Australian Birth Stories

In this week’s episode, I interview Caitlin Langford about her four pregnancies and births. Caitlin fell pregnant shortly after losing her mother. She and her husband had decided to wait to try and conceive as Caitlin was grieving and they had planned an overseas trip. Shortly after running a marathon, Caitlin found that she was struggling to recover and felt lethargic and as if she was coming down with something. To her complete surprise, she was intact 7 weeks pregnant. To hear Caitlins pregnancy and birth stories tune into this weeks show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danielle had decided with her partner that they would start trying for a baby at 27 and they fell pregnant literally on their first attempt. Danielle’s reaction was not what she had expected at all. She was freaking out. Even though her pregnancy was planned, she realized she wasn’t 100% ready. She read over a million books and never really came to terms with her pregnancy. Danielle became so preoccupied and anxious with how she would come when the baby came that she didn’t really focus on the birth itself. To hear more of Danielle’s story tune into this week's show. If you’d like to become a Patreon member and help support the show head over to birthstories I’ve been nominated for the Ausmumpreneur Awards. Its a huge honour to be nominated and the people’s choice voting has just opened. So if you feel like this podcast is making a difference to you and you enjoy listing to my show each week it would be amazing if you could give me your vote. It literally takes 1minutes. I’m listed in the first categories Making a Difference Award, you can just scroll down to Sophie Walker to vote for me. And I’ll let you know how I go. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

68 | Sarah Bell Burch Three Births, 4 Year Old Son Present In today’s episode I interview Sarah Bell Burch who shares three pregnancies and vaginal deliveries. Sarah was 25 when she fell pregnant with her first son Remi. After living overseas for several years she had come home to settle in Australia in her husband’s home town of Cootamundra. Sarah woke at 830am on the morning of her due date with a contraction and labour unfolded from there. In this episode Sarah shares having a retained placenta in two of her births, mastitis the challenges of breastfeeding and toddler weaning, and the joy of having her little boy Remi present for his sister's birth. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, Felicity Cook shares her challenging pregnancy with her little girl Tilly. One year prior to trying to conceive Felicity saw her gynaecologist and kinesiologist to make sure her hormones and cycles were balanced. Her husband also had his sperm count checked. They then fell pregnant very easily in her second month of trying. On the recommendation of a close friend, Felicity booked in with a private obstetrician at the Mater Hospital in Sydney. Felicity suffered from a lot of physical pain during her pregnancy. From 20 weeks her pelvis became quite unstable. To hear more about Felicity's journey tune into this weeks show. Today's episode is brought to you by Bree Downes Birth Support & Photography. Bree is a Melbourne based doula and birth photographer. Having worked as a doula for 10 years Bree supports women to have the births they envisage for themselves by providing emotional, physical and informational support throughout their pregnancy and birth. Bree is offering a 10% discount off her doula and birth photography packages for any women due before December 2018. Just mention Australian Birth Stories when enquiring with Bree. For more information please visit or check her out on instagram @breedownes_doula_photographer If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Gemma who takes us through her struggles with unexplained infertility. Gemma was able to conceive her daughter Raffaella with the help of one round of intrauterine insemination (IUI). Gemma was surprised to find that shortly after she conceived Raffa she began to feel unexpectedly depressed. To hear Gemma share her struggles with antenatal depression and the way Raffa’s birth unfolded tune into this weeks episode. Today’s show is brought to you by Bimby and Roy. Bimby and Roy are versatile, maternity friendly undergarments which are soft, stretchy, quick dry and wireless. Apart from everyday wear, Bimbys can also be worn as swimmers for impromptu dips, as birthing and breastfeeding b ras, yoga and sleep wear. Designed in Australia, and made at a solar-powered facility in Fiji. Bimby and Roy products are sustainable, comfortable and come in some gorgeous prints and patternes To check out the full range of Bimby and Roy pieces head over to I just want to thank the new Patreon members who have signed up to help support the making of the show: Amy Small, Jessica Cassidy, Courtney Thornton, Emma Egleman, Adrian McDonnell and Leoni. If you’d like to become a member head over to . Images by: If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Teresa Palmer. Teresa and Mark tried for about 5 months to conceive and were unsuccessful. Teresa then found out that she ovulates later in her cycle that she had thought. With this knowledge in hand, she was able to fall pregnant the following month. Teresa felt her pregnancy with Bodhi Rain was pretty uneventful. She had wanted to be a mother her whole life and so to be pregnant was the most exciting thing she had ever navigated. She loved every moment of it. She felt very well with minimal pregnancy symptoms. She found out her baby’s gender at her 11-week scan. She had planned to have a home birth in America. She had witnessed a home birth of one of her best friends when she was 11 weeks and she ended up hiring the same midwife she had seen navigate a very challenging birth. She read all of Ina May Gaskin’s books and watched her documentary. Teresa and Mark got married when she was 6 weeks pregnant. At 36 weeks she started a hypnobirthing course. At 38+6 Teresa’s waters broke while she was in bed and they began to get really excited and called their midwife. The midwife said to rest and come in the morning. She went in at 11 am and it was confirmed that her waters had infant broken. To hear more about Bodhi’s birth and Forrest’s tune into this weeks show. Topics covered: waters breaking, castor oil, hypnobirthing, acupuncture, birth pool, home birth, hospital transfer, breastfeeding, posterior baby, fever during labour, Dr. Paul Crane, manual extraction of the placenta, tandem breastfeeding, To connect with Teresa's To enter the tooshies giveaway click Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by Tooshies by TOM. Tooshies, gentle on bottoms and the planet. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Bonnie. Bonnie suffered terribly with morning sickness and then antenatal depression throughout her pregnancy. Living in the UK at the time with her husband, Bonnie had planned for them to return to Australia when she found out she was pregnant. Bonnie shares very openly about suicidal thoughts and regularly discussed with her husband her feelings that she couldn’t be a mother and that he would need to raise the baby himself after the baby was born. To hear more about Bonnie’s very difficult pregnancy and how she connected with some very supportive staff through St John of God Hospital in Perth, tune into this weeks episode. This week’s show is brought to you by Mrs Heemskerk’s cookbook . To check out Food for the ones I love head over to at just $39.95 this book is a must-have. Topics covered: Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, antenatal depression, migration, morning sickness, arrhythmia, exercise in pregnancy, psychologist, induction, postnatal anxiety. If you or someone you know needs help please contact: 13 11 14 : 1300 726 30 If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Kristy Joyce. Kristy had trouble conceiving after having her first son Mason and sought the help of fertility specialists. She began the process by taking Clomid to help assist in egg stimulation. Just before Kristy was about to have IVF she discovered she was pregnant with triplets. Despite being advised that Clomid can lead to the possibility of having multiples, Kristy and her husband never dreamed it would actually happen to them. To hear how Kristy managed her high-risk pregnancy and the safe delivery of all three beautiful babies tune into this week's show. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode, I interview mother, Doula and Birth Photographer Lacey Barratt. Lacey fell pregnant quite unexpectedly at the age of 22 whilst backpacking in Darwin. Lacey describes herself as feeling violently ill and was throwing up multiple times a day throughout her first pregnancy. Lacey connected with her local GP and she delivered through the birth center in Darwin. Lacey was unsure of what was deemed ‘normal’ for morning sickness however she was concerned about her weight and she felt very run down and dehydrated. Lacey delivered her first baby at 41 and a half weeks after days of prodromal labour with a posterior baby. There is a just 15mths difference in age between Lacey’s first and second children so it came as quite a surprise when she fell pregnant again. To hear how Lacey went on to have a home birth and private midwifery care in her subsequent births tune into this week's show. To connect with Lacey click here: Topics covered: Hyperemesis gravidarum, posterior position, prodromal labour, anterior lip, birth stole, methadone, lounge tie, prolapse, anemic, free birth, gestational diabetes, placenta prints. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode, I interview Anna. Anna fell pregnant just six weeks after getting married catching both her and her partner by surprise. Despite having a couple of scares early on in her pregnancy with a car accident at 5 weeks and a small bleed after a fall in a recreational sports game, Anna said she had a beautiful pregnancy. She had read books such as Birth Skills by Juju Sundin and she was preparing for a drug-free natural delivery through the Mercy Public Hospital in Melbourne. To hear more of Anna’s story tune into this week's show. Topics covered: concealed abruption, NICU, Emergency Caesarean section, breastfeeding, Mercy Hosptial for Women, reduced fetal movement. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristie had been on the pill for 10 years and thought it might take her a little while to conceive. She came off the pill in December and fell pregnant quite quickly. Kristie is a very active gym goer and she found going to the gym each morning really helped with her early morning sickness. Kristie was keen to have a natural delivery and she booked into her local Family Birth Center which was associated with King Edward Hospital. Kristie undertook the She Births birth course online to help her prepare for her pregnancy and delivery. She did the course in conjunction with the Family Birth Center. Kirstie is a Type A personality and felt confident to take the She Births course as it has been proven to reduce rates of Caesarean Section and birth intervention. At 32 weeks Kristie discovered that her baby was a frank breech presentation, bottom first instead of head first. Kristie was still very keen to avoid a caesarean section and looked into the possibility of a natural vaginal breech delivery. To hear more about Kristie’s breech delivery tune into this weeks show. Topics covered: She Births, Hip Dysplasia, Breech birth, private midwife, King Edward Hospital, Family Birth Center, active pregnancy, prolapse, second-degree tear, acupuncture, ECV. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Kirsty Chandler. Kirsty fell pregnant in her second month of actively trying to conceive. She spent the lead up preparing her body by cutting out alcohol and caffeine and saw a variety of healthcare providers such as acupuncturists and chiropractors to prepare her body for pregnancy. Kirsty was very careful in searching for the right care provider for her pregnancy and birth. She interviewed both the midwives at her local Gold Coast hospital as well as the private midwives which worked a short distance from her house. She decided to employ a private midwife for her care. Kirsty also took Hypnobithing classes to prepare for the drug-free water birth she intended to have. Topics covered: Breast crawl, hypnobirth, homeopathics, private midwife, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, delayed cord clamping, perineal massage, labia graze. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nine weeks prior to the wedding Sarah found out she was pregnant. Thrilled to be pregnant Sarah went through the care at the Mercy Hospital in Melbourne. Sarah had had a stroke at the age of 24 which meant she was categorized as high risk during her pregnancy. Sarah was diagnosed as having placenta previa and as she was on blood thinning medication from her stroke, she had to watch out for any bleeding. Due to the placenta’s positioning Sarah was booked in for a caesarean section. A week before her scheduled Caesarean section Sarah’s vision began to deteriorate and she initially thought it was due to tiredness. She went to see the doctor and she said if it gets worse come back in for more tests. Topics covered: stroke, legally blind, clean, brain surgery, downs syndrome, DNC, meningiomas, placenta previa, disability, grief, loss, VBAC. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Jules Coffey. Jules shares her two pregnancies and births from the perspective of a trained doula. Topics covered: Hashimotos, thyroid conditions, doula training, induction, epidural, breastfeeding, breast aversion, formula feeding, private obstetrician, hypnobirthing, irritable uterus, costochondritis essential oils, placenta encapsulation, breast crawl, oral and nipple thrush, mastitis. All images by Ashleigh Jane Birth Photography If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Suzie Blake. Suzie shares her two pregnancies and births as well as her beautiful photography work as a breastfeeding advocate. Suzie fell pregnant unexpectedly whilst living in London with her partner. They were overjoyed but somewhat isolated being away from family and having no immediate friends who were having children. Suzie shares her birth in London under the care of midwives and she then compares the system to that of Australia. Halfway through her second pregnancy Suzie returned home to Australia and gave birth to her second child at the Royal Women’s Hospital. Today’s episode of the show is brought to you by the Medela Asia Pacific Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium 2018. This event is the ideal platform for health professionals to enhance their knowledge and clinical practice through presentations of the latest research in breastfeeding and human milk. Together with an audience of breastfeeding champions, the Symposium offers a valuable exchange of thoughts and ideas as well as networking opportunities. The Medela Asia Pacific Breastfeeding and Lactation Symposium is a two-day event with a world class line up of speakers, will take place in the Pullman Melbourne On The Park Hotel on 3rd & 4th of May 2018. To purchase your ticket head over To connect with Suzie Topics covered: midwifery, NHS, Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne, Photography, hind water leak, fast delivery, breastfeeding, breastfeeding photography, censorship, feminism, Medela, hole in the heart, Tweddle If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Nikki. Nikki is the CEO of Tiny Hearts first Aid and a qualified paramedic. Nikki conceived quite quickly when she and her partner finally agreed to try for a baby. Unfortunately, they lost their first baby at 10 weeks. They decided very quickly to try again once they were given the all-clear from their doctor and they went on to conceive their daughter Nahla Fox. Nikki explains feeling very anxious throughout the pregnancy due to their previous loss and combined with morning sickness, hyperthyroidism and gestational diabetes Nikki said she did not enjoy her pregnancy. At 36 weeks gestation Nikki went to bed and both her and her husband were marveling at how active Nahla had been. She was all over the place and then she suddenly stopped moving. Nikki went to the bathroom, which usually leads to Nahla moving around and still nothing. Knowing she had an ultrasound booked for the morning Nikki decided to wait until the morning. After a restless and anxious night of little sleep, they made their way to the hospital. The doctors discover that she was in fact not moving as much as they would have liked to see. The baby had also not grown since her previous scan and they decided it would be best to try and induce Nikki. Topics included: miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypothyroidism, reduced foetal movement, emergency caesarean, NICU, low blood sugar, transfusion If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Bo Gerritsen. Bo was busy planning her wedding at the age of twenty-four when she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant with her daughter Indiana. Despite being a strong believer in home births, Bo felt unprepared so she decided to have her first daughter through the public hospital in Perth. Bo suffered morning sickness for her entire pregnancy with Indiana and got quite used to the routine of throwing up each morning and then feeling better by the afternoon. Bo went into labour the morning after her birthday. She’d felt upset and emotional throughout her birthday so in hindsight she thinks it was a sign that labour was about to start. Her labour began with cramping however as it was five days until her due date she didn't think it was the early signs of labour. She spent the best part of that day labouring in her bath at home and she accepted that she was having contractions when they became more regular and were timeable. At 6 pm she made her way to the hospital to find out she was 3cm dilated….. Tune into this weeks episode to hear more about Indian’s labour and how Bo’s partner passed out in the hospital room heat and due to the pressure of holding Bo up while she was pushing on the birth stool. Topics include public hospital healthcare, unplanned pregnancy, morning sickness, breastfeeding, NICU, home birth, water birth, tongue tie, The Simple Folk. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Bec Douros. After getting engaged quite young at 21 and married at age 23, Bec knew she wanted to try for a baby right away. With a history of Endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, Bec journey into motherhood was long and challenging. After four years of actively trying to conceive and after several miscarriages Bec fell pregnant with her first son Archie. She suffered from debilitating morning sickness throughout Archie’s pregnancy which required her to be hospitalized on more than one occasion. Thankfully this sickness passed at about 20 weeks. Bec was seeing a private obstetrician through the Epworth Hosptial in Melbourne and she undertook the hospital offered birthing classes. She said she went into the birth hoping for a natural delivery however she was open to seeing how it went on the day. Bec went over on her dates and she was booked in to be induced however she went into labour naturally the morning of her scheduled induction. Making her way to the hospital at 8 am, Bec laboured all day with help of Gas and Air and her TENS machine. When she was checked and confirmed to be 8cm’s dilated, she started to have intense back pain. Archie was in a posterior position and despite efforts to turn him they couldn’t. It was at that moment that Bec started bleeding profusely and both her and Archies heart rates suddenly dropped. Bec explains that it got very intense very quickly and after 18hrs of labour she was rushed away for an emergency caesarean. To hear the rest of Archie’s birth in more detail and Bec pregnancy and birth of her second son Lenny, tune into this weeks episode of the show. Topics covered: Endometriosis, Polly Cystic Ovarian Syndrom, caesarean section, hemorrhage, postpartum recovery, blood transfusion, pelvic girdle pain, pelvic instability, SRC Recovery shorts, physio, breastfeeding. All images by : Kelly Jordan Photography If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 | Kate Vincent Twins, IVF and Spontaneous Conception Vaginal Delivery In today’s episode, I interview Kate Vincent. It took just over four years for Kate and her partner to conceive their twin boys. Kate was in her mid-twenties when they first started and they expected it to happen very quickly. After a year of trying Kate had some tests to investigate if she may have had endometriosis. Her results came back all clear. The next step was to speak to a fertility specialist. The fertility tests came back fine and Kate and her husband had what is often referred to as ‘unexplained infertility’. Kate experienced a few chemical pregnancies after their fertility treatments but it wasn’t until the 6th transfer that she fell pregnant. Remarkably Kate fell pregnant naturally a couple of days before her embryo transfer and went on to have twins. Topics: calm birth, induction, IVF, unexplained infertility, spontaneous pregnancy, twins, twin pregnancy, tandem feeding, silent reflux, express feeding, mastitis. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, I interview Rachael Casella. Rachael refers to herself as a Type A personality, so when thinking about trying to conceive, she spent six months preparing. She saw a Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist and also had her husband Johnny tested for fertility. Rachael started trying on her honeymoon and when she didn't fall pregnant in the first 2 months of trying she went and saw Genea in Sydney. She discovered that she ovulates on day 8 instead of day 14 of her cycle. With this info in hand, she fell pregnant the next month of trying. Despite having private health insurance, Rachael and her husband decided to use the midwifery lead care program through the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney. At 39 weeks Rachel had a stretch and sweep however her cervix hadn't dilated as yet. She began to experience reduced foetal movement at this time so her midwifery team decided it would be best to induce her at 40 weeks. After a difficult labour and 2 hours of pushing Mackenzie were delivered by caesarean section. At 10 weeks of age, Rachael took Mackenzie to see a lactation consultant because she found Mackenzie was pulling off crying during feeds. The lactation consultant initially thought that Mackenzie she was a bit floppier than he should be for her age. Panicked Rachael rushed her to a doctor who said that she would need to go and see a pediatrician. They got to see a pediatrician in 2 days later. When seeing the pediatrician They were in the office with the pediatrician for about 4 minutes before he turned to them and said: “I think your baby has got Spinal Muscular Atrophy”. They had never heard of SMA before so they asked what the cure was and he said it was terminal. To hear the rest of Mackenzie’s journey please tune into this week's show. To find out more about Rachael’s blog: This weeks episode is proudly sponsored by . Bouncing Back From Birth is dedicated to helping mums thrive after birth. From Vaginal Birth to Belly Birth and Breastfeeding support Bouncing Back From Birth offers everything you need for healing, strength, and confidence in the one place. are offering 15% with the code BIRTHSTORIES offer available until April 30. ($2 from every sale made using this code will be donated towards SMA research). Topic: miscarriage, fertility tracking, private health insurance, Royal Hospital for Women, Midwifery care program, Genea, continuity of care, birth plan, delayed cord clamping, reduced foetal movement, TENS, posterior position, Mackenzie’s Mission. To find out more about Rachael’s blog: Additional Reading: The Conversation: . The Conversation: To see the ABC 730 report covering Mackenzie’s Mission: and If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode, I interview Adrienne Biscontin. Adrienne started trying for a baby shortly after she had gotten married bought a house. Several of her friends had fallen pregnant quickly so she assumed she would conceive quickly too. After 8mths of actively trying to conceive she fell pregnant. Unfortunately, Adrienne miscarried quite early in this pregnancy. Completely devastated after her loss, she decided to overturn her life and she concentrated heavily on her health, moving her diet to organic produce and swapping many staples in her diet to try and create the most favorable environment to conceive. Six months later she fell pregnant with her first daughter Ava. Adrienne delivered all three of her daughters at St Vincent’s Private in Melbourne. Collectively she laboured for 8.5 hours she had 3 super fast deliveries. To hear Adrienne’s very fast deliveries in more detail tune into this week’s episode. To check out Adrienne’s blog Stylish Bump click here: If you’d like to become a member of the Australian Birth Stories Podcast and help support the show please check out my Patreon account here: Topics covered: pilates, fertility, fast births, irritable uterus, miscarriage, silent reflux. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Beccy Cloke. Beccy was diagnosed as having a tilted cervix by her gynaecologist at a young age and she was advised that it may take her a little longer to conceive. With that in mind, she and Travis started trying for a baby shortly after their honeymoon. To their complete surprise, they conceived very quickly and then had to adjust quickly to the idea that a baby was on the way. Beccy went through private obstetric care through Mitcham Private Hospital in Melbourne. After an initial hiccup, she changed obstetricians to find a recommended doctor they had complete trust in. Beccy took both a Hypno Birth course and an online course called Birth Beat. Wanting to have a drug free, natural delivery, Beccy shares how she became very upset when she underwent an emergency caesarean after her labour didn’t progress. Overjoyed to have a happy and healthy baby, Beccy still feels disappointed with some components of her birth. To hear more about how Beccy struggled with some of the decisions she made during her pregnancy and her labour and some things she wished she had done differently tune into this wee If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

48 | Lisa Wipfli Two Under Two, Emergency Caesarean, Elective Caesarean In this weeks episode, I interview Lisa Wipfli. Lisa shares her pregnancy with Ted and her unexpected emergency caesarean. She then discusses falling pregnant some 7months later with her second little boy Jack and life with two under two. Lisa conceived Ted during her second month of trying to conceive and after watching many friends struggle to fall pregnant, she was incredibly grateful. Ted’s pregnancy went quite smoothly until the final weeks when Lisa began to feel very uncomfortable and she suffered pelvic and back pain. Lisa had weekly and sometimes twice weekly appointments with her Osteopath to assist with the discomfort. She went two weeks over her due date in the middle of summer and had gained approximately 22kgs so she was more than ready to be induced at 42 weeks. To hear more about Lisa deliveries, her husbands GoPro and virtual reality filming of the births and lots more tune into this weeks episode. Topics included: pelvic pain, breastfeeding, breastfeeding challenges, reduced milk production, emergency caesarean, cracked nipples, nipple shields, pilates, Body beyond birth, abdominal separation, mixed feeding, pumping, virtual reality filming. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Alex Tabet. Alex conceived her first daughter quite easily by tracking her ovulation and listening carefully to her body. During her pregnancy, Alex went six days over due. She admits thinking “how hard could labour be?” She woke at 330am with mild contractions She left for hospital at 930am when her contractions 3 minutes apart. She was calling everyone she new, was very vocal and felt less focused. Alex shares she felt like she resisted her contractions and didn’t work with her body in the way in which she did in her second labour. To hear how Alex went on to conceive her second daughter 3 years later and how she attended Hypnobirthing classes and achieved a much calmer birth. Topics Covered: moon cycles, ovulation awearness, breastfeeding, birth trauma, pregnancy insomnia, hypnobirth, Hypnobirthing Australia, gas and air, pethadine. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tulsi was trying for about 6 months to conceive Henry. After being on the pill for a long time it took a little while for her cycles to return to normal and regulate. Tusli was regularly testing each month but she feels as if she knew the moment after she had conceived Henry. During her pregnancy, Tulsi’s husband was offered a job in a small country town 700km west of Brisbane. The only facilities available was a small hospital that didn't offer epidurals or caesareans so she was focusing on having a natural drug free birth. At 39 plus 3, Tusli was very scared of needing to be induced and going overdue. She woke in the night to go to the toilet and as she was on the toilet her waters wet. Her husband shot out of bed, adrenaline pumping. They called the midwife who was going to need to go in and open the hospital, as she was the only staff member on duty. She told them to make their way in. Tulsi laughs as she remembers taking a long time deciding what to wear to the hospital. After her first contraction came Tusli’s contractions came on hard and fast. She labored most of the time leaning over a sink swaying with a heat pack on her back. At 7 am Tusli said she felt pressure and wanted to go to the toilet. The midwife thought it was very unlikely she would be ready to push as it was her first baby and she had only been in the hospital for 4 hours. Tulsi husband pleaded with the midwife to check her again and they were all surprised to find she was ready. She was 8cm and by 730am Henry was born. When Tusli was 40weeks plus 5 with her second baby Pippy, her son’s kinder called and said he was complaining of terrible stomach pains. She picked him up and took him straight to the hospital to get him checked over. Curled up in pain they made a number of checks and after two hours he suddenly went straight back to normal. As they packed up to head home Tusli’s made a quick stop to go to the toilet and her waters broke. She walked herself up the stairs to the maternity ward and began contracting with strong contractions with her son Henry still present. To hear how Pippi’s delivery went tune into this weeks episode. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katrina went through the Cosmos program at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne for all three of her deliveries. Despite suffering severe nausea up until 14 weeks, Katrina found her first pregnancy was quite routine. On Katrina’s due date, she was woken up with period like cramping at 1 am. Katrina’s family found it quite amusing she would deliver on her due date because she is quite a pragmatic and organized person. She went on to labour at home with the support of her partner and her heavily pregnant sister. Katrina was quite unlucky as she was constantly vomiting throughout her labour. After labouring at home for most of the day, She made her way into the Royal Women’s Hospital with her support team. In triage, Katrina had a huge contraction and substantial vomit and then her babies heart rate dropped and her midwife became quite concerned that there was something worth monitoring. She was moved into the birthing suite and monitored. She had a mobile monitor on which allowed her to still move around the room. Despite envisaging an active delivery Katrina ended up pushing on the bed on her back with her sister holding one leg and her friend who was a midwife holding the other. After 30 minutes of pushing she delivered her daughter. Topics covered: postpartum bleed, COSMOS Midwifery Program, Royal Women’s Hospital, 2nd degree tear, TENS machine, water birth. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode I interview Amber. At 23 years of age, Amber started having hot flushes and she went to the doctors who said it was most probably a viral infection. It could be pre-menopause. A few weeks later Amber was continuing to get up to 20 hot flushes a day. The doctors ran blood tests her SFH levels were at 75 extremely high. The sent her to a gynecologist who found she had cysts on her ovaries then she started on Clomid for 6mths. In that 6mths she only ovulated once. The side effects - depressed and upset wanted to leave her partner. She came off Clomid and she started acupuncture. Her Acupuncturist was able to get Amber to ovulate once, however, she was then referred to Lynn Bermister the head specialist at Monash IVF. She went into to find her cysts had grown back and her eggs were no longer function. The first 2 IVF cycles she didn't produce any of her own follicles. After 6 mths of going back and forth, she decided to use her sister's eggs. Her sister underwent counseling and began taking hormones to help her ovulate and regulate her cycles. Her sister was 23 and passed all the intense counseling so they began the process. After the first failed IVF transfer using Amber’s sister’s donated egg, Amber took three months break from trying to regroup mentally and emotionally. The weekend of her sister’s egg collection was near Easter so she did an easter egg hunt around the house and it turned out Amber collected 13 chocolate easter eggs. To hear how Ambers pregnancy went and her delivery tune into this weeks episode. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode of the show I interview Elise Raquel. Elise takes us through her three vaginal births. Elise’s first daughter Peyton was born in a private hospital in Perth under the care of her private obstetrician. Elise did little birth preparation, however she knew she wanted to try for a natural drug-free delivery. At 37 weeks, Elise went in for an antenatal appointment and they discovered that her blood pressure was elevated. At this time the doctor began discussing the possibility of induction. Elise did everything she could to bring on labour naturally and she went into labour spontaneously at 38 weeks. After a long labour, Elise was given an epidural and she pushed out her daughter with the help of a vacuum delivery. Topics covered: flat nipples, posterior, nipple shield, gas and air, episiotomy, baby blues, jaundice, The Natural parent Facebook group, hypnosis, midwifery care, waterbirth, postpartum bleeding, tandem breastfeeding, trisomy13, Harmony testing, curb walking, nipple stimulation, natural induction method. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Emma. At the age of 14, Emma was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and she underwent surgery for a fistula. During this surgery, Emma was advised that if she was to go on and have a family in the future, it was most likely she would need to have a caesarean section. At 21 she had a bad a relapse of her Crohn’s Disease and she underwent a bowel resection and they removed 30cm of her small intestine. After several more repairs on her fistula, Emma was also diagnosed with an autoimmune arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The AS effected her pelvis and spine making pregnancy more challenging however, it was ultimately the Crohn’s disease and her previous surgeries which meant she needed to have caesarean deliveries. After having two caesareans with the same obstetrician, in Emma’s third pregnancy she felt very emotional about the fact that she was going to have to have another caesarean section. What affected Emma the most was the fact that she had to have them delivered in this way due to her own health. Emma raised her concerns with her obstetrician during her third pregnancy, however she felt quite unheard by her obstetrician. She wasn’t getting the birth she was hoping for and she felt that the emotional component of her birth was not being acknowledged and supported. Four years after having her first child Emma decided to try and makes some changes in her fourth birth. Going with the same obstetrician but asking for changes. Emma asked for changes such as delayed cord clamping, an attempt to not use forceps in the delivery, the use of her own music in the delivery room and she had her husband videotaping the birth. After watching the video back Emma said she felt completely robbed and taken advantage of as her obstetrician hadn't made any of the changes she had requested. Forceps were used, the cord wasn't left to pulsate and what’s more, the obstetrician swore that he hated the song playing on Emma’s playlist whilst delivering their baby. For her fifth and final birth, Emma was not going to have the same obstetrician. To hear how Emma made a variety of changes to get the gentle caesarean she had dreamed of, tune into this Emma’s episode on the show. Topics covered: Crohn's Disease, Rheumatoid arthritis: ankylosing spondylitis, birth trauma, caesarean section, back labour, tongue tie, breastfeeding challenges, vaginal seeding, placenta encapsulation, birth plan. Today’s episode on the show is brought to you by . Pelvi specialise in the Mediball secret. The lovely team at are offering Australian Bith Stories listners 25% off with code BIRTH. All images on this page are by If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Eliza Curby. Eliza shares how she fell pregnant for the first time after being with her partner for just three months. Eliza and Ben were thrilled as they had wanted to start a family quickly. Despite not being covered for Private Hospital care in pregnancy, Eliza wanted to go to the hospital where her mother worked as a midwife. After a healthy pregnancy, Eliza began her labour at home and was 5cm dilated when she went to see her doctor. Things took a turn when her baby became distressed and Charlie was delivered by caesarean section. A few months after Charlie’s arrival Eliza discovered she was pregnant with twins. Although a complete surprise Eliza and her partner were overjoyed to hear they would be adding identical twin boys to their family. To hear the challenges of carrying twins and chasing another baby around tune into this weeks episode. Topics Included: Caesarean, Diastasis Symphysis Pubis, steroid injections, identical twins, reduced foetal moment, North Shore Private Hospital, jaundice, weaning, TENS machine, Rite Aid Hydrogel breast pads, Hypnobirthing. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Beth Johnson. Beth shares her two pregnancies and births with us. Beth recalls her first pregnancy as beautiful and uneventful which resulted in a lovely water birth through the midwifery program at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women. Seven years after having her first daughter, Beth married her partner Jonathan and they conceived their second daughter on their honeymoon. Beth was terribly sick with ‘all day’ morning sickness. At 20 weeks when they went to have their routine ultrasound the doctors discovered some abnormalities in Marley’s facial structure. During this incredibly stressful time, Beth underwent countless ultrasounds. She also had an amniocentesis test administered which all failed to determine why her baby’s lower jaw seemed hard to detect in the scans. It wasn’t until Beth met with the midwife Kate Dwyer (who’s a Clinical Midwife Consultant High-Risk Pregnancy, Coordinator Midwifery Group Practice/Maternal-Fetal Medicine), at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women. Kate quickly diagnosed Beth’s baby girl with Piere Robin Sequence. To hear more about Piere Robin Sequence and how Beth’s high-risk pregnancy unfolded tune into this week's show. For more information on Piere Robin Sequence Topics covered: high-risk pregnancy, Piere Robin Sequence, Sydney’s Royal Children’s Hospital, nasal gastric tube (NG Tube), soft cleft palate, NICU, sleep apnoea, sleeping prone, reflux, amniocentesis. To connect with Beth Johnson through her Blog Modern Mother click here: Today’s episode is sponsor by Zoe Sage. is an online store for the modern busy mama; with health-conscious products that aim to help with everyday tasks and reduce stress. To see the full range of Zoe Sage products head over to The lovely team at Zoe Sage are offering all Australian Birth Stories Listeners 10% of the code AUSSIEBIRTH2018 If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 | Karla Rose Two Birth Center Water Births In today’s episode, I interview Karla Rose. Karla shares her pregnancies and births with her daughter Mini and her son Ruko. At 42 weeks Karla woke at 1 am and her waters went as she went to the bathroom. Contractions began quite quickly after her waters broke and she made her way to the birth center. After an intense contraction at the center, she got into the bath while she was transitioning. Mini was born into the water and her husband Ben delivered her. When she was born they were cuddling Mini for nearly 40minutes before they thought to check to see the sex of the baby. To hear more about Karla’s pregnancy with her son Ru and his birth tune into the podcast episode here. Topics covered: birth center birth, Byron Bay, water birth, postpartum bleed, Mullumbimby, rupture of membranes prior to contractions, castor oil, Tweed hospital, retained placenta, breastfeeding, engorgement, nipple shields. Today’s episode is sponsored by The Hug App. is available nationally and free to download and use, The Hug App is a secure, private online community that connects parents, family members and friends in need of transport or care for their little ones: If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Rozalia Russian. Rozalia takes us through her pregnancy and birth with both Willow and Kingston. After a very happy and healthy pregnancy with Willow Rozalia went 10 days overdue and was induced to help start her labour. After labouring all day Roza was unable to get past 3cm so her obstetrician Guy Skinner advised an emergency caesarean was the best way forward. After Willow’s delivery Roza haemorrhaged and required a blood transfusion. To hear more about Willow’s birth and how gestational diabetes in Kingston’s pregnancy caught her by surprised tune into this weeks show. Topics cover: gestational diabetes, blood transfusion, haemorrhage elective caesarean, emergency caesarean, breastfeeding, young mum, St Vincents Private Hospital, Dr. Guy Skinner, mastitis. Todays episode is sponsored by Palmaira Sandals Australia is run by the gorgeous sister in law duo two sister-in-laws (Jenn & Gem).To check out the full range of these beautiful Avarca sandals head over to: If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Nat. Nat takes us through her home water birth. Nat’s story is quite unique in that she had a hind water leak at 40 weeks, however, her contractions did not start. She was originally under the care of the team midwives through the local birth center however they were unable to continue to be her care provider once she had gone past 72 hours without contractions. Nat decided to hire her own private midwife to have the waterbirth she had planned for at home. To hear Nat’s birth story in more detail please tune into this weeks episode. Topics included: hind water leak, water birth, private midwife, hemorrhage, retained placenta, nuchal cord, Tresillian, placenta encapsulation, cervical scar tissue, home birth. To connect with Nat's Doula service : This week’s sponsor is . The CocoonaBaby is a unique ergonomic baby mattress designed for newborns' daytime and nighttime optimal sleep. Thanks to its enveloping shape, babies lie in a reassuring semi-fetal position, promoting deep sleep by limiting the startle reflex. To find out more about the CocoonaBaby If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Adele Barbaro (The Real Mumma). Adele shares her struggles in falling pregnant with her first child Harvey. Adele suffers from endometriosis and had a procedure to remove scar tissue to help create a more favorable environment for an embryonic transfer through IVF. Adele’s labour failed to progress despite induction medication being given and she delivered Harvey via a caesarean section. Adele went on to conceive Chloe naturally to her and Paul’s great surprise. Adele wanted to try for a VBAC with Chloe and she shares that although she was able to have the VBAC she had wished for she suffered a clitoral tear from her vaginal delivery. She recalls talking to her doctor a few weeks after Chloe’s delivery and saying she wishes she had just booked in for another cesarean. To hear more of Adele’s story tune in this week's show. Topics covered: IVF, low amniotic fluid, induction, caesarean section, vaginal birth after caesarean VBAC, clitoral tear, prodromal labour, vacuum delivery, hind water leak, general anesthetic, expressed colostrum, endometriosis. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Paralympian, Diversity and Disability Activist, author and mother of two Jessica Smith. Jessica shares her births with both Ayla and Reza. She takes us through the struggles with suffering severe morning sickness, (hyperemesis gravidarum) low iron and anxiety surrounding labour. Jessica also touches on how she felt about her changing body and body image after suffering from eating disorders for many years. Jessica was living in Perth when she fell pregnant with Ayla. Expecting to be met with fertility challenges due to battling eating disorders in her past, Jessica was thrilled to conceive easily in her first month of trying. Unfortunately, she immediately began to suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum. Jessica wasn't able to keep anything down including water. Under the careful watch of her obstetrician, Jessica later needed an iron transfusion. Thanfully by 17 weeks the morning sickness passed. Jessica felt very fearful about the delivery of Ayla and was quite sure she would like an epidural on the day. During the lead up she was also quite concerned about logistically how she would manage the baby with one hand. For example, she was concerned about day to day managing of tasks where she would be holding the baby and wouldn’t have a free hand to pick up car keys if she dropped them or if she was breastfeeding in public and wanted to cover herself with a wrap, she wouldn't have a free hand to assist herself. To hear Ayla's birth story, Jessica’s devastating miscarriage after Ayla, and her pregnancy journey and birth with Reza listen now. Topics included: hyperemesis gravidarum, bulimia, low iron, Epworth Freemason’s Hospital, miscarriage, epidural, anxiety, natural birth. Little Miss Jessica Goes to School by Jessica Smith Today’s sponsor is . to check out Mama Maya’s full range of beautiful organic swaddles head over to If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Today’s episode, I interview Marcia Leone from the Not So Mumsy blog. Marcia takes us through her two pregnancies and births with both Archie and Poppy. Marcia also discusses the two difficult miscarriages she had in between having Archie and Poppy and discusses the challenges of having unexpected secondary infertility. After undergoing a cleanse with her Naturopath, Marcia was able to regulate her cycles and fall pregnant quite quickly with Archie. Marcia took a weekend couples Calmbirth course to prepare for the labour which she felt really helped to ease her anxiety and get her ready for labour. At 39 weeks and 5 days, Marcia got up in the night to discover she lost her mucus plug after some light cramping. As she had tested positive to group B Step, her obstetrician recommended she come in to begin her antibiotic treatment. After having her waters broken to help progress her labour, Marcia went on to have an induction, epidural and episiotomy to assist the delivery of little Archie. Several hours after delivery the midwives were monitoring Archie whilst Marcia had a rest and they noticed he had spewed up some bright green bile. Archie was immediately taken away for surgery to have his malrotated bowel corrected. This was a completely unexpected condition and left Marcia and her partner shell-shocked. After one intensive month in the hospital, Archie was discharged. Marcia pumped around the clock during this time and established a fantastic supply. She was able to go on to have a successful breastfeeding relationship with Archie despite his severe reflux. To hear how it took several years, two miscarriages, a