Australian Birth Stories

In today’s episode of the show I interview Liz Lim. Liz shares her two vaginal deliveries which she planned to be as water births at the Belmont Birth Centre. Liz saw a team of midwives for her care through Belmont, however when she went into labour, the centre had been closed for asbestos removal. She was sent to the John Hunter hospital where she saw a team of midwives she had not met before. Liz found her first birth quite traumatic and she did quite a lot of self study to try and prepare herself for an intervention free second birth. To her complete surprise, her labour progressed very quickly and she ended up delivering her second son in the garage with the help of her husband. They were trying to get to the birth centre however they ran out of time. To hear more of Liz’s story tune into this weeks 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 interview Hannah aka The Sleep Nurse. After birthing her second son she recognised a gap in support when new parents come home from the hospital. She was in the throes of exhaustion and anxiety triggered from sleep deprivation when she resolved to become a sleep support for new parents. She now works with families of newborns to 5-year-olds and admits that she loves helping frustrated, tired, overwhelmed families through the newborn period that she found incredibly challenging.   Hannah’s transition from hospital to home was a unique experience with her first son, Cliff. He had spent the first four weeks of his life in NICU and Special Care after being born at 32weeks so those first days at home were actually the very first time Hannah and husband Phil had been alone with their baby. “The day that we went home...that was the day that felt like he was born. It was the best day of my life,” she says.  Eight weeks prior she had left home with a suitcase and jumped on a plane to Bali with Phil. They had been together for a year when they unexpectedly fell pregnant, embraced the surprise and moved out of a share house and into an abode of their own. Hannah had nausea and dreadful heartburn but apart from that she was gliding through a trouble-free pregnancy. Phil planned their Balinese babymoon as a surprise and they spent the first week in a remote part of the island before heading to Seminyak to shop and eat. It was during dinner with friends that Hannah first started to experience period pain cramps that came every half an hour. She didn’t think much of it, put it down to the heat and went to bed that night to sleep it off. She was 29weeks and 4 days pregnant. The next day she woke with a sore lower back, went out to shop and when it was time to have lunch she couldn’t get comfortable enough to sit down so she went back to the villa with Phil. By evening she was in the hospital; her mucous plug had come away and she was regularly contracting. 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 Amy Osmanhodzic, a hypnobirthing practitioner, birth doula and mother of four. You can listen to Amy’s firth three birth stories in episode 11 but today she chats about her fourth and final birth - a water birth in the presence of her older children.  After moving from Perth to Byron Bay and settling into their new community, Amy started working in a law firm in Lismore. Within weeks she found out she was pregnant with Daisy and while she has always wanted four children, she was shocked at first. “It took us a good few weeks to process and chat through it as it really was quite unexpected but we got there and when it came time to tell the kids, we took them to our eight-week ultrasound to find out why I’d been feeling so sick,” says Amy. The pregnancy was smooth and uneventful even though everyday life for Amy, Kamal and the kids was busy as they started a new pizza business. Amy had always planned to have homebirths and this time was no different, in fact she was adamant that her final birth experience would be a calm and beautiful homebirth; a significant ending to this stage of her life. At 14weeks she enlisted the support of her chosen midwife, Bronwyn from Lismore Birth House, and immediately knew that she was the right caregiver. Towards the end of her pregnancy Amy met with Alex from Zandra Warland Photograph and planned to have her birth filmed. “It’s always so daunting sharing a personal birthing moment on social media but I want to continue to spread the message that birth can be beautiful and that it’s a normal and natural experience,” she says. Her first three labours started in her 39th week of pregnancy and Daisy’s was much the same. One hour after the last pizza was served on a Friday night, Amy started to experience period pain and gentle surges that were about 10 minutes apart and lasting for 20 seconds (Hypnobirth refers to contractions as surges and Amy uses this term throughout our interview). At around midnight she got into bed but couldn’t sleep till 4am as the surges, while sporadic, were strong enough to keep her awake. She slept soundly for a few hours in the early morning and when she woke to announce that she was in labour the surges petered out almost immediately. “I knew it was because everyone was there and that it was crazy and loud. Thankfully mum and dad picked up on that and took the kids out of the