Australian Birth Stories

In this week’s episode, Alice Bingham discusses the births of her son Cruse and daughter Winter Rose. Alice is a registered nurse. After struggling to conceive for 9 months Alice was over joyed when she became pregnant. Alice’s labour with Cruse began with her waters going and then an unexplained bleed which was very traumatic. As contractions hadn’t started and her water’s had gone, Alice was induced to progress the labour. Alice had an epidural and pushed for 30 minutes and had her healthy baby boy. On day three Cruse was admitted back into the hospital to have 24hours of phototherapy to treat jaundice. Alice was admitted back into the Pediatric Ward for Cruse's treatment and she was able to have some one on one assistance with a lactation consultant which really helped her gain confidence with breastfeeding. With Alice’s second pregnancy she only tried for one month and she was able to successfully fall pregnant with Winter. She discusses how she became quite anxious towards the end of her pregnancy as she was nervous that she might have another big unexplained bleed and need to be on constantly monitored. At 37 weeks after a very long labour of walking and another unexplained bleed Alice was admitted. Alice had an epidural but she went from 6cm to 10cm very quickly in 45minutes so there wasn’t enough time to get the epidural completed. She was able to birth her baby with the assistance of her husband, midwife and a mirror. lice also shares the challenges of bringing a second child home. She shares how her toddler ignored her for most of the first week when he brought her daughter home. We discuss the feelings of maternal guilt and readjusting to life with two children. Topics covered in this weeks episode: placenta abrasion, jaundice, phototherapy, induction epidural, toddler jealously, lactation consultants, sciatic pain. Alice In Healthy Land 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 Facebook Webpage 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 Edwina shares the births of her two children Polly and Theodore. Edwina is a registered nurse and Midwife. Edwina let her confidence of being a midwife take over and she and her partner did not do any child birth education classes in the lead up to her first birth of Polly, a decision she regretted terribly on the day. After a long labour, Edwina had an epidural from a colleague who was crying cause she was so sad seeing her friend in so much pain. Eventually the epidural was in and Edwina was able to sleep. She also had induction medication to speed up her labour. Edwina discusses using the Epi-no to stretch her perineal muscles to prevent tears. She thinks this contributed to the fact that she didn’t tear in either of her births. Birthing in the hospital where Edwina works also posed added complications as her colleagues all knew she was in birth suits and a couple even dropped in to see how she was going. With her second pregnancy, Edwina was determined to do things differently and she and her husband both attended independent child birth education classes. She jokes about the fact that her sons head came out and she didn’t have another contraction for quite some time and she was chatting to her midwife while her husband was quite concerned that half his child had been born. Since having her children Edwina has started her own Child Birth Education classes teaching child birth education and Baby and Child first aide. Topics covered in todays episode include; Breech baby, Epi-no, perineal massage, child birth education classes, epidural, baby and child first aide, midwifery care. Birth Beats 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.