terrible bout of Dengue Fever and a round of IVF to conceive Poppy, tune in to Marcia’s interview. Topics included: PCOS, Hypnosis, Calmbirth, IVF, Spontaneous miscarriage, DNC, induction, epidural, Group B Strep, malrotated bowel, NICU, Special Care Nursery, secondary infertility, Dengue Fever. To connect with Marcia and her blog and label, Not So Mumsy click here Today’s episode is sponsored by . LEGOE is kindly offering you all 10% off with the code ABSxLEGOE this offer is until 12th December so be quick. To see their full range go to . To go into the draw to with a Body Ice Woman Maternity Pack please join the Australian Birth Stories newsletter here: Image: The First Hello If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Today’s episode I interview Tash about her three pregnancies and births. Tash had her first baby at Wangaratta hospital in rural Victoria. After a long posterior labour her first birth ended in an emergency C-Section. After the birth of her daughter Dempsey, Tash went on to fall pregnant with her second daughter when Dempsey was 9 months old. She had moved to Eltham from the county during this time and began seeing a GP through shared care with the Mercy Hospital in Heidelberg. Despite having healthy test results and scans at 20 weeks, Tash began to feel very unwell at 23 weeks and she went into premature labour. Her baby was born sleeping a few hours later. Tash shares very courageously her journey of delivering her stillborn daughter and how she processed her grief after such a tragic unexpected loss. Tash went on to try for another baby a couple of years later and takes us through the stress and anxiety of her third pregnancy. After much deliberation Tash decided, with the support of the Mercy staff, that she would have her little boy via elective c-section. This is a very powerful and emotional episode and I am incredibly grateful that Tash approached me wanting to share her stories. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Amelia Lamont, a Midwife and Sleep Consultant. Amelia shares the story of her son Alfie and daughter Essie’s pregnancies and births. After suffering two early miscarriages, Amelia fell pregnant with Alfie and had a relatively easy pregnancy up until 20 weeks when she started to experience an irritable uterus. This involved the uterus contracting regularly in a similar way to Braxton Hicks, with no cervical change. By 30 weeks these contractions became more regular and Amelia was advised by her obstetrician to stop working and rest until the baby was due to arrive. At 40 weeks Amelia went to see her obstetrician again as she hadn't been gaining any weight and they wanted to ensure the baby was still growing correctly. It was discovered at this appointment that Amelia had reduced fluid. After having a stretch and sweep by both her doctor and later that day by a close friend who was also a midwife, Amelia’s labour failed to begin. The next day she had her waters broken by her doctor and her contractions came on hard and fast. Amelia had an epidural when she reached 6cm and then ended up having an episiotomy and vacuum delivery as both her and Alfie became distressed and unwell towards the end of the labour. During her second pregnancy with daughter Essie, Amelia discovered Essie was breech at 28 weeks. Despite trying every recommended trick to turn her, acupuncture, moxibustion, and osteopathy, Essie failed to move. At 36 weeks Amelia had an External Cephalic Version (ECV) which managed to finally rotate Essie. It was during this procedure that they discovered that once again Amelia had reduced fluid surrounding the baby. To hear more about Essie’s delivery including how Amelia's husband crashed their new car before delivery, tune into the show…. Topics covered in today’s show: irritable uterus, reduced fetal movement, reduced fluid, episiotomy, acupuncture, moxibustion, external cephalic version, epidural, vacuum delivery, midwife, sleep school, breastfeeding, retained placenta, manual placenta removal. To connect with Amelia: Amelia's Sleep Consultancy: This weeks show sponsor: are offering all listeners $10 off on their courses and kits is with the code: AUBS10 If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Kayleigh takes us through her two births. At the age of twenty, Kayleigh went off the contraceptive pill and found that her period didn’t return for over 12mths. She turned to acupuncture to try and regulate her cycle and was able to menstruate again and fell pregnant the following month. During her first pregnancy, Kayleigh experienced morning sickness and later developed tachycardia ( a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting heart rate). Kayleigh’s labour began with her waters leaking in the evening at 39 weeks. After a prolonged second stage, three hours of pushing Kayleigh had a big bleed and was rushed away to theatre leaving her husband behind holding their new son. During Kayleigh’s second pregnancy she developed kidney stones at 28 weeks. Initially, she thought she was going into early labour. She was just about to get a steroid injection in preparation for a premature delivery when tests showed that she, in fact, had kidney stones. Kayleigh’s kidney stones passed after several days in the hospital where she was monitored and given IV fluids. At 38 weeks Kayleigh noticed she had reduced baby movement one morning. Midwives came over and found her baby’s heart rate quite easily, however, the baby wasn’t moving as much as the midwives would expect. The doctors decided to induce Kayleigh based on the reduced baby moment. Nervous she would have another bleed Kayleigh had an epidural put in place but asked them not to give her the actual drugs unless there was a sudden emergency. To hear more of Kayleigh’s story tune into the show. To connect with Kayleigh Mcglynn and her beautiful photography page: This week's sponsor is . to enjoy 10% off your baby’s poster use discount code ‘birthstories’ at checkout. Topics included: PCOS, tachycardia, kidney stones, epidural, retained placenta, acupuncture, reduced fetal movement. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In today’s episode, I interview Simone Burstow. Simone has two sets of identical twins and she takes us through both her pregnancies and births. Simone went in to have an early ultrasound in her first pregnancy after she had experienced some spotting at around 6 weeks. Expecting bad news Simone was shocked to hear that she was, in fact, carrying two healthy babies. Several years after the boys were born Simone and her husband decided to try again and Simone suffered an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in her losing one fallopian tube. After this sad experience and after effectively halving her chances of falling pregnant again, Simone was incredibly surprised when she fell pregnant again with another set of identical twins. To hear how Simone was able to deliver both sets of twins vaginally and how she has navigated all things twin related tune into this week's show. Topics covered: Identical twins, twin to twin transfer, monoamniotic twins, ectopic pregnancy, fallopian tube removed, vaginal twin delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, tandem feeding This week sponsor is . The team at BodyIce Woman are offering my listeners a 30% discount with the code BODYICE30. Check out the range at If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Courtney Adamo, co-founder of Babyccino Kids and author of the children’s book 9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy for the family to share. Courtney takes us through the journeys of her five pregnancies and births. Courtney shares how her experiences with each of her previous birth journeys lead her to have the most idyllic home birth with her fifth baby Wilkie. Courtney fell pregnant for the first time at the age of 23, whilst living with her then-boyfriend Michael. At this time they had been dating for a year and a half and living in London. Despite the pregnancy coming as a bit of a shock, Courtney describes Easton’s pregnancy as a ‘welcomed surprise’. Courtney found it quite overwhelming in the early stages of her pregnancy as she had only been living in London for a year and the midwifery system in London was quite different from what she knew of the American Obstetric lead birthing system. Courtney decided to hire a private midwife because she liked the idea of seeing the same midwife throughout her pregnancy. All of her antenatal appointments were conducted in her London flat in a comfortable and relaxing environment. She was given the option with her private midwife to birth at home or at the local birthing center. Easton’s labour was long and quite overwhelming and when his labour began to slow, and Courtney was becoming increasingly fatigued, she was transferred from the birth center to the local hospital. She then ended up having an epidural and 40 hours later Easton was born. Courtney explains it was not at all what she had envisioned for her birth. Twenty-Two months after Easton’s birth Courtney gave birth to her second son Quin. After Easton’s birth experience, Courtney had decided to hire the same private midwife and try and have a natural home birth. Courtney went into labour with Quin a few days before her due date and had another long drawn out and painful labour. After labouring at home for quite some time, Courtney was surprised to hear her midwife suggest that maybe she should transfer to the hospital. Courtney’s midwife felt there was something holding her back from birthing at home. Courtney made the frightening 2 am journey to the hospital and she gave birth quite dramatically on arrival at the hospital. Despite the dramatic transfer and quick delivery, Courtney found her