Australian Birth Stories

In today’s episode, I interview Rachel March. Rachel shares the birth of her little boy and her twin girls. Falling pregnant at 21 Rachel admired she knew very little about pregnancy and birth she just knew she wanted to have a baby. None of her friend’s had had kids it was all very unknown. Rachel’s pregnancy was considered high risk due to the fact that she was born with a condition called Long QT syndrome. This condition affects Rachel’s heart and hearing. Rachel lost her job at 25 week due to unfair dismissal due to her pregnancy, a case she fought and won, however, it was a very stressful time. After having her little boy Rachel developed postnatal depression which she took medication for and saw a psychologist. To hear more about Rachel’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 Kyree Harvey. Kyree tried for twelve months to conceive her first child. She believes stress play a major roll in her struggles to conceive coupled with the challenges of synchronizing her cycles with her husband’s FIFO roster. Kyree found her birth with Alaska very traumatic. She was induced and had an episiotomy that took many months to heal. Going into her second pregnancy Kyree knew she wanted to have a different experience and she sought out Hypnobirth Australia. Kyree connected with Renne from The Birth Space and she used the skills she learned to guide her through her birth. To hear more about Kyree’s pregnancies and births tune into this weeks 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.

Pip is from Sydney but is currently living in Singapore. Pip spoke to her GP in the lead up to her wedding about falling pregnant. The doctor suggested she come off the pill as it can take a few months to begin ovulating again. Pip fell pregnant in the first month of coming off the pill. She was 20 weeks pregnant at her wedding. For her first pregnancy she went through shared care with her GP and she had the same midwife for all her hospital appointments. To hear more about Pip’s story tune into this weeks show. Sponsored by BodyIce Woman. Enjoy 30% off with code AUSBIRTH Topics include: midwifery care, doula, Singapore midwifery, shared care, nipple thrush, strep B positive. 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 Michelle. Michelle has two children of her own and she recently carried a baby as a surrogate. Michelle carried a baby Jack for intended parents Kate and Chris. Kate was born without a uterus and new from the age of 13 that she wouldn’t be able to carry her own child. The couples were connected through a surrogate information session and after they were approved through Surrogacy Australia to go ahead with the surrogacy. Kate and Chris began IVF to create an embryo that Michelle would carry. On their third embryo transfer, Michele fell pregnant with baby Jack. After having two straight forward vaginal births with her own children, Michelle had planned a home birth with her husband, doula, birth photographer and the intended parents all present. At 37 weeks Michelle started to notice blood and went into the hospital to have herself and the baby checked out. To find out more tune into this weeks show. Save $10 off Postpartum Life After Birth with code Mothers Day valid for the month of May 2019 Topics included: Surrogacy, IVF, doula, retained placenta, postpartum haemorrhage, expressed breast milk. 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 Nikki. Nikki is a Paediatric physiotherapist living in Adelaide. Nikki and her husband conceived their first daughter through the assistance of IVF due to her husband’s previous history of treatment for testicular cancer. During her first pregnancy, Nikki suffered from an irritable uterus and an incompetent  cervix requiring her to take it very easy and take bed rest at various intervals in the pregnancy. To hear more about Nikki’s births tune into this weeks show. Topics covered: IVF, incompetent cervix, shoulder dystocia, irritable uterus, ECV, breech, retained placenta, nasal gastric tube feeding, testicular cancer. 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 Sam about her two pregnancies and births. Sam went through the public health care system under the care of her mother, who was a midwife working at the Mater Hospital for her first pregnancy. At 38 weeks one of her midwives questioned whether the baby was in a breech position. Sam had a quick scan in the hospital to check and they confirmed they believed the baby was head down. The next day Sam’s waters had broken.  During Sam’s labour they discovered there was meconium in the waters and her baby was in fact breech. Sam was waiting around half an hour as the operating rooms were being used so they couldn’t do a caesarean. They then decided she could deliver vaginally. Very sadly Jack was born still and they were unable to revive him. When Sam was due to have her second baby she decided she wanted an elective maternal assisted caesarean. To hear how Sam advocated for herself and got the maternal assisted birth she wanted with her daughter, 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 Jenna and Paul.  Jenna is a physiotherapist and Paul is an intensive care nurse. They decided late into their pregnancy that they wanted to opt for a home birth. At 32 weeks they hired a private midwife and had their first daughter at home. They took Rhea Dempsey ’s birth preparation course 'Embracing the intensity'. When they fell pregnant the second time around they had a publicly funded home birth through the Sunshine Home Birth Program. To hear more about their births 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 welcome back to the show Alice Bingham. Alice shared her first two birth stories in Episode 18 on the podcast. Today she is sharing her third birth of little Lottie. Lottie’s pregnancy was quite different for Alice as the pregnancy was considered high risk for several reasons including the fact that she was in a breech position. To hear more tune into this weeks 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 Interview Kerrie. Kerrie was diagnosed with a complex cyst on her ovary and she was told it would be more challenging for her to fall pregnant. She was completely surprised to fall pregnant and be told her cyst had disappeared when she saw her doctor. Kerrie had planned to have a drug free vaginal birth and she was completely caught off guard when her first pregnancy ended in an emergency caesarean. To hear more about Kerrie’s birth tune into this weeks 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 Catherine Mack. Catherine fell pregnant on the first try which was quite a shock. She’d anticipated it taking a while and felt unprepared. Morning sickness came on quite fast and she was nauseous up until 32 weeks. Catherine booked in with an Obstetrician a friend had recommended and in her third trimester, she took She Births course. It was at this stage that Catherine began to question whether she had made the right choice for her birth by going private, however she decided to stay in the model of care she had chosen. To hear more about Catherine’s birth tune into this weeks 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.