The Positive Births NZ podcast

To mark Baby Loss Awareness week in this episode we chat to Eliza about her miscarriage early on in her first pregnancy on Christmas Day 2023. She shares with us all that was going on at that busy time – being away, surrounded by family, having overseas visitors all the while navigating the heartbreak of losing this baby. There are many layers to her experience, and in her own words “it just gets...

Another fast 1st birth story. Aime was expecting a long drawn out labour with plenty of time to get sorted, pack things and relax into her early labour. Nature had other plans and she discovered she was completely capable of birthing naturally and smoothly. Coming from South Africa with a culture of C Section being a very normal way to birth, Amie tells us how she was very happy to have a c sectio...

A fast, intense first labour, holding baby in under 4 hours, Ashleigh shares with us her incredible experience and says "I want to relive it everyday." We chat when baby Adaline is only 2 weeks old so this is a super fresh, super lovely story of a mum who was able to cope beautifully during a very different type of birth she had imagined. Luckily Ashleigh had practised all her hypnobirth...

If you’re looking for a story from a mum navigating Gestational Diabetes this is a story for you. While Gestational Diabetes was a part of Francie’s family history it was still as shock to receive the diagnosis, so Francie talks about her experience of how it impacted her life in pregnancy and ultimately shaped her birth story. Francie had experience with hypnotherapy so naturally she knew the hyp...

How do you process a birth that didn’t initially feel “positive”? As Sophie shares, the theme of her story is about releasing control and the idea of perfection. 8 weeks after giving birth Sophie reflects on her long list of things that she is very proud of about how she worked through her birth. We discuss that the traumatic part of her birth was a part that she really had no control over (large...

“The most positive thing is how in tune I am with my body and how it didn't just stop at birth. It's now, it's a lifelong thing.” Alex’s story is the epitome of the transformation that is possible at this stage of life. Dealing (or rather, not dealing) with grief through her first pregnancy, Alex had a difficult birth and postpartum with Lucy, and once pregnant again decided she needed...

Amelia had never felt anxious before, but when it came to thinking about birth – anxiety was really triggered. She’d heard her mum’s 3 traumatic inductions and needed to overcome fear and change her mindset – which is what she did. Hear how hypnobirthing changed her pregnancy, helped her to find a new midwife at 36 weeks and how it stopped her spiraling when at 41 weeks baby growth dropped signifi...

Grace was excited about birth, she saw it as a challenge, an initiation. Jack was impressed to see Grace in her element and so confident. You'll hear what Grace and Jack's initial thought of homebirth was and how that has changed. Grace had a great mindset, unlike many mums she was hoping to be overdue as they wanted to finish renovations on their home. This resulted in a last minute pool...

Ngareka was looking for a different way to birth her second baby after having what felt like a traumatic and stressful first birth. We briefly chat around the details of first baby Kade's arrival before moving through the pregnancy, labour and waterbirth of Reeve. Through her pregnancy she had many growth scans to check on baby because she was "measuring small". Scans indicated he wo...

How does your baby measuring "big" affect your ability to move through the labour and birth process? In this episode we hear Maree, Maddie and Chantelle's different experiences. Maree was told that she had a 10% chance of birthing naturally - and she DID, quickly and smoothly to 11 lbs 4 oz (5.1kg) Lily. Maddie was told she had to have a C Section, but chose induction instead and sha...

Weighing in at 10 lbs 13 (4.5kgs) and 11 lbs 5 (5.3kgs) Katy's boys were accurately predicted to be "big" in her pregnancy ultrasounds. The predictions affected Katy's ability to have a homebirth and with her first baby Olly, the hospital experience was one of interference, intervention and lack of support despite Katy's mental and physical strength. She shares with us how sh...

Join us for the first of our special feature of "big baby" stories. These are positive birth stories from mums who've been told their baby is "big". In this episode we talk to Janelle about her two births to Eli and Cooper. Eli arrived at hospital born at 10 pounds (5kgs) - with both hands on his face; and Cooper was born at home weighing 9 pounds 6. (4.3kg) Janelle talks u...

