Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

Week 31: This episode we hear from Annalee, mother, co-founder of Pregnancy Birth & Beyond Media, nutritionist and birth advocate Annalee Atia on birthing her first born and three key elements that made it a positive experience. Connect with Annalee at annaleeatia.com

Week 32: This episode we hear from Natalie, doula and mother of her birthing experience. Natalie also shares with you what worked well for her, and what she would do differently next time. Connect with Natalie at thebyrondoula.com

Week 33: Anna Watts founder of Celebration of Birth Doula Academy, talks on Active birth including practical tips for your labour and birth.

Week 34: Part one on pain management for labour with midwife Sunae Reilly. Wanting a physiological birth (aka natural) you will benefit from knowing your options for being present with your labour and birth.

Week 35: Part two on pain management for labour. Registered midwife Sunae Reilly discusses your pharmacological pain relief options, if birthing in a hospital, for labour and birth.

Week 36: This episode Lara, childbirth mentor and doula, discusses the perineum with you. What you could expect during labour and birth and ways you can support your perineum post birth. Connect with Lara at consciousbirth.com

Week 37: Kari Azuma, feminine leadership coach, talks on her home birth transfer to caesarian. How she came to see her birth as an empowering experience despite her birth plan having to change. Connect with Kari kariazuma.com

Week 38: Undisturbed birth Part 1 featuring Dr Michel Odent on the fetal ejection reflex. The neocortex is the thinking part of the brain. When the neocortex is activated during labour a mother is taken out of her primitive brain where her birth hormones most smoothly function. There are three key elements of undisturbed birth; safety, privacy and warmth. Produced by Lara Martin pbbmedia.org

Week 39: This episode you about birth sanctuary and undisturbed birth. Birth sanctuary refers to a safe and private, often homelike environment in which a woman labours and births. Undisturbed birth has been described by O'dent and Buckley as the smoothest hormonal orchestration for birth to unfold physiologically. Undisturbed birth is where the mother feels safe, both physically and emotionally,...

Week 40: Mother of two Meggie shares her story of the birth of her first baby.

Week 41: This episode you hear about the placenta function, placenta encapsulation from Kirrah Stewart and an extract from Jane Hardwicke Collings blog on the placenta with Minmia. Connect with Kirrah at traditionalwisdom.com.au More from Jane at janehardwickecollings.com

Week 42: Dr Oscar Serrallach father of 3 shares with you his journey to parenthood, including his role during the labour and birth of this children. oscarserrallach.com

Week 43: Registered midwife Sunae Reilly talks on the value of keeping the birthing mother and baby close after hospital birth, even when intervention may be required.

Week 44: Erica continues on the theme of birth as a rite of passage bringing a deeper awareness to the postpartum period. The final stage of birth as a rite of passage, known as the return. Erica also shares practical tips for the postpartum time. luminousyouth.com

Week 45: This episode we hear from Dr Oscar Serrallach, Functional doctor, author of The Postnatal Depletion Cure and public speaker. Oscar shares with you the importance of a good postnatal plan and how a mother can create a real cocoon at home for her recovery. Connect with Oscar at oscarserrallach.com

Week 4: Often pregnancy is seen as a big lead up to birth, with little to no preparation for what comes next, postpartum. When you leave hospital or if you had a home birth, it can feel like you're expected to naturally know how to navigate the next year of a newborns life. Yet, this couldn't be further from the truth. Here we hear from Bronwyn Moir, endorsed midwife on preparing for postpartum. C...

Week 47: This week we have Meg Nagle otherwise known as The milk meg. Health and breastmilk really go hand in hand. We hear from Meg about how breastmilk supports a healthy immune system and gut and what you can do to improve your gut so your baby gets the benefits through your milk. Connect with Meg at themilkmeg.com

Week 48: This episode Emma Grant of Red Tent Yoga shares with you on Loving your body – prenatally and postnatally. Emma sheds light on the topic of body/ baby fat (the weight you gain during pregnancy) but here fat is not a dirty word, it is essential to the well being of mother and baby. Connect with Emma at Redtentyoga.com.au

Week 49: In this episode Emma Grant from Red Tent Yoga shares with you a short practice to connect with and send some love to your pregnant or postnatal body. Connect with Emma at redtentyoga.com.au

Week 50: Dr Howard Chilton Father, grandfather neonatal paediatrician, of more than four decades in the UK, USA and Australia, author of two books Baby on Board and Your Cherished Baby talks on your newborn baby's needs. Connect with Dr Howard at babydoc.com.au

Week 51: This episode psychotherapist, film maker and story teller talks Kimberley Lipschus on baby attachment. Connect with Kimberley at kimberleylipschus.com

Week 52: This episode relationship therapist Sean Tonnet talks on 'team parenting' right from the start. Connect with Sean at seantonnet.com.au

Today, babies are born with around 200 chemicals in their umbilical chord*. That's a shocking figure and is providing just some insight into the harsh impact that plastics and pollutants are having on our future generations. It's also one of the reasons Georgia Lawson co-founded The Clean Collective with friend Charlie Thompson. These women are on a journey to demystify the chemicals and toxins fo...

Over 30% of pregnant parents have their labours synthetically induced and that number is rising steadily each year. Induction of labour is used for situations such as a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, suspected big babies, over-due pregnancies and growth restricted babies. As the rate of this intervention increases, Dr Rachel Reed, midwife and academic from the Univ. of the Sunshine Coast belie...

In this episode of Pregnancy, Birth and beyond Oni Blecher speaks with parents Jeremy and Hana pregnant for the third time, this time round with twins. Hear about their previous birth experiences, their current maternity care and their hopes, desires and intentions for the future. All Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond podcast are now ACM CPD (Australian College of Midwives Continuing Professional Develo...