The VBAC Link

We are fangirling today, THE Krystle Howald from Expecting & Empowered is here!!
Krystle Howald is a pelvic floor PT, co-founder of Expecting & Empowered, and 3x cesarean mom joining us to talk about preparing your body for a VBAC and supporting recovery after cesarean. Krystle shares her own birth stories, the barriers she faced while going for a VBAC, and what she wishes she had known along the way.
This episode is DENSE, touching on all things like:
- how cesarean scar mobilization is so much more than scar massage
- how her practice flipped 11 out of 12 breech babies last year
- how our core, pelvic floor, posture, and alignment work together
- movements to prepare for labor
- intentionality behind their prenatal and postpartum exercise programs
- how to choose a pelvic floor PT and what red flags to watch out for
- energy healing
- how to be supportive when a friend/family member has the birth you hoped for
- why VBAC is so beneficial
We hear over and over again how insanely impactful pelvic floor PT has been for our listeners. And while we can’t control every aspect of birth, tools like this really can make all the difference. 

Code for 15% off Expecting and Empowered App: VBACLINK
Expecting and Empowered Provider Map
The C-section Mobilization Scar Episode
Krystal's First C-section Episode
Krystal’s Second and Third C-sections Episode
Find a VBAC Doula
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Online VBAC Doula Training
Keywords: pelvic floor physical therapy, cesarean, scar mobilization, vbac prep, vbac benefits, breech

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How do you cope if you don’t get your VBAC? 
Courtney D’Avella, a 2x CBAC mom, birth doula, and kids’ yoga teacher, shares some incredible wisdom today on how to find understanding and healing when the VBAC you were hoping for doesn’t happen. 
Courtney’s first birth began with an induction at 41 weeks, a HELLP syndrome diagnosis, magnesium sulfate, and an emergency cesarean under general anesthesia. For her second birth, Courtney switched to midwifery care and prepared for a VBAC. After another induction at 41 weeks, she ultimately had a CBAC after a posterior baby, no contractions, and exhaustion. Her third pregnancy brought another preeclampsia diagnosis at 38 weeks and another CBAC.
Courtney shares the empowering and healing moments, right along with the really sad ones. We talk about the value of hiring a doula without expecting a guaranteed outcome, communicating with your birth team, and preparing birth preferences that reflect what matters most to you. Courtney shares why every VBAC plan should include a cesarean plan, how identifying your why can help soften the sadness of not having the birth outcome you hope for, and what it looks like to hold grief and gratitude simultaneously.

Courtney’s Birth Preferences Workbook PDF
Kids Yoga Teacher - Courtney
The CBAC Link Community
Find a VBAC Doula
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Online VBAC Doula Training

Keywords: VBAC, CBAC, CBA2C, HELLP syndrome, preeclampsia, posterior, doula, birth trauma, birth healing, informed consent, family-centered cesarean

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“I searched high and low trying to find stories like mine while I was pregnant with this baby, feeling like the odds were insanely stacked against me not only trying for a breech birth but also a VBAC.”
Hayley's first baby was breech, and she tried everything to turn her, including an ECV. She even transferred care at 39 weeks hoping for a vaginal breech birth, but ultimately had a cesarean after her supportive provider left on a preplanned vacation at 40+3.
With her second pregnancy, Hayley planned for a VBAC from the start. At 34 weeks, she found out this babe was also breech. She immediately reconnected with her first provider who was fully supportive of her VBAC. Labor started with PROM, and she spent the day waiting for contractions to pick up. Once they did, her baby was born after just 4.5 hours of active labor, unmedicated and breech! Hayley shares how important skilled providers, informed choices, and unwavering support are when navigating a breech VBAC. 
Yes, breech VBAC IS possible!

Coalition for Breech Birth
Breech Without Borders
Find a VBAC Doula
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Online VBAC Doula Training

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Trigger Warning: miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and pregnancy loss
Instead of our usual birth after cesarean story, this week, we are continuing to honor Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month by hearing our very own co-host, Lily Wyn, share her experiences with pregnancy loss. Lily’s first pregnancy ended in an early miscarriage, and her second was an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in losing her baby and one of her fallopian tubes. Her two stories of loss were deeply influential in her VBAC journey and have helped shape her into the Lily that we know and love today.
You are invited to attend this “TMI class with Lily,” where she shares the physical and emotional details of pregnancy loss that no one really talks about, but that she wished someone had told her. We believe so much in the power of sharing so others don’t feel alone. If you are currently going through pregnancy or infant loss, or if you are preparing for a birth after a loss, we see you and send all of our love. 

Love Wyns Doula
Episode 379 Lily's 66-Hour Waterbirth VBAC
Glenn Fertility and Wellness 
Episode 342 CNM Paige Boran + Lily's VBAC Prep
Find a VBAC Doula
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Online VBAC Doula Training

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“This VBAC was so redemptive for me because I felt like it was the first time my body did the things that it was designed to do without the intervention of medicine or doctors. I feel like it healed so many wounds in my soul.”

Sarah was diagnosed with hormone-positive breast cancer at 29, which involved treatment, fertility preservation, and wondering if her body would ever be able to do anything right. After 3 years of hormone suppression, she was cleared to try and get pregnant naturally. Sarah’s birth ended in a cesarean due to arrest of descent, which left her doubting my body again. 3.5 years later, her second baby was born through a redemptive, powerful, primal, and healing unmedicated VBAC!

National Breast Cancer Foundation
The VBAC Link Blog: Failure to Progress
Find a VBAC Doula
The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for Parents
Online VBAC Doula Training

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands