped a couple of times during pushing, so additional nursing support was brought into the room and her baby continued to be watched closely.

Again, I think this detail makes the story even more meaningful. This was not blind faith in natural birth. Her care team was observing. They were prepared. They were paying attention to the baby. Medical support was available if the situation changed.

As long as mother and baby remained in a position where continuing remained appropriate, she continued.

Eventually, Lucie became angry. She gathered everything she had left and pushed. Her baby’s head emerged, then his shoulders, and suddenly, after two previous Cesareans and three previous babies born through surgery, her baby was placed directly onto her body.

She had vaginally birthed her son!!

And Then They Put Him on the Scale

Lucie describes crying as soon as her baby came onto her chest. She could finally do the things she had imagined throughout pregnancy. She could hold him immediately, speak to him, kiss and smell his head, and keep him against her body. Within minutes, he was nursing while they remained skin-to-skin.

Eventually, it was time to weigh him.

The scale read 10 pounds, 15.1 ounces.

Lucie thought the scale was broken. It was not.

The woman who had been told before her very first birth that she was “too small” to deliver vaginally had just vaginally birthed an almost eleven-pound baby after two Cesareans.

That does not mean fetal size never matters. It does not prove that every woman who has been told she has a large baby can safely deliver vaginally, and it certainly does not mean that every woman with two previous Cesareans should attempt the same thing.

But I do think it should make us humble about how confidently we tell women what their bodies absolutely cannot do before their individual circumstances have even been explored!

Vaginal Birth After Two Cesareans Is Not Automatically Off the Table

A trial of labor after Cesarean is often referred to as TOLAC. If that labor results in a vaginal birth, the result is a VBAC. A vaginal birth after two previous Cesareans is sometimes called VBA2C or VBAC2C.

Whether someone is an appropriate candidate depends on far more than simply counting the number of previous Cesareans. The type of incision made on the uterus matters, and this is important because the scar a woman sees on her abdomen does not necessarily tell her what type of incision was made on the uterus itself. Previous operative reports can often provide that information.

The reason for the previous Cesareans matters too. The current pregnancy matters. Placental location, fetal position, maternal and fetal health, additional uterine surgeries, previous complications, available hospital resources, and other individual clinical considerations all matter.

This is why the conversation should be individualized rather than automatically reduced to, “You have had two Cesareans, so you cannot have a vaginal birth.”

Sometimes “You Can’t” Really Means “I Don’t Offer This”

This may be one of the biggest lessons to take away from Lucie’s story.

There is an ENORMOUS difference between being told that something is medically inappropriate in your specific situation and being told that a particular provider or hospital simply does not offer it. There is also a difference between a true contraindication and a provider saying that they are personally not comfortable managing a particular level of risk.

Those things do not mean the same thing.

Every healthcare provider is shaped by training, clinical experience, the medical system in which they practice, available resources, hospital policies, liability concerns, and their own individual comfort with risk. That is understandable.

Conventional obstetric training is also understandably very focused on recognizing pathology, reducing risk, and preparing for what can go wrong. I am deeply grateful for that. When pregnancy or birth becomes an emergency, I want someone in the room whose training allows them to recognize it quickly and respond appropriately.

At the same time, different systems of medicine teach us to begin with different questions.

From my perspective as a vitalistic naturopathic doctor, I also want to ask: What is the body designed to do, and how can we support that physiology while remaining attentive to signs that help is actually needed?

That does not remove risk. It changes the starting point!

From a Vitalistic Perspective, Her Birth Makes Sense to Me

I think this is why I read Lucie’s story and feel awe, but not disbelief.

Her body had never demonstrated that it was incapable of labor. Before her first Cesarean, she had simply been told that she was too small. Her second baby was delivered by repeat scheduled Cesarean. By the time she entered her third pregnancy, she had carried multiple babies beautifully, including nearly 15 pounds of twins, but she had never been given the opportunity to experience spontaneous labor.

Then she was.

Her body initiated labor. Her cervix remodeled and opened. Her uterus contracted. Her baby descended. She pushed. Her care team observed, supported, monitored, and remained prepared to intervene, and her body completed the process.

Vitalistic naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent organizing intelligence within the body. Pregnancy is one of the most breathtaking examples of that intelligence I can think of. A mother’s body builds an entirely new organ in the placenta. Her blood volume expands. Her uterus grows dramatically. Her metabolism shifts, her connective tissues adapt, her hormones communicate constantly, and her breasts begin preparing to nourish a baby she has not even met yet.

She does not consciously orchestrate any of it.

Birth is part of that same physiology. The cervix softens and opens. The uterus contracts rhythmically. Hormones communicate between mother, placenta, brain, and baby. The baby flexes, rotates, descends, and navigates the maternal pelvis.

There is extraordinary wisdom already built into this process.

That does not mean physiology is infallible. It means physiology deserves respect.

Natural Birth Does Not Mean Birth Without Medicine

Believing in physiologic birth does not mean believing intervention is always wrong.

Lucie labored in a hospital. Her baby was monitored. She received an epidural. Her physician watched her progress. Additional staff were brought in when there were changes in her baby’s heart rate. A Cesarean remained available if it became necessary.

