Disclaimer:

I’m not a doctor. I can’t say for sure which of these steps helped, or if any of them did—but I did them all. This is just my personal experience, and I’m sharing in case it helps someone else.

Why I Was So Determined

With my first baby, I was—how do I put this lightly—coerced into a C-section. The medical professionals used a lot of scare tactics, and at the time, I didn’t feel empowered to question them.

So with my second pregnancy, I was dead set on having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I did everything I could to prepare my mind and body. Here’s what I did:

1. Moved My Body (Even When It Was Hard)

I had sciatica and varicose veins—so this wasn’t easy.

• I walked with my toddler almost daily throughout pregnancy
• I got an under-the-desk treadmill for my work-from-home days
• I aimed for 10k steps a day, and most days I made it!
• By 37 weeks, I was doing YouTube labor-inducing exercises and mile circuit poses.

2. Pumped Starting at 37 Weeks

I did gentle hand expression and manual pumping (3–5 mins/day).

• I actually saw colostrum before birth, which I think helped with milk supply later.
• My goal was to naturally encourage labor.

3. Ate Dates (With Gestational Diabetes!)

I had GD, so sugar was a no-no. But I gave myself grace and:

• Ate 1–2 dates per day starting at 37 weeks.
• They became my little sweet treat after meals—helpful and comforting.

4. Drank Raspberry Leaf Tea

Started at 37 weeks.

• I loved the earthy, herbal taste.
• It became a calming part of my nightly routine.

5. Mindset Work (The Hardest Part)

I grew up around a “who had it worse” birth trauma mindset. After my first birth, I caught myself bragging about how horrible it was—as if it made my experience more valid.

This time, I changed that.

• I repeated affirmations like:
  “I got this.”
  “My body knows what to do.”
• Even my 2-year-old joined in: “You got this, mama!” 🥹
• This positive mindset truly helped during labor.

6. Membrane Sweeps (x2)

I asked my doctor for membrane sweeps:

• First one at 38w2d
• Second at 38w6d
  These were my personal choice and helped me feel like I was encouraging labor in a proactive way.

My VBAC Birth Story 🌸

After my second sweep, I started losing my mucus plug. That’s when I knew things were getting real.

By 39 weeks, around 10 AM, my water broke! I waited a bit at home, then went to the hospital around 4 PM. That’s when the contractions started to really intensify.

I held off on the epidural until I was around 5 cm dilated. This was intentional—my body didn’t progress last time, and I’d read that early epidurals could slow things down. I wanted to give my body the best chance to labor naturally.

By midnight, I was almost fully dilated.

I started pushing shortly after, and after 35–40 minutes, my beautiful baby was born at 12:55 AM. 💕

Final Thoughts

It wasn’t easy—but it was so, so worth it. I got my VBAC.
But more importantly:
✅ I felt empowered
✅ I felt supported
✅ I felt strong

If you’re on this journey too—keep believing in yourself. You can do this. 💪✨