Australian Birth Stories

In this week’s episode I chat to Jessica Prescott who is the author of three vegan cookbooks including the newly released Vegan One-Pot Wonders and co-founder of Melbourne-based Mama Goodness an organic food delivery service for new mums. She talks us through her two homebirths - one in Berlin and one in Melbourne - and compares her labour, delivery and postpartum experiences. It was the stark con...

For this week's episode and in honour of Infant Loss Week, I interview Annabel Bower who takes us through her experience of stillbirth and the immense, layered grief that followed. Two weeks after her fourth child - a boy named Miles - was born still, she started writing about her experience so she could record all the little details that she knew would eventually fade. As she journeyed through gr...

In today’s episode I interview Ellie Bullen about the birth of her baby boy Bowie. Ellie discovered she was pregnant sooner than she had expected however  he was a very welcomed surprise. As she was a first time mum, Ellie decided to book in with a private Obstetrician so that she could have continuity of care through a private hospital near by to her home. Ellie and her husband Alex took a privat...

In this week’s episode I chat to Sarah, a mother of two and midwife who cherishes the work she does with pregnant women. When it came time to birth her first baby, she experienced a truly beautiful water birth in the birth centre surrounded by her fellow midwives. Her second pregnancy was symptom-free until her waters broke at 25weeks. She takes us through her experience, from the denial of what w...

In this week’s episode I chat to Jodie about her two planned cesarean births. When she was 18-months-old, she was diagnosed with a fistula which was repaired shortly afterwards. The issue arose again when she was 11 and after surgery she was told she would never be able to birth naturally. She remembers feeling sad that her choice had been taken away from her but when it came time to prepare for h...

In this week’s episode I chat to Stevie about her pregnancy and birth with baby Jimmy. After struggling to conceive and experiencing painful periods for as long as she can remember, Stevie saw a fertility specialist and was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, hyperthyroidism and endometriosis. A few months after a laparoscopy she fell pregnant and had a smooth and symptom-free pregnancy. She recall...

In honour of Father’s Day, I took the opportunity to interview five dads about their experience of pregnancy and birth. They each talk candidly about birth preparation and the highs and lows of the labour ward, in particular the mental and emotional challenges of seeing their wives labour through pain and intervention. Throughout their stories they share advice and top tips for dads-to-be which ar...

In this week’s episode, I chat to Oceane, a midwife and mother of three who so generously shares the beautiful, intricate details of her two homebirths. She also tells the story of her wife’s birth and the journey they have taken to become parents with donor sperm and IVF, the logic involved in deciding who will be pregnant and the joy of breastfeeding at the same time. Oceane’s story is inspiring...

In this week’s episode, I interview Melanie Dimmitt about her two births and her experience as a special needs mum. Mel talks us through the moment she was in the hospital with her first baby, Arlo, awaiting an induction. She was watching the fetal heart rate monitor when she noticed a dramatic fall in Arlo’s heartbeat. Ten minutes later he was born via emergency cesarean and once awake, Mel was w...

In this week’s episode I chat to Julia Busuttil Nishimura @juliaostro about her journey into motherhood and the obstacles she faced in her first year with both her boys, Haruki and Yukito. She chose midwifery care for her pregnancies and ventured into each labour feeling prepared and supported. Her births were challenging albeit positive experiences yet her postpartum experience with breastfeeding...

In this week’s episode I interview Kate, one third of the @kipandco team. Kate birthed three of her boys at home with the support of her midwife and she used hip-opening practises and active birth techniques during labour to help her achieve a water birth every time. She’s always been grateful for the opportunity to create a homebirth space, one where she envisioned her happiest moments occurring....

In this week’s episode I chat to Carla, a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and the co-founder of @thegoldenmonth, a traditional postnatal care service for modern mothers. Carla works closely with women at all stages of their fertility journey so when she discovered she was pregnant, she knew a lot about the highs and lows of pregnancy. However, nothing could prepare her for the debilitating reflux, the...

