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PODCAST

Birth Tales

Welcome to Birth Tales. Conception, pregnancy, birth and those first hazy postpartum days are a physical and emotional whirlwind. My hope is that by sharing these unique experiences we can support, educate and inspire others on their journeys to becoming parents.

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

01:05:40

Ellie | 2 births, primary amenorrhea, infertility,...

Birth Tales ·

2024/02/15

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Ellie who conceived both her little boys via IVF due to primary amenorrhea. She shares how she struggled with anxiety during her first pregnancy, not trusting in her body’s ability to carry a child. Her and her husband moved out of London just weeks before Bowie was born and despite a short hospital stay at 38 weeks due to a hemiplegic migraine, Ellie went on to birth her baby at home. Her second pregnancy was a very different experience as she dealt with

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53:39

Phoebe | Bali homebirth, independent midwife,...

Birth Tales ·

2024/02/08

In today’s episode I’m speaking to Phoebe who birthed her daughter at home in Bali. Phoebe and her husband were advised they would probably need to conceive via IVF, but gave themselves a month to relax and have fun before starting treatment. Miraculously their daughter came through that month! When Phoebe started experiencing contractions on her due date she had no idea that her baby wouldn’t be born for another 80 hours. Whilst labouring with the support of her husband and midwife an old injury

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58:43

Ellie | US maternity system, doula, hypnobirthing,...

Birth Tales ·

2024/02/01

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Ellie who had her baby whilst living out in LA. Ellie fell pregnant quickly and went on to struggle with anxiety during her first trimester. She shares her fascinating account of navigating the US maternity system where she had difficulty finding midwifery lead care to support the physiological birth she was hoping for. She hired a doula to help her advocate for herself and finally managed at 37 weeks to find a likeminded OB-GYN who supported her choices. Ellie

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59:33

Kat | 2 births, amenorrhea, letrozole, hypnobirthing,...

Birth Tales ·

2024/01/18

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Kat as she shares about the births of her two daughters. She used letrozole to help her conceive her first baby due to amenorrhea and her second was conceived after her first period in 13 years! Despite both babies being born at home, her two births were wildly different experiences; one ended with an episiotomy in an ambulance outside the house and the other in the birth pool with the midwives calmly watching over. We discuss the importance of sharing positive

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48:12

Minnie | harmony test, low PAPP-A, growth scans,...

Birth Tales ·

2024/01/11

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Minnie about the birth of her son Miles. Minnie fell pregnancy quickly and as an active person found the first trimester fatigue difficult. Despite feeling pretty good during the rest of her pregnancy she came up against some challenges; from her 12 week bloods showing the baby had a high chance of having Down Syndrome to low PAPP-A levels and concerns around the baby’s size in the third trimester. As a result she had frequent monitoring and scans during the

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51:03

Lucy | hypnobirthing, PGP, labour ward, positive...

Birth Tales ·

2024/01/04

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Lucy as she shares her experience of birthing her daughter Freya. Her labour began when her waters broke dramatically at home one night. Her surges were irregular and remained so for the next 24 hours so eventually she was advised to have her labour augmented with a syntocin drip which she found intense but manageable. Despite accepting some interventions that Lucy hadn’t planned or hoped for she feels she had a really positive birth experience using only gas

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49:49

Kim | homebirth, epi-no, urinary retention, birth...

Birth Tales ·

2023/12/21

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Kim about her amazing homebirth. Kim fell pregnant a little faster than she expected and quickly decided homebirth was the best option for her and her baby. She threw herself into birth prep - reading books, listening to podcasts and seeing a women’s health physio - which she found to all be very empowering. When her labour started at 4am her contractions came on thick and fast from the beginning. She used active birthing positions, gas and air and the birth pool

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01:39:36

Serena | pregnancy after loss, doula, GBS positive,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/12/14

In today’s episode I’m sharing my own story of birthing my son Max. I touch on the experience of losing my first pregnancy at 12 weeks, how that loss affected my second pregnancy and the amazing support I received from my doula, acupuncturist and therapist. I talk about how finding out I was GBS positive influenced my choice of birth place and how much I enjoyed learning about pregnancy and birth through hypnobirthing, podcasts and lots of reading. I laboured in the MLU with the support of my

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48:42

CJ | PCOS, hypnobirthing, PGP, MLU, pethidine, birth...

