Australian Birth Stories

In today’s episode I interview Sarah Harris - @6.little.wildflowers. Sarah and her husband Rhys live on a sheep station in far west NSW and they have travelled a 200km dirt road to Mildura, the closest large town, for all six of Sarah’s births. For women who live in rural and remote Australia, it’s not uncommon to move to the closest town in the weeks leading up to their due date so they can access midwifery or obstetric care. Sarah’s body always gave her a sign that labour was imminent and so she stayed at home for her six pregnancies and made it to the hospital with plenty of time to spare. She’s spent the past 10 years growing, birthing and feeding babies and regardless of the fact that baby number five and six were surprises, she’s adamant that there’s no more. After losing her first pregnancy in an early miscarriage, she went on to conceive Isabelle and admits that she was very blasé when it came to birth preparation and awareness. “I had no idea what I was doing and to be honest, the only thing I read about birth was from a magazine,” she says. After having a show and mild contractions, Sarah and Rhys made their way to Mildura Hospital and were largely left on their own. “I was an absolute mess, really. I was yelling and crying and it was only when Rhys went out to get someone that they came in and noticed that Isabelle was crowning. I just remember thinking that I needed to get her out and stop the pain and so I pushed without breathing and that resulted in a second degree tear.” In the days that followed they had a steady stream of visitors and Sarah struggled with breastfeeding because of oversupply and flat nipples. It was only when Sharon, a well-known Mildura-based midwife came in on day four that everything changed for her. “She basically said we needed to go back to the beginning so she drained my breasts with the pump - I never knew a breast pump even existed - and then gave me nipple shields to use and thankfully, they made all the difference.” Isabelle was a very settled baby and Sarah fell pregnant again when she was only 8months old. She enjoyed a very smooth, easy pregnancy and despite being heavily pregnant in summer (with temperatures often in the high 40s) she has only fond memories of the last trimester. Her labour started with aches in the right hip and down the leg and once they got to hospital, labour was very quick. “Ruby’s birth was one of my easiest with quite short, sharp and irregular contractions to begin with. It was only 2 hours long and I felt absolutely amazing afterwards,” she says. Once again, she had trouble with feeding and used nipple shields to feed. Whilst Ruby is now 8, a recent trip to the dentist confirmed that she has a tongue and lip tie and Sarah is certain this was the cause of her difficult latch as a baby. Sarah loved having two babies under two and only waited to have a third because she was maid of honour at her best friend’s wedding. The gap between Ruby and Ava is her biggest and coincidentally, Ava’s pregnancy and birth was Sarah’s hardest (another example of a tricky third birth!). At 39weeks she went out in the ute with friends and after bouncing about in the paddock she noticed her water’s breaking that night during dinner. The next day she went to hospital in early labour - thinking that it would be a quick progression - and yet labour dragged on. After the birth she had a postpartum hemorrhage and lost 600ML of blood. “I was wrecked! I couldn’t get off the bed of even move and Rhys just held Ava while I recovered.” Ava self-weaned at nine months old and Sarah admits that she was devastated. “I expressed for a few months and bottle fed her but once I realised that it was just in her personality, I accepted it. She did everything early - walked, talked - it’s just who she is.” Regardless of Ava’s challenging delivery, Sarah was excited to add a fourth baby to the family and she experienced a smooth and joyful delivery with Poppy. It was the first time that Sarah had the opportunity to give birth in the public hospital and have postnatal care in the private hospital and she relished the 5-day holiday she had with Rhys by her side. Thinking that her baby days were over, Sarah sought treatment for her painful varicose veins that had gotten progressively worse with each pregnancy. She had laser treatment followed by injections and it was before one of her treatments that she realised her period was late. She knew she couldn’t have the injection if she was pregnant so she drove 200km to buy a pregnancy test, did it on the side of the road and when she got home, told Rhys they were expecting baby number 5. Regardless of the fact that a psychic had told her she would have lots of children, Sarah took a long time to get her head around the fact that she was pregnant. “I found it really hard to cope with the sickness considering it wasn’t planned but as soon as sickness went away I was fine. I saw an obstetrician this time around because it was the only way I could have the postpartum care in the private hospital and labour was gentle and easy. A friend had given me a bottle of clary sage so we used it to get the contractions going and literally ten minutes after it was applied, Clementine was born (after only 30minutes of active labour!).” They left hospital thinking it would be the last time and yet 16months later, as she was preparing to have another injection for her varicose veins, Sarah felt the familiar symptoms of early pregnancy nausea. They waited till she was 18weeks to announce the pregnancy to family and friends as they were a little concerned about how people would react. Thankfully they were only met with happiness. Sarah embraced planned a babymoon to Noosa and booked a birth photographer for the first time. She was under the care of the midwives in Mildura who were very laid back and let Sarah guide them in her labour. She resumed her default birthing position (on her knees on the bed) and birthed baby Posie after 45minutes of active labour. 