Anna Asks

What does it take to be a birth doula, and how do you choose the right doula for you? Sarah Newling (she/her) is one of the most in demand birth doulas and prenatal yoga instructors in the Newcastle area, and has stopped by to share her answers to both those questions and more. In this interview, we cover Sarah's introduction to birth work Why she feels doula and prenatal yoga are a match made...

For 15 years Mel Burgess has supported parents to learn how to understand, connect with and meet the needs of their children. In this interview Mel shares how, after a brutal first four years of parenthood, she came to learn these skills herself and begin teaching them to others. We also discuss: The patterns she sees in those seeking her support Common sites of difficulty and conflict Why some co...

You kid is sick. It's the middle of the night. What do you do? Paediatric nursing specialist Ilana Lawrence has been on duty at many an emergency room when concerned parents and caregivers bring their kids in. Sometimes these kids need immediate care, but a lot of the time parents and caregivers could have monitored and managed their child at home. The missing piece is education, which is exactly...

What's it like to find out you're expecting more than one baby? How does expecting multiple babies effect the experience of pregnancy, birth and postpartum? And what do mothers and parents of multiples (and their personal and professional supporters) need to know to get through those incredibly intense early years feeling well? As a psychologist, twin mother and host of the Fierce, Kind Ma...

There are over 1 million lone parent households in Australia, and the overwhelming majority of these are headed by single mothers. This doesn't mean however that single mothers are one homogenous group, all with the same backstory, immediate needs or hopes for the future. Klyne Love is a single mother working primarily with single parents. She brings her lived experience and professional insig...

Welcome to season 8! This season is a combination of interviews and solo episodes. This ep starts with a little update from me on what’s been happening and what I’m enjoying working on, and leads into an audio version of an article I published last autumn about caring for sick kids. Who is taking the load and how does it impact them, how do we manage and renegotiate it in our families and workplac...

We now know it's important to be on the lookout for signs of postnatal depression, anxiety and even psychosis in the early days, but what happens if a mother experiences a mental health crisis further down the track? In this interview, Emmeline Tyler (she/her) shares openly about her birth and blissful postpartum, and how these assisted in helping her be well. She explains how personal and soc...

Ashley Winning is a birth and postpartum professional from QLD, Australia. Ashley experienced size-based discrimination in her first two traumatic pregnancy and birth experiences, which led her to dive deeply into the world of physiological birth for her third birth. Again, size-based discrimination struck and she was unable to access the home-based midwifery care she desired. Ashley went on to fr...

Emily Adler Mosqueda is a Mexican American mother of two and paediatric speech language pathologist. Her second pregnancy and postpartum brought with it rage and depression - seemingly out of the blue, but really stemming from a sea of social conditions that led to chronic undersupport, overreaching and feelings of failure. This is a fascinating conversation spanning topics from being so out of co...

Despite being a midwife and equipped with insider knowledge of the maternity care system in which she worked, Sharon still felt vulnerable and disempowered during her own experience of giving birth to her son. Sharon's book "Scars of Gold" tells the story of her personal experience of birth trauma, the drastic impact it had on her life, and how she used her voice to fight for change. This conversa...

Is there a more queer job than being a doula? Full spectrum Mother carer Rafferty Hallows thinks not. If you are ready to reimagine your life and relationships, resource yourself on the darkest days, embrace your neurospicy self + family or redefine your own postpartum experience years after birth, you'll want to listen to what they have to say. Big language warning on this one, and please be awar...

Meet Annie Crowe, a self-described fat, autistic, ADHDer lawyer, mother to one neurospicy child, and founder of Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia. Annie shares her experience, expertise and tips for those navigating pregnancy, birth, early postpartum and motherhood as a neurodivergent parent. We cover a lot of ground and some difficult topics in this conversation - if you're not up for hea...

Alcohol and motherhood is an interesting topic for one that's so in the forefront of our lives but the margins of our conversations. In this episode I speak with Meg and Bella, cohosts of the She's Sober Sydney podcast. Our chat covers: Meg and Bella's personal stories with alcohol as mothers The pressures on mothers and normalising of "mummy wine culture" The cycle of alcohol to mitigate (but the...