In today’s episode, I interview Sophie Cachia, The Young Mummy about her two births. Sophie was diagnosed with the poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) at the age of 17 and she was told it was likely she would have a lot of trouble conceiving. Sophie started acupuncture to try and regulate her menstrual cycle when she decided she wanted to try for a baby and she was successful in her first few months of trying. She suffered chronic morning sickness in Bobby’s pregnancy and ended up taking prescription medication to help ease the discomfort. Throughout the pregnancy, Bobby measured weeks ahead in fondul height measurements. Sophie’s obstetrician at Frances Perry House in Melbourne advised her he wanted to induce her at 38 weeks to ensure the baby didn’t get too big. Sophie was given gell to induce her however they discovered she was already 3cm dilated so labour began quickly. After 26 hours of labour Sophie’s waters were broken and she pushed for over 4 hours. The prolonged pushing stage and the fact that Bobby’s shoulders got stuck resulted in Sophie needing an episiotomy and she also got an anal fissure. The fissure was so significant that Sophie had to under go surgery to repair it 6 months after the birth. Falling pregnant with Florence proved to be quite difficult for Sophie and after eight disappointing months of trying Sophie’s obstetrician decided it would be best for her to start Clomid to help her ovulate more regularly. Luckily for Sophie, she fell pregnant before the IVF process was needed. Sophie discusses announcing her pregnancy to her social media fans at 9 weeks, the differences between public and private care, challenges in epidural placement and much more. Tune in to hear the full story. Topics covered in this episode: Poly cystic ovarian syndrome PCOS, morning sickness, epidural, episiotomy, anal fissure, infertility, induction, acupuncture, Clomid, clary sage oil, Royal Women's Hospital, Frances Perry House. Cachia 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, Tegan shares the stories of her three births of Bridget, Charlotte, and her newest addition Billy. Tegan married her high school sweetheart and got pregnant with Bridget at 20. Tegan’s pregnancy with Bridget was smooth and she had midwifery care through her local public hospital. Bridget’s labour went for over 30 hours as she was in a posterior position. Bridget was eventually delivered with the assistance of an episiotomy and the vacuum and after over two hours of pushing, she was delivered. Charlotte's pregnancy gave Tegan quite a lot of back ache which she saw a chiropractor for regular treatment. Charlotte was a very unsettled baby and it wasn’t until she was 11 months old that she was finally diagnosed with a dairy allergy. After falling pregnant very quickly with both Bridget and Charlotte, Tegan was surprised to find that she was struggling to conceive for the third time. After trying for12months, Tegan was diagnosed for the first time with PCOS Polly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. After being diagnosed with PCOS and after trying for a year Tegan was about to start Metformin to try and help her ovulate more regularly when she conceived naturally. For Billy’s pregnancy, Tegan had a student midwife who was a friend follow her through the pregnancy and she also had a birth photographer booked for the birth. Billy was delivered in the local hospital with the assistance of midwives. Billy’s head presented in the amniotic sac otherwise know as en caul. The midwives cut the sac as he was delivered with the assistance of gas and air. 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 Fiona Harrison a Doula, Naturopath and Massage Therapist who works at Fertile Ground Health Group in East Melbourne. Fiona shares the birth story of her second son Tenzin at the Mercy Birth Centre. Fiona went through the team midwifery group practice at the birth center. After finding out her baby was breech at 37 weeks, Fiona describes how she under went an ECV (External cephalic version) to successfully turn the baby into a more optimal position for birth. ECV is a procedure where an obstetrician manually encourages the baby to change position while the mother lies in a tilted bed. This procedure is carefully monitored to make sure that the baby is not under stress. With a successful ECV, Fiona was able to birth her baby at the birth center with the assistance of a close friend, her husband, and her midwife. She discusses utilising the various treatments offered by her colleagues at Fertile Ground such as Mother roasting as well as taking homeopathic, having acupuncture administered and eating a variety of easily digestible foods. Topics covered in this episode: external cephalic version, breech babies, pregnancy induction massage, mother roasting, acupuncture, birth centre birth. To help out the show: - Leave an honest review on iTunes, Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one. - Subscribe on iTunes or download our mobile app. 