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 interview Hannah Vasicek. Hannah shares her pregnancy and birth of her little girl Vienna. At 10 weeks Hannah found out she was having a little girl and she had the name Vienna picked for her girl's name for years so they immediately began calling her by her name. At 12 weeks gestation when they went in for their ultrasound, Hannah noticed the sonographer was taking a long time and she then left the room to get someone else to come and have a look. Hannah’s heart sank fearing the worst. The doctor explained that Vienna had a very rare condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome. Amniotic band syndrome is a rare condition caused by strands of the amniotic sac that separate and entangle digits, limbs, or other parts of the fetus. It is believed that amniotic band syndrome occurs when the inner membrane (amnion) ruptures, or tears, without injury to the outer membrane (chorion). They were unable to be certain however they believed that the band had attached on Vienna’s right arm. They wouldn’t know exactly until the 20 weeks scan where about the band had attached and how much of Vienna’s right arm would be affected. To hear how Vienna’s birth unfolded tune into this week’s episode. 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 Amy Gerard who discusses her three pregnancies and births with the honesty and humour that she’s so well known for on instagram. Amy and Ryan had only been dating for seven months when they unexpectedly fell pregnant with their daughter, Charli. Amy suffered severe nausea, migraines and nosebleeds and later into the pregnancy developed Polyhydramnios; a condition that creates excess amniotic fluid. As a result, Amy gained 30kg and when her waters broke at 37weeks, she lost 15kg in fluid overnight.   After going into the birth centre for a stretch and sweep, Amy returned home to labour but whenever she called the hospital to update them on her progress, they encouraged her to stay at home and come in the following day. She admits she felt really unsupported and was understandably upset. Eventually she heeded the advice of her mum who encouraged her to present to the birthing suite. At this stage she was stressed and anxious and not coping with the growing intensity of her contractions. “I had no idea what to expect…I had no idea what was happening and where I was at. I had fear of the unknown and it had gripped me,” she says.   After requesting an epidural, the anaesthetist had to administer it three times before it worked as Amy’s excess fluid made it very difficult to find the exact spot. Once she was pain-free she happily laboured for a few hours till she reached full dilation and when the epidural started wearing off she began pushing. Second stage took roughly 40minutes and Amy admits that she dug deep to access energy that she never knew she had. Charli fed well from the start and whilst Amy felt like she had been hit by a freight train, she returned home after two nights and settled well into new motherhood. However, she admits that the emotional rollercoaster of the first few weeks took her by surprise; she was teary, anxious and exhausted and perplexed by the fact that her new baby didn’t come with a how-to guide.   Eleven months later Amy and Ryan got married and she fell pregnant soon after with baby Bobby. Bobby’s pregnancy was a very smooth ride and apart from six weeks of antenatal depression during her second trimester, Amy enjoyed the whole experience. However, late in her third trimester she started to get itchy hands and feet, so much so that she would scratch at her palms with a hairbrush and brush her hands against brick walls. She casually mentioned it to her midwife at her 37weeks appointment who sent her straight for a blood test. The results came back the following day and her bile acid levels were incredibly high; she was diagnosed with Cholestasis and induced a few days afterward. “The drip was administered and my waters broke and then I closed my eyes and lay there, listening to my music and focusing on my breathing. Ryan was rubbing the bottom of my leg and as the contractions were building I completely zoned out and thought about the lady in my calm birth classes who taught me about breathing techniques,” she says. Her midwife encouraged her to focus on opening her bottom with each exhalation and before long she felt like she was ready to push. “I was like: Yes, I did it! I pushed him out in 14 minutes! From when the drip went in to holding him in my arms was 90 minutes. I honestly felt great!” 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 with Chloe Mackie. Chloe has two children - Sunny (3) and Maya (2 weeks) - and is a midwife with a passion for antenatal care. “I want to empower women with knowledge and education. Ultimately I want to work in Midwife Group Practice or private midwifery because I believe that every woman should have the opportunity to have a known care provider through pregnancy and birth,” she says. Chloe was working at the Gold Coast University Hospital when she and husband, Jason, started trying for a baby. After two years and a few miscarriages, they sought the advice of a fertility specialist who told them they had unexplained infertility. In the months following they did three rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) but to no avail. Chloe found the experience to be emotionally taxing so on the fourth month she opted to have a break. She decided to go back to the basics - yoga, acupuncture and improving her holistic health - and she fell pregnant naturally on her next cycle. Topics include: Hyperemesis, infertility, posterior, sterile water injections, acupuncture, side-lying release, asynclitism, group a strep, septicemia, 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 naturopath and nutritionist, Kate Dalton of Mayde Tea. Kate lives in Byron Bay with her partner, Ryan and their baby girl, Alfie May. As soon as Kate fell pregnant - within the first month of trying - she sought the advice