house.” She used the time when she was alone in the house to set up her birth space. She cleaned and organised, put on her birth playlist and lit some candles. “I went back within myself and then the surges ramped up, coming every 7minutes and lasting for 30secs. I knew that having the big kids present at the birth was a priority for me but it did change the experience a lot. I learnt how connected the birth environment is to the process of labour,” she says. When the kids returned her labour stalled again so after a big cry, Kamal took her for a drive and, with the help of lemon tarts from her favourite cafe, labour got well underway. They returned home and called their photographer and, within the hour, her birth team was in the home and supporting her with their gentle presence. Amy has never had a vaginal examination in any of her pregnancies or births and while she admits that they’re sometimes necessary, she has also witnessed the loss of confidence when a labouring woman is told that she’s not as far along as she presumed. “Midwives know what stage you’re at just by looking at you and I know that if I can’t sit still in a surge and that if I’m making noise then I’m close to 9-10cm,” she says. With the kids settled in bed and her birth team beside her, Amy got in the birth pool. Soon after, Kamal joined her and, as she had done in all her labours, she used touch and kissing to stimulate oxytocin and bring her baby earthside. “It comes naturally, we’re quite affectionate and there’s nothing like bringing a baby into the world to make your love even stronger.” While her surges were strong Amy noticed that they were only lasting about 20 seconds. Instead of worrying about it, she felt the instinctual urge to change position so she flipped over onto her back and leaned against the side of the pool. This immediately changed everything; she experienced an almighty contraction, her waters broke, she yelled for her parents to get the sleeping children and they all made it back to the pool to see Daisy crowning. The cord was wrapped around her neck a few times and it didn’t have the strongest pulse so the midwife needed to rub Daisy to get her breathing on her own. Amy stayed in the pool to feed her and forty minutes later delivered the placenta naturally before she settled onto the couch and into newborn bliss. 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 Polites. Hannah is a midwife who worked in the hospital system for five years before she fell pregnant with her daughter, Avaliah. She speaks candidly about the pressure and the privilege of being a midwife giving birth and admits that during her first birth, she was acutely aware of the birth process and yet somewhat unprepared for the emotional and mental challenges. “I felt like I knew everything about the physiological birth process and what to expect but I didn’t know how I was going to personally handle it. I also knew that you can have all of these plans and it can all change so quickly,” she says. After 24hours of niggling, unproductive contractions following her waters breaking, Hannah and her husband Garth, a Paediatric Registrar, went to the hospital to check on the baby. Instead of being induced she opted for expected management yet it took three days of period pain cramps and acupuncture treatment to kick start labour. “I was over analysing everything because I’m a midwife and I was acting transitional so when I got to the hospital to discover I was 2cm I just lost it.” She agreed that it was best to have an epidural so she could relax but unfortunately her baby’s heart rate plummeted then spiked and it was decided that an emergency cesarean was required. Thankfully she could feel the deep pressure of the contractions despite the epidural and she asked her midwife to assess her. She was 10cm so the Obstetrician agreed to do a vacuum delivery. “I said: No, I don’t give you permission to give me an episiotomy and my midwife advocated for me. I was ok with tearing but unless absolutely necessary I didn't want an episiotomy,” she says. Hannah admits that coming so close to receiving an episiotomy - a birth injury - and then not tearing was a major part of her story. “That was huge for me and it took me a long time to get past it. I became scared of the birth process because it was an emergency situation in the end. Ultimately I felt so much pressure that as a midwife, I should have coped better.” She admits that she started questioning her personal and professional ability. This guilt plagued Hannah when she fell pregnant with her second baby and she had terrible nightmares from the outset. She sought the help of a one-on-one hypnobirthing practitioner Shari Lyon from Belly 2 Birth, who helped her and Garth move through the birth trauma and actively prepare for her second birth. “The first class was really about identifying my fears and how they made us feel and after that we debriefing and started building a tool kit of skills to take with us into birth. It was amazing how connected Garth and I were during Arlo’s pregnancy; we were doing regular meditations, breathing techniques and listening to tracks together. We opened up and talked about our issues...hypnobirthing helped us establish a very strong birth partnership.” Within three weeks of starting her hypnobirthing practice, Hannah started to get excited about giving birth and embraced her pregnancy despite nausea, low blood pressure, bleeding and early labour symptoms. She went into Arlo’s birth with a positive mindset and a skillset that literally carried her through the entire labour and to an ecstatic delivery. 