Birth Tales

Rose is on the podcast today sharing her powerful story of birthing her little boy, Rumi. She had planned a homebirth and talks about the deep trust she felt in her body throughout pregnancy. After two weeks of prodromal labour, her contractions finally became more intense, but when she was unable to get hold of her homebirth midwives, she made the decision to go into hospital. Towards the end of...

This week we're hearing from Eve about her two very different but equally positive birth experiences. Both were planned homebirths, but she ended up in hospital with her first after seven weeks of prodromal labour and meconium present in her waters. Eve talks about how different decisions can feel when you come to them yourself rather than feeling backed into them, she shares about the trust she b...

In this episode Lottie is back on the podcast to share her second birth story. After a positive induction with her eldest, she didn't have any particularly strong feelings about what she hoped for from this birth, so when concerns were raised about her baby's size, she felt comfortable accepting another induction. We discuss the differences between this labour and her first, how Lottie felt she wa...

Lily is back on the podcast for the third time! After a birth centre birth and a BBA with her two daughters, she's here today to share her most recent experience of giving birth to her son. Lily shares how she prepared for her homebirth by working on her mindset and hiring the same wonderful doula who supported her previous births. She explains why protecting her peace became a priority throughout...

In this episode Lisa shares her journey into motherhood. Having always wanted to be a mum, she loved being pregnant and was really excited to give birth. Lisa takes us step by step through her homebirth preparation including hiring two independent midwives to ensure continuity of care and planning for a waterbirth. We talk in depth about choosing to have your baby at home as a first time mum, the...

In this episode Sam shares the story of her son Max's birth. She began her conception journey with very little trust in her body, but her confidence grew rapidly once she fell pregnant and, aside from an ECV to turn her breech baby, she went on to have a very straightforward pregnancy. As Sam learned more about birth she transferred to the homebirth team to give herself the best chance of achievin...

In today's episode Helena shares the stories of her two pregnancies and births, which unfolded in surprisingly similar ways. She had planned to welcome her babies at home, but as both labours began earlier than expected, she ended up giving birth in the hospital twice instead. Helena talks us through her two physiological births, the coping techniques she leant on to get her through and the extra...

In today's episode Rosie shares her journey into motherhood, which very sadly began with the loss of a twin pregnancy. She talks candidly about her miscarriage, finding solace in the stories of women who had been through similar experiences, and how grief, anxiety, joy and gratitude all had to coexist when she conceived again. Rosie always knew she wanted to birth her baby at home and she talks us...

In this episode Lily shares the story of her second daughter's birth — a freebirth at home in the water. Between her two pregnancies she sadly experienced a loss and she talks openly about the complex emotions she felt when she conceived again soon afterwards. Lily shares how she prepared for this experience by unlearning much of the information she had absorbed the first time around leaning into...

In today's episode Rebecca shares her two pregnancy and birth experiences. Her first was complicated by obstetric cholestasis, which impacted her options when it came to where to give birth, but amazingly her contractions started spontaneously before she even got to booking the induction she was being recommended. She talks us through her two straightforward vaginal births and ensuing postpartum h...

In today's episode Ellie shares her extraordinary journey into motherhood. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until a few high blood pressure readings in her second trimester, so Ellie was taken by surprise when she was suddenly told she needed to remain in hospital until her baby's birth. She shares the debilitating anxiety she experienced whilst being monitored and waiting day by day to hear...

In today's episode we're hearing from Lou about her precipitous birth. She loved being pregnant and really embraced educating herself and preparing for labour. Lou shares her experience of white coat hypertension and how she managed it with the support of her midwife during pregnancy, so her story beautifully highlights the value of continuity of care. We also talk about how she navigated an unexp...

Following on from Tania's first birth story in episode 6, today she returns to share her second pregnancy and birth with her daughter, Juniper. Much like the first time around, Tania struggled in the first trimester but she was lucky to have a fairly smooth pregnancy after that. She planned to birth her baby at home with the support of her local homebirth midwives and went on to have a truly joyfu...

