About ICAN of Hampton Roads
ICAN’s Mission Statement: The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are over 130 ICAN chapters worldwide which hold educational and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.
Chapter Leader: Hi there! I am Heather Edwards, and I started this chapter in July of 2010. I am a mother of 3 and DONA International Certified Birth Doula. As a doula, it didn’t take long for me to see that the mothers in the Hampton Roads area needed an ICAN Chapter. I have assisted with 8 VBACs in less than 4 years and have talked to many more mothers who could have used ICAN to build their confidence, as well as their knowledge base to help them advocate for themselves. I am proud to be part of this amazing group of women, and honored to serve the women and families in our area. If there is ever anything you would like to see our chapter do, please feel free to e-mail me at ICANofHR@gmail.com and let me know. My goal is to help in any way I can, so please don’t hesitate to tell me how I can better meet your needs. I look forward to working with and serving the women in our community!
icanofhr
Jun 28, 2010 @ 18:30:25
Hi Heather,
I am a doula in training and working with my first mom in a few weeks/month. She previously had a cesarean and is hoping for a VBAC. Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated! Thanks for this good work you are doing, and I hope to be active in the group!
Best,
Peggy
Newport News
Jul 02, 2010 @ 16:55:15
She needs to have a continuing dialogue with her care providers. They need to know and understand that this is important to her. They may not be supportive, but they also shouldn’t be caught off guard by her wishes and she needs to know where they stand so that she can have realistic expectations. She also needs to educate herself – the VBAC Companion has some dated information, but the stories from other moms who have been there and done that canbe really helpful. She needs to know why her last birth resulted in a cesarean. Was it a persistent OP baby? If so, make sure she knows what the warning signs are, and you know positions to help encourage a baby to rotate. Did the baby not descend? If so, again, position changes to encourage descent, etc. It may not have been anything she could have changed, but if so, it’s one more thing you can be pro-active about. You can never get too much information. Help her arm herself with information, and arm yourself. Then help her advocate for herself. If there is a husband or other birth team members, they need to be involved as well. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! Also, would you like to be added to the Google group for the ICAN chapter? If so, e-mail us at ICANofHR@gmail.com and let me know. We have an amazing group of women who would be welcome to lend further support.
Jul 02, 2010 @ 19:45:01
I have had two successful VBACs, one at Maryview in Portsmouth and the most recent at DePaul in Norfolk. My biggest advice to anyone attempting a VBAC is know who you are working with and have the right mind set. With my second pregnancy I KNEW I was in for a fight with my care providers and I was geared up. I knew I was going to have to repeatedly tell them no thank you I don’t want the epidural and that I was trying to have a natural birth with no interventions. I was ready for it and fortunately my son came so quickly (6hrs, only one of which was in the hospital!) that I didn’t have to oppose them as much as I thought. With my most recent I felt that I wanted and needed a more supportive environment and as it turns out I made a wise decision because Devon took 18 hours, 14 of which we were in the hospital for. ( I stalled out at 7cm) So know your care provider and know your comfort level, how much arguing and “No thank you”ing do you want to do. I loved my experience at De Paul and I would encourage anyone who can deliver there to go. I am assuming tho that your client is on the Peninsula so that’s probably not an option. If she needs anyone to talk to that has been there, done that I would love to talk to her. My email is Stephynshawn@yahoo.com
Good Luck!
Stephanie
Jul 02, 2010 @ 20:20:12
There’s not much to add to Heather’s suggestions but here is a little advice. I would encourage her to labor at home as long as possible which will help her to avoid the use of pain medications so she has full use of her legs and body to labor and push in any position. This will help get the baby in the optimal birth position but will also allow her pushes to be as effective as possible. Her pushing can take several hours since it’s effectively her first vaginal birth. Reminding her of this will be helpful so she won’t be discouraged if her pushing is prolonged. Encouraging her to wait and push with her body’s urges when the time comes (instead of the purple pushing to the count of 10 that so many women are used to) will also help her pushes to be effective and will help insure she and baby get enough oxygen and don’t tire too quickly. She is a wise woman to enlist the support of a doula this time around as well. I wish her great success on her VBAC journey!
Jul 03, 2010 @ 01:30:45
I’ve had two VBACs and had a doula with me for my first VBAC. My OB (not in the Hampton Roads area, we were in California at the time) seemed fairly supportive of my desire for a VBAC at the beginning of my pregnancy, but as my due date approached, she became more and more discouraging. I wish I had listened to my doula at that point and switched providers, but I didn’t feel comfortable changing that late in my pregnancy. During my labor, the emotional support and encouragement that I got from my doula was key — she kept telling me that I could do it and she really helped me stay focused. Her support made it much easier for me to push back against my OB and knowing that I had someone who believed in me made a big difference.