All the birth reports below have been kindly volunteered by the mothers. We hope that you will find them helpful, inspiring and that many of you will be able to benefit from the insight that can be gained from these experiences.
We hope others will continue to add to this collection, so that we can better represent the wide range of experiences, hopes, fears and feelings that are caesarean and post caesarean birth.
Anne had a repeat caesarean due to a large fibroid and a breech presenting baby.
Anne shares her experience of post childbirth trauma following the elective caesarean birth of her triplets.
Angela shares the sad story of the loss of her son due to complications of shoulder dystocia, followed by two positive caesarean birth experiences.
Helen tells of the very positive birth of her daughter, a planned caesarean; following a failed induction and emergency caesarean with her first baby.
Julie gives details of her experience of caesarean birth and early postnatal recovery, including 10 top tips.
Lucy explains how her phobias made even an elective caesarean a difficult prospect, but how she managed with support from her husband and hospital staff to have a good experience of caesarean birth
Bridget comes to terms with a second caesarean sections in three years, despite her wish for a VBAC.
Caroline relates the events and circumstances of her traumatic caesarean delivery - an experience that left her with PTSD
Despite going through the nightmare of uterine rupture that all VBAC mothers fear, Claire and her baby Matt are doing well. Claire is able to be philosophical and hopes other mothers may learn from her experience.
Chris tells how her first child, Madelyn, was born by c-section in May 2002. Although she was thrilled that her baby daughter had arrived, she explains how it had become one of the worst days of her life.
Gina tells of the emergency caesarean birth of her breech presenting daughter in 1988, and the emotional difficulties she faced afterwards.
Kathy describes the disfiguring caesarean scar she is left with.
Following induction at 12 days overdue, Louise tells of her repeat emergency caesarean due to caesarean scar rupture.
Nancy had a positive second caesarean for the birth of her second child. They remained in control of decisions and their wishes were respected making the birth of their son a really good experience.
Nikki tells of how she is able to retain control and have a positive caesarean birth, when her son, whom she had planned to give birth to at home turned transverse. This was her third child and third caesarean.
Wanda tells of her experience of having a lotus births at a caesarean. She explain how making the decision to continue with their plan for a lotus births when caesareans became necessary, allowed her to improve the birth experience for her and her 3rd and 4th children.
Michelle shares her discovery that a caesarean section is not to be feared.
Vikki tell how she achieved a really positive caesarean under epidural, following an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic with her first baby.
Debbie's three caesareans and VBA3C
Debbie gives an account of her three caesarean births and then the home birth of her fourth child.
Louise's caesarean and two VBACs
Louise shares her three birth experiences: a caesarean at 30 weeks followed by two home water births.
Liz's caesarean and three VBACs
Liz shares her four birth stories. An emergency caesarean for failure to progress with a face presentation, followed by three hospital vbac experiences.
Merry's two caesareans and VBAC
Merry tells of the traumatic caesarean birth of her first daughter; the vbac of her second daughter (achieved in spite of very poor midwifery 'support'); and the positive caesarean birth of her third daughter (a real emergency due to cord prolapse).
Sarah describes the slow labour that lead to the caesarean birth of her son, and the VBAC birth of her daughter that followed a much shorter labour.
Stephanie's Caesarean and VBAC
Stephanie has a caesarean after a long, slow labour, followed by a good experience of vbac in hospital.
Susannah tells of her HBAC (homebirth after caesarean) and the support she received from her doctor and midwives, allowing her to have a birth that was a such a positive experience and contrast to the induced labour that lead to the caesarean birth of her first son.
Following the traumatic and unnecessary caesarean birth of her first daughter, Caroline took control of her next three births achieving the gentle homebirths of her next three daughters.
Diane tells of her positive hospital VBAC
Gina tells of her planned home VBAC in 1992.
Jane describes the birth of her 7th child, her 5th vbac but her first homebirth. Jane also has PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) and in addition to her caesarean scar she has the scar from a removed fallopian tube following an ectopic pregnancy
Jenny shares her empowering experience of a home waterbirth after 3 caesareans (HWBA3C).
Joanne tells of her experience of VBAC of her daughter following the caesarean birth of her son who was breech
Lydie describes the very straightforward birth of her son at home, following her waters breaking the previous day and planning for a repeat CS, if nothing happened naturally.
Nikki tells of birth of her fifth child, a homebirth after four caesareans, the birth she thought she may never have.
Rachel tells of her intervention-free straightforward VBAC in hospital following an elective caesarean for her first baby due to an unstable lie
More caesarean and VBAC birth reports can be found on www.vbac.co.uk