Medicine did not disappear from her birth. It made room for physiology.

I think this is one of the most beautiful ways conventional and natural medicine can work together. We can respect what the body is designed to do while still having skilled medical professionals available when the body or baby begins asking for more help.

The goal should never be natural birth at all costs. The goal is to avoid assuming dysfunction before dysfunction exists while remaining prepared to respond when it does.

This Is Why I Care So Much About Preparing Women Before Birth

Stories like this are also why the work I do with women before and during pregnancy is about so much more than supplements.

Of course I care about nourishment. I care about minerals, protein, iron status, movement, sleep, blood sugar regulation, digestion, hydration, and helping women create a strong foundation before pregnancy whenever possible.

But preparing for pregnancy and birth is also mental, emotional, educational, and deeply spiritual.

Pregnancy introduces women to an entirely new world of decisions. Suddenly there are questions surrounding prenatal testing, ultrasounds, birth settings, induction, pain management, fetal monitoring, newborn procedures, breastfeeding, postpartum recovery, and so much more. Often there is very little time within a traditional prenatal appointment to deeply explore all of those conversations.

This is where I love being able to support women alongside their OB or midwife. I do not replace a woman’s prenatal provider, manage her obstetric care, attend her birth, or deliver her baby. Instead, I get to fill a very different role.

We can spend time understanding how the body works. We can talk through options. We can explore the evidence behind common recommendations. We can prepare questions for her appointments and discuss the things she may encounter during birth before she is being asked to make a decision while exhausted and in labor.

We can also go beyond the physical preparation.

What messages about birth have you absorbed throughout your life? What are you afraid of? What happened during a previous birth that you are still carrying? What does it look like to trust your body without believing you can control every outcome? How do you surrender without becoming passive in your own care? How do you prepare spiritually for birth? How do you prepare not only to have a baby, but to become a mother?

These are some of my favorite conversations.

Preparing for Birth Is Also Preparing for Motherhood

A woman is not simply preparing for the physical event of birth. She is crossing an enormous threshold. There is a transition happening in her identity, her marriage, her relationship with her own body, her priorities, her home, and the way she will soon move through the world.

The decisions do not stop once the baby arrives either. Almost immediately, a new mother begins navigating breastfeeding, newborn sleep, postpartum healing, infant development, medications, fevers, feeding, childhood illnesses, nutrition, attachment, and hundreds of decisions she may never have imagined having to make before becoming a mother.

This is one of the reasons I care so deeply about education throughout pregnancy. I do not only want women to leave birth feeling like they understood their choices. I want them to continue into motherhood increasingly confident in their ability to learn, ask questions, use discernment, understand their children, and become thoughtful stewards of health within their own homes.

Birth is not the end of that education. In many ways, it is where it begins.

There Is a Spiritual Preparation for Birth Too

As an Orthodox Christian and a vitalistic naturopathic doctor, I am constantly in awe of God’s design within the female body.

The ability to conceive another human being, nourish that baby completely within the womb, grow an entirely new organ, prepare for labor and birth, and then begin producing food specifically designed for that child is extraordinary.

For me, trusting God’s design does not mean believing that every mother should have an unmedicated vaginal birth. It does not mean that needing a Cesarean represents a failure of her body or a lack of faith.

Pregnancy complications exist. Bodies sometimes need help. Emergencies happen. I am profoundly grateful for skilled OBs, midwives, nurses, anesthesiologists, hospitals, medications, surgical teams, and medical interventions when they truly protect mother and baby.

Trusting the design of the body also requires humility. Sometimes that humility means resisting the impulse to interfere with physiology simply because we can. Other times it means recognizing that the body needs help and gratefully accepting it.

We do not have to choose between respecting physiology and respecting medicine. There is room for both.

Her Cesarean Scars Were Part of Her Story, Not the End of It

Lucie’s previous Cesareans mattered. They influenced her next birth. They required individualized risk assessment. They meant her physician needed to pay attention to things that would not be relevant to a woman without previous uterine surgery.

But the scars were not the entirety of her body, and they were not a prophecy.

She found a physician who never promised her a vaginal birth. He simply did not decide for her body that it was incapable before labor began.

She went into labor spontaneously. She progressed. She received pain relief when she wanted it. She pushed for hours. She became exhausted. Her baby’s heart rate required attention. Her team remained prepared.

And ultimately, she vaginally birthed a baby weighing almost 11 pounds and immediately brought him onto her chest.

That is why I share this story. Not because every woman with two previous Cesareans should have a VBA2C. Not because every large baby should be born vaginally. Not because Cesareans are inherently bad.

I share it because women deserve to know that “you have had two Cesareans” does not always automatically mean “you can never vaginally birth a baby.”

There can be more nuance than that.

If You’ve Had a Cesarean, Ask More Questions

If you are hoping for a vaginal birth after one or more Cesareans, I would encourage you to learn as much as possible about your own history rather than comparing yourself directly to someone else’s birth story.