recovery after Quin’s birth quite remarkable and she ended up walking home three hours after delivery. She and Michael sat in the sun in Hampstead Heath with their three hour newborn and savored the rare English sunshine. Courtney fell pregnant with Ivy when she was away on a child-free holiday in New York. Another welcomed surprise as Courtney conceived at the end of her period and must have ovulated earlier than usual. Despite being quite nauseous in the first 12 weeks, Ivy’s pregnancy was very similar to that of the boys, leading Courtney to believe she was carrying another boy. After experiencing an epidural birth with Easton, and then a drug-free, but dramatic transfer birth with Quin, courtney knew she wanted to do thins differently for her third birth. When the day came, Courtney made the decision to go straight to the hospital and she had a much quicker birth with an epidural. The epidiural actually only worked for one side of her body. Courtney’s found with Ivy’s birth she was able to be more present. She remembers details vividly such as her sister’s face when ivy was born and the sounds and smells in the room, which she attributes to one of the benefits of having an epidural. When Courtney’s fourth child, Marlow was conceived there was a shift in Courtney’s view and understanding of birth. She took up Yoga for the first time in her life and she read Ina May Gaskin’s book Guide to Childbirth. Courtney also gave Ina May’s book to Michael to read and she felt that the two of them were on the same page and were incredibly well prepared both physically and emotionally for Marlow’s birth. To the great surprise of the staff at the NHS hospital staff, Courtney presented herself at 38 weeks to register for her birth. Courtney had no antenatal appointments during this pregnancy (despite having the twelve and twenty-week scans). Marlow was delivered in the water in the local Birth Center with a beautiful midwife who completely trusted Courtney to have a physiological birth. Courtney remembers how her midwife sat quietly in the corner and told her to reach down and catch her baby when the time came. Because of Marlow’s beautiful birth and the experiences she had has with her other births, Courtney felt she was now ready to have her home birth. A home birth with her four children present. She felt that Marlow’s birth has built her confidence. She felt that she and Michael had had that intimate moment with Marlow’s delivery and she was ready to share this experience with her other four children. To hear how Courtney was able to have an idyllic home birth with her fifth child Wi

InVision Photography Australia In Today’s episode, I interview Carla. Carla shares the stories of her three pregnancies and births. At 21 years of age, Carla had a benign tumour removed from her ovary and she was told at the time she had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). The doctor informed her at this time that she would likely have difficulty conceiving. This turned out to be the case, as it took Carla three years of trying to fall pregnant with her first child. Carla worked with a fertility specialist out of Epworth Freemasons Hospital and tried a number of techniques such as weight loss, diet changes and then moved on to taking Clomid. After trying with Clomid for several months and having no success, Carla’s husband was deployed in the Army to the Solomon Islands and she took a full 6 months of taking any medications and had a complete break. When he returned she had one dose of Clomid and conceived Cate. Carla shares how she loved her first pregnancy. She had wanted to be a mother all her life and she already knew that she wanted to have her child through the local caseload midwifery program near her house. Carla went into labour naturally at home with Cate. She lost her mucus plug and then 2hours later her waters went. After labouring at home with her husband and sister for support, Carla made her way into the birth center in the evening when the contractions ramped up. On arrival, she was checked and shocked to find out she was fully effaced. After only 12 minutes of pushing Kate was delivered onto a mat while Carla was on all fours. Caral’s husband announced that they had a little girl and Carla was certain she was carrying a boy so she questioned this and after a nurse double checked they were thrilled to welcome little Cate into the world. InVision Photography Australia To hear more about Carla’s recovery and the births of her other two children tune into the podcast. Topics covered in this weeks episode: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Clomid, Fertility specialist, midwifery caseload care, natural childbirth, vaginal tearing, breastfeeding, benign ovarian tumor You can connect with the show on and Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by . Weleda is a certified natural skincare range that does not contain any mineral oil-based ingredients, and contains no synthetic perfumes, colourings or preservatives and is not tested on animals. To check out their full range head over to If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Alys takes us through her decision to have an elective caesarean section with her first son William due to his breech position and then going on to have a VBAC. Alys describes William's conception as a ‘deliberate surprise” after a few jokes around the table on a family New Zealand holiday with her partner’s family. Alys laughs about the fact that the first thing she did after taking a home pregnancy test was to go straight to the Good Guys to buy a clothes drier. Living in Canberra at the time Alys went through Canberra’s Public Hospital for her care. At 32 weeks she discovered her baby was breech. Alys’ doctor said she could decide on how she wanted to move forward. She shares how she made the decision to have a caesarean based on her readings and understandings that in a caesarean birth more of the risk is held by the mother and with a breech vaginal delivery the risk is held more with the baby. She said she probably wouldn’t make the same decision now, however, she was confident with her elective caesarean section choice at the time. When Alys found out she was pregnant for the second time she began to explore her delivery options. A girlfriend of Alys’ had recently had a Calm Birth, and another friend had had a VBAC home water birth. Having never had a contraction in her first pregnancy, Alys decided she'd like to give a VBAC a try. Alys shares how she went back and forth with the idea and it wasn't until she took her midwifery lead VBAC birth education class at Box Hill Public Hospital. that she felt confident in her decision. The midwife who lead the class convinced Alys that the benefits of a VBAC outweighed the risks. She walked away knowing that she wanted to go for a VBAC. To hear more about how Alys’ successful VBAC went tune into the show. Topics covered: Breech baby, elective caesarean, chemical pregnancy, VBAC, low milk supply, formula feeding, retained placenta. Topics covered: Breech baby, elective caesarean, chemical pregnancy, VBAC, low milk supply, formula feeding, retained placenta. To connect with the show on and If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Gemma Taylor. Gemma takes us through her difficult four-year journey trying to conceive her first child Flynn. Gemma suffered from mild endometriosis and a low egg count and conceived Flynn after a stimulated IVF Cycle. Gemma shares openly the heartache in miscarrying her first transferred embryo and the joy in going on to conceive Flynn. Flynn’s pregnancy began with severe morning sickness which didn’t subside until 24 weeks. Then at 27 weeks, Gemma was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Gemma’s labor with Flynn began at around 39 weeks after a week of pre-labor. When she went in for a stretch and sweep her midwife was surprised to find how favourable Gemma seemed and said she thought that she was going to deliver in the coming day. Several days later contractions began to ramp up on a Friday night. Gemma laboured at home until 2 pm the following day when she transferred to Randwick Women's Hospital hospital feeling exhausted after a long and trying week of on and off contractions. The midwife on duty suggested an epidural to give Gemma the chance to have some rest and they started an indiction drip to help progress her labour. With her second pregnancy, after having gone through such a long a painful journey trying to conceive Flynn, Gemma and her partner decided to try quite quickly to try and conceive again. They began the process by having the frozen embryo (which was taken at the same time as Flynn) implanted. Unfortunately, this transfer ended in a missed miscarriage which Gemma had a DNC for at 7 weeks. The next stimulated cycle for Gemma and her partner was somewhat different as the technology for IFV was continuing to evolve. There was now a new test available Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing. According to IVF Australia : “Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is a sophisticated scientific technique which can be used to test embryos for either a specific known genetic condition or chromosome abnormality. This enables only chromosomally normal embryos or those unaffected by a specific disorder to be selected for transfer during an IVF cycle, maximising the chance of a healthy baby. Up to 70% of embryos created, either via natural conception or IVF don’t survive the first 3 months of pregnancy and many don’t achieve implantation because of those two reasons.” () To hear more about how Gemma went on to have the first mosaic embryo transferred in Australia and how she ended up delivering her second son at home with the assistance of her sister