Episode 286 Alexis' Peaceful CBAC

Cesareans can be peaceful, beautiful, and so healing. Though Alexis didn’t have the VBAC she planned for, she still had the euphoric birth she dreamed of.  Alexis unexpectedly experienced PPROM and preeclampsia at 36 weeks with her first baby. Trying to labor and push under the effects of magnesium and all of the other interventions was incredibly exhausting. When baby started having decels, she knew it was time for the Cesarean.  After a rough NICU stay and having to exclusively pump, Alexis knew she needed to be proactive about healing from her birth PTSD. She went to EMDR therapy and found the healing her heart needed.  Alexis shares all of the ways her second birth was different from the first. She went into labor spontaneously. She progressed quickly and felt strong. But when baby flipped breech mid-labor, Alexis knew it was time for another Cesarean. Her team took their time honoring every wish Alexis had and truly gave her the birth of her dreams! How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for Parents Full Transcript under Episode Details  02:05 Review of the Week 05:29 Alexis’ first pregnancy during COVID 09:41 PPROM and preeclampsia  13:27 Pushing turned emergent Cesarean 16:54 NICU stay and exclusive pumping 20:45 EMDR therapy and postpartum healing  22:24 Second pregnancy 26:21 Beginning of labor 29:47 A picture-perfect labor 31:26 Baby flipping breech and going for a C-section 38:03 The game changer 40:56 A euphoric birth 43:45 Ways to have a gentle Cesarean 46:36 Music, skin-to-skin, clear drapes, mirrors, conversation, and maternal-assisted Cesareans 50:32 Vaginal seeding, advocacy, and backward dilation 52:29 Swelling in pregnancy and nutrition Meagan: Hello, hello everybody. Today’s episode is one that I am actually really excited to hear and share. I think a lot of the time when we are listening to The VBAC Link, we are looking for empowering VBAC stories, positive VBAC stories, and sometimes when we are sharing these stories, it is accompanied by traumatic Cesareans. We know that through all of these stories, I have personal experiences that a lot of these Cesareans are traumatic, and a lot of the time they are traumatic because they are undesired or they are pushed really hard or people feel like they are backed in a corner or so many interventions come into play that they happen in a traumatic manner.  But today’s story is going to talk a little bit about how Cesarean doesn’t have to be traumatic and it can be peaceful. I relate personally to it because my second C-section, I didn’t want actually. I didn’t want it at all. It wasn’t what I planned on, but I still found so much healing through that birth and I think that in a lot of ways, it shifted my mindset of how to view Cesarean.  I also want to recognize that our community doesn’t always want a VBAC, right? We are here learning about the options for birth after Cesarean but that doesn’t mean we only want VBAC so I’m excited to share this story today for everybody, especially for those who are unsure of what to do or want to maybe go the Cesarean route but want to have maybe a better experience than their last Cesarean. We’re going to talk about how to have a peaceful Cesarean.  We have our friend, Alexis, with us today going to be sharing her peaceful journey with you.  02:05 Review of the Week  But of course, we have a Review of the Week, so I want to dive into that and then turn the time over to her. This is from Apple Podcasts and it says lilylalalala. Lots of la la la. It says, “Inspiring and uplifting.” It says, “I first found this podcast in 2020 in the depths of the postpartum after a very traumatic, unplanned Cesarean with my first baby. I listened to every single episode as I struggled to process what had happened to me. I finally gathered up the courage to seek help for postpartum PTSD that I was experiencing.  “This podcast is a treasure trove for inspiring stories which helped me regain confi