Australian Birth Stories

In today’s episode, I interview Gemma Taylor. Gemma takes us through her difficult four-year journey trying to conceive her first child Flynn. Gemma suffered from mild endometriosis and a low egg count and conceived Flynn after a stimulated IVF Cycle. Gemma shares openly the heartache in miscarrying her first transferred embryo and the joy in going on to conceive Flynn. Flynn’s pregnancy began with severe morning sickness which didn’t subside until 24 weeks. Then at 27 weeks, Gemma was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Gemma’s labor with Flynn began at around 39 weeks after a week of pre-labor. When she went in for a stretch and sweep her midwife was surprised to find how favourable Gemma seemed and said she thought that she was going to deliver in the coming day. Several days later contractions began to ramp up on a Friday night. Gemma laboured at home until 2 pm the following day when she transferred to Randwick Women's Hospital hospital feeling exhausted after a long and trying week of on and off contractions. The midwife on duty suggested an epidural to give Gemma the chance to have some rest and they started an indiction drip to help progress her labour.  With her second pregnancy, after having gone through such a long a painful journey trying to conceive Flynn, Gemma and her partner decided to try quite quickly to try and conceive again. They began the process by having the frozen embryo (which was taken at the same time as Flynn) implanted. Unfortunately, this transfer ended in a missed miscarriage which Gemma had a DNC for at 7 weeks. The next stimulated cycle for Gemma and her partner was somewhat different as the technology for IFV was continuing to evolve. There was now a new test available Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing. According to IVF Australia : “Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is a sophisticated scientific technique which can be used to test embryos for either a specific known genetic condition or chromosome abnormality. This enables only chromosomally normal embryos or those unaffected by a specific disorder to be selected for transfer during an IVF cycle, maximising the chance of a healthy baby. Up to 70% of embryos created, either via natural conception or IVF don’t survive the first 3 months of pregnancy and many don’t achieve implantation because of those two reasons.” () To hear more about how Gemma went on to have the first mosaic embryo transferred in Australia and how she ended up delivering her second son at home with the assistance of her sister in law and business partnerJenny tune into the show. Topics covered: endometriosis, IFV, stimulated cycles, misses miscarriage, DNC, gestational diabetes, Mozaic embryo transfer, unexpected home birth, asthma, pre-labour. Today's episode is sponsored by Blossom and Glow. Blossom and Glow are offering listeners a 15% off discount. Enter ABS15 at checkout. To check out Gemma and Jenny's sandals,   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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Georgie Abay the founder of The Grace Tales. Georgie takes us through her pregnancies and premature births of her little girl Arabella at 34 weeks and Lottie at 33 weeks. After trying to conceive for 6 months Georgie fell pregnant with her first daughter Arabella. Georgie experienced terrible morning sickness up until 19 weeks with Arabella. After completing her Calm Birth course at 34 weeks, Georgie went into labour the next day prematurely. After going in for a routine ultrasound the staff discovered that she was going into labour. Her doctor sent her straight to the hospital to have a steroid injection and sent her home on bed rest. Georgie was due to be a bridesmaid for her best friend later that week and had a nail appointment that day in preparation for the day. Her mum said she could take her to her nail appointment and as she would be laying down in the chair she would therefore be resting. Georgie’s waters went in the nail salon in a comical movie style fashion. She ended up borrowing a towel from the salon and put that under her dress and she and her mother made their way to the hospital, via the supermarket to pack a last minute supply bag of essentials for the very early birth. Despite her waters going contractions didn’t start so, Georgie was induced to progress the labour. After labouring for 17 hours with the assistance of an epidural and forceps,  Arabella was delivered 6 weeks early. Arabella was checked by a paediatrician and was then wheeled off to the special care nursery. Georgie explains that Arabella’s emotional birth and the separation she experienced was the hardest thing she had experienced. Arabella was formula fed in the special nursery and Georgie went home without her little girl. Georgie shares the heart ache she experienced in leaving the hospital without her baby. When home Georgie pumped tirelessly through the night to bring her milk supply in and was able to successfully bring in a great milk supply which enabled her to start breastfeeding Arabella when she was stronger. After two weeks of care in the special care nursery, Arabella was discharged and came home. When Arabella was 10mths old Georgie fell pregnant again unexpectedly while