of her GP and fellow naturopath. Kate has a Bicornuate Uterus (where the top of the uterus is shaped like a love heart instead of being round) which prompted her to book in with an OB at Lismore Hospital. The severity of a Bicornuate Uterus is only known when you’re pregnant and the risks can be that the baby is stuck on one side of the uterus and essentially outgrows the space and prompts premature labour. Breech position is also common because once the baby gets into position, there’s no space for it to turn. Kate’s family has a history of breech births and because she wanted to attempt a vaginal delivery - regardless of whether the baby was head or bum down - she chose an OB who specialises in vaginal breech delivery. Kate’s pregnancy symptoms were relatively mild although she admits that the vicious cycle of anxiety and insomnia was ever present during her first trimester. She embraced herbs, pregnancy multivitamins, fish oil and probiotics to keep her body in its best state and religiously drank her own blend of sleepy tea, Serenity.  After seeking recommendations from friends, Kate and Ryan did a calm birth course in preparation for Alfie’s birth. “Ryan loved the course; he was getting into it and answering all the questions. It made him excited and subsequently it made me really confident,” she says. Despite a relatively smooth pregnancy, Kate became quite anxious in the third trimester. She was carrying small and when the midwives measured her fundal height, she was always measuring five weeks behind, hence she required extra monitoring and ultrasounds. “I know women get offended when people remark on how big they are but it’s equally offensive when people comment on how small you are…you can’t help but take it all on board,” she says. After thinking that she would go into labour early, Kate was 40 weeks + 10 days when she first started to feel a bit over the pregnancy. She had a massage that evening and a few hours later her waters broke. After one trip to hospital and a drive home, they were admitted hours later after it was discovered that there were traces of meconium in her waters. Her OB suggested induction and whilst Kate was confronted by the decision (she hadn’t heard many positive induction stories and was understandably anxious) she believed that it was the best choice for her and Alfie. Once she was hooked up to the syntocin drip and heart rate monitor, she stayed mobile to encourage the progression of contractions. She laboured well for the following hours and went from being on all fours with Ryan squeezing her hips during contractions to getting in the shower for the relief of hot water. At 4pm her OB checked her and discovered that she was 1cm with a cervical lip which he removed and stretched her to 4cm. Afterwards, with an increase of syntocin the contractions grew in intensity and Kate felt like she was losing control of her breathing. “I got on all fours on the bed and I started using the gas which helped me slow down my breathing. Throughout my whole labour I used the calm birth technique of breathing in for six counts and out for six counts. I started getting really bad back pain and a new midwife came in and she just knew what to do. I was at the stage where I was overwhelmed and couldn’t make decisions so having someone direct and guide me was so welcome,” says Kate. She was given water injections in her back - four needles at pressure points - to help relieve the back pain and it worked instantly and lasted for about an hour.   “I was asking for every pain relief under the sun even though my birth plan was to have no pain relief and an all natural experience. But at that point I didn’t care about my birth plan...obviously this was me going through transition,” says Kate. She admits that she felt quite exposed being on the bed but once she got into the bath she felt safe and calm and before long she could feel her body pushing, despite the midwives’ warnings that she had to wait for the OB to return. Topics include: Bicornuate Uterus, peri-natal anxiety, induction, meconium, water injections, water birth, calm birth 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 talk to Libby Trickett about her third birth with baby Bronte. You can hear her first and second birth stories including details of high blood pressure, induction and post-natal depression in episode 106.  After taking a year to fall pregnant with her second daughter, Edwina, Libby and husband Luke decided to start trying for their third baby sooner rather than later. Libby has PCOS and knows how difficult conception can be so no-one was more shocked than her when she fell pregnant within the first cycle. With a history of difficult pregnancies, including constant nausea and vomiting, Libby was grateful to experience a relatively easy pregnancy although she now admits that a smooth pregnancy definitely doesn’t make for an easy birth experience. She was under the care of Obstetrician Rob Butler and opted to birth at Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane. In her 34th week, Libby was diagnosed with high-blood pressure, the earliest she had ever developed it during her three pregnancies. For the first time she had to be medicated and was required to stay overnight for monitoring during her 35th week. Thankfully, she made it to 38weeks and opted to be induced to minimise the chance of developing pre-eclampsia.   At 6am on the morning of induction, gel was applied to Libby’s cervix and so began a day of waiting. In the early afternoon, she made her way down to the birthing suite so her OB could check her. Her body usually takes a while to move into labour so she wasn’t surprised when she discovered that she hadn’t dilated but everyone was shocked to learn that baby Bronte had flipped from head down to breech.  To hear how Bronte’s birth unfolds tune into this great episode.  PCOS, post-natal depression, high-blood pressure, induction, ECV, ARM, breech, emergency cesarean, hand presentation  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.

