Your Provider Matters: A Successful VBAC Story
VBAC Supportive vs “Tolerant”
If you spend any time in local mom groups, you have seen the post: "I am looking for a VBAC supportive provider."
The recommendations are generally not from actual VBAC moms, or they come from one mom with one single experience. As professional doulas in North Atlanta, Milène and I attend VBACs monthly for our job. We have attended well over 100 VBACs, and time and time again, experience has proven that EJC is the absolute best option for a successful VBAC. And one of the only practices that support VBA2C. We literally drive right past North Fulton Hospital, which is our personal favorite hospital (and much closer to our house), because we know our VBAC clients are ultimately better served at EJC.
Where you go for your VBAC matters. Your provider determines the actual options you have available with a TOLAC (Trial of labor after C-section). Everyone wants to believe they will not need to be induced. Whether your body just needs a little more time, or because a medical complication like gestational diabetes or blood pressure concerns make an induction necessary, you are left with zero options if you are at MOST (if not all) practices in the Atlanta area. This is the number one reason why your provider matters above everything else. You need a team that gives you choices.
To understand exactly how this plays out in the delivery room, you just have to look at the birth story of one of our recent moms. It’s one of our favorite VBAC stories to share!
Photo by Doula Photographer Lauren Swanson of Atlanta Birth Collective
The First Red Flag and Finding the Right Team
The strict rules of her previous practice are exactly why she had to transfer to EJC in the first place. Because she knew she tended to carry her babies longer, she wanted the option of a medical induction, but her old practice gave her an absolute deadline.
“My first provider required me to go into spontaneous labor by 42 weeks, as they would not induce labor, even if medically needed. I didn’t want to lose that option.”
Knowing she needed options, she started searching for North Atlanta doula support and reached out to us.
“I was recommended to Atlanta Birth Collective by a prior client as I was looking for a doula! They were the only doula website I found that seemed passionate about VBACs and I knew I needed to hire them!!”
During our initial conversations, it became clear that her current OB practice was not going to give her the flexibility she needed. We immediately recommended EJC. AND SHE LISTENED!
“I switched at 22 weeks. I changed pretty much from Maegan and Milène’s recommendation alone. I’m so glad I did.”
Photo by Doula Photographer Lauren Swanson of Atlanta Birth Collective
A Team That Believes in You From Day One
We knew she had the power for her VBAC! When she quickly transferred from her old provider, her team at EJC set a completely different tone than the first. They didn't even review her chart to decide if she was worthy of a trial of labor.
“My first appointment with EJC, they did not even ask about my first birth to see if I was a good candidate. They told me they fully supported VBAC + VBA2C, and that most women can have a VBAC! Dr. Russell gave me advice and told me the best way to get a VBAC is to stay active and hire a doula. I was truly amazed an OB would recommend that! I fully trusted them the entire time.”
Photo by Doula Photographer Lauren Swanson of Atlanta Birth Collective
Preparing the Body and the Mind
Taking Dr. Russell's advice, she stayed incredibly active and surrounded by her support team. Out of all the comprehensive preparation she did, from regular chiropractic care, PFPT, to consistently doing Spinning Babies, she was surprised to find that simple cardiovascular endurance was what really carried her through.
“I think walking and staying active was the most helpful for labor prep. I think it was the reason I was able to keep pushing when it got hard.”
We often tell moms that ehe mental game of a VBAC is just as intense as the physical one. We have to challenge our beliefs around our past, our body, our baby.
“Every birth is different. The outcomes may be the same but the experience will be different. I told myself everyday my body was made to do this and I was going to make this vbac happen!”
Tug-of-war pushing position
Don’t worry that you will be stuck pushing on your back. Kaitlyn pushed in 15 different positions, for over 3 hrs. C-section was never mentioned.
Real VBAC Induction Options
As her due date passed, the anxiety of waiting crept in. But EJC took the fear out of the process by keeping genuine options on the table, allowing her to mentally prepare for any path her birth might take. Here’s how Kaitlyn kept her spirits up during the wait.
“No one is pregnant forever, and I knew our baby was going to come out eventually. I just had to figure out a cut-off date that felt right for me, and I recommend other moms do the same. I spent those last few wks just moving my body, and spending time with my family.