TW: child loss, stillbirth. 4 months down, forever to go. This episode covers: partner leave and transitions, four month sleep situations, using play to support older siblings who now have to share mum, successful mini-holidays and gig with a baby, the circle of life on the farm, forgetting ourselves and our train of thought, the anxiety that shadows some of your second experience after a high nee...

That’s a wrap on the fourth trimester! I don’t have delegators reflections here, I feel that comes with some distance and I’m still in the thick of it. Instead I’m talking public outings with 2, the pros and cons of more preschool, my own injuries and indecisiveness, general mama baby stuff including readiness for solid food and the big one - our trip to the emergency department and how I tried to...

The push/pull of being loved hard by two little people at the same time, feeding challenges, head turning/flat head concerns, and that nagging voice that says you’re not okay. University of Newcastle’s colonial frontier massacre mapping project - https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/ Info on feeding babies who are windy, spit up a lot or struggle to keep up with milk flow - https://the...

Have you heard of postpartum hives? Neither had I! This and 25 other things I’ve learnt so far during postpartum and matrescence round 2. LINKS: Instagram book comp via @annacusackpostpartum Birth mapping training: https://birthmap.life/?affiliates=45 Postpartum education and care professional training: https://newbornmothers.simplero.com/products/172434-Postpartum-Education-and-Care?ref=46186-Ann...

This week I talk sleep with sickness in the house, feeding, sibling transition, bodywork, getting out, self-talk, pelvic floor high and low emotions and support. Any Qs DM me and I’ll answer next episode- @annacusackpostpartum . Order my book before Dec 9 for guaranteed delivery in Australia by Xmas: “Mama, You’re Not Broken: Unmasking the Unspoken Emotions of Modern Motherhood” via www.annacusack...

A word from me at week 3. The take home message is - make sure your support person/people use every skerrick of leave they can spare early on, and claim the support you need from them, as your needs might not be as obvious as you think! Shout out to Zelma @thepostnatalproject for her lawn example! Any Qs DM me and I’ll answer next episode- @annacusackpostpartum . Order my book before Dec 9 for gua...

An update on my second week postpartum, direct from my bed on day 16. In this episode I mention (without any affiliation) - silverettes (nipple healing shields), Qiara (probiotics), my counsellor Katie Parker (www. KatieParker.com.au) and my blog on how there’s no ‘free’ way to feed your baby (https://www.annacusack.com.au/blog/76674-breastfeeding-is-free-and-other). I also spoke about my book “Ma...

Here’s my update from our first 9 days! Services I spoke about were my midwife @homebirth_with_helen, Harriet lactation consultant @the.breast.help, placenta encapsulation @theoxytocincollective. Get my book for 10% off through November with code BLACKFRIDAY via www.annacusack.com.au/book For those wanting to see what a meal train is or contribute to mine, this is the link https://www.mealtrain.co...

In this episode I talk about a whole host of topics including antenatal and breastfeeding education, emergency numbers, partner leave, family sleep, food, supporting older siblings, visitors, amassing as much personal and professional support as possible, ceremonial self-care and more. This is what I’m doing second time around. For those wanting to see what a meal train is or contribute to mine, t...

In this solo episode I cover: -Homebirth and finding a midwife; Logistics and equipment for birth at home; What’s in my birth box/hospital transfer kit; Preparing my older child for birth; Professional supports for lead up to birth; Baby positioning and expressing colostrum; Why I’m not trying to “bring on” labour. If you’d like to support my birth and postpartum you can chip in here www. PayPal.m...

Steph O’Brien joins us from Geelong to talk HG pregnancy with her second baby, preparing for birth after birth trauma and planning a postpartum that’s much, much more supported than her first was. We discuss the far reaching physical and emotional effects of pregnancy-related illness, judgement from others and ourselves regarding our birthing choices, and not knowing what we don’t know.  In t...

Birth doula Mary talks us through her first two pregnancies and induced hospital births, her feelings around traversing a largely medically unsurveilled pregnancy this time around, and what her preparations for an autonomous, family-centred third birth entail. We discuss why birth outside the system feels right for her and many of her clients, and what support and rituals she plans to include as s...