In this week's episode I chat to Jody Mustang about her two natural births with midwifery care. Intent on experiencing a non-medicated birth with her first baby, Jody embraced a variety of preparation techniques that she used during pregnancy and labour (affirmations, visualisations and breathing skills) and they gave her the confidence to trust her body despite the concerns of the obstetricians o...

In this week’s bonus episode I chat to Alex - @alexandrenaparker - who lives with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease that affects her lung and digestive function. Alex, her husband Mike and their three-year-old daughter, Ruby, have been in strict isolation for 136 days as she is incredibly vulnerable. As masks become mandatory in Melbourne, I urge you to listen to Alex’s insightful story and...

In this week’s episode I interview Heidi Anderson about her journey into motherhood and the challenge of the days and weeks post-birth. After being told by her GP that it would be a miracle to fall pregnant naturally, Heidi fell on her first attempt. She was so shocked that she admits to feeling ungrateful for the first few weeks as she grappled with the inevitable and sudden change to her career...

In this week’s episode I chat to Amanda Callan who shares the unique and somewhat overwhelming experience of discovering she was pregnant with twins at 26 weeks. Having experienced a hospital and homebirth previously, she opted to keep her community midwife on for the postpartum period and sought the care and guidance of a private obstetrician who supported her plans for a natural twin birth witho...

In this week’s episode I chat to Jame, a mother of three and the owner of @earth.blended. Jame lives on Gumbaynggirr country, is a proud Gumbaynggirr Nyami (woman) and she talks from the heart about her three births, including the trauma of emergency cesarean and the anxiety and grief of having a sick child with a life-threatening condition. While she had always longed for a natural birth, it wasn...

In this week’s episode I chat to midwife and mother of five, Anna Davies. While her first and second pregnancies were big surprises she went on to experience smooth and straightforward deliveries. Her third birth was a dream water birth that left her wanting just one more baby so no one was more surprised than her when she discovered she was pregnant with twins. She sought a private midwife and an...

In this week’s episode I chat to Stacey June about her fertility journey and homebirth. When Stacey first met her husband, Ben, he was open about his experience with pancreatic cancer and his wishes to become a father. Stacey knew that their journey to parenthood would be assisted but it was a non-issue for her; she knew Ben was the one and they started their first IUI treatment within nine months...

In this week’s episode I chat to Natalia @wildearthexpeditions about her two home water births with her daughters Estelle and Coco. Natalia’s story encapsulates her connection with her Indigenous family, the Ngarrindjeri people of South Australia. During her first visit to country she learnt to weave with her elders, a traditional ritual to welcome a woman into motherhood and only three months lat...

In this week’s episode I chat to Kat about her dreamy homebirth with baby Rafi. As the eldest of seven children, Kat always knew she wanted to be a young mum and she approached the start of her pregnancy with as much preparation as she did her birth; adjusting her diet, connecting with her baby and practising conscious conception with her partner, Tully. Their home among the gumtrees was an idylli...

In this week’s episode I talk to Aimee who was born with Hirschsprung's disease, a congenital bowel disease that led to over 50 operations and procedures by the time she was 7. In her early twenties, she was advised to start trying for a baby as her reproductive organs were ageing at a rapid rate and after failing to fall pregnant naturally, she started a challenging, long and deflating IVF journe...

In this week’s episode I chat to midwife and mum of four, Jas Summerfield After a quick 45minute labour with her third baby which resulted in a car birth, Jas always knew that her fourth baby would be born at home, surrounded by family. She also knew that her mindset would dictate how she coped during labour so essential oils and reiki got her in the zone and once in the birth pool she laboured wi...

In this week’s episode I interview Bridget from @midnightmums about her third pregnancy and postpartum experience. Bridget had been so excited about having another baby and yet for the first half of her pregnancy she was absolutely floored by nausea, exhaustion and breathlessness. She came up with a myriad of excuses for herself and simply put it down to tiredness and the reality of growing a baby...

In this week’s episode I chat to Flick about the births of her two children, Arnie (4) and April (4 weeks). It’s been seven years since she first went off the pill with the intention of starting a family and throughout that time she has endured the heartache of infertility, PCOS diagnosis, multiple miscarriages and failed IVF attempts. Her first birth was an induction that ended in an emergency ce...