Australian Birth Stories

In this week’s episode I chat to Sarah, a mother of two and midwife who cherishes the work she does with pregnant women. When it came time to birth her first baby, she experienced a truly beautiful water birth in the birth centre surrounded by her fellow midwives. Her second pregnancy was symptom-free until her waters broke at 25weeks. She takes us through her experience, from the denial of what was happening to the frightening realisation that she would be delivering her baby at 25weeks via classical cesarean and then the stress, grief and elation of NICU life. Sarah offers heartfelt, practical advice for NICU parents, discusses the beauty and challenge of breastfeeding a premature baby and lists the practical things she did everyday to work through her worry and grief. Her micro-preemie, Chloe, is now an energetic, inquisitive two-year-old and Sarah is more passionate than ever about supporting new mothers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode I talk to Chantel about her three births. She suffered Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) in every pregnancy and was medicated early on to stop the vomiting. Her severe symptoms eased by 20 weeks but she still had to navigate intense nausea till the end of pregnancy. After two vaginal births in the hospital, she accessed continuity of care in a birth centre for her third. At 34 weeks she was diagnosed with placenta previa (where the placenta covers all or part of the cervix) and after grieving the waterbirth she couldn’t have, she planned a gentle caesarean birth with her priority being skin-to-skin in theatre and recovery. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s interview I chat to Queer couple Jess and Manda about the steps they took to create their family and the experience of being a gender non-conforming human while pregnant. We have a joyous and enlightening conversation about home insemination, pregnancy challenges, navigating the suggestion of induction when you’re an older mother, long labours, postpartum and the blessing of the village. Jess and Manda have two children and they’ve both experienced pregnancy and birth so consider this episode abundant in wisdom, advice and hilarity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Skye shares her first traumatic birth and her second accidental home birth. Emily doesn’t hold back on sharing the details of her birth experiences, including her challenging physical recovery and postpartum depression. A strong advocate for embracing and loving your body at every stage, Emily talks at length about her severe diastasis recti and hypertonic pelvic floor and the steps she took to strengthen and heal. When she fell pregnant for the second time, she got serious about birth preparation and used hypnobirth and breathwork techniques to navigate a very fast and intense labour.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s episode I interview Ash who caught covid at 39 weeks. Her symptoms were mild and by the time she went into labour a week later, she was negative. Unfortunately, her partner, Tim, was positive and still had one more day in isolation. Ash takes us through her birthing day and details the moments she had to consciously surrender, accept the uncontrollable and turn inward to bring her baby into the world. Her sister-in-law stepped in as a loving and knowledgeable doula and Tim watched his son being born via facetime (from the hospital carpark). Ash describes the sense of panic and anxiety that washed over her in the early hours of the next day, a response to the intensity of her labour and birth. While her experience isn’t common, it is normal and I’m grateful Ash had the courage to share her story here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode I chat to Nikki about her life in East Arnhem Land, her unexpected third pregnancy and the steps she took to actively prepare for her birth. You can hear the story of Nikki’s first two births in episode #113 but she also briefly talks about her second birth in this episode and details the challenge of shoulder dystocia, retained placenta and a postpartum hemorrhage. Her experience definitely dictated her pregnancy care and birth plans but she was also fiercely proactive in getting informed, advocating for herself and rallying a supportive care team. Nikki is incredibly articulate and her story will give you the encouragement to prepare and plan, regardless of your fears. If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I chat to Ahlam, The Veiled Speechie, about her three births. She was under the care of the midwifery clinic at Bankstown Hospital for her pregnancies and admits that she did no preparation at all for her first birth which ended with an episiotomy and a vacuum delivery and led into a painful and challenging postpartum. As soon as she discovered she was pregnant with her second she started researching and preparing as she was determined to experience a positive water birth, which she did. Her third labour was fast and intense but she felt confident in her choices and her ability to advocate for herself. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you need a laugh (don’t we all?!) make sure you listen to today’s chat with Amy @pickwick_and_sprout who shares her two birth stories with a good dose of hilarity. Amy admits that as soon as sperm met egg she started vomiting and she was eventually diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Her pregnancy was not the glowing kind; she was exhausted, riddled with anxiety and constantly sick. She didn’t do any birth preparation so when she turned up to the hospital and felt the need to poo, she had no idea that her baby was minutes from being born. Her breastfeeding experience was challenging and Amy’s honesty about her journey -  her persistence, emotional turmoil and eventual acceptance - is empowering for those on the same path. If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mel’s story made headlines a few weeks ago when she had an unplanned homebirth and her baby was born unresponsive. NSW Ambulance was inundated and couldn’t assist so Mel and her husband, Alex, drove to hospital while she administered CPR to baby Ethan. Despite her harrowing ordeal, Mel shares her experience with clarity and it’s comforting to hear Ethan cry, squark and burp his way through the interview. As a midwife, she brings really valuable knowledge to her story and shares some great tips for breastfeeding and pelvic floor health. I’m so grateful to Mel for making the time to chat with me; her experience is rare but I think it’s one we can all learn from. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode I chat to Emma who shares her preconception journey in detail (a great tip for those of you planning to conceive soon!). She approached her pregnancy and birth preparation similarly by immersing herself in research and birth stories and The Birth Class. She was cared for by the Ngarrama Midwifery Group Practice in Brisbane and continued her high intensity training program right up until the day she went into labour. Emma’s story is testament to the power of consciously choosing your care provider, getting informed and physically and mentally preparing for the birth you most want. Her little girl, Gracie, was only two weeks old when we spoke so Emma recalls her story with lots of detail; there’s some really wonderful advice in her story. If you'd like my FREE guide on mastitis click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.