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 Bianca Aiono. Bianca has been an elite athlete since she was a teenager and has always had irregular cycles. When she and her husband decided to start trying, they thought it might take a little while, and after two years they sought some assistance from a specialist. After having intrauterine insemination (IUI), Bianca conceived her first son Maverick. When Bianca began trying for a second, she discussed the possibility of having multiples with her doctor due to the follicle-stimulating hormones she was taking. While she knew this was a possibility she never actually thought she would conceive triplets. Bianca shares openly the discussions she had with her doctors about the risks of multiples. The doctor gave her the option of selectively reducing, and she shares how she was sure she couldn’t intervene in this way. She and her husband were happy to see how the babies progressed on their own. The triplets tracked along very well, and Bianca delivered them vaginally. To hear the details 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 interview Renee. After trying to conceive for two years Renee and her husband went through IVF to conceive their first son. After a stressful two years of trying to conceive Renee felt nervous throughout her pregnancy. Her son Beau was in a breech position and Renee’s doctor recommended she have an elective caesarean. When Renee was being prepped for her caesarean they discovered that the spinal block had filed and she could still feel everything. Eventually, they were able to give her a high dose of epidural. Renee shares with us how she went on to conceive her second son naturally without the need for IVF assistance and she went on to deliver him vaginally. Devastatingly, earlier this year Renee’s daughter was Still Born and she opens up about Elodie’s birth and how she and her boys are all working through their grief. 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 Aimee Winchester. Aimee shares the births of all five of her girls who were all born via caesarean section. Aimee gave birth to her first daughter at the age of 20. She knew very little about birth at the time and went in to be induced when she was over her dates. Aimee was fully dilated with an epidural when they discovered her little girl was in a posterior position and despite the doctors trying to manually turn her she needed to have an emergency caesarean. In her second birth, Aimee hired and doula and was all prepared to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) To hear how Aimee’s labours unfolded 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.

In today’s episode, I interview Theresa. Theresa conceived her first son at the age of 22 while she was living with her husband in Perth. She had private health insurance, so she called around and booked in with an Obgyn who was available. In her third trimester, they sold their home and moved over to NSW. She quickly found a new Obgyn who indicated he probably wouldn’t be at her birth, but he was willing to take her on. Theresa was induced and as her labour unfolded, she ended up having an emergency caesarean section. Theresa was born in Singapore and as part of her family traditions, her mother came over and stayed with them for the first 40 days. She nurtured her daughter with very specific warming foods and teas and took over all the household task so Theresa was free to breastfeed and connect with her baby.  Theresa describes this confinement period as heavenly. To hear Theresa’s story and how she went on to have two VBACs 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 interview Luka, who is a midwife and registered nurse. Luka decided to give birth to her first child through her local birth center under the care of a private midwife whom she had worked within the past. Luka’s labour began when she was 40 weeks and 12 days. She used the TENS machine and stayed active throughout her labour. Her baby presented with his hand near his face, which resulted in Luka receiving a third-degree tear. After his safe delivery, she required transferring to the hospital where she worked to have surgery to repair the tear. To hear Luka’s full story 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.

In this week’s episode, I interview Laura Callea a women’s health physiotherapist. Laura shares her two birth experiences. With a wealth of experience behind her working with pregnant and postnatal women, Laura went into her first birth open minded. After being induced in her first labour, Laura’s cervix did not respond to the induction process and she ended up having an emergency caesarean. Second time around Laura spent her second pregnancy preparing for a Vaginal birth after a Caesarean or a term she prefers, TOLAC ,Trial of labor after cesarean. To hear what unfolded in Laura’s second labour, 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.