What’s a VBAC?

“Vaginal Birth After Cesarian” is how my son was born after 3 hours of actively trying to push him out. Alhamdulillah. I had no idea it could take that long.

After an unplanned c-section with my first, I heard about VBACs and knew nothing about it. I looked into it and knew I’d want to try for it if we had another. Alhamdulillah.

• The first step is finding a doctor who supports VBACs.
• Then make an appointment & provide them with your c-section report. Just call your OB/GYN at the time and inquire for it.
• They will determine if you qualify as a candidate or not.

My advice is to have an open mind and pray hard. I knew I really wanted one, but let’s be real. It can be a little scary. Ultimately, you want to do whats best for you and your baby. So if having another c-section is where its at, then in sha Allah you won’t be disappointed. Trust in God’s plan for you.

I woke up around 2am with strong contractions minutes apart. I was concerned I wouldn’t know when it’d be time ..not really experiencing this the first time around. But when they say you’ll know, they ain’t lying! It was like a menstrual cramp that crept in and hit hard. A cramp on steroids. A “Hulk” cramp! A cramp that says “nah-uh” you ain’t sleeping on me!

As I calmly tried to rush, I put on the first thing I could find and told my husband we need to go..NOW. In a hurry, we ditched the plan of waiting for my mom to come over to watch our daughter! Instead, she met us at the hospital. The little wanted to come anyway so it worked out.

Upon arrival, I was around 8 cm! Per my request, the epidural subsided the intensity of the pain, phew! As it did slow down the process, I was fully dialated and ready to push a few hours later at 6am. Alhamdulillah.

Nurses make all the difference! There is an art to “pushing” a baby out. From the way you breathe to the position of your body to the pep talks.

[All of which I had no instruction with my first delivery. It was all up to me. I had no idea what I was doing. They told me to push, shortly after were advising a cesarian due to no progress]

But back to pep talks. Its different for everyone. I was tired and out of breathe. They helped push me through it like a workout that’s kicking your butt, 3 hours of intense pushing. There were 2-3 moments where C-section was possible and I was ready for it with an open mind. But at those moments, I made dhikr, I silently prayed and Alhamdulillah the issues resolved.

All deliveries are so special be it vaginal, csection, natural, medicated, at home, in hospital, unplanned, strategically planned, etc. By the will of Allah, you are bringing a baby into this world (in sha Allah) and that is amazing in itself.

I hope to inspire anyone in a similar situation. Know that your prayers during labor are extra special. Pray a lot. Eat a lot of dates during pregnancy because there are great benefits, in sha Allah. I ate them like whoa! And have an open mind. Ask the nurses for help, even if its a hair tie. (Me!) Ultimately, Allah has a plan for you. Alhamdulillah.