VBAC — Vaginal Birth After Cesarean — is often surrounded by confusion, fear and misinformation. Too many mothers are told it isn’t an option, when in fact, for many, it can be a safe and deeply healing choice. In this edition of The Exchange: A Birth Worker Gathering, we sit down with Eve — a doula, student midwife and HBAC mother herself — to talk about supporting families through VBAC in every setting: hospital, birth center and home.
Eve brings both her personal experience as an HBAC mother and her professional expertise as a doula and student midwife. She has supported many VBAC families — including our founder, Lindsey Farrar — and carries a wealth of wisdom on how to prepare, navigate systems, and support true agency in birth.
Rewatch the video above, or find highlights from the convo below.
Q: Lindsey
I know firsthand what it means to have a C-section I didn’t want, and I also know the healing power of going on to have VBACs. Eve, my doula, supported me through both of my home births after cesarean. That’s why this topic is so close to both of our hearts.
Can you start by sharing how you were called to birth work, and why supporting VBAC families is such a passion for you?
A: Eve
My VBAC journey really started with my C-section. My daughter, who’s now 14, was born that way — and that experience ignited something in me. It took me more than seven years before I was ready to have another baby, but when I did, I chose a home birth after cesarean (HBAC). That birth was the most empowering thing I’d ever experienced.
I knew right away: my sisters need to know this feeling. That empowerment pushed me to become a doula, an herbalist, and now a student midwife. VBAC quite literally saved my life — spiritually, emotionally, figuratively. It taught me that my voice mattered, my body could do hard things, and that I didn’t have to accept disempowering situations.
Q: Lindsey
When you supported me through my HBACs, what did that experience teach you as a provider?
A: Eve
Supporting you taught me to trust my intuition deeply. With some families, the preparation looks different — it’s not just about birth classes or checklists. For you, I knew we needed to be in the garden, digging in the dirt, connecting with roots, planting new seeds. That was spiritual and symbolic work, but also deeply practical: it was about grounding and releasing old trauma.
I learned that a doula’s role is sometimes to bring what has healed us personally into the support of our clients. It may not look traditional, but it’s sacred.
Q: Lindsey
Let’s talk about family dynamics. How do you help families navigate when partners, grandparents, or others are nervous about VBAC or out-of-hospital birth?
A: Eve
First, I remind families that fear is love in disguise. We honor it, but we don’t give it the steering wheel. Sometimes that means education: showing grandma the birth center, introducing her to the midwife, or giving her a special task so she feels included but not disruptive.
And sometimes it means boundaries. If someone can’t hold the right energy, they don’t get to be in the room. I tell clients, “You’ve done all this unseen work — the digging, the healing, the preparing. Protect that space.”
Q: Lindsey
Out-of-hospital VBACs are often more supported than hospital ones. What do midwives and doulas bring to that setting that hospitals often don’t?
A: Eve
Patience. Presence. Trust in the body.
Midwives and doulas are trained to watch the whole human — not just the monitor strip. We bring privacy, nourishment, rest, and consistency. No shift changes. No stopwatch. Sometimes a midwife will sit quietly in the corner crocheting, simply listening and observing until something shifts. That kind of trust is rare in hospitals.
Q: Lindsey
How do you support families when red flags come up in hospitals — or when a provider seems unsupportive?
A: Eve
As doulas, we need to be honest. If a provider doesn’t support VBAC, that’s a red flag. Sometimes it means finding a new provider, even late in pregnancy. That can be terrifying, but it’s like transition in labor: you want to quit, but you can’t. You breathe, you keep going, and you trust that the right door will open when the wrong one closes.
I walk with families through that — helping them interview new providers, arming them with questions, and connecting them to the right support.
Q: Lindsey
Let’s speak directly to the hospital setting. “Failure to progress” is the most common reason for C-sections. How do you prepare VBAC families for that environment?
A: Eve
First, I reframe it: it’s not “failure to progress,” it’s “failure to wait.” Birth isn’t a stopwatch.
In hospitals, you have to protect physiology. That means guarding privacy, lowering stress, creating safety. Doulas can transform a hospital room into a den: dim the lights, bring comfort items, run interference with staff. I even tell families to bring baskets for the nurses — snacks, drinks — so the staff are more willing to give you space.
And most importantly: birth workers must teach families how to advocate. To know what’s policy versus what’s evidence. To remember: you can say no.
Q: Lindsey
To close, why is honoring VBAC so important — not just for families, but for our culture?
A: Eve
When a woman has a C-section she didn’t want, she often feels broken — like her body failed. VBAC restores that trust. It’s not just about the birth, it’s about the ripple effect: confidence, agency, healing.
When women birth on their own terms, they start businesses, leave unhealthy relationships, heal generational trauma, raise stronger families. It’s world-changing.
VBAC isn’t just about how you birth — it’s about rewriting the story of your body, your voice, your power. That changes generations.