Find a timeline where you are at peace with an induction, if necessary. I was absolutely terrified of the idea, but when I hit 41 weeks and 5 days, Dr Russell mentioned it might be a good idea. I originally declined and was so impressed that she very gently disagreed, but was still so respectful of my choice! I later decided I was ready to meet my baby no matter how it happened.”
EJC is one of the only practices that will insert a Foley Bulb in office and send you home to wait for labor to start. Yes!
When her initial Foley bulb placement failed, her old doctor would have sent her straight to the operating room. (Note: Not that the bulb placement would have even been an option!) EJC pivoted and offered alternative medical tools, putting the choice completely in her hands.
“I went in to the office to have a Foley Bulb put in, but wasn’t dilated enough. After the foley failed, they still didn’t take VBAC off the table. The Dr told me I could instead go the hospital and get a Cook Balloon placed and that my induction was still a possibility. She told me she highly recommended me to go in and try but If I didn’t want to, I could schedule a repeat C-section. The choice was mine! No pressure. They made me feel like they would try everything and the C-section was the last resort. I really do not even remember them ever bringing up a C-section once I was at the hospital.”
Clinical Patience and Erasing the Ticking Clock
Her labor ultimately turned into a 29-hour marathon, with pushing alone lasting 3.5 hours. At many standard hospitals, strict failure-to-progress rules dictate that a VBAC attempt ends after two hours of pushing. EJC has the clinical patience to let a mother’s body do the work.
“I did not even realize I was pushing that long until my baby was born! I was never rushed or threatened. Dr Ashong would come in and check on me, tell me I was doing well, and leave me to keep pushing with my nurses! I never felt like I was on a time crunch. I knew they were there to support my goals in every way and it felt like they wanted my vbac as much as I did.
Maegan kept me going. I felt so at peace with her there. I could feel that she believed in me and that she was going to help me through it. Every time I doubted myself, she could see it and told me I was going to do this.”
Utilizing Safe Tools to Save a VBAC
During that 3.5-hour pushing phase, things got complicated. She spiked a fever, and the baby needed to come out. At almost any other hospital, a fever combined with 3.5 hours of pushing equals an immediate C-section. Instead of rushing to surgery, the team at EJC gave her another option to save her VBAC: a vacuum delivery.
“When I developed the fever and baby needed to come out, the doctor told me I could have a vacuum delivery to avoid a C-section. She made me feel confident in my pushing ability and told me I could do it. I was scared and she gave me the confidence to try. I really loved how they never threatened me with a C-section. They gave me my options and always kept my main goal in mind first.”
After the vacuum was applied, it took just two pushes, and her beautiful baby was born vaginally! Y’all. She got her VBAC!
Changing the Generational Story
VBAC is about more than “having a vaginal birth after cesarean.” It’s about choice, body-autonomy, body-positivity and more. Achieving this VBAC was about entirely changing the narrative for her family and setting a new standard for her daughter.
“Most babies in my family have been born via C-section, and my whole family was telling me women in our family just do not dilate. I knew I did not want that to be my story and I definitely did not want it to be my daughter's. I wanted this just as badly for her so she would believe in herself and not carry the family's story like I did. She can believe in herself and know she can do it.
For other VBAC Moms: It’s important to write down your goals and tell everyone what you want. They will listen and help you reach your goals.”
That kind of unwavering support is exactly what she found not just within herself, but with her entire medical team.
“Every single person at EJC made me feel supported. Nurses and doctors were there to help me reach my goals. I never felt like anyone there didn’t think I could do it.”
Where you deliver dictates how your story ends. You might not plan on needing an induction, a long pushing phase, or an assisted delivery. But if your birth goes off script, you need providers who offer actual options to save your VBAC, not end it. All moms planning a VBAC need to follow suit: Advocate for yourself, build an unshakable support team, and schedule a consultation with Dr. Russell, Dr. Supan, or Dr. Ashong at EJC. Take the first step toward your own healing birth story.
At Atlanta Birth Collective, we have made it our mission to ensure moms across North Atlanta never have to walk into their birthing time feeling unsupported or out of options. Having attended well over a hundred VBACs, we know exactly how to help you navigate your choices, prepare your body, and build a birth team that truly believes in you. Whether you are transferring to EJC or navigating a different hospital in Woodstock, Canton, Roswell, or Alpharetta, having a dedicated doula by your side can completely change your birth story. Reach out to us today to schedule a consultation, and let's start planning the empowering birth you deserve.