Birthing at Home: A Podcast

In episode 19, Sarah walks us through her 7 year learning and unlearning around pregnancy and birth which led to her choosing a homebirth for her 2nd baby, Quentin. In the 7 years, Sarah experienced many challenges, including hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), postnatal anxiety, an ultra sound drama and an IGUR (Intrauterine growth restriction) scare. So many of these anxieties were created and perpetua...

Episode 18 is from Jess in NSW who shares her homebirth after (traumatic) c-section (HBAC) story. An incredible story, with unfortunately a lot of drama, including problems getting a referral to a private midwife, issues around the GTT and GDM & then shockingly, after needing to transfer to hospital after Jacob was born, was treated horribly in hospital & was denied seeing or holding fresh...

Welcome to 2024! & episode 17 of the podcast.  In episode 17 we hear from Claudia, mum of 6, Muslim mum & birth worker located in Sydney.  Claudia has had 3 births at home (#3, #5 & #6). It was super interesting to hear Claudia's diverse experiences with the Australian maternity system. Claudia and I also have some great discussion around birth culture in Australia and how even th...

Finally, in episode 16, I - the host of Birthing at Home: A Podcast, get to share my 2 homebirth stories. From my first baby in 2020 who was 4.55kg and my second in 2023 who was 4.61kg. I'm excited to share my stories, especially to help inspire 1st time mums & mums with 'big' babies. Thanks to my midwife friend Hannah, from @thesacredbubble on the Sunshine Coast for taking the...

Today we hear from Jamie, husband of Desiree in Episode 8, from the Melbourne suburbs. It was so interesting to hear Jamie talk about how he felt with the emergency c-section of Ivy at 32 weeks, and then how he felt about homebirth initially, especially in a VBAC context. It's a great episode! Please share, like, and rate the podcast and this episode :)  Support the show Reach out: www.emdrwi...

Episode 15 is shared by Ashley, a well known VBAC and birthing at home advocate, who is also a Homebirth Mindset Coach and Guide, a Podcaster and regularly is invited to speak about her experience. Ashley shares the stories of how she came to freebirth her 3rd baby at home in 2020 after 2 traumatic labour and births that both were c-sections. Ashley also has her own fabulous podcast called 'V...

Estimated to be due on Christmas Day, Sarah shares how she come to learn about homebirth in her 2nd pregnancy (with River), only after having been told by her private obstetrician that she would "have to" be induced because she was "too fat" and the baby would be "too fat"...a bit suss with a Christmas EDD huh! Episode 15 is a great episode and shed's the light o...

Back in September, I saw a picture of a mama who had homebirthed her twins & thought SURELY this must happen in Australia.  This is Bibi's story of THREE freebirths and if that isn't powerful enough, 2 of those births were her twin baby girls.  Bibi's story is awesome for so many reasons - so give it a listen now!  Links to people/business/resources for this episode: Continuity...

This is another episode in the 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast - partners sharing stories supporting birth @ home' series from Lloyd, located currently in NSW but previously in Victoria. A builder and business owner who is now a strong homebirth advocate.  If you would like to support the podcast check out: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header or https://ko-fi.com/b...

Episode 12 is told by Poppy from New Zealand who had a homebirth with her daughter Frankie in 2020, and a freebirth with her son Alfred (Fred) in 2022. It was fantastic to listen to Poppy share her stories that challenges many maternity guidelines that suggest only the elusive "low risk" women could birth at home.  Links to people/business/resources for this episode: Birthing at Home Ets...

Episode 11 is the homebirth story of Alaska from Mel , a Womiri woman from Newcastle, who is also planning a freebirth.  Links to people/business/resources for this episode: Homebirth shirts/Born at Home https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header Vaginal birth & low lying placentas https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.15622 " A low-lying plac...

In this episode of partners supporting birth at home, I chat with Paul who supported his partner Stacey to freebirth in New Caledonia! It was very interesting to hear how he described their hospital experience with their first baby and then a "night & day" experience with their 2nd.  Support the show Reach out: www.emdrwithelsie.com.au @birthingathome_apodcast @emdr_with_elsie (EMDR...

