The VBAC Link · Lily Wyn & Paige Lloyd

Episode 451 Erin’s Twin VBAC + Cholestasis

April 8, 2026·59 min·4 clips

Instead of a rigid birth plan, Erin's therapist helped her develop personal boundaries—specific triggers like repeated heart decelerations—that let her stay calm and present during her VBAC rather than catastrophizing.

1. The VBAC Link Episode 451 features Erin, a registered dietitian and mother of four from Long Island, New York, sharing a first C-section, a subsequent VBAC, and ultimately a twin VBAC. 2. Hosts Lily and Paige introduce Erin as a twin VBAC mom whose story includes multiple births, mental health challenges, a miscarriage, and a twin pregnancy discovered immediately after that loss. 3. Erin's first pregnancy in 2020 used a hospital-based midwife centering program at Stony Brook—monthly group prenatal care sessions covering nutrition, doula services, and breastfeeding—which she describes as a valuable educational tool. 4. Erin was 38 weeks pregnant when New York entered COVID lockdown; she labored through heightened anxiety as hospitals restricted partners, canceled doulas, and enforced mask mandates, arriving at Stony Brook at 1:45 AM after her water broke. 5. Admitted at one centimeter and GBS positive, Erin received Cytotec for cervical ripening; within one hour her baby's heart rate began decelerating and ten staff ran into her room, while a midwife suggested she get an epidural in case of C-section and commented she was relieved Erin had not chosen a home birth. 6. At shift change, Erin's trusted centering group midwife Michelle arrived and told Erin they needed to go to C-section immediately; Erin agreed because of her complete trust in Michelle, and her daughter was born at 8:45 AM by C-section. 7. Erin's C-section experience was largely positive—the anesthesiologist was funny, took photos on his phone and texted them to the family, and an OB she had never met was also warm—but she struggled afterward with feeling her body had failed her. 8. Breastfeeding was more painful for Erin than the C-section recovery; she developed cracked, bleeding nipples and was approaching mastitis before a lactation consultant intervened, introducing a nipple shield that Erin used for one month before weaning off it and breastfeeding for 16 months. 9. After her C-section, Erin developed severe postpartum anxiety amplified by COVID isolation; she connected with midwife Michelle, who also practiced psychiatry, was referred to therapy, and eventually went on a low-dose SSRI that made her feel, in her words, 'like a normal person.' 10. After going off the SSRI before her second pregnancy and finding the anxiety returned ten times worse, Erin went back on the medication and continued it through her second and third pregnancies, with Michelle managing her prescription throughout. 11. For her second pregnancy, Erin's therapist helped her develop a 'boundaries' approach to VBAC: pre-deciding specific scenarios she would not tolerate—such as repeated fetal heart decelerations—rather than writing a rigid birth plan, allowing her to stay grounded during labor without catastrophizing. 12. Erin also used daily birth affirmations and watched Call the Midwife on Netflix throughout her second pregnancy to normalize birth and counter her earlier feeling that it was over-medicalized. 13. Erin went into spontaneous labor at 38 weeks with her second daughter, water breaking at 5:45 AM in a scenario nearly identical to her first birth; she stood at the mirror and told herself 'you can do this' before going to the hospital. 14. GBS positive again, Erin was admitted at one centimeter; after trying pumping, walking, and a birth ball, she opted for a Foley bulb which caused immediate intense cramping, followed by a well-placed epidural she describes as one of her best experiences. 15. After the Foley bulb fell out at five centimeters and labor stalled, a low-dose Pitocin drip was started; Erin then felt sudden intense downward pressure, was checked at ten centimeters, and her midwife guided her to reach down and pull her daughter to her own chest after ten minutes of pushing. 16. Erin had a second-degree tear and a postpartum hematoma that required repacking after her VBAC, but breastfed for 18 months using the nipple shield approach she had learned with her first daughter. 17. Erin's third pregnancy began after a miscarriage on January 2, 2024, followed by an unexpected ovulation before her first post-loss period; she discovered she was pregnant again before confirming her HCG was clearing, and at her six-week scan was shown two heartbeats. 18. Erin's high-risk consult for the twin VBAC was more supportive than she expected—the MFM team acknowledged her recovery, noted both babies were head-down, offered to flip baby B if needed, and confirmed that induction did not mean automatic C-section. 19. The episode tone is candid and emotionally warm, with Erin moving freely between clinical detail and personal vulnerability on mental health, body image, and grief, with hosts Lily and Paige offering affirming responses throughout. 20. Women navigating VBAC preparation while managing birth trauma, postpartum anxiety, or a previous loss—and those curious about twin VBAC feasibility—will find Erin's story directly relevant.

As heard by us

A grounded VBAC story with real labor decisions, not just reassurance.

This VBAC account stays anchored in the choices that matter most: being GBS positive, staying in the hospital after being told going home was possible, trying a Foley bulb, and moving to an epidural right away. That focus gives the piece its weight.

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Why you'd press play

You want a VBAC story that walks through the hard parts without flinching.

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