Here we have a story of a smooth, uncomplicated pregnancy, birth and postpartum in Jess' birth to Daisy. Daisy arrived on her due date no less, at home in the water where Jess was totally prepared to really go with the flow. She trusted her body, she’d birthed before and if you haven’t already heard her first story you can scroll all the way back Jess' euphoric birthcentre birth to Indi. S...

At 35 weeks Alicia discovered her baby was breech and this significantly changed her birth journey. She shares with us her thoughts and feelings and how she navigated what came next. Alicia shares her difficult decision to have an ECV and how that procedure was for her. When baby didn't turn Alicia needed to face more challenges and I love how she takes control of the few things she had contro...

For our 100th episode we chat to my daughter Jess about her two births. Please note this episode comes with a trigger warning as we discuss baby loss. In 2021 at her 20 week scan it was discovered their baby boy had a rare condition called HLHS where the left side of the heart didn't form. We chat about this experience, her positive birth (with induction at 39 weeks) and how the next 17 days o...

A straight forward smooth homebirth for a first baby – it doesn’t get any better. Raewyn shares with us the fact that she had started out in her pregnancy scared of birth, joined the hypnobirthing course and then did a 180 degree turn in terms of her mindset Having initially planned a hospital birth she later felt confident to proceed with a home birth option. The biggest message in this episode i...

On baby's due date Michelle picked up her 20month old son Leith from daycare at 3pm and by 6.30pm was holding her new baby girl Elliott. In this very smooth home birth story we hear how Michelle felt prepared, she never felt she couldn't cope even though it was an intense and rapid experience However there was a moment of fear when she was alone for a time in her labour - she talks about h...

At 28 weeks being told your baby is measuring at around the 3rd percentile isn't what anyone wants to hear..... and the size of her baby led Laura to being under the care of the SGA (small for gestational age) clinic. In this episode Laura shares with us her traumatic ectopic pregnancy in 2022 and then how she was very excited for birth when discovering she was pregnant again in 2023. Midway t...

"It was a constant battle every step of the way" says Britta about aspects of her pregnancy. All birth stories are special and all babies are miracles, but this one is that little bit extra special and is quite the positive birth story simply by the fact that Bette is here with Britta and Ritchie, healthy and happy. In this episode we talk about the rollercoaster ride of emotions to conception, th...

A fast and furious start to labour, with waters gushing everywhere is how Ayla's labour to Kit begins, the immediate intensity taking both Ayla and Seb by surprise. Today we have both of them on the podcast to talk through their labour and birth experience. It’s always great to have a partner's perspective and the extra info Seb is able to share about his experience of their 12 hour journe...

"I felt so supported and safe" says Ellen about the team around her for her labour and birth. While the plan was a homebirth, when she felt like it, Ellen decided to move to hospital and does not feel disappointment at all - in fact as you'll hear, this is basically a homebirth, with a room at the hospital used for some gas at the end. In this episode Ellen shares with us how her mid...

"I'm still so proud of my birthing journey. I look back and cry with how proud I am of myself" were the words in an email Georgia wrote to me shortly after the arrival of Ria. Georgia had cervical dysplasia which meant there was a risk of her miscarrying and meant there was a risk that she could miscarry or go into early premature labour which greatly affected the first half of her p...

"It was the most empowering experience of my life." Determination, mindset work, preparation and the practice of hypnobirthing tools led Becky to a redemptive birth. After a difficult first birth Becky shares with us how it made her feel and the darkness she experiences in the first 6 months post birth with baby Sienna. She opens up about the mental game, the challenges and her tendency...

"I felt strong and it was an unbelievably good experience" Caroline discovered that the strength she had was so much deeper than she could imagine in her first birth to Gabriel.   Caroline used this podcast along with other hypnobirthing and active birth education to prepare herself. She shares with us her long conception journey, the discovery of endometriosis and how this led to surger...

Hannah’s birth to Jasper is what I would describe as an excellent example of a textbook, normal, positive first birth. Yes, Hannah says it was challenging, it was hard mentally and physically, but it was "manageable, calm and it was amazing". No curveballs, nothing unexpected, just a straightforward example of birth. Hannah had some fears, some worries and a some mental challenges as she moved pas...