Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

There is a huge array of baby products on the market but what do you really need in the early months for your baby?  You may be surprised to find that it can’t all be found in a baby goods store. Produced and presented by Sally Cusack Copyright 2017 PBB Media and Sally Cusack All rights reserved. www.pbbmedia.org

The key to mental preparation for this period rests on understanding the environment a woman needs to give birth efficiently and therefore most safely, and what she and the baby needs immediately after the birth.  When we understand these needs, we can prepare the birth and postnatal environment for the transformation into parenthood. Produced and presented by Sally Cusack Copyright 2017 PBB Media...

This episode covers informed consent and the legal need for all decisions relating to maternal and foetal care to be in the hands of the mother, not the care provider.  We learn that like all other people, pregnant woman has the right to informed consent and that once informed, their decisions must be respected.  The information given birthing people must be evidence based and not just hospital po...

There are only theories about how the onset of labour is triggered, but it is known that the limbic system in the brain releases a cocktail of hormones in a specific sequence.  A small number of women will birth quickly, but for many it is a more gradual process that is very closely linked to her emotional state and physical environment.  For the most efficient release of birth hormones, she needs...

​A description of the main models of care available, followed by an assessment of the evidence on which models have the best outcomes.  Probably not surprisingly, the best outcomes are from continuity of “woman-centred” care models where mothers can build up a relationship of trust over time, and carers can build a detailed profile of the mother’s needs.  This leads to a highly customised level of...

Tina Greve on the distinction between normal birth and physiological birth, host Sally Cusack interviewed at Midwifery Today Conference, Byron Bay, Australia in November 2014. Produced and presented by Sally Cusack Copyright 2014 PBB Media and Sally Cusack All rights reserved. www.pbbmedia.org

As a society, which upholds love, belonging and family, available foster carers are shamefully low. Yet there are multitudes of ways to foster a young person, including respite foster care. Respite foster care is on the discussion table in this fascinating episode. Produced by Kimberley Lipschus Presenter: Kimberley Lipschus Guest: Chelsea Links: http://canifoster.com.au/ or www.pbbmedia.org Copyr...

By 2030, depression will be the biggest mental health issue on the planet and currently is costing us billions of dollars a year. In this episode we look at emotional health in families and why families are our greatest asset in early prevention of mental health. Our guest, Garry Thomson, CEO of Uplifting Australia, is passionate about supporting families to raise, kind, emotional healthy and succ...

Is radical self-love the missing key in birth preparation? Our guest Virginia Bobro, has been working with pregnant families and new parents for over 22 years and is a mother of three university aged children. This episode we dig deeper into wholehearted birth preparation. While being informed and knowledgeable on what to expect during labour and birth is important, it isn't all there is when it c...

Even though the camera was invented over 130 years ago, only in the last 20-30 years has the camera made its way into the birth room, and most of those images were captured by amateurs. But in the last few years we have seen an explosion of professional taken photos, and shared widely on social media. What is motivating families to invite birth photographers into such an intimate occasion? Is seei...

Looking at the Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual aspects of preparing for childbirth, with Anna Watts. Founder of Celebration of Birth Doula Academy, Anna Watts, is affectionately known as the 'Wise Woman of Doulas' or 'Mama Doula', she has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for over 28 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as...

For people listening in today or if you have friends or family with unresolved birth trauma, no matter how long ago, there are birth trauma specific resources such as birthtalk.org, birthing from within, and PANDA.org.au which are dedicate to supporting women, birthers and thier families. Our guest today is Milli Hill, founder of the Positve Birth Movement, Milli set up the Positive Birth Movement...

Profile of an activist, volunteer and mother - Nicqui Yazdi. Sally's conversation with Nicqui covers broad terrain from how she came to train as a mental health counsellor, setting up youth support programmes, in particular Byron Schoolies Hub, the lesson she learned from Richard Branson, and the gratitude she feels for all her years of giving, as it has given her so much healing in return. Nicqui...

From the throes of sleep deprivation to driving our children from one activity to the next, parenthood can wreak havoc on our usual schedule. As such, parenting and exercise are not usually words you see in the same sentence. Our needs will often come second to those of your children and fitness and health can become a much more difficult task. Understandably, this cost can be detrimental to our o...

Fertility challenges can take many forms. Women may have experienced miscarriages, inability to fall pregnant, chemical pregnancies, or more. This has a huge impact on not only women but those who are close to them. In this episode of PBB we delve into the impacts of fertility challenges on relationships. Kimberley Lipschus gleans the wisdom from Sharon Covington, psychotherapist and clinical soci...

In this episode we will be looking at the links between our family kitchen and food sustainability. How and where our food comes from, the impact we are having on the food chain and how coming back to our roots, to a deepoer connection with food, can do a world of good for ourselves, our families, communities and the world around us. Our geust is Eva Perroni, Eva is a freelance researcher-writer w...

Breastfeeding, a biological norm, while natural is a learnt skill for both mother and baby. Breastfeeding is for many an intrinsic part of the parenting journey, yet it can be full of tears and also full of joy. With all the conflicting advice and messages new parents receive not to mention the newness of parenting a baby, getting off to a good start can be challenging. However, when it comes to b...

Sally filling in for The Belly Show on 99.9 BayFM in Byron Bay on 11 September 2017. Featuring: * Ray and Josephine Cusack with two grain free recipes, and * Dolit Gliksman and children, Yoav, Tal and Yael about Israeli food, their couch surfing adventures as a family in Europe in 2016 and Israeli music selected by Dolit.

The first minutes, hours and days with a newborn baby are crucial for setting up the best possible adjustment to life outside the womb, learning to breastfeed and recovery for mother and baby. This is best achieved through supporting new parents to be the main ones handling the new baby. We hear from Dr Robyn Thompson, midwife and breastfeeding researcher, on why it is so important for handling of...

When a baby is born, a new family unit is also birthed. There is a lot to learn, and to adjust to. While life goes on around you, for a new parent or parents, their world with a newborn shrinks. It becomes their entire universe. This episode we talk with Natasha Marchand and Bianca Sprague, founders of Bebo Mia on what to expect and how to prepare, antenatally, for the postpartum journey ahead. If...

Our Australian Healthcare system is considered to be one of the best in the world, it came shy just after the U.K. Second best. Countries that provide their citizens with universal healthcare not surprisingly, sit at the top of the list. The USA with its failing and ailing system came at the 11th hour, just making it. Our Aussie system offers generally really good healthcare to all Australians. Th...

Sally's interview with Shona Anderson of Nebula Drama on the many benefits the dramatic arts brings to kids. Broadcast on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay, Australia 28 August 2017.

This episode of Pregnancy Birth and Beyond we are talking about raising kids who care for the earth, sustainability and farm life. Our guest is Annie Bryant, storyteller and musician. Annie lives on a hubby scale farm on the far south coast of Australia with her family. Annie's stories and music for children are inspired by nature and the rhythms of life. Annie's son Jonahki also join to accompany...

Were talking about blended families, parenting and fatherhood in this episode of Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. Our guest Erik Adams is a father, long-time practitioner and supporter of the healing and wellness movement and local to the northern rivers in NSW, Australia. Erik ran Funkey Forest for many years, a well known Byron Shire retreat centre and later on managing the Mullulmbimby hub of Santo...

According to the Relationship Research Institute in Seattle, approx two thirds of couples find their relationship has suffered within three years of the birth of a child. Within five years of the birth of a first child, 13 percent of married couples divorce. This rate goes up to 39% for defacto couples 5 years after the child’s birth.* Surely there’s some preparation couples can do, rather than ad...