On today’s show I interview Mel and she shares the birth of her little girl Navy. After being together for seven years and shortly after they got married, Mel and  her wife Yasmin decided they wanted to have a baby and they been to explored some possible options for conceiving. As they were a same sex couple there were a few different paths they could explore. While Yasmin wanted to have children, she wasn’t particularly interested in actually carrying a baby, whilst Mel really wanted to carry a baby. So they decided to go down the path of partner IVF. Partner IVF involved Yasmin’s eggs being collected, a third party donor being selected for fertilisation and Mel then carrying their baby. During the IVF process Yasmin developed hyperstimulation syndrome and became quite unwell. To hear how Mel and Jasmine took Hypnobirthing Australia course through Belly2Birth with Shari Lyon and how their birth unfolded, tune into this week’s episode 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.

 On this week’s episode I talk to Justine Zampogna - @justinezappa - who used hypnobirthing skills in her three natural births - one in a birth centre, one in hospital and one at home. Whilst her two births with her boys are empowering and inspiring for any woman to hear, it’s her experience with her second baby - a girl named Gigi - that will stay with you long after you listen. In 2015, shortly after getting married, Justine fell pregnant and experienced a very smooth and joyful pregnancy. She admits that a fear of hospitals and anything medical prompted her to book in with her local birth centre. She found solace in hypnobirthing and after taking part in a course, she discovered the power of visualisation to prepare her for a positive birth experience. “It’s very hard for the mind to differentiate between reality and visualisation. So if you haven’t had a baby before, the only thing you can depend upon is the positive visualisation you create for yourself,” she says. Interestingly, her birth was very similar to the birth she visualised whilst pregnant, proof that it really is a powerful tool for women to use in preparation. Whilst she experienced a long second stage, her labour with baby Chase was relatively quick for a first birth and once he was born and the placenta delivered, she enjoyed uninterrupted golden hours, soaking him in. It was shortly after Chase’s third birthday that Justine fell pregnant with Gigi. She was severely sick during the first trimester and discovered at the 10 week Harmony test that she was having a girl and yet she admits that she felt like there was something not quite right. During the standard 12-14 week ultrasound she noticed (only in retrospect) that the sonographer was taking a long time. Two days later she received a call from the doctor who requested an immediate appointment. Justine and her husband were told that their baby had a neural tube defect and that they needed to terminate. To find out more tune into this week's show 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.

On this week’s episode, I talk to Madelyn who recently birthed her first baby, a girl named Georgia. Madelyn enjoyed a very smooth pregnancy, so smooth in fact that she didn’t really think about where she was going to birth until she was 20weeks pregnant. “In retrospect, I would have organised that earlier. I didn’t put enough emphasis on who to see, what to do, and the birth experience I wanted.” That said, she enjoyed the experience of shared care with her GP and the midwives at Sandringham Hospital who were, as she admits, the ideal support throughout her long labour. Madelyn admits that she’s always wanted to be a mum and yet she had never really considered the option of a natural birth. “My mum had cesarean births and I just presumed I would have one too. When I mentioned this to my GP she informed me that I had a low-risk pregnancy and therefore needed to prepare for a natural birth,” she says. 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 one of my Patreon supporters, Bridget French. Bridget used IVF in both her pregnancies and has experienced the highs and lows of fertility treatment. Her GP was the first to recommend a fertility specialist after running blood tests and discovering that Bridget had low AMH levels (the level of AMH in the blood can help doctors estimate the number of follicles inside the ovaries, and therefore, the woman's egg count) and an iron overload disorder called Haemochromatosis. Bridget and husband Rich always wanted a big family so they started IVF treatment straight away and after six rounds they fell pregnant. Bridget admits that she hates taking pregnancy tests so she always relies on the definitive blood test to give her the results and when the clinic called she was, understandably, ecstatic. She experienced a bleed at six weeks and sought the advice of the IVF clinic who encouraged her to rest and explained there wasn’t much anyone could do. At the 9week mark, she bled again and went to the ED to request an emergency ultrasound which showed a strong heartbeat. The bleeds could never be explained and thankfully, they stopped at the 13-week mark. Bridget had only completed two hospital birth classes and active birth classes before her waters broke and yet she laboured beautifully and stayed in her zone. By 11:30 am she was 5cm and regardless of her disappointment at having to lie on the bed for constant monitoring, she happily listened to Aretha Franklin and breathed deep through contractions. “I found it pretty manageable in my zone, I never got fatigued by pain and I was pushing my 2 pm. Within 4-5 pushes Molly was born and she came out breathing which was such a relief, especially for a premmie baby.” To find out more tune into this week's show 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.