In this episode Rhian shares her two very different experiences of pregnancy and birth. Her first was marked by hyperemesis gravidarum, an emergency caesarean at 32 weeks and a NICU stay during a COVID lockdown, all of which brought immense physical and emotional challenges. Her second pregnancy, however, was a much more positive experience. Rhian talks about how different it felt to approach a pl...

In this episode Jess shares her experience of birthing her third baby. As a midwife and a mum who had previously had two uncomplicated births, her plan was always to have a homebirth. Unfortunately her third trimester threw some unexpected curveballs and Jess ended up being induced at 39 weeks. We talk about midwives' intuition, how incredible intervention can be when it's truly needed and how her...

In this episode Lydia shares her journey into motherhood. After a difficult start conceiving, she very sadly miscarried her first pregnancy and talks about how that loss affected her emotionally when she became pregnant again. Lydia shares the many ways she prepared for birth, including how valuable she found listening to a wide variety of birth stories, and describes her experience of consultant-...

In today's episode I'm welcoming Monika back to the podcast to share the story of her youngest son's birth. After a traumatic induction first time around, she didn't engage with preparing for the birth until about 20 weeks, at which point Monika hired a doula and made the decision to birth her second baby at home. We talk in depth about how she juggled pregnancy sickness with caring for her toddle...

In this episode we're hearing from Eleanor about her first pregnancy and birth during lockdown. Having learned lots about birth from her midwife sister and planning for a homebirth, her estimated due date came and went with no sign of labour starting. At nearly 42 weeks she accepted an induction and was able to return home to wait for things to begin. When her contractions became regular, Eleanor...

In today's episode we're hearing from Ella about her son's birth. She explains how using the fertility awareness method helped her to conceive, how much she loved being pregnant and why she chose to plan a homebirth with the support of a doula. Ella talks honestly about finding it mentally challenging to go beyond 40 weeks and describes her long labour at home, including the coping techniques she...

In today's episode we're hearing from Loren, who reflects on her homebirth at just 9 weeks postpartum. She generously shares the challenges she faced conceiving, how she processed her son's talipes diagnosis and how she and her partner are navigating his ongoing treatment. Loren talks us through her labour, which was surprisingly quick, with the midwives arriving just after her baby was born. Desp...

In today's episode we're hearing from Molly about her daughter's birth. Having loved being pregnant, the biggest challenge she faced was deciding whether or not to accept an induction. Molly talks us through her decision-making process and shares her experience of the different stages of her labour in the hospital. She reflects on the importance of feeling well supported, the brilliant care she re...

In today's episode we're hearing from Lara about her precipitous birth. When she found out she was pregnant she threw herself into reading, researching and preparing for labour. She hoped to give birth in the midwife lead unit, but when her contractions started it became clear her baby was coming very quickly. Lara and her partner called the paramedics who managed to get her to the hospital and he...

In today's episode Sarah is back on the podcast to share her second birth story. Having had a difficult experience first time around, she knew what mattered most to her this time; to feel strong, to advocate for her wishes and to feel like she had more agency. She hired a doula, planned a VBAC, changed hospitals and got lots of independent support to help her prepare for the birth. Unfortunately s...

In today's episode we're hearing from Anna who freebirthed her son with the support of her partner and doula. Having always felt trusting of the birthing process, Anna knew she wanted to have her baby at home. She shares how amazing it was to have the reassuring presence of a doula through her pregnancy and labour, about the pressure she felt to comply with maternity care that didn't feel right fo...

In today's episode I'm chatting to Maria about her two pregnancies. Her first was very sadly an ectopic pregnancy and she shares her journey of expectant management, which left her feeling very lonely and anxious. When she conceived again and got through the first trimester, Maria loved her second pregnancy. She planned to birth her baby at home but ended up accepting an induction at 42+2. She tal...