10 episodes!!!  Episode 10 is a double homebirth story from Meredith who shares the Australian (NSW) homebirth of Audie and the New Zealand homebirth of Etta. Meredith also discusses being pregnant with a pre-eclampsia risk and having a rhesus negative blood type  Links to people/business/resources for this episode: Anti-D & Rhesus negative https://www.sarawickham.com/topic-resources/anti-d-re...

Episode 9 is basically a double episode! With midwife and Hypnobirth educator Jess from New Beith in QLD who shares the homebirth stories of the births of her two sons, Teddy and Renly. Talking to Jess was great - having midwives share their homebirth stories is super special, and as Jess says, it takes some 'unlearning'.  I also really liked the phrase "position over progress"...

This is the very first episode in a what I hope will be many, sharing stories of supporting women to birth at home. In this episode I chat with Trent, a Western Australian dad who supported his partner Alaura, who birthed their first son at home a few weeks ago. If you enjoy it and/or just want to support the podcast, please rate and review it!! Support the show Reach out: www.emdrwithelsie.com.au...

In Episode 8, Desiree from Officer in the Melbourne surburbs shares with us her  incredible birth stories - from a traumatic emergency c-section at 32+5 weeks which saved her now 4 year old Ivy's life, to a beautful and healing homebirth with now 10 month old Olive. Two extremely different experiences. Homebirth story begins approx 10:30 Links to people/business/resources for this episode: Ho...

Episode 7 takes us juuuust across the Coral Sea, to New Caledonia where Stacey, her husband Paul and their first born 4 year old Aydan (born in hospital in Kalgoorlie), welcomed baby Atlas. Stacey tells us a bit about the maternity system in New Caledonia and why she was left not much choice but to take the step and freebirth Atlas. I loved this story, but am also saddened by how the medicalisatio...

In episode 6 I chat with midwife and first time mum, Ame, who lives in rural north QLD. After identifying her best chance of having a physiological birth as a first time mum was at home, she found a private midwife almost 2 hours away that could support her birth baby Adaline. It was great to talk Ame, especially since we studied together over 6 years ago & both learnt from some of the most in...

In Episode 5 of 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast', Lauren - mum to 2 boys, and a vet, joins us from NSW. Lauren had an uncompleted hospital birth with Mateo and a complicated post natal experience, however despite all of this, she chose to have a homebirth  with Luca - surrounded by a lot of love and support. Through Lauren's story, it is also examplified why (when even given a very aff...

In the 4th episode Michaela, mum to 2 (Willow and Leonardo/Leo) and business owner from the Gold Coast shares her freebirth story (with a doula).  Michaela shares how meconimum stained waters impacted her hospital birth with Willow and then how she chose to  freebirth baby Leo ( initially influenced by the inability to access private midwives). She also touches on the negative impacts on birthing...

The 3rd episode of the 'Birthing at Home: a Podcast' takes us to Hobart, Tasmania where Courtney (a school social worker) shares with us the story of the births of her 3 girls.  Courtney's story is inspiring because it is also one of courage, self belief and empowerment especially after much adversity experienced in the hospital system with a gestational diabetes diagnosis and the c...

On the second episode of the 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast' I chat with Ilona, first time mum, wife & paramedic based in 'Childers' in Queensland, who had baby 'Olive' at home in May 2022 surrounded by her husband, midwives, photographer...and to her (later joyful) surprise - her parents! When Ilona discovered she would only be allowed to labour in the water at the...

Welcome to the first episode of 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast'! I am so excited to share with you my conversation with Shantelle - mama to 2 boys, ex-accountant and current student midwife. After a traumatic hospital birth, Shantelle told herself she'd never birth in a hospital again - so here is the story of determination, sewing curtains at 37 weeks, trying to enjoy popcorn whilst...