in law and business partnerJenny tune into the show. Topics covered: endometriosis, IFV, stimulated cycles, misses miscarriage, DNC, gestational diabetes, Mozaic embryo transfer, unexpected home birth, asthma, pre-labour. Today's episode is sponsored by Blossom and Glow. Blossom and Glow are offering listeners a 15% off discount. Enter ABS15 at checkout. To check out Gemma and Jenny's sandals, If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, I interview Georgie Abay the founder of The Grace Tales. Georgie takes us through her pregnancies and premature births of her little girl Arabella at 34 weeks and Lottie at 33 weeks. After trying to conceive for 6 months Georgie fell pregnant with her first daughter Arabella. Georgie experienced terrible morning sickness up until 19 weeks with Arabella. After completing her Calm Birth course at 34 weeks, Georgie went into labour the next day prematurely. After going in for a routine ultrasound the staff discovered that she was going into labour. Her doctor sent her straight to the hospital to have a steroid injection and sent her home on bed rest. Georgie was due to be a bridesmaid for her best friend later that week and had a nail appointment that day in preparation for the day. Her mum said she could take her to her nail appointment and as she would be laying down in the chair she would therefore be resting. Georgie’s waters went in the nail salon in a comical movie style fashion. She ended up borrowing a towel from the salon and put that under her dress and she and her mother made their way to the hospital, via the supermarket to pack a last minute supply bag of essentials for the very early birth. Despite her waters going contractions didn’t start so, Georgie was induced to progress the labour. After labouring for 17 hours with the assistance of an epidural and forceps, Arabella was delivered 6 weeks early. Arabella was checked by a paediatrician and was then wheeled off to the special care nursery. Georgie explains that Arabella’s emotional birth and the separation she experienced was the hardest thing she had experienced. Arabella was formula fed in the special nursery and Georgie went home without her little girl. Georgie shares the heart ache she experienced in leaving the hospital without her baby. When home Georgie pumped tirelessly through the night to bring her milk supply in and was able to successfully bring in a great milk supply which enabled her to start breastfeeding Arabella when she was stronger. After two weeks of care in the special care nursery, Arabella was discharged and came home. When Arabella was 10mths old Georgie fell pregnant again unexpectedly while they were renovating their house and living at her mum’s place. At 23 weeks into Georgie’s second pregnancy she had a scan and it was discovered she had a short cervix and she had started to dilate. She was put on strict bedrest as she was at risk of early labour again. This was incredibly challenging as she had a toddler to take care of. She was only allowed to get up to shower and eat. Georgie had to insert progesterone daily and shealso had steroid shots to help prepare her body and the baby for another early arrival. She moved back to her Mum’s house and hired a full-time nanny to care for Arabella. At 33 weeks Georgie felt she was about to go into labour so she quickly moved back into her family home and her the next morning her waters went. Georgie had the support of a lovely midwife and she felt this made a huge difference to her mental strength in this labour. As contractions didn’t immediately start, she had induction medication to progress things. To hear more about Georgie’s recovery and her 6-week postpartum haemorrhage, and Lottie’s birth journey tune into the podcast……… Topics covered: premature birth, special care nursery, epidural, forceps, breastfeeding, yoga, calm birth, blood clots, post-partum haemorrhage, bed rest, blood transfusions, retained placenta, Dilation (or dilatation) and curettage (D&C) Today's episode is proudly sponsored by Pure Baby: Pure Baby is an Australian owned company who create premium, organic clothing for babies and children. The lovely people at Pure Baby are offering Australian Birth Stories listeners $20 of with the code ABS20. To check out the full range of Pure baby products head to If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Claire shares how she and her partner Steph had a home birth with their little girl LJ. As a same-sex couple, Claire and Steph used a home insemination process with sperm given to them from a very good friend. As a naturopath, Claire carefully monitored her cycles and use acupuncture to help make the process as smooth as possible. They were lucky enough to conceive on their first home transfer. Claire takes us through how she and Steph prepared themselves to co-feed LJ. Steph has never been pregnant before however, she was able to induce lactation through pumping regularly and taking natural medicines and Domperidone. Both Steph and Claire now breastfeed little LJ. To hear more listen now… Topics covered: induced lactation, home insemination, home birth, water birth, private midwife, acupuncture, naturopath, breastfeeding, placenta encapsulation, same-sex couple. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode, Elise Knowles shares the births of her three children. During Elise's first labour she was dilated to 5cm without even realising she was in early labour. This pre-labor went on for several days and she ended up having some acupuncture and a stretch and sweep. Elise was admitted later that day and was induced to help progress her labour. 3.5 hours later Raffety was born and despite having an episiotomy she suffered a third-degree tear. Elise’s recovery was slow and difficult as she was physically and emotionally drained from the delivery. She found breastfeeding Raffety very challenging which she wasn’t expecting and felt unprepared for this challenge. She shares how there is very little discussion about how difficult the initial stages of breastfeeding can be and it can lead to feelings of guilt and failure when it doesn't all go to plan. Raffety was a very unsettled baby who was later diagnosed with severe reflux and readmitted to hospital at 6 weeks of age. During this time in the hospital, while Raff recovered from a burnt oesophagus, it became clear to the staff that Elise was struggling emotionally and they advised her that they suspected she had postnatal depression. With the support and encouragement of her husband and mother, Elise was able to seek help and was connected with Better Beginnings. Her therapist diagnosed her with postnatal anxiety. Elise openly discusses the slow recovery she experienced with her tear and it was at 3mths that she got the courage to try sex again. After trying for 9mths she fell pregnant again with Tabitha. Unlike her first pregnancy Elise shares she felt much sicker with morning sickness with Tabitha and it was a very different pregnancy overall. To hear more about Tabitha’s birth and Delilah’s tune into the podcast……. Topics covered: 3rd-degree tear, postnatal depression, pelvic floor exercises, obstetrician, breastfeeding, induction, jaundice, prolapse, placenta encapsulation, Elise Knowles If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Show Sponsors: Franjos Kitchen The lovely Fran and Jo from Franjos Kitchen are the sponsors of this episode. They are offering listners 20% off their first order with the discount code ABS. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode Bridget discusses the births of her two boys. Bridget had both her children under the care of a private Obstetrician. She discusses how she came to this decision based on a family history of Preeclampsia. Bridget shares how her mum died and was resuscitated in the end stages of her first pregnancy due to preeclampsia and her baby was delivered by caesarian whilst she was in a coma. Bridget thankfully showed no signs of pre eclampsia in both pregnancies. Bridget’s first labour started with her waters breaking at home in bed and she later delivered after over two hours of intense pushing. This pushing phase resulted in Bridget ‘seeing stars’ in her left eye. This raised immediate concerns with the nurses and her doctor and she was rushed off for an emergency MRI to rule out the possibility of a small stroke during her labour. Thankfully it was, in fact, a burst blood vessel from the strain of pushing. In Bridget's second labour she was induced at 40 weeks as the baby was very low and she was in quite a bit of pain in her hips and was finding walking very difficult. Her doctor agreed that inducing her at full term was the best course of action and her labour progresses very quickly and resulted in a much shorter pushing phase and she was blessed with another very healthy baby boy. Bridget also shares with us the conception of Midnight Mums Facebook group which she is the founder of. The group was started when Bridget was living interstate and away from her family with a new baby. She was contacting a school friend online in the middle of the night and they were supporting each other through this often lonely journey of night feeds. Five years later the group now has over 80,000 members from right across Australian and the world. Tune in to the podcast to hear more details. Topics covered in this weeks episode: preeclampsia, burst blood vessel of the eye, induction, epidural, obstetrician. Midnight Mums If you can spare a moment, please leave a review and rating in iTunes. It helps get the show to more lovely listeners. Connect with the show over on If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class my online childbirth education course head to the shop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.