Empowered Choices: A Healing VBAMC Journey at University of Michigan
Vaginal birth after multiple cesareans (VBAMC) is rarely a straightforward path. For Sarah and her fiancé Michael, the journey toward a VBAC after four cesareans at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor became an invitation to trust deeply, fully, and without guarantees.
As a birth photographer and VBAC-certified doula serving Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor families, I had the honor of walking beside them through this delicate balance of hope and reality. Together, we navigated research, emotions, and intuition, knowing that a story like this had never been written in a statistic or a chart.
Building Trust and Understanding Her Story
When Sarah and I first connected, it was clear that she wasn’t searching for permission. She was searching for clarity.
The foundation of her entire journey was self-trust, her willingness to take full ownership of her decisions and the outcomes that followed. She understood that walking this path meant stepping into unknown territory where no one could promise certainty, but where she could still move forward with confidence and peace.
That self-trust required her to hold space for every possible outcome. She had to envision the most desired scenario, a successful VBA4C, and also acknowledge the worst, including the risk of death. It was not about fear but about acceptance, about facing the full truth of what informed choice really means.
We began by diving deep into her operative reports from each prior cesarean. We looked closely at the types of uterine scars, the suture techniques used, and how her body had healed each time. There was no single yes or no to guide her, only patterns, possibilities, and intuition.
Through this process, Sarah began to reclaim ownership of her story. She learned that understanding her body’s history didn’t mean predicting the future. It meant honoring every layer of her experience and standing firmly in her own authority.
Preparing the Heart for a VBAMC : Fear Release and Visualization
No matter how informed a mother is, the heart still holds fear. For Sarah, fear wasn’t something to eliminate. It was something to witness and release.
As part of our work together, I provided her and Michael with my VBAC Prep Guide and Journal to work through as a couple. It included structured fear-release exercises, guided visualizations, and a gentle cesarean meditation to help them prepare for all possibilities. It also outlined rupture rates, questions to ask their provider, and the key red flags that can signal when a provider may not be truly supportive of VBAC.
They spent time going through each section together, using it as a foundation for conversation, reflection, and shared understanding. Through that process, Sarah practiced seeing herself safe, calm, and supported no matter the outcome.
In those moments, birth preparation became deeper emotional work. Together, we focused on what it meant to enter birth with clarity and peace, regardless of how it unfolded.
Supporting the Partner in a VBAMC : Walking Together
From the beginning, Michael was deeply involved. We spent time talking about his role, his fears, and how he could support Sarah through labor or surgery. I shared practical tools and emotional language that could help him stay grounded and present.
When partners feel informed, they move from fear to confidence, and that connection between them became the foundation of every decision they made.
The Pressure to Schedule and the Power to Say No
As her due date approached, the University of Michigan medical team began urging Sarah to schedule a cesarean at 37 weeks. Their caution came from understandable places such as limited data, hospital policies, and the weight of liability.
But Sarah didn’t want to make a decision rooted in fear. Together, we reviewed every recommendation, every piece of research, every concern. And then she did something powerful. She said, “Not yet.”
She chose to wait until her heart and her body aligned. She knew that the absence of data doesn’t equal the absence of possibility.
The Turning Point: Choosing from a Place of Power
At 39 weeks, Sarah’s blood pressure rose unexpectedly. It was a shift that required quick reflection and honesty.
We talked through what this new development meant for her and her baby. After days of discernment and conversation, she and Michael decided together that a repeat cesarean was the safest and most aligned choice. But this time, the decision came from peace, not pressure.
She owned her story. Every step, every word, every breath.
The Birth: A Family-Centered Cesarean at the University of Michigan
When the day came, the energy in the operating room felt completely different from her past births. The team honored her wishes. The lights were soft, the voices calm, and the atmosphere full of love.
Michael stood at her side, holding her hand. I was there as both her doula and birth photographer, capturing the sacredness of this moment, the calm before birth, the quiet teamwork, and the instant their baby was lifted into the world.
Having birth photography allowed in the OR was incredibly meaningful for Sarah. Those images will serve as more than documentation. They are a reflection of the love, strength, and peace she carried into this birth. For her, being able to see her baby’s arrival from this perspective will be a powerful source of healing. And for other mothers walking similar journeys after multiple cesareans, this visibility can bring hope and validation that beauty and empowerment can exist even within a surgical birth.
It was a truly family-centered experience that reflected everything Sarah had prepared for: ownership, peace, and love.
Redefining Success in Birth
Sarah’s story reflects what it means to step into birth with courage and full awareness. It wasn’t about defying statistics or proving a point. It was about being informed, being supported, and being willing to own every part of her experience.
Her family-centered cesarean at the University of Michigan was not a plan B. It was her plan, made from a place of confidence and care.
If you’re exploring a VBAC in Ann Arbor, Metro Detroit, or anywhere in Michigan, know that you deserve this same space to be informed, supported, and seen.
Explore more about how birth photography and doula support can help you prepare for your own story:
Explore my Birth Photography Offerings
Learn about my Doula Support
Rooted in Trust: A VBAC Circle for Mamas
I’ll be hosting my first in-person VBAC Circle, Rooted in Trust: A VBAC Circle for Mamas, on November 14th at The Nest Wellness Collective. These small gatherings are created for mothers preparing to walk the VBAC path, women who are ready to explore self-trust, informed decision-making, and the emotional work that comes with preparing for birth after a cesarean.