Obtain your operative reports if you can. Find out what type of incision was made on your uterus, not simply what your skin scar looks like. Understand why your previous Cesarean happened and whether those circumstances are likely to recur. Talk with an experienced maternity care provider about your individual pregnancy.

Ask whether they personally support vaginal birth after two Cesareans. Ask how frequently they attend them. Ask what would make them consider you a candidate and what would make them advise against it. Ask how they approach spontaneous labor, induction, gestational age, epidurals, fetal monitoring, larger babies, and slower labor progress.

And if your provider tells you something cannot be done, it is okay to respectfully ask why. Is this contraindicated because of something specific in my medical history? Is this hospital policy? Is this something you personally do not offer? Would another provider evaluate my situation differently?

Asking questions is not rejecting medicine. It is participating in your own care.

And If Your Birth Still Ends in a Cesarean

Your birth is not a failure, and your body is not a failure.

A story like Lucie’s should open possibilities, not create another impossible standard that mothers feel pressured to reach.

You may educate yourself, prepare deeply, choose a supportive provider, labor beautifully, and still need a Cesarean. You may review all of the information and decide that a planned repeat Cesarean feels like the wisest choice for you. There may be medical reasons that make vaginal birth inappropriate, or circumstances during labor that make surgery the safest next step.

None of those outcomes erase the preparation you did or the wisdom you gained along the way.

The goal is not to prove anything with the way your baby enters the world. The goal is to be informed, supported, respected, and surrounded by a care team capable of honoring physiology while also recognizing when intervention truly serves mother and baby.

This Is the Motherhood I Want Women to Feel Prepared For

This entire story reaches far beyond VBAC for me. It is about learning to question thoughtfully without becoming fearful. It is about understanding the body instead of assuming it is broken. It is about respecting medicine without believing that every available intervention is automatically necessary.

It is also about recognizing that different providers may see the same woman through different lenses, and becoming increasingly informed and confident enough to ask questions, understand your options, and make decisions in partnership with the appropriate healthcare professionals around you.

Women will continue doing this throughout motherhood. You will do it during pregnancy, during birth, postpartum, the first time your baby has a fever, when you are deciding what to feed your child, how to support an illness, whether something can be cared for at home, and when additional medical care is needed.

My hope is that women do not move through all of those seasons feeling dependent, afraid, and completely disconnected from their own discernment.

I want mothers to feel equipped.

This Is Why I Created the Natural Motherhood Collective

This desire is also exactly why I created the Natural Motherhood Collective®.

Motherhood was never meant to be navigated alone, and so much of the practical wisdom that was once passed from one generation of women to another has gradually been lost. Today, mothers are surrounded by information but often still feel unsure what to do with it.

I wanted to create a place where women could actually learn.

Inside the Natural Motherhood Collective®, we’ll explore natural pediatrics, botanical medicine, homeopathy, kitchen medicine, pregnancy, birth preparation, postpartum, breastfeeding, newborn and infant care, nutrition, natural first aid, motherhood, and so much more through the lens of vitalistic naturopathic medicine. There will be live educational lectures, office hours where you can bring questions and learn alongside other mothers, women’s circles, birth story sharing, guest experts, practical resources, and a growing library you can return to throughout the different seasons of motherhood.

My goal is not simply to give you more information. It is to help restore the confidence, discernment, and practical wisdom that allow mothers to become thoughtful stewards of health within their own homes.

If you are preparing for motherhood, currently pregnant, caring for a newborn, or already raising your babies and this is the kind of motherhood you want to cultivate, I would truly love to welcome you into this community.

Founding Membership is currently available for $197/year (less than $17 a month), and this founding rate stays locked in for as long as your membership remains active. This is the lowest price it will ever be to be a member of this collective!

Become a Founding Member of the Natural Motherhood Collective®

Read the Original Birth Story

This article was inspired by Lucie Welch’s original birth story, A Vaginal Birth After Two Cesarean Sections (VBAC2C), published on the website of Dr. George Capetanakis.

I intentionally shared many parts of her journey because I think her entire story is what makes the outcome so meaningful, but I highly encourage you to read Lucie’s original account in her own words. Her story includes so much of the uncertainty, humor, exhaustion, emotion, surrender, and joy that cannot fully be captured in a retelling.

Lucie’s experience is one woman’s individual birth story and is shared here for education and inspiration, not as a prediction of another woman’s outcome.

A Note on Medical Care

This article is intended for general education and is not individualized medical advice. Vaginal birth after one or more Cesareans is not appropriate for every woman or every pregnancy. Whether a trial of labor is reasonable depends on factors including previous uterine incisions and surgical history, the circumstances surrounding previous Cesareans, the current pregnancy, maternal and fetal health, birth setting, provider experience, and access to appropriate obstetric care.

I am a naturopathic doctor and pregnancy and birth educator, not an OB/GYN or midwife. My pregnancy and birth work is designed to complement the prenatal and obstetric care you receive from your established maternity provider, not replace it.

If you are considering vaginal birth after Cesarean, discuss your individual history, risks, benefits, alternatives, and birth setting with a qualified maternity care professional who can review your complete history