From Caesarean to Confident: Supporting Yourself in Planning a VBAC

Karen Law
Jun 30
3 min read

Updated: Jul 3

A caesarean birth can save lives, and still leave you feeling shaken, disempowered, or unsure about what comes next. Whether your caesarean was planned or an emergency, gentle or traumatic, straightforward or complicated, it may have left a lasting emotional imprint on your body and your confidence.

Now you’re looking ahead. Maybe you’re thinking about another baby. Maybe you’re already pregnant. You may feel hopeful and scared, determined and uncertain, and unsure what kind of birth you want this time around.

This post is for you. Whatever you choose, whether a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) or a planned caesarean, your feelings are valid, your experiences matter, and you deserve support.

The Emotional Side of Recovery After a Caesarean

Child kissing a pregnant woman's belly, conveying tenderness. The woman wears a floral dress. Neutral background sets a calm mood.

Many women are surprised by the emotional weight they carry after a caesarean. You may have been told, “At least you and baby are safe,” as if that should erase everything you went through.

But even when the outcome is positive, the experience may have been frightening, rushed, painful, or out of your control. There may be feelings of failure, guilt, or anger. You may not have felt seen, heard, or supported.

It’s OK if you still feel shaken. It’s OK if your body holds the memory. It’s OK if you want something different next time.

Healing emotionally and physically after a caesarean takes time. For many women, planning their next birth is a powerful part of that process.

Planning a VBAC: It Starts With You

If you’re considering a VBAC, you may be navigating lots of external opinions from care providers, friends, or family. But the most important voice in the room is yours.

VBAC is a safe and valid option for many women. So is choosing a planned repeat caesarean. What matters most is that you feel informed, confident, and supported in whatever path you take.

In my work supporting women after birth trauma, I help clients:

Reconnect with their bodies and intuition
Explore what they need to feel safe this time around
Identify any lingering fears or trauma from their previous birth
Develop self-trust, emotional resilience, and nervous system regulation

This inner work is what allows real, embodied confidence to grow, not just about birth, but about your ability to make empowered decisions for yourself and your baby.

There’s No One “Right” Choice, Only the One That Feels Right for You

Hands with rings and bracelets write on a notepad with a silver pen. Grey fabric background.

Some of my clients begin with a clear desire for a VBAC and stay with that choice. Others decide that a planned caesarean feels safest for them, especially if their last birth left deep emotional scars. What matters is not which path you choose, but that you feel supported, not pressured, in making it.

If you’re planning a VBAC, you deserve more than clinical facts. You deserve emotional preparation, too. You deserve to feel calm, centred, and connected as you step into this next birth, however it unfolds.

Final Thoughts

If you’re recovering from a caesarean and preparing for your next birth, you don’t need to carry all the questions and emotions on your own.

Whether you choose a VBAC or another caesarean, your voice matters. Your healing matters. You get to write the next chapter, and you don’t have to do it alone.

How I Can Support You

I offer gentle, trauma-informed support to women preparing for birth after a caesarean. This may include:

Rewind therapy, if your last birth still brings up fear or distress
QEC, to release limiting beliefs and strengthen self-trust
Trauma-informed massage, to help your body feel safe again and reconnect with itself
Emotional preparation, to help you feel grounded and ready for whatever kind of birth you choose.