Do you worry about providing your clients with inaccurate information about VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and repeat cesarean?
Do you want to increase VBAC access in your community through changing hospital policy?
Are you tired of reading sources that seem to conflict with each other?
Do you want reliable information, but are too busy working to spend months compiling it?
Whether you are new to the subject of VBAC or you've been serving VBAC families for years, allow me to share what I've learned over the last decade through my experience and research as a consumer advocate, national speaker, and founder of VBAC Facts®.
I'm Jen Kamel. Let's create some change.
But at 35 weeks, my baby was in a footling breech position and all of a sudden, I was on the road to a surgical birth.
After envisioning a vaginal delivery - surgery terrified me - there I was, on the operating table, at a little after 5am. And supremely disappointed.
My OB told me right after my cesarean that I would be an excellent candidate for VBAC, so I knew that there was another option.
Yet, I had a lot to learn and what makes me scared is the unknown. So I reduced my fears by diving into the facts.
Through that process, I was able to make an informed decision about what was right for me.
But I also uncovered something I didn't expect: how few birth professionals felt confident talking about VBAC.
They didn't have the time or skills to really dig into the research and the presence of VBAC bans in their community made them question what was really safe.
Three and a half years later, through my research, planning, and the whiff of luck that is always at play in birth, I was able to have a victorious VBAC with my next child and meet my sweet son.
My recovery was so very different. I felt like me, with a baby, and it was an entirely new experience of motherhood.
My journey from cesarean to VBAC lit a fire in me. I learned how VBAC really is a safe and reasonable option.
Yet, so many professionals struggled to uncover the truth about VBAC and the idea of doing the research on their own felt overwhelming. I knew I could help.
So at two weeks post-partum, sitting on my hemorrhoid ring which I deemed “The Throne," I started VBAC Facts®.
Within three years, I had created this program and was traveling the country speaking as a California Board of Registered Nursing Continuing Education Provider.
People describe "The Truth About VBAC for Professionals" as outstanding, easy to understand, non-judgmental, priceless, and the best resource to date.
That's because there is no other training out there that weaves together the medical evidence with the political landscape providing you with a comprehensive yet even-handed perspective on VBAC.
VBAC is a political hot potato resulting in conflicting opinions that all seem to cite the very same national guidelines and research.
Through over 30 bite-sized video lessons, I share every step of the process for achieving clarity on the latest VBAC and repeat cesarean evidence so you can confidently help your clients make an informed choice!
Birth options after multiple cesareans, big babies, postdates, birth intervals, single versus dual layer suturing, uterine thickness, racial disparities, the VBAC calculator... I cover it all.
Throughout this six-hour online training, we will review multiple sources, how people have interpreted them, and what specific things to consider when evaluating medical studies so you can identify strong VBAC studies and understand what the research really says. (Spoiler Alert: Reading the abstract isn't sufficient.)
You’ll also learn about the evidence on hospital versus out-of-hospital VBAC so you can have an open, honest, and frank conversation with your patients about birth location that is based on facts, not hearsay or isolated incidents.
You’ll become familiar with hospital VBAC bans and national recommendations so you can understand how politics and the (mis)interpretation of ACOG guidelines are contributing to the rising maternal morbidity and mortality rates.
I'll break down for you why VBAC is so hard, and even impossible, for parents to access and the massive public health implications when political and legal concerns drive medical care... and how that has exposed providers to a whole new level of legal risk.
And while fears of litigious action negatively impact VBAC access, you will learn how hospitals have improved obstetrical outcomes while reducing their malpractice claims... and how these same strategies can be applied to VBAC.
Finally, we will discuss various tips on how to accurately and honestly communicate obstetrical risk to your clients so they understand the facts without creating unnecessary fear.
After working directly with thousands of medical providers and birth professionals over the last decade, I know the challenges you face and the information you want.
This course is designed to answer all the questions professionals typically ask as well as the questions they don't even know to ask.
The entire course is immediately available to you upon registration. You can either binge watch it in one sitting or watch a lecture every couple days. I'll send you reminder emails throughout the program with links to the next lecture so you will always know what to do next.
“Bravo! I absolutely loved 'The Truth About VBAC' online program – I learned SO much! Jen does an amazing job of summarizing the latest evidence on VBACs and repeat Cesareans in a way that is easy to understand.
In this class, Jen simply presents accurate facts and lets the evidence speak for itself. I strongly recommend this class to anyone who is interested in learning about VBAC!" Read Rebecca's entire review.
- Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN, Founder, Evidence Based Birth
"I'm a busy OB/GYN physician with a particular interest in ensuring that women in my region have a safe and well-publicized option for post-Cesarean hospital birthing.
However, my interest in attending Jen Kamel's 'The Truth about VBAC' Spokane, WA workshop in July 2014 was in knowing what was being discussed in the greater birthing community and I couldn't have more pleased, even happily surprised.
Ms. Kamel has put together a presentation that is biased in only one very appropriate direction — that of fully informed patients and birth attendants. She not only presents the most recent ACOG guidelines and the studies by which they were formed, but also leads a well-informed discussion about historical perspectives and the challenges faced by providers and hospitals, careful to never to excuse us from doing the one thing we all promised at our professional outset — to do no harm.
Our patients and communities can only benefit from a more-informed discussion about C-sections and post-Cesarean birthing and we're all lucky to have someone out front with such informed passion."
- Nathan Meltzer, OB/GYN
"Jen has clear and concise information that puts aside agendas and allows for the most reliable informed consent standards I have seen on the topic of VBAC.
She is able to provide an understanding of the methodology applied in different studies. She helps participants to understand the validity of results based on the sample sizes and design of various studies.
She was also very effective at allowing for the discussion to move past the popular aspects of the debate (rates of rupture) into areas rarely acknowledged.
Her program helped our practice create a better VBAC informed consent for our clients. I have also added her workshop as a requirement in the educational program we use for our students."
- Michelle Hernandez, CPM (Certified Professional Midwife)
"After attending 'The Truth About VBAC,' I knew the facts, the studies that supported the facts, and I knew how to interpret the numbers to best understand what they were saying.
I am better able to point my clients to real evidence and help them translate the studies into information they can use to make the best birth decisions for themselves, their babies, and their whole family."
- Heather Schweich, VBAC Mom & Birth Doula
“This course is interesting, organized, and most importantly, evidence-based! Some of my favorite parts included the many charts, which illustrate statistics regarding cesarean section and VBAC in the United States. I'm a visual learner, and putting those numbers in perspective really made it click for me. This class would be a great fit for parents, educators, doulas, and any health professional working with mothers and babies. A fabulous educational opportunity!"
- Lindsey Rupp, CD(DONA), CLS, PCD (DONA)
"As a leader in birth advocacy in my state, VBAC is a hot topic that I deal with frequently. As a front line leader, this training helped me feel more confident and empowered to talk about VBAC to legislators. While I previously knew the generalities of VBAC truths, the training gave me a much better understanding so that I can answer the tough questions and correct misinformation when necessary."
- Mary Kathryn DeLodder, Leader, Kentucky Home Birth Coalition
"I had been attending a different VBAC Educator training.
After quoting some of the information from that training, I realized that this course was actually not providing evidence based information.
Therefore I was sharing inaccurate information with my clients and potential clients.
I came across VBAC Facts® and really liked how Jen provided evidence to back up what she was saying.
I also liked how easy it was for me to substantiate the information she shared.
I enrolled in "The Truth About VBAC for Professionals" and I feel much more confident about the information I am sharing now."
-Vicki Hobbs, Childbirth Educator
As an internationally recognized consumer advocate and Founder of VBAC Facts®, I help birth professionals, and cesarean parents, achieve clarity on vaginal birth after cesarean through my educational courses, training programs, and consulting services.
I speak at conferences around the world, present Grand Rounds at hospitals, advise advocates seeking legislative change in their state, and serve as a expert witness in legal proceedings.
After over a decade in this work, I have an encyclopedic and intimate appreciation of not only the VBAC evidence, but how politics, racism, paternalism, litigation, and convenience often supersede what birthing people want... all while they are subtlety coerced into repeat cesareans under the guise of safety.
I envision a time when every pregnant person seeking VBAC has access to unbiased information, respectful providers, and community support, so they can plan the birth of their choosing in the setting they desire.
Upon completion of this program, attendees will be able to:
Yes! “The Truth About VBAC™ for Professionals" has been approved for 6.6 continuing education hours from the California Board of Registered Nursing. These CEs are accepted by all RN boards, NARM, ICEA, Lamaze, DONA, and CAPPA as well as many other medical and health organizations.
Those that attend the on-line class must earn 80% on a quiz in order to earn CEs.
Not all organizations accept nursing continuing education hours or CEs earned via on-line courses. Check with your particular organization.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Continuing Education Provider #16238, for 6.6 continuing education hours.
Hey friend,
You might be wondering, is this course worth it?
If you want to quickly get to up to speed on the facts so you can integrate them into your practice and provide the most value to your clients, it absolutely is.
This training will save you countless hours of trying to compile all the information yourself. (Just multiply your hourly wage times 100 hours to calculate the true cost of doing the research yourself.)
It walks you through the medical evidence and national guidelines so you can quickly identify and neutralize misinformation before it has a chance to confuse yet another client.
It gives you access to medical research that is not available to the public so you can finally access the same information as those writing national guidelines.
And I'll explain to you step by step how research is conducted and how to evaluate it so you really understand what you are looking at. This skill set is something you can use time and time again.
I'll give you a personal tour through the evidence so you can finally achieve clarity on VBAC, repeat cesarean, home birth, hospital birth, VBAC bans, and the intricacies of informed consent.
You will no longer wonder if _______ is supported by the medical literature or national guidelines. You will know.
Having these new tools and knowledge at your disposal will enable you to confidently guide your clients as they navigate their options.
You will share accurate information, gently debunk misinformation and direct clients to where they can learn more with ease.
Your value as a professional will increase as you become the VBAC go to person in your community.
You will earn the respect of your clients and colleagues as you recite research and share perspectives that contribute to your community's collective knowledge.
Or you can create positive change in your community by reversing VBAC bans.
How you use the facts is up to you, but the sky is the limit in terms of what can happen when you combine passion with knowledge and the skill on how to effectively use it.
If you are ready to give your clients the best care, take your career to the next level, and even shake up the VBAC climate in your area, it's time for you to enroll in "The Truth About VBAC for Professionals."
I can't wait to see you inside!
Warmly,