Birth Tales ·

2023/12/07

In today’s episode I’m speaking to CJ as she shares the story of her daughter Evie’s birth. After being diagnosed with PCOS, CJ had been told she might struggle to get pregnant, so she embarked on an 18 month journey of changing her diet and lifestyle to prepare her body and optimise her chances of conceiving. Luckily she fell pregnant quickly, but she struggled with intense pelvic girdle pain during her second trimester which was a real challenge. CJ prepared for birth by really focussing on her

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55:55

Georgia | gestational diabetes, GBS positive, doula,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/11/30

In today’s episode I’m speaking to Georgia who gave birth to her daughter Skye in the water in the MLU. She shares about finding out she was GBS positive during pregnancy, how she managed her diagnosis of gestational diabetes and why she loved having the support of a doula. When her labour began at 39 weeks Georgia stayed at home for as long as possible, so by the time she arrived at the hospital she was fully dilated. She jumped straight in the pool and birthed her baby very soon after, using gas

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01:12:51

Louise | identical twins, physiological birth,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/11/23

In today’s episode I’m speaking to Louise as she shares her amazing physiological twin birth story. From the moment the hospital confirmed she was pregnant with identical twins Louise found herself under pressure to have a c-section. She spent her pregnancy researching, advocating for herself and visualising her pain-free birth. When her waters broke prematurely her hospital were unable to accept her due to the NICU being full so she was transferred in labour to an unfamiliar hospital 45 minutes

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53:04

Jaime | OP baby, TENS, pethidine, birth pool,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/11/16

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Jaime who fell pregnant a few weeks after sister, so they experienced parallel pregnancies on either side of the Atlantic. On the whole she enjoyed her pregnancy and spent lots of time educating herself about birth, her choices and the postpartum period. After her labour began with her waters breaking she spent the day at home trying to bring on contractions before transferring in to hospital when things got going. Her labour was long and intense due to the baby

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57:59

Natalie | emetophobia, PGP, birth pool, epidural,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/11/09

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Natalie who gave birth to her son Jackson in Germany. She found out she was pregnant after nearly 2 years of trying to conceive and on the whole loved being pregnant despite some nausea and tiredness in the early weeks. Natalie spent the first half of her labour in the MLU using the birth pool for relief, but transferred to hospital for an epidural when she became too tired to continue. Towards the end of her labour the baby showed signs of distress and the

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01:05:30

India | 2 miscarriages, planned c-section, breech...

Birth Tales ·

2023/11/02

In today’s episode I’m speaking to India as she reflects on her pregnancy and birth exactly a year later. After going through two heartbreaking miscarriages India was surprised when she found out she was pregnant. She shares how her experience of loss affected her trust in her body and left her feeling very vulnerable during pregnancy. When she found out that her baby was breech she set to trying to turn the baby using moxibustion and Spinning Babies positions, but when Eva remained breech India

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56:26

Holly | 2 births, emergency c-section, general...

Birth Tales ·

2023/10/26

In today’s episode I’m speaking to Holly whose first birth experience ended in an emergency c-section under general anaesthetic when the midwives were unable to find her baby’s heartbeat during her labour. Luckily Jasper was born safely and stayed with her husband until she came round from surgery. When she fell pregnant with her daughter she deliberated long and hard over whether to try for a VBAC. Holly talks us through her decision making process, explains why she eventually opted for an elective

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59:52

Suzie | homebirth, student midwife, hypnobirthing,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/10/19

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Suzie. She settled in the Welsh countryside during her pregnancy and began planning for her homebirth with the help of her very holistic local midwives. She loved listening to podcasts and learning lots about birth in the lead up to her due date which meant that she was well prepared when things finally kicked off. After a powerful labour Suzie birthed her baby in the birth pool surrounded by nature but had to transfer in a few hours later when her baby became

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01:06:41

Sophie | miscarriage, pregnancy after loss, growth...

Birth Tales ·

2023/10/12

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Sophie as she shares her experience of miscarriage and the anxiety that comes with a subsequent pregnancy. When she found out she was pregnant with her daughter Evella, Sophie hired a doula for extra support. She required regular growth scans towards the end of her pregnancy as her baby was measuring on the 8th centile and they were keen to induce her labour. Sophie advocated for herself and ended up having the water birth she hoped for after going into labour

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01:09:38

Tania | independent midwife, homebirth transfer,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/10/05

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Tania as she shares the story of Lyla’s birth. Tania planned to birth at home and opted for an independent midwife incase the hospital’s homebirth team were unavailable due to covid. She laboured at home in the water with the support of her partner but required a transfer to hospital towards the end of her labour to get some assistance with delivering the baby. Tania spiked a temperature in the hours after the birth so she and Lyla had to stay in hospital a few

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59:00

Lily | physiological birth, MLU, doula, urinary...

Birth Tales ·

2023/09/28

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Lily as she shares the story of Winnie’s birth. Lily loved being pregnant and used that time to learn as much as possible about birth. With the support of her amazing doula and husband, Lily laboured in the midwife lead unit where she enjoyed spending time in the birth pool. She required an in-out catheter due to urinary retention but other than that things progressed smoothly and she birthed her baby with just a small tear and a physiological third stage. You

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56:30

Sam | C-section, rhesus negative, hypnobirthing,...

Birth Tales ·

2023/09/21

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Sam as she shares the story of Freddie’s birth. Sam enjoyed her pregnancy on the whole but did have some moments of anxiety due to some bleeding in the early weeks. Having hoped for a physiological birth she was advised to have a C-section as the baby was measuring big. She shares her experience of the surgery, the difficulties of recovering from a caesarean and the importance of a strong support network when she struggled with her mental health postpartum. You

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