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PODCAST

Australian Birth Stories

A Podcast of Mothers" stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell birth stories. An entertaining and heartfelt resource for pregnancy, labour and delivery and postpartum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

51:19

231 | Georgia, two vaginal births, midwifery group...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/04/29

In this week’s bonus episode I chat to the delightful Georgia who takes us through her two pregnancies and births. Her surprise first pregnancy was a life-changing shock but she took it in her stride and delivered little Tex with the support of the midwifery team at Geelong Hospital. Her second pregnancy was as smooth as the first but she went into labour at the height of the national Covid lockdown. Despite extra precautions at the hospital, her labour was speedy and she delivered baby Ivy with

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58:20

230 | Marley three vaginal births, Indigenous...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/04/26

In this week’s episode, I chat to Marley Morgan an Indigenous woman who is raising her three children on Gumbaynggirr land. After a surprise pregnancy at the age of 26, Marley was confronted by a variety of health concerns that took a toll on her mental health and led to an ante-natal depression diagnosis. Her journey into motherhood was challenging but when she reached out to her local mother’s group she recognised the importance of a supportive village. She’s birthed three boys in four years and

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66:52

229 | Emma PCOS, Breast Implant Removal, Emergency...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/04/22

In honour of caesarean awareness month, I chat to Emma about her pregnancy and birth. Despite her intention to have a birth with minimal intervention, days of prodromal labour coupled with exhaustion, dehydration and obstructed labour due to baby’s position, led her to an emergency cesarean. Despite everything, Emma admits that she felt empowered and supported every step of the way, particularly in the depths of her labour when she felt like she was losing control and was debilitated with

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61:18

228 | Kristin three births, vacuum delivery,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/04/19

In this week’s episode I chat to Kristin; a mother of three who let her intuition guide her throughout her pregnancies and subsequently experienced three beautiful, empowering births (albeit not without their challenges). Five miscarriages in a fifteen-month period left her anxious and fearful but once she passed the 12 week mark with her son, Toby, she settled into her pregnancy and refused to let her obstetrician class her as high risk. She took responsibility for her birth, hired a private

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47:11

227 | Sarah Type 1 Diabetic, Caesarean Birth, Special...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/04/11

Sarah shares about her life with Type 1 Diabetes and the effect her diagnosis had on her conception and pregnancy. Sarah admits that she did minimal preparation for her labour and birth and while she went in with limited skills, she also experienced a severe lack of communication from the obstetricians and midwives caring for her, both during birth and postpartum. Her story is a really important one, especially for first-time mums who are questioning the significance of birth preparation and want

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52:22

226 | Sonia Covid pregnancy, home birth, water birth,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/28

In this week’s episode, I chat to Sonia who discovered she was pregnant at the very start of the pandemic. She spent the following eight months immersed in birth documentaries and positive birth stories, intent on creating a birth space where she could be supported by her partner and her closest friends as she laboured. She speaks softly and with heart about her home water birth, the way she roared her daughter into the world and the bliss-filled days that followed. It’s so important to hear

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67:50

225 | Dani two vaginal births, PCOS, endometriosis,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/21

In this week’s episode I chat to @daniloxton about her fertility issues and the journey to conceiving her daughter and her twins. As a yoga teacher and a doula-in-training, Dani knows what it’s like to balance a natural lifestyle with the reality of a PCOS and endometriosis diagnosis. She required fertility treatment for her pregnancies and medication for nausea but then experienced quick and smooth deliveries for all three babies. We chat a lot about her twin pregnancy, the shock of discovering

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61:54

224 | Ellesse Hawkins, Placenta Previa, Pilates...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/18

In today’s episode I interview Ellesse who shares the birth of her son Bowie. Ellesse is a pilates instructor who runs her own business at Fleur Wellbeing Pilates Studio. The Covid lockdown started just as Ellesse discovered she was pregnant. She found this a blessing initially as she suffered from intense morning sickness and working from home allowed her to be sick and rest in between Zoom pilates classes. At her 20 week scan, Ellesse discovered she had placenta previa, her placenta was

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89:13

223 | Yumi two vaginal births, doula, public...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/14

In this week’s episode, I interview Yumi Takahashi who is featured in the recent Birth Time documentary. I aim to share a variety of stories in this space and I believe that Yumi’s experience is essential listening for birthing mothers and, perhaps more importantly, for the midwives and obstetricians who care for them. In her first pregnancy, she chose her local public hospital and had unwavering faith in the system. But it was the system that failed her; she received racist remarks throughout her

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59:27

222 | Claire Same Sex Couple, Home Birth, co-feeding,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/11

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. Despite starting with GP Shared care Claire knew that she wanted a low intervention

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53:54

221 | Melissa Ayling Unassisted Car Birth, Hypnobirthing

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/07

This week I revisit one of my very first interviews where I chat with Melissa a hypnobirthing practitioner based in Geraldton, WA. Melissa’s story really encompasses the power of developing faith and trust in the body and its ability to birth. She talks us through her smooth first birth but it’s the arrival of her second baby that takes up most of our conversation. She discusses the techniques she used to actively prepare for labour and she talks us through the stages of birth, from first

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55:20

220 | Ellen, solo parenthood, sperm donor, IVF, GD,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/04

In this week’s bonus episode I chat to Ellen, a solo mum who navigated four years of IVF to conceive her daughter, Lola. She takes us through ten rounds of IVF, her experience with Gestational Diabetes and the end of her pregnancy where she was faced with two options: and induction at 38weeks or a cesarean at 39weeks. After much thought and soul searching, she opted for a planned cesarean because it gave her more time to allow labour to commence naturally. And it did! Her joyful birth was

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84:45

219 | Rachael Rose two births, HG, shared care,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/03/01

In this week’s episode I interview Rachel - a women’s circle facilitator, pregnancy and birth doula and mother of two. Rachael is incredibly well educated in the birth space and offers an insightful glimpse into the hospital system and the protocols that can often stand in stark contrast to the natural progression of labour and birth. She highlights the fragmentation of the Australian birth system, the inevitable challenges that can arise from having multiple care providers and the trauma of

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57:00

218 | Maha Corbett, IVF, Egg Freezing, Over 40,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/02/22

In this week’s episode I interview Maha who talks about her experience with egg freezing as a single woman in her late thirties. It’s a pertinent topic for our times yet one that’s rarely discussed, hence Maha’s desire to share her story in the hope that it informs and empowers other women in a similar situation. A year later she started considering sperm donors yet life had a different plan; she reconnected with a long-term friend, they fell in love and started trying for a family. Maha fell

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55:10

216 | Turia Pitt Two Vaginal Births, OB, Induction,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/02/07

In this week’s episode, I interview Turia Pitt who talks about her life-changing accident and her journey to motherhood. Resilient, funny and incredibly sweet, Turia shares the details of her pregnancies and labours as well as the challenges of the postpartum period. Most poignant of all is the way she eased into motherhood with her second son, Rahiti, having learnt that lots of visitors are not conducive to a relaxed and restful fourth trimester. She’s just launched her new running program for

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59:28

215 | Jana Pittman four babies, exercise in...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/02/04

In this week’s bonus episode I chat to retired Olympic athlete, doctor and mother of four, Jana Pittman. Her story is a colourful one and honestly, we could have talked for hours! She generously takes us through her motherhood journey which began when she was at the peak of her athletic career. After her marriage breakup she opted to have two more children with a sperm donor and navigated medical school with solo parenthood. Most recently, she shares her experience as a junior doctor, her hopes to

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68:59

214 | Blair Two Births, IVF, ICSI, Pelvic Girdle...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/02/01

In this week’s episode I interview Blair who tells the story of her traumatic first birth where a quick forceps delivery left her with significant internal damage and incontinence issues. “I felt like birth happened to me, I didn’t contribute at all,” she says. Her introduction to motherhood was challenging as she dealt with an infected hematoma, had difficulty bonding with her baby and navigated the sudden onset of postnatal anxiety. She fell pregnant unexpectedly the following year and actively

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70:46

213 | Bianca Two Births, Down Syndrome, NICU, IUGR, VBAC

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/01/25

In this week’s episode I interview Bianca who, at the age of 22, fell pregnant unexpectedly and navigated the complex reality of a Downs Syndrome diagnosis. Despite multiple health professionals advising her to terminate, she chose to keep her baby, journeyed through a tumultuous pregnancy and delivered him at 34weeks via caesarean. Baby Oliver was born with a heart condition and spent 12 weeks in NICU before being transferred to Melbourne Children’s Hospital for life-saving surgery. During her

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59:46

212 | Bella same sex marriage, sperm donor, IVF,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/01/18

In this week’s episode, I chat to Bella about her journey to motherhood with her wife Moana Hope. After choosing a sperm donor and attempting a few rounds of IUI, Bella started IVF and fell pregnant on her first attempt. She takes us through the elation, nausea and worry of her pregnancy, most of which she spent in Melbourne’s long winter lockdown. Baby Svea was born after a beautiful natural birth and while the postpartum period was relatively smooth for Bella, she grew concerned when she started

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99:06

211 | Bernadette Lack, Midwife, two births,...

Australian Birth Stories ·

2021/01/10

In my first interview of the year, I chat with Bernadette of @coreandfloorrestore - a midwife, personal trainer and mother of two boys. Bernadette’s unique story involves incontinence before pregnancy and she details the debilitating experience of consistently wetting herself as her pregnancy progressed. Her empowering first birth encouraged a new sense of self-belief so she delved into research and reminded herself of one basic fact: the pelvic floor is a muscle and like all muscles, it can heal.

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