Australian Birth Stories

In today’s episode Paige shares her birth experiences in Gladstone (population 60,000+) where the hospital is currently on bypass for all maternity patients. It’s a huge issue and a prime example of the maternity system crisis (we’re seeing similar situations in Geelong, Victoria and Burnie, Tasmania). She takes us through her two pregnancies and births, including her second where she was diagnose...

In this episode Paige shares her incredibly positive first birth experience. If you are new to the podcast or feel like you want an encouraging story to inspire you, this is it. After conceiving easily, she started listening to the podcast and knew she wanted a continuity model of care. She contacted Canterbury Antenatal and Postnatal Services (CAPS) and was accepted into their programme. From the...

In today’s episode Phoebe from @thememo shares her pregnancy and birth experience. The first-half of her pregnancy was relatively smooth but at her 20 week scan the sonographer noticed that her cervix had shortened significantly and she was promptly taken to the maternity unit in a wheelchair. She was officially diagnosed with an insufficient (also known as incompetent) cervix and a week later she...

In this episode Dani shares her two birth experiences and compares induced labour to a spontaneous one. She admits that when we went in for an induction with her first baby, she had no idea that it can often result in a more painful labour and intervention. In her second pregnancy she decided to do everything she could to inform herself and prepare for a physiological birth. As well as talking in...

In this episode I chat to Mel Wilson who shares her two birth experiences alongside her challenging postpartum periods. Her first birth was an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic which left her with lots of unanswered questions. She talks in detail about the lack of connection she experienced with her firstborn and the subsequent dismay and guilt she carried throughout postpartum. She op...

You can listen to Madelyn’s first birth experience in episode 151 but today she takes us through her surprise second pregnancy and the emotional turmoil of feeling disconnected from her baby. Her labour was powerful,  intense and positive but the real challenge began in postpartum where she juggled a toddler, an unsettled newborn and her own dark thoughts. Madelyn details her most vulnerable momen...

In this special bonus episode, Jodi and I chat all about our new book, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. It’s available in all bookstores and department stores from January 31st and today we take you behind the scenes of the writing process where we laugh, cry and discuss the enormous responsibility we felt as writers. We were determined to create an educational, informative, e...

In today’s episode I chat to Alethea about her first pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience. Armed with knowledge from the podcast and The Birth Class, she experienced an empowering and positive birth with the support of midwives and a student doula. Despite her birth experience, she admits that the whirlwind of postpartum has been incredibly challenging. Her physical recovery from an episioto...

In this episode I chat to Ariel from @blissbirth about her two birth experiences. A passionate advocate for TENS machines (she now has 1000 in circulation through her business), she explains how popular they are and how they help women navigate labour to achieve the births they want. In her first pregnancy she opted for continuity of care with her beloved midwife who advocated for her every step o...

In this week’s episode, I chat to Clare about her two planned caesarean births. Despite severe endometriosis, Clare fell pregnant easily and sailed through the first half of her pregnancy. However, at her 20 week scan she discovered that her baby had ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJ) and shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Her planned caesarean was straightforwa...

In this beautiful episode Mel compares her emergency caesarean with her homebirth after caesarean (HBAC) and sees the beauty, hope and healing in both experiences. She admits that she would never trade her birth journeys for the world, despite the trauma she experienced as a result of an induced labour and the cascade of intervention. Determined to do things differently for her second birth, she i...

In episode 362 Jessica describes her two very different vaginal birth experiences. After a gestational diabetes diagnosis, induction was advised in line with hospital policy and Jess experienced the cascade of intervention including epidural, vacuum-assisted birth and episiotomy. For her second birth she had a lot of conversations about avoiding induction with her obstetrician, she did her researc...

In episode 361 Alicia explains the overwhelm of not knowing where to go for information or guidance when she first discovered she was pregnant. She opted for midwifery care in the public hospital system and despite her fears around labour and birth, she laboured at home and in the hospital using breathing and sound practises and subsequently experienced a low-intervention birth. Shortly after her...

