What I Did During Labor to Avoid a Repeat C-Section

November 25, 2025•7 min read

What I Did During Labor to Avoid a Repeat C-Section

Disclosure: Throughout this post, you may find affiliate links to products or resources I personally use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I'm also an Earthley affiliate and may earn commissions on some links shared - always at no extra cost to you.

After having a C-section with my first baby, I was determined to do everything I reasonably could to avoid ending up in surgery again. Not from a place of fear or pressure — but because I finally understood that my body wasn’t broken, and I wanted a different experience the second time around.

This post walks through the biggest decisions I made and how they helped me stay calm, confident, and in control during labor. If you want a more step-by-step guide, trauma-aware prep, or deeper mindset support, make sure you join my Birth Series Interest List — I’m releasing 8 trauma-aware birth workbooks soon, and they’re packed with everything I learned the long way.

Here are the things I did to intentionally lower a potential repeat C-Section:

1. I limited cervical checks (pretty much completely)

One of the first things I decided in pregnancy was that I didn’t want routine cervical checks. They weren’t helpful for me the first time around — if anything, they increased stress and made me feel like I was “failing” before labor even began.

Frequent cervical checks have also been associated with higher intervention rates¹, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid this time. I didn’t want to be discouraged by numbers, pressured to “move things along,” or poked when my body just needed space.

So I skipped them and it ended up being one of the most helpful parts of my plan.

2. I opted out of full scans after 36 weeks

(…but I did confirm she was head-down)

My care team offered another full ultrasound toward the end of pregnancy, but I felt great and wasn’t interested in extra monitoring that didn’t have a clear benefit. So instead, I asked for something simple: a quick check on the handheld monitor to confirm baby’s position.

Once we confirmed she was head-down, that was that. No pressure, no unnecessary testing, no last-minute anxiety spirals.

This was huge for my mental peace — staying grounded instead of getting pulled into “what ifs” that weren’t actually relevant.

3. I labored at home as long as possible

This one made a massive difference. Home felt safe. Quiet. Calm.

I could eat, shower, sway around my living room, and work through sensations in a space where no one asked, “How far along are you?” every 20 minutes.

By the time I went to the hospital, I was already well into active labor. My body was doing exactly what it was designed to do — without interruptions, bright lights, strangers walking in, or pressure to make decisions before I was ready.

Graphic listing what helped my postpartum anxiety after a traumatic birth, including midwife and dula support, laboring at home, understanding my body in birth, and giving myself permission to rest - by Nurture Nook

4. I used the Gentle Birth tincture

I used this Gentle Birth tincture (without Blue Cohosh) during the last part of pregnancy and again in labor. It helped my body stay relaxed and supported while everything was shifting and opening. I used the one without Blue Cohosh per my midwife and doula so if you decide to try this - be sure to check in with your provider too and consider taking the one without Blue Cohosh if you are wanting to try it! Check out the Amazon reviews too - so many women have had amazing help during labor because of this tincture!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I’m also an Earthley affiliate and may earn commissions on some links shared — at no extra cost to you.

5. I prepared my mind just as much as my body

This was honestly the biggest shift between my two births.

→ Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

This book completely changed how I viewed birth.

I learned what my body actually does during labor — how the uterus works, how the pelvic floor releases, why relaxing your bottom is so important, and what’s normal versus scary.

Knowing the anatomy took away so much fear and confusion.

Suddenly birth wasn’t something mysterious happening to me — it was my body doing something it was built for².

→ Watching positive birth videos

I watched video after video of different women giving birth — hospital births, home births, water births, VBACs.

Seeing other moms move, breathe, moan, and cope made me think,

“Okay. I can do this. My body knows how to do this.”

It removed the stigma. It removed the fear. It made birth feel human again.

→ Having a midwife and doula

This combo was everything.

I had support, reassurance, and people who believed in physiological birth. They protected my space, reminded me to trust myself, and helped my husband support me too.

Doula support has been shown to lower intervention and C-section rates³ — and I felt that firsthand.

6. I skipped the epidural

This was a personal choice — not a moral one.

I support every mom choosing whatever helps her feel safe.

But for me, avoiding an epidural reduced the chances of slowing labor and increasing the risk of another C-section⁴.

I wanted to move, shift, squat, walk, lean on my husband, and stay connected to what my body was doing.

7. I worked through the fear that my body was “broken”

This was honestly one of the hardest parts.

After my first birth, I carried so much fear — fear of failing again, fear of being cut open again, fear that my body “couldn’t do it.”

Your nervous system doesn’t forget trauma.

But little by little, I learned to shift the story:

My body wasn’t broken.

My first birth wasn’t my fault.

And this time, I wasn’t going in blind.

If you’re in that same place, please know: you’re not alone, and your body isn’t broken either.

My Birth Trauma Series goes deep into this — the fear, the beliefs we internalize, and how to rewire them so you can go into birth with confidence instead of dread.

8. Resources that helped me (and might help you too)

Here are the related posts on my site that connect to everything I shared: