Australian Birth Stories

In episode 462 Briony shares with us her pregnancy and birth of her little boy Charlie. Briony was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 31 and her doctors recommended she do one cycle of IVF prior to starting her chemotherapy treatment. Briony shares that doing the IVF cycle brought her a two week reprieve from the thoughts of treatment and she was surrounded by friends and family who supported her immensely during this time. ------------------ The Sleepybelly pillow is uniquely designed to be easily adjusted to give you the optimal support throughout your entire pregnancy. As your belly grows, you can increase the width between the pillows using the velcro attachment. 3-Piece Adjustable Pregnancy Pillow is proven to help expecting mothers get better sleep. You can choose from the long back support for those who don’t tend to wriggle. Or the dual wedge pillow if you like to switch sides. The product comes with all 3 pieces so try both to see what works best for you. You can enjoy $10 off yours today with the code 'ABS10' head to SleepybellySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sophie shares with us the birth of her son Liam and her twins Hannah and Louis. After getting married in 2020 Sophie and her husband felt ready to try and grow their family and they were fortunate to conceive shortly after beginning to try. They were living on the Mornington Peninsular in Victoria during Liam's pregnancy and they went under shared care with her GP and saw a midwife for his birth through the local public hospital in Frankston. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. --------- Today’s episode is brought to you by ergoPouch. ErgoPouch has recently launched their new AW24 collection. Featuring two BEARY new prints, and I must admit, these are some of their best! In case you are not familiar with ergoPouch, they are a premium sleepwear brand from Australia that uses certified organic cotton and natural fibres to create TOG-rated sleepwear and sleep solutions for newborns up to six years of age. ergoPouch has delighted us with two beary cute prints this season., ergo is offering you an EXCLUSIVE code for one week only AUBS at the checkout to receive 20% off the AW24 collection. *Exclusions apply. Offer ends at 11:59 p.m. on March 17, 2024. Happy Winter Sleeping.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Gemma who shares with us her two very different and uniquely challenging pregnancies of her son Max and her daughter Ava. During Max’s pregnancy, everything appeared to be running smoothly in his growth and development however the Obstetrician did note that Max’s head was measuring slightly larger than average. It wasn't until Max was born that they were able to diagnose him as having Soto’s Syndrome. Gemma shares her initial shock of learning about this very rare syndrome whilst she was pregnant with her second child. Gemma’s second pregnancy became more complex when she was 20 weeks pregnant with Ava and they discovered in her routine blood test that she had a very high reading of antibodies. Ava required two blood transfusions in utero during the pregnancy however she has since made a full recovery. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. --------- Today's episode of the show is brought to you by my online childbirth education course, The Birth Class. What makes The Birth Class so unique? Well, instead of learning from one person with one perspective, we've gathered nine perinatal health specialists to take you through everything you need to know about labor and birth. Realistic information is key to thorough preparation. Learn more about The Birth Class here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode, Chantelle shares her experience of her first pregnancy and birth. Chantelle was very gratefulll to conceive shortly after deciding she was ready to try. She asked around to get recommendations to choose her care provider and she decided to go through the private model and saw an obstetrician at Cabrini Private hospital in Melbourne. Chantelle loved her birth experience and is thrilled to share it with us today. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. ----------------------------- Today’s episode is brought to you by Bliss Birth. Bliss Birth is founded on the belief that women’s bodies are incredible things, and that when it’s safe, choosing natural options makes for the best outcomes for mums and babies. That’s why Ariel has developed a range of products to support your natural birth experience. Introducing the most advanced natural pain management device for labour available in Australia – The Elle TENS Plus. TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and it is the ultimate birth tool as it maximizes your body’s natural pain-fighting abilities.  Bliss Birth offer both 4 and 8 week hire periods, Pre-addressed, prepaid return (No printer needed). The ‘Mama Bag’ valued at $10.95 is yours to keep! You can enjoy 10% off Bliss Birth with the code ABS24. Head over to BlissBirth.com.auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re going to love this episode with Jodi; mother of four, yoga teacher, postpartum doula and co-author of The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. Jodi and I chat all about our postpartum book - what we’ve learnt, the confronting reality of the lack of health services, and how she has reflected on her own postpartum experiences with newfound knowledge and awareness. It’s an emotional and informative episode where we discuss how much the health system has changed in the past 16 years, the far-reaching benefits of adequate support, being a young mum, the brain changes in pregnancy and the uncertainty and not-knowing of postpartum. If you want to listen to Jodi’s first episode, where she details her four very different vaginal birth experiences and breathing and sound practises for labour, tune into episode 163.  Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode, Tylah shares her experience as a midwife alongside her first pregnancy and birth. Tylah had spent many years supporting women in pregnancy and labour so she had plenty of time to consider what she wanted for her own birth experience. She knew from the outset that she wanted a homebirth but her partner, a doctor, took some convincing. Tylah admits that pregnancy was humbling from the start and the persistent challenge of unexplained rib pain encouraged her to surrender from early on. She takes us step by step through her homebirth preparation including hiring a private midwife, planning a water birth and the shock of an unexpected but necessary NICU stay. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. --------- Our friends at iL Tutto are offering our audience 20% off their entire website, including the new Frankie Chair in Teddy Fleece. Simply use ABS20 at checkout, only at iltutto.com.au. This discount code cannot be used with any other offer and expires Tuesday 26th March 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can listen to Sasha’s birth story in episode 331 and today she takes us through her early motherhood experience including discussions on race, mental health and the work/motherhood juggle. Sasha and her husband, Jem, planned an intentionally slow postpartum which was the ideal introduction to parenthood. Sasha talks openly about the challenges that arose after the newborn bubble, including her postnatal depression, her choice to take medication and the inner-conflict between expectations and reality. She also talks at length about race and genetics and what it’s like to have a different skin tone to her baby.  --------- If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy.It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:  A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour - what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise Images of birth positions - the ideal addition for visual learners  3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing - everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum For a limited time only, get 20% off with the code: ABS2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Larke is a midwife and she talks about her primal desire to experience labour and birth. But as she reiterates, there is so much about pregnancy and birth that is beyond our control. She was only 4 weeks pregnant when a scan revealed a significant fibroid at the back of her cervix which dictated her mode of delivery so from very early on she was grieving the loss of the vaginal birth she may never have. Her 20 week scan revealed her baby had a cleft palate and she is transparent with her rollercoaster of emotions following the diagnosis, normalising the confronting thoughts that come up in challenging times. With the support of her beloved midwife and obstetrician, Larke had an empowering maternal assisted caesarean and within minutes of Dolly being born it was confirmed that her palate was intact which meant she could breastfeed. --------- If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy.It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:  A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour - what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise Images of birth positions - the ideal addition for visual learners  3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing - everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum For a limited time only, get 20% off with the code: ABS2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have seen Kirsty in the news recently. She’s the recipient of Australia’s first uterus transplant and birthed her miracle baby a few months ago. Today she takes us through the grief of a hysterectomy following her first birth, her options for growing her family, the transplant clinical trial and her pregnancy.  At the time of recording, four Australian women have received uterus transplants in Australia, three of whom were born without a uterus (MRKH syndrome). It’s so exciting to see such significant advancements in women’s reproductive health and I’ll always be grateful to be in the position to interview mothers and share their stories. Enjoy Kirsty’s story, it’s definitely a memorable one. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. --------- If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy.It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:  A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour - what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise Images of birth positions - the ideal addition for visual learners  3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing - everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum For a limited time only, get 20% off with the code: ABS2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode, Niki shares her two incredibly positive home birth stories of her daughter Elsa and her son Nils. Niki is Swedish and Thai and lives with her Australian husband in Kho Samui where they teach Yoga to both practitioners and Yogis. Niki always knew she wanted to have her babies at home. In Thailand, it is illegal to have a home birth. This prompted Niki and her husband to decide to return to their family in Melbourne to pursue her home-birth dream. Nik shares the challenges of morning sickness in both pregnancies, the changes in her yoga practice, and the impact of pregnancy on her physical and emotional well-being. Follow us on Instagram at @australianbirthstories for helpful articles, behind the scenes, and future episodes. --------- Today's episode of the show is brought to you by my online childbirth education course, The Birth Class. What makes The Birth Class so unique? Well, instead of learning from one person with one perspective, we've gathered nine perinatal health specialists to take you through everything you need to know about labor and birth. Realistic information is key to thorough preparation. Learn more about The Birth Class here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.