they were renovating their house and living at her mum’s place. At 23 weeks into Georgie’s second pregnancy she had a scan and it was discovered she had a short cervix and she had started to dilate. She was put on strict bedrest as she was at risk of early labour again. This was incredibly challenging as she had a toddler to take care of. She was only allowed to get up to shower and eat. Georgie had to insert progesterone daily and shealso had steroid shots to help prepare her body and the baby for another early arrival. She moved back to her Mum’s house and hired a full-time nanny to care for Arabella. At 33 weeks Georgie felt she was about to go into labour so she quickly moved back into her family home and her the next morning her waters went. Georgie had the support of a lovely midwife and she felt this made a huge difference to her mental strength in this labour. As contractions didn’t immediately start, she had induction medication to progress things. To hear more about Georgie’s recovery and her 6-week postpartum haemorrhage, and Lottie’s birth journey tune into the podcast……… Topics covered: premature birth, special care nursery, epidural, forceps, breastfeeding, yoga, calm birth, blood clots, post-partum haemorrhage, bed rest, blood transfusions, retained placenta, Dilation (or dilatation) and curettage (D&C) Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Pure Baby: Pure Baby is an Australian owned company who create premium, organic clothing for babies and children.  The lovely people at Pure Baby are offering Australian Birth Stories listeners $20 of with the code ABS20. To check out the full range of Pure baby products head to 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Claire shares how she and her partner Steph had a home birth with their little girl LJ. As a same-sex couple, Claire and Steph used a home insemination process with sperm given to them from a very good friend. As a naturopath, Claire carefully monitored her cycles and use acupuncture to help make the process as smooth as possible. They were lucky enough to conceive on their first home transfer. Claire takes us through how she and Steph prepared themselves to co-feed LJ. Steph has never been pregnant before however, she was able to induce lactation through pumping regularly and taking natural medicines and Domperidone. Both Steph and Claire now breastfeed little LJ. To hear more listen now… Topics covered: induced lactation, home insemination, home birth, water birth, private midwife, acupuncture, naturopath, breastfeeding, placenta encapsulation, same-sex couple. 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode, Elise Knowles shares the births of her three children. During Elise's first labour she was dilated to 5cm without even realising she was in early labour. This pre-labor went on for several days and she ended up having some acupuncture and a stretch and sweep. Elise was admitted later that day and was induced to help progress her labour. 3.5 hours later Raffety was born and despite having an episiotomy she suffered a third-degree tear. Elise’s recovery was slow and difficult as she was physically and emotionally drained from the delivery. She found breastfeeding Raffety very challenging which she wasn’t expecting and felt unprepared for this challenge. She shares how there is very little discussion about how difficult the initial stages of breastfeeding can be and it can lead to feelings of guilt and failure when it doesn't all go to plan. Raffety was a very unsettled baby who was later diagnosed with severe reflux and readmitted to hospital at 6 weeks of age. During this time in the hospital, while Raff recovered from a burnt oesophagus, it became clear to the staff that Elise was struggling emotionally and they advised her that they suspected she had postnatal depression. With the support and encouragement of her husband and mother, Elise was able to seek help and was connected with Better Beginnings. Her therapist diagnosed her with postnatal anxiety. Elise openly discusses the slow recovery she experienced with her tear and it was at 3mths that she got the courage to try sex again. After trying for 9mths she fell pregnant again with Tabitha. Unlike her first pregnancy Elise shares she felt much sicker with morning sickness with Tabitha and it was a very different pregnancy overall.  To hear more about Tabitha’s birth and Delilah’s tune into the podcast……. Topics covered: 3rd-degree tear, postnatal depression, pelvic floor exercises, obstetrician, breastfeeding, induction, jaundice, prolapse, placenta encapsulation, Elise Knowles If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Show Sponsors: Franjos Kitchen The lovely Fran and Jo from Franjos Kitchen are the sponsors of this episode. They are offering listners 20% off their first order with the discount code ABS. 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode Bridget discusses the births of her two boys. Bridget had both her children under the care of a private Obstetrician. She discusses how she came to this decision based on a family history of Preeclampsia. Bridget shares how her mum died and was resuscitated in the end stages of her first pregnancy due to preeclampsia and her baby was delivered by caesarian whilst she was in a coma. Bridget thankfully showed no signs of pre eclampsia in both pregnancies. Bridget’s first labour started with her waters breaking at home in bed and she later delivered after over two hours of intense pushing. This pushing phase resulted in Bridget ‘seeing stars’ in her left eye. This raised immediate concerns with the nurses and her doctor and she was rushed off for an emergency MRI to rule out the possibility of a small stroke during her labour. Thankfully it was, in fact, a burst blood vessel from the strain of pushing. In Bridget's second labour she was induced at 40 weeks as the baby was very low and she was in quite a bit of pain in her hips and was finding walking very difficult. Her doctor agreed that inducing her at full term was the best course of action and her labour progresses very quickly and resulted in a much shorter pushing phase and she was blessed with another very healthy baby boy. Bridget also shares with us the conception of Midnight Mums Facebook group which she is the founder of. The group was started when Bridget was living interstate and away from her family with a new baby. She was contacting a school friend online in the middle of the night and they were supporting each other through this often lonely journey of night feeds. Five years later the group now has over 80,000 members from right across Australian and the world. Tune in to the podcast to hear more details. Topics covered in this weeks episode: preeclampsia, burst blood vessel of the eye, induction, epidural, obstetrician. Midnight Mums If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Connect with the show over on     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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, Alice Bingham discusses the births of her son Cruse and daughter Winter Rose. Alice is a registered nurse. After struggling to conceive for 9 months Alice was over joyed when she became pregnant. Alice’s labour with Cruse began with her waters going and then an unexplained bleed which was very traumatic. As contractions hadn’t started and her water’s had gone, Alice was induced to progress the labour. Alice had an epidural and pushed for 30 minutes and had her healthy baby boy. On day three Cruse was admitted back into the hospital to have 24hours of phototherapy to treat jaundice. Alice was admitted back into the Pediatric Ward for Cruse's treatment and she was able to have some one on one assistance with a lactation consultant which really helped her gain confidence with breastfeeding. With Alice’s second pregnancy she only tried for one month and she was able to successfully fall pregnant with Winter. She discusses how she became quite anxious towards the end of her pregnancy as she was nervous that she might have another big unexplained bleed and need to be on constantly monitored. At 37 weeks after a very long labour of walking and another unexplained bleed Alice was admitted. Alice had an epidural but she went from 6cm to 10cm very quickly in 45minutes so there wasn’t enough time to get the epidural completed. She was able to birth her baby with the assistance of her husband, midwife and a mirror. lice also shares the challenges of bringing a second child home. She shares how her toddler ignored her for most of the first week when he brought her daughter home. We discuss the feelings of maternal guilt and readjusting to life with two children. Topics covered in this weeks episode: placenta abrasion, jaundice, phototherapy, induction epidural, toddler jealously, lactation consultants, sciatic pain. Alice In Healthy Land If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Connect with the show over on  Facebook  Webpage 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode Edwina shares the births of her two children Polly and Theodore. Edwina is a registered nurse and Midwife. Edwina let her confidence of being a midwife take over and she and her partner did not do any child birth education classes in the lead up to her first birth of Polly, a decision she regretted terribly on the day. After a long labour, Edwina had an epidural from a colleague who was crying cause she was so sad seeing her friend in so much pain. Eventually the epidural was in and Edwina was able to sleep. She also had induction medication to speed up her labour. Edwina discusses using the Epi-no to stretch her perineal muscles to prevent tears. She thinks this contributed to the fact that she didn’t tear in either of her births. Birthing in the hospital where Edwina works also posed added complications as her colleagues all knew she was in birth suits and a couple even dropped in to see how she was going. With her second pregnancy, Edwina was determined to do things differently and she and her husband both attended independent child birth education classes. She jokes about the fact that her sons head came out and she didn’t have another contraction for quite some time and she was chatting to her midwife while her husband was quite concerned that half his child had been born. Since having her children Edwina has started her own Child Birth Education classes teaching child birth education and Baby and Child first aide. Topics covered in todays episode include; Breech baby, Epi-no, perineal massage, child birth education classes, epidural, baby and child first aide, midwifery care. Birth Beats If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Connect with the show over on 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Sophie Cachia, The Young Mummy about her two births. Sophie was diagnosed with the poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at the age of 17 and she was told it was likely she would have a lot of trouble conceiving. Sophie started acupuncture to try and regulate her menstrual cycle when she decided she wanted to try for a baby and she was successful in her first few months of trying.   She suffered chronic morning sickness in Bobby’s pregnancy and ended up taking prescription medication to help ease the discomfort. Throughout the pregnancy, Bobby measured weeks ahead in fondul height measurements. Sophie’s obstetrician at Frances Perry House in Melbourne advised her he wanted to induce her at 38 weeks to ensure the baby didn’t get too big. Sophie was given gell to induce her however they discovered she was already 3cm dilated so labour began quickly. After 26 hours of labour Sophie’s waters were broken and she pushed for over 4 hours. The prolonged pushing stage and the fact that Bobby’s shoulders got stuck resulted in Sophie needing an episiotomy and she also got an anal fissure. The fissure was so significant that Sophie had to under go surgery to repair it 6 months after the birth. Falling pregnant with Florence proved to be quite difficult for Sophie and after eight disappointing months of trying Sophie’s obstetrician decided it would be best for her to start Clomid to help her ovulate more regularly. Luckily for Sophie, she fell pregnant before the IVF process was needed. Sophie discusses announcing her pregnancy to her social media fans at 9 weeks, the differences between public and private care, challenges in epidural placement and much more. Tune in to hear the full story. Topics covered in this episode: Poly cystic ovarian syndrome PCOS, morning sickness, epidural, episiotomy, anal fissure, infertility, induction, acupuncture, Clomid, clary sage oil, Royal Women's Hospital, Frances Perry House. Cachia 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Tegan shares the stories of her three births of Bridget, Charlotte, and her newest addition Billy. Tegan married her high school sweetheart and got pregnant with Bridget at 20. Tegan’s pregnancy with Bridget was smooth and she had midwifery care through her local public hospital. Bridget’s labour went for over 30 hours as she was in a posterior position. Bridget was eventually delivered with the assistance of an episiotomy and the vacuum and after over two hours of pushing, she was delivered. Charlotte's pregnancy gave Tegan quite a lot of back ache which she saw a chiropractor for regular treatment. Charlotte was a very unsettled baby and it wasn’t until she was 11 months old that she was finally diagnosed with a dairy allergy. After falling pregnant very quickly with both Bridget and Charlotte, Tegan was surprised to find that she was struggling to conceive for the third time. After trying for12months, Tegan was diagnosed for the first time with PCOS Polly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. After being diagnosed with PCOS and after trying for a year Tegan was about to start Metformin to try and help her ovulate more regularly when she conceived naturally. For Billy’s pregnancy, Tegan had a student midwife who was a friend follow her through the pregnancy and she also had a birth photographer booked for the birth. Billy was delivered in the local hospital with the assistance of midwives. Billy’s head presented in the amniotic sac otherwise know as en caul. The midwives cut the sac as he was delivered with the assistance of gas and air. 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, I interview Fiona Harrison a Doula, Naturopath and Massage Therapist who works at Fertile Ground Health Group in East Melbourne. Fiona shares the birth story of her second son Tenzin at the Mercy Birth Centre. Fiona went through the team midwifery group practice at the birth center. After finding out her baby was breech at 37 weeks, Fiona describes how she under went an ECV (External cephalic version) to successfully turn the baby into a more optimal position for birth. ECV is a procedure where an obstetrician manually encourages the baby to change position while the mother lies in a tilted bed. This procedure is carefully monitored to make sure that the baby is not under stress. With a successful ECV, Fiona was able to birth her baby at the birth center with the assistance of a close friend, her husband, and her midwife. She discusses utilising the various treatments offered by her colleagues at Fertile Ground such as Mother roasting as well as taking homeopathic, having acupuncture administered and eating a variety of easily digestible foods. Topics covered in this episode: external cephalic version, breech babies, pregnancy induction massage, mother roasting, acupuncture, birth centre birth. To help out the show: - Leave an honest review on iTunes, Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. - Subscribe on iTunes or download our mobile app. 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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.