In this episode, I chat to Fiona about her experience with two boys under two. Together with her wife, Hayley, she embarked on IVF to conceive their first son with donor sperm. Fiona is honest about the challenges of social infertility, the long wait times and the importance of a positive mindset throughout the experience. Her pregnancy was challenging due to debilitating pubic symphysis but with...

In this episode Shehani takes us through her first pregnancy and birth. She chose continuity of care with a private obstetrician and embraced the opportunity to have a student midwife who was a welcomed familiar face in the birthing suite. After a night of early labour at home, Shehani was admitted to hospital and agreed to have her waters broken before she opted for an epidural. She used the mirr...

In this episode I chat to well-known author Jessica Urlichs @jessurlichs_writer about her three pregnancies and births. In her first pregnancy she was a magnet for grief-filled stories which exacerbated her fear and anxiety around birth. During labour she felt unsupported and unheard and she consequently experienced birth trauma and postnatal anxiety. Jess talks at length about her significant bre...

In this episode I chat to Kellee @littlehumanlinens about her fourth pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Kellee’s first three waterbirths were really positive experiences and you can hear her discuss them in . When I first interviewed her she was deep in her third postpartum and experiencing severe postnatal depletion which affected every aspect of her life. Today she talks in detail about that time,...

Annabelle has been tracking her menstrual cycle since high school so when it was time to conceive her baby, she knew exactly when she was ovulating. A self-confessed wannabe midwife, she knew from the start that she wanted continuity of care with midwives. When she missed out on the MGP programme, she opted to hire a private midwife for antenatal and postnatal care through Mama Midwives. Alongside...

If you are currently pregnant and feel like you’re more sensitive to traumatic stories, you may want to listen to this episode at a later date. However, if you are a midwife, student midwife or care provider, consider Steph’s story essential listening because it highlights the importance of woman-centred care - even the power of a simple hand hold - in one of the most traumatic birth experiences....

In today’s episode I chat to Matilda who is a midwife in Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) and a first-time mum to baby Roma. When she and her wife, Al, started talking about having a baby, they presumed Matilda would carry the pregnancy using Al’s egg and anonymous donor sperm. However, Al’s brother agreed to donate his sperm so they began their conception journey doing home insemination. After five...

In this episode I chat to Penny from about her experience with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) - severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. She explains the depth of her physical and mental challenge and how she cautiously approached her second pregnancy knowing that she would spend the following nine months severely sick. Penny is really open about the effect that her traumatic pregnancies had on her m...

In episode 342 Laura details her experience with gender disappointment, a confronting experience that she never anticipated but one that she shares without reservation. After being diagnosed with placenta previa, a scan at 32 weeks revealed that she had a shortened cervix. Bed rest and progesterone pessaries definitely helped and she was induced at 37 weeks and experienced a quick and positive vag...

In today’s episode Megan shares her pregnancy and birth experience following gastric bypass surgery. Despite this she wasn’t deemed high risk but her obstetrician chose to do a few extra blood tests during pregnancy to ensure she was absorbing enough minerals. The major pregnancy concerns following weight loss surgery are low birth weight and early labour but Megan didn’t experience either of them...

In this episode, Melissa highlights the importance of being informed, advocating for yourself and finding a supportive and respectful care provider. Her first pregnancy was unplanned and she describes herself as a naive 25-year-old who presumed labour was out of her control. After an induction and emergency caesarean she was left feeling defeated and unheard. She was halfway through her second pre...

In this episode Renee discusses her surprise first pregnancy and the fact that she had no knowledge whatsoever of her birth options. She missed out on the MGP programme at her local hospital but requested to stay on their waitlist and managed to get a place at 30 weeks. From then on she felt deeply supported by her midwives and she actively prepared for a physiological birth. Her first labour was...