Born on The Rock: Gibraltar Birth Stories

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, infertility, natural delivery, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), blood transfusion, short age-gap Welcome to part 2 of Chloe's journey - a diary special to end Season 3 of the podcast! We track Chloe's pregnancy with their surprise baby that she and her husband conceived naturally... just months after welcoming their little girl born via IVF. Episode 39 (part one) was recorded whe...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, infertility, IVF, assisted natural delivery, retained placenta, dilation & evacuation (D&E), postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) Welcome to the first of a two-part special, to end Season 3 of the podcast! Chloe Loddo and her husband had been trying to start their family for over 2 years, before receiving a diagnosis of infertility. She speaks poignantly about the increasing i...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, chicken pox, natural deliveries, fast labour, premature, caesarean, grandmother We're heading back to 1985, 1987 and 1991 today with Jackie Catania and her three children. This is a great episode for hearing about very smooth pregnancies... although she describes medical factors after each birth. Jackie was 23-years old and full-term with her first child... when she got chick...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, endometriosis, laparoscopy, infertility, natural delivery, placenta previa, caesarean, haemorrhage, blood transfusion, birth trauma ⚠️Trigger warning: Discussion of birth trauma in the second half of this episode. We're meeting Tina Reyes and her husband in this episode, whose two boys were born in 2012 and 2015. Tina underwent gynae investigations and treatments for suspecte...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, natural deliveries, premature, jaundice, gastroesophageal reflux, great-grandmother   We’re meeting 68-year old Anne Martinez in this episode who takes us back to the 1970’s for a UK birth, and the 1980’s for a birth on the Rock. Unusually, both of Anne’s babies were born prematurely and - more unusually - required minimal intervention!   Anne describes a good...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, PCOS, infertility, obesity, gestational diabetes, induction, assisted delivery, natural deliveries, short age-gap, Rh-negative blood, jaundice   Laura Bradshaw and her military husband found themselves posted to Gibraltar in 2010, at a stage where they'd already been trying to start a family for a few years - unsuccessfully. Laura describes irregular cycles, polycys...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, early miscarriages, subchorionic hematoma, hyperemesis, placental abruption, prematurity, emergency caesarean, pandemic, short age-gap, elective caesarean, blood transfusion, autism   We're squeezing a huge range of topics into this fascinating episode, with Lesley Anne Viñales and her husband. This couple married young and took a relaxed approach to starting their...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, PCOS, adenomyosis/endometriosis, natural delivery, sciatica, miscarriage, multilingualism, advanced maternal age   Benvenuti to an international episode of the podcast! We’re jetting between Gibraltar and Rome in this story, with local mum Rochelle Ferreri and her Italian husband.    Rochelle sets the scene describing gynaecological issues from her fro...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, teenage mother, short age gap, cryptic pregnancies, natural deliveries We're heading back to the late 1990's in this episode, to meet teenage sweethearts Claire Ellul and her then partner. Claire experienced very erratic periods, and on advice from her doctor she began medication to regulate her cycles. Some time later, she discovered she was pregnant... and already entering...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, large age gap, nuchal cord, placenta banking, natural deliveries, post-natal anxiety, silent reflux, nut & egg allergies, advanced maternal age, gestational diabetes, placenta previa, breech, pandemic We’re meeting qualified nurse Nicole Pizarro in this episode, a mum who’s two daughters were born 10 years apart. She describes a good first pregnancy, with parentcraft clas...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, unexplained infertility, advanced maternal age, miscarriage, fibroids, endometriosis, polyhydramnios, elective caesarean, anemia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy, sciatica, pandemic In this episode we meet serving police officer Patricia Gonzalez, who sets the scene with a history of gynaecological issues over many years, and a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. She accepte...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, advanced maternal age, infertility, genetics, thalassemia, IVF, haematoma, hyperemesis, induction, natural delivery, hypoxia, placenta previa, pre-septic, emergency caesarean, small age-gap, pandemic Get ready for a rollercoaster episode with Bryony Rovegno and her family! In just a few short years, this local Mum experienced an incredible journey with a range of unexpected c...

