Born on The Rock: Gibraltar Birth Stories

KEY TOPICS: 4 pregnancies, miscarriage, hyperemesis gravidarum, genetic testing, IVF, secondary infertility, caesarean, female sterilisation To complete Season 5, I’m thrilled to welcome back our first ever returning guest! Former nurse Tara Montegriffo recorded her daughter's birth story in November 2024 as part of Season 1. At that stage, she and her husband faced secondary infertility and a ver...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, caesarean, retroverted uterus, failure to thrive (FTT), postpartum hypomania, bipolar disorder (BPD), obesity, maternal mental health (MMH) Emily Adamberry Olivero (MBE GMD MBPSS) is the Chairperson of Clubhouse Europe, and former chief director and founder of Clubhouse Gibraltar – a local charity providing mental health support. In this episode she gives an honest accou...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, adolescent pregnancy, natural deliveries, miscarriage, hypotension, advanced maternal age, large age gap, jaundice, grandparent This week’s guest is Kationa Matto: a mother of three with qualifications in child development, wellness and yoga… and a parenting career spanning four decades! From a teenage pregnancy in the 1990’s to a last baby in her 40’s, she’s had a fascinatin...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, induction, natural delivery, step-parent Our guest this week is Davina Barbara – a mother with plenty of experience in local culture and broadcasting, and with a very unique date of birth herself! It’s an empowering listen as she shares her positive parenting journey. From a step-mother ‘soft launch,’ to expecting a baby with her husband, Davina describes an easy conception an...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, induction, fast delivery, ventricular septal defect (VSD), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), jaundice, postpartum depression (PPD), pandemic It’s a story that grows in drama this week with Stephanie Piri, her husband and two pandemic pregnancies. Stephanie describes how her body let her know she was expecting, days before tests confirmed it! Despite social distancing, s...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, retroverted uterus, caesarean, miscarriages, premature, grandmother Local cooking enthusiast and author Jessica Montado serves up a flavour of what motherhood was like in the 1980’s and 1990’s this week – and what it’s like to be a grandparent now. In fact, there are touching references to her own mother and grandmother’s influences throughout our chat. Jessica married in 198...

KEY TOPICS: 1 pregnancy, triploidy syndrome, partial molar pregnancy, termination for medical reasons (TFMR) ⚠️Trigger warning: please note this episode involves emotional discussion of baby loss In this powerful episode, local teacher Aidele Casciaro-Beazley bravely describes a whirlwind journey with her husband… from the high of discovering pregnancy on honeymoon, to the low of a loss by the sec...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, aortic valve displacement/replacement, blood clot, advanced maternal age, premature, caesarean, hip dysplasia Meet poker manager Colette Stewart, who had a high-stakes journey to motherhood! It’s an extraordinary listen as Colette describes a complication with her artificial heart valve, that led to her daughter’s emergency caesarean… alongside her own heart surgery in the sam...

KEY TOPICS: 5 pregnancies, missed miscarriages, second trimester loss, birth trauma, retained placenta, D&C, cervical lip, assisted delivery, autism, thyroiditis, pandemic Angelique Cavilla describes her parenting journey involving five pregnancies and her three sons… so please note this episode contains discussion of loss, including the second trimester. Angelique and her husband were expecti...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, non-identical twins, caesarean, ulcerative colitis, pandemic During her twin pregnancy, local artist Kyrane had other double trouble to contend with: her own autoimmune disorder and the pandemic. Kyrane and her husband were childhood sweethearts who married in 2018 – and when they conceived, her bump showed quickly! There’s a humorous description of the moment the couple disc...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, PCOS, low PAPP-A, meconium, natural delivery, advanced maternal age, nuchal hand, precipitous labour, infant feeding coach Our guest Karen Kelly is passionate about supporting nursing parents on the Rock! Karen is registered with the Federation of Antenatal Educators (FEDANT) and is working through her advanced professional qualification with the Association of Breastfeeding...