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, Breeana gives a very open and honest account of her struggles with severe antenatal depression in her pregnancy with her son. Breeana’s pregnancy began with severe morning sickness and emotionally she became quite unwell. Supported through the mental health unit at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Bree saw a physiatrist throughout the pregnancy and together they decided that the best option to support her mental health was to have an elective caesarean. The Women’s were supportive of Bree’s decision and allowed her to book in her delivery. Thankfully immediately after baby Ari’s delivery Bree said she felt immediately better. Although Bree is extremely grateful that her recovery was quite quick, she wants to reiterate that post natal depression often follows antenatal depression. Bree also shares with us her decision to have a tubal ligation after Ari was born. She knew that she didn’t want to have any more children and that she didn’t feel she could possibly go through pregnancy again. Bree touches on issues of guild and shame at some of her choices she made in her pregnancy but wants to share her experience to help others support and understand antenatal depression in more detail. Issues touched upon in this episode: Depression, pregnancy termination, mental health, suicide, antenatal depression, severe morning sickness (hyperemesis gravidarum), tubal ligation, elective caesarean section, anti depressants. Resources: Pregnancy Counselling Australia ph: 1300 737 732 Life line ph: 13 11 14 PANDA Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia ph:1300 726 306 Australian Birth 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 had the privilege of speaking with Lael Stone. Lael has worked in the birth community for over 14 years. She has worked as a doula, childbirth educator and Calmbirth practitioner. Lael is also an Aware Parenting instructor who has worked with women who have had birth trauma. Further to this she also teaches Sex Education to teenagers. Lael has interviewed and collected birth experience data from hundreds of Australian women throughout her career. This data provided insight and motivation to develop the About Birth Online Education Program. Today she shares with us the births of her three children who are now 17, 14 and 9 years old. Lael beautifully recounts the journey of her first pregnancy and labour where she had little to no birth knowledge and experience. This lead to a long, intervention filled, traumatic birth. This experience lead to her to explore alternative birthing options for her second birth. She decided to hire an independent midwife and doctor for a home birth. For her third pregnancy Lael explains that she wanted to draw on all her birth experience and knowledge from having worked in the field to have the best possible birth. Her third and most challenging birth unfolded very differently and challenged her in the most profound way. Tune in to hear what happened in more detail. Topics covered in today’s show: Hospital birth, epidural, episiotomy, birth trauma, home birth, water birth, footling breech baby, emergency section, neonatal care, breastfeeding, midwifery care, calmbirth. Here are a list of resources mentioned in this 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.

In today’s episode Amy Ozmanhodzic shares three very different and beautiful birth stories. During Amy’s first pregnancy she discovered hypnobirthing and she credits the skills she learnt from her hypnobirthing training for the three unmedicated beautiful births she was able to achieve. Amy was so blown away by hypnobirthing, that after her second child she trained as a hypnobirth practitioner and she now also works as a birthing Doula in the Byron Bay Hinterlands. 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 After seeing her sister in law have a home birth, Amy decided at 31 weeks that she wanted to change her birth plans and have a home birth herself. She moved on to the community midwifery care program and didn't look back. During her second pregnancy at 39 weeks Amy’s fundal measurement (the measure of the size of the uterus used to assess fetal growth) showed that there had been little change in growth over three weeks. The midwife was concerned that the baby wasn’t growing so Amy was sent to have an ultrasound at King Edward Memorial Hospital to check on the baby's development and amniotic fluid levels. The doctor advised that her amniotic fluid was on the lower side of normal. She was advised there was 5% chance her baby would become stressed in labour. She was then advised that she would have to deliver her second baby in hospital. Amy's waters then broke as she left the hospital. to hear more tune into episode 11 of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode Renae openly shares going through pregnancy and raising her little ‘Tinder Surprise’ baby Avery as a single parent. Renae had hyperemesis gravidarum (sever morning sickness) throughout the pregnancy which required medication. She also discovered at 37 weeks that she had pre eclampsia. The swelling symptoms of pre eclampsia coupled with living in another state from her immediate family made for an uncomfortable pregnancy which Renae didn't enjoy. After receiving test results back from the lab Renae’s private obstetrician rang her when she was 37 weeks and told her to leave work and come into the hospital as soon as possible. Avery was born by caesarean section the next day after her pre