KEY TOPICS: 3 births, measuring small, precipitous labours, frank breech, unplanned home birth, natural deliveries, developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH)   We're meeting Natalie Baitson in this episode: a mother whose labours got progressively faster - from 6 hours, to 1 hour... to just 17 minutes!  Natalie and her partner were teenage sweethearts before starting their family in their...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, gender reveal, spina bifida (myelomeningocele), frank breech, caesarean, disability, positivity   We're meeting Lucy Ware in this episode, mother to little ray of sunshine toddler Lottie! This is the most impressive gender reveal story so far, at the concert of a famous pop star in 2023 (that even made the news!) A few weeks later however, Lucy and her part...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), gestational diabetes, induction, weight, natural deliveries, anxiety, pandemic, autism parent, positivity, general practitioner   This special episode is in two parts, with General Practitioner Dr Olivia Gonzalez. In the first half she gives an overview of her professional background, and the services at the GHA Well Woman clinic where s...

Season 2 of the podcast is complete! Thank you to our 12 wonderful guests for sharing their Gibraltar Birth Stories across episodes 14 to 25. Season 3 coming soon! If you'd like to get involved, email: bornontherock@gbc.gi Find 'Born on the Rock: Gibraltar Birth Stories' on Facebook and Instagram for more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, MRKH syndrome, genetics, infertility, IVF, surrogacy, pandemic To complete season 2, it’s a privilege to capture the very special story of a Llanita baby born *off* the Rock, to Gibraltarian mother Stephanie Galea via a surrogate. This is a powerful and fascinating listen to a complex five-year journey, for Stephanie and her husband to become parents to their daughter. Ou...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, caesareans, prolapsed bladder, pandemic, autism parent, expat We meet Charlotte today, a mother of two boys born through the pandemic. This is a very insightful episode for anybody wondering what its like to parent a child with special needs, as her eldest child has a diagnosis of nonverbal autism. Charlotte highlights some beautiful positives in...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, natural deliveries, miscarriage, induction, nuchal cord, positivity In this episode we're meeting babies born to Claire Hernandez and her husband, in the noughties: 2004 & 2009. This is a very strong, loving family unit! Claire was fortunate to become pregnant soon after the couple began trying to start their family, and had what she describes as a 'textbook' pregnancy. H...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, infertility, advanced maternal age, IVF, hyperemesis gravidarum, placenta previa, haemorrhage & blood transfusion, emergency CS, premature, postnatal depression, expat Hold tight for a dramatic story in this episode, as we meet Louise Ann - who arrived pregnant on the Rock in 2007! Louise and her partner began trying for a baby in the early 2000's in the UK, but were met w...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, PCOS, natural deliveries, fast labours, postnatal depression, allergies & intolerances   Heidi Jeffries is our guest on an episode we’re calling ‘Plain Sailing,’ as her birth experiences were very straightforward… and the family has multiple nautical connections! We’re travelling back to the year 2000, when Heidi and her husband started their family soon after gettin...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, miscarriages, hostile uterus, genetic mutation, clotting disorder, IVF, natural birth, fast delivery, depression, fostering In this episode we meet Megan Ballestero, who describes her unexpected parenting journey to become a family of four! Megan and her husband began trying for a baby soon after their wedding... but experienced recurring miscarriages over several years. Exten...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriage, natural deliveries, puerperal haematoma, premature, postnatal depression, anaemia, Christmas   Let’s welcome our youngest mother to the podcast so far: Victoria Sanguinetti born in 1999. She’s packed in a rollercoaster few years since the pandemic - getting married, moving house and giving birth to her daughter in 2022, then son in 2023 (prematurely)… all wh...

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, miscarriage, ectopic, salpingectomy, infertility, IVF, elective caesarean, thrombophilia, pandemic   We welcome our first pregnant guest onto the podcast in this episode! Meet Krisanne Orciel, full-term with her second baby at the time of recording (February 2025). Krisanne describes her decade-long parenting journey, including an ectopic pregnancy loss at nine weeks. Th...

KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, endometriosis, genetics, Fragile X syndrome, advanced maternal age, hyperemesis gravidarum, fast labour, natural birth   We meet Somaya Anakkar in this story, who describes her son as a miracle! She wanted to be a mother for a very long time, but discovered that she is a carrier of the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome, which - along with a diagnosis of painful endometr...