Season 4 of the podcast is complete! 🙌 Hear a summary trailer of our wonderful guests, who told their unique birth experiences across episodes 41 - 52. 12 local mothers bravely shared their birth stories in their own words, with fascinating topics and perspectives. Deeply emotional, educational, surprising, amusing and inspirational... these stories are told by women living right here in Gibralta...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, caesarean, hyperemesis, diastasis recti, doctor, pandemic Local doctor, author and campaigner Meenal Viz changed UK law during the pandemic… while starting her family! This driven mum-of-three is passionate about positive change, shares her motherhood journey in this end-of-season special. Meenal discovered she was pregnant while working for the NHS with her doctor husba...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, natural delivery, phenylketonuria (PKU), genetics, pandemic Welcome to an educational episode with mum of two, Stephanie Marzan. She describes parenting a child with PKU - a rare metabolic disorder affecting just 1 in 15,000 babies, where too much protein can lead to irreversible brain damage. Stephanie became pregnant easily and had a good pregnancy in 2017. S...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriage, subchorionic hematoma (SCH), bicornuate uterus, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), natural delivery, retained placenta, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), pandemic Welcome to a bumper episode with Layla Bates! This mum of two tells her eventful motherhood journey, step-by-step and in honest detail. She and her partner had a uncertain start to their first pregnancy...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriage, natural delivery, big baby, ovarian ectopic pregnancy (OEP), breast cancer (DCIS) Welcome to our first guest formally recognised on the New Year's Honours list for her trailblazing local charity work! Isobel Ellul was made Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the community - most notably setting up Breast Cancer Support G...

KEY TOPICS: 4 births, natural deliveries, nuchal cord, late miscarriage, birth trauma, functional neurological disorder Please note there is discussion of loss in this emotional episode of two halves, as we meet brave local mother Vanessa Correa who describes her four birth experiences. Vanessa begins by fondly recalling how she was engaged, married and a mother... all by the age of 20. She and he...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, caesarean, nuchal cord, jaundice, ABO incompatibility, haemolytic disease of newborn (HDN), blood transfusion, grandmother We’re heading back to the late 80’s today, with Ivana Finlayson and her husband – both nurses at the old St Bernard’s hospital. It’s a dramatic and emotional listen for the second half of our story. Ivana was a young mother with a good pregnancy, and her...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriage, fertility, posterior uterus, transverse lie, induction, natural delivery, advanced maternal age, pandemic Welcome to an uplifting episode of empowerment, positivity and humour! We meet Dulcie Edwards, her husband and their two children, born either side of the pandemic. For years Dulcie never dreamed of becoming a parent - but when the time came to start a family...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, natural delivery, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, breech, elective caesarean, Klipper-Feil syndrome (KFS), large age gap We meet Nicole Byrne this week: a mother of three boys who really learned to speak up! It's an episode of growth as Nicole overcame challenges and stigma - she describes negative local attitudes to being young, pregnant and unmarried in the 1990's. For all three p...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, endometriosis, hyperemesis, assisted delivery, elective caesarean, pandemic We meet local mother Roxane and her husband in this episode, plus their son and daughter born two years apart. Roxane discovered she was pregnant after treatment for endometriosis... and just as the world locked down with the pandemic in 2020. She describes the uncertainty of changing Covid restrictio...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, type-1 diabetes, blood thinning injections, induction, natural delivery, jaundice, athlete This is a great episode about what it's like for a world class athlete to undergo dramatic physical changes to become a mother, as well as manage type one diabetes through pregnancy. Olivia and her husband Mark are parents to a one year old little girl and are both elite cyclists, having...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, natural deliveries, unmedicated birth, jaundice, pelvic girdle pain (PGP), Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD), sacroiliitis, hypermobility, autism, pandemic We meet Maggie Henshaw in this episode, a mum to two boys born either side of the pandemic. The way she discovered both pregnancies was unusual! Maggie and her husband had been trying to start their family for over three y...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, pre-eclampsia, induction, natural delivery, jaundice, breech, epidural, elective caesarean, big babies Kick-starting Season 4 of the podcast is local nurse Kelly Bingham! In this episode we meet her family - her ex-military husband and two boys... born six years apart at the same weight of 9lbs 2oz! The couple learned they were expecting their first baby in the summer of 2013...

Hear a gripping audio trailer of our wonderful guests, who told their unique birth experiences across episodes 26 - 40 in Season 3. Listen to the the voices of these local mothers, and a summary of the huge range of topics covered: 💜 15 episodes (July to October 2025) 💜 Over 18 hours of audio 💜 Stories ranging from 1975 to this summer 💜 27 babies born!! As the national broadcaster, it's been a...