A Vaginal Birth After Caesarean

Midwife Magic is about the moments when women feel truly seen, heard, and supported in their choices. For Daniela Drandić, this meant the chance to pursue a vaginal birth after caesarean. What she wanted was simple yet powerful: freedom to move, immediate skin-to-skin, to breastfeed her baby right away, and above all, to have her autonomy respected. She found that in her midwife, who listened, encouraged, and trusted her while giving her the information she needed to make decisions about her own body.

Her story shared with us through a poem is a reminder that midwife magic should never be rare - it should be the standard of care for every woman, everywhere.

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Midwife Magic by Daniela Drandić

I wanted to be supported to have a normal pregnancy, with information instead of fear.

I wanted care providers I could trust.

I wanted unbiased information and the space to make my own decisions.

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I wanted to trust that those taking care of me would tell me when things were getting dangerous, but otherwise leave me to do the hard work of labour and birth.

I wanted to move around during labour.

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I wanted to push my baby out myself.

I wanted to hold my baby as soon as s/he was born.

I wanted to have skin to skin.

I wanted to breastfeed immediately.

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I wanted a VBAC.

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It was hard.

I got a lot of information that presented the risks of vaginal birth, but none about the risks of a repeat caesarean.

I was dismissed when I asked questions.

I was told that I wasn’t allowed to make my own decisions because I was pregnant.

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Then, I met my midwife.

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She listened.

She gave me information and supported me to make my own decisions.

She respected my autonomy.

She invited my family in to be part of the process.

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She was there.

When things were hard, she kept a close eye on me.

When I needed space, she gave it, but her eyes and ears were quietly alert.

She let me do what I needed to do, and told me if she was worried.

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I did the work, and she gave me the space to do it.

And I did!

I pushed my baby out.

I welcomed her and said her name out loud.

We had skin to skin for hours.

We breastfed immediately.

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I moved around during labour.

I trusted my midwife to tell me when things were going well, and when they weren’t.

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I felt supported throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

I had unbiased information and made my own decisions.

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I trusted my midwife, and she trusted me.

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I had a beautiful vaginal birth after caesarean.

And I would do it again.

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Do you also want to share your Midwife Magic story?

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