eclampsia became dangerous for both Renae and her baby. GRUBEZE: Take the mess and stress out of feeding little grubbers. Keeping their clothes dry and stain-free. The ultimate messy kids full body hazmat. Encourage baby led weaning and self-feeding with grubeze coverall, waterproof onesies for eating. Better than a bib or smock, grubeze full body coverage offers the ultimate in children's clothing protection - no more ruined clothes or multiple changes. Save valuable time and money on washing, soaking and laundry products. Easy to use, grubeze comes in a handy carry bag and features a convenient long double zip to allow for mid meal bum changes and adjustable wrist and ankles to suit any little grubber’s proportions. Extremely durable, grubeze is machine washable and can also be thrown in the tumble dyer. Made from super soft, lightweight, breathable fabric it releases heat and water vapour ensuring little grubbers stay cool and comfy while wearing it. What’s not to love? Grubeze has it all covered! 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 Melissa Ayling from Hypnobirthing Geraldton shares with us the beautiful and remarkable birth of her son Lockie who was born on the way to hospital in her car. Melissa drew on her training as a hypnobirthing practitioner to trust in her body’s ability to birth her baby unassisted with her husband receiving her little boy on the side of the road. This story is not to be missed. Melissa chose to deliver her placenta physiologically, that is without the use of the drug syntocinon. Commonly the third stage of labour is ‘actively managed’ in Australian hospitals in the management of the third stage of labour (placenta delivery). 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 Phoebe tells the story of the birth of her first child Alex. Phoebe had midwifery care through her local public hospital which has a birth centre attached. She had a healthy pregnancy with no major health concerns. When Phoebe went in for her stress test at 41 weeks, the midwives discovered that there were some irregularities with the foetal monitoring of her little boy. As a precaution Phoebe was kept in for monitoring and it turns out she wasn't able to go home until she had delivered a couple of days later. Phoebe discusses the challenges of using a balloon catheter to induce labour. She also shares how she chose to use the clip, (also known as a foetal scalp electrode which is inserted into the baby while still in utero) for monitoring her baby's heart rate. By using the clip Phoebe was not restricted by the monitoring tape that often slips and is uncomfortable for many women during labour. Phoebe drew on the skills she had gained through her reading of Juju Sundin’s Birth Skills to help her reframe the pain of her contractions to assist her through having an induced labour. 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, Kate shares the story of the birth of her second son Jude. Kate had planned a VBAC for Jude's birth after having an emergency caesarean after a long posterior labour with her first child Archie. Kate discusses the challenges in falling pregnant a second time around and suffering a miscarriage. She sought help on an acupuncturist and decided to go through the private hospital system at Frances Perry House Instead of going through midwifery care at the Royal Women's. 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 epidode Cara shares the story of her son Banjo's birth at Frances Perry Private Hospital in Melbourne. After labouring at home for two days Cara went into hospital to find that the baby was in a posterior position. Cara had her waters broken by her midwife in an attempt to help progress the labour however the baby failed to rotate. After using Gas and Air and then having an epidural, Cara's baby boy was delivered by an emergency caesarean section. Cara discusses taking Calm Birth classes as well as Preggie Bellies exercise classes and how she kept very healthy drinking fruit and vegetable drinks throughout her pregnancy. Cara also discusses the challenges of breastfeeding, post part blues and sever constipation that required her to return to hospital on day five after delivering Banjo. This episode will make you cry for all the right reasons. A must listen. 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 episode Emma tells the story of her prolonged posterior labour with her little boy Raphael. Emma had a relatively easy pregnancy, overseen by her local GP and the midwives at the local public hospital. Her labour began with her waters rupturing in the middle of the night and contractions started a few hours later. After labouring at home for quite a few hours Emma transferred to the hospital to find she was in fact only dilated 1cm. After morphine and several more hours of difficult contractions, Emma’s labour failed to progress due to the baby’s positioning. After induction medication, two epidurals and an episiotomy Raphael was born and Emma was able to reach down and bring him to her chest. 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 episode, Katie shares the story of the birth of Edie and then her son Willem. Edie was conceived through IVF after 5 years of actively trying to conceive ‘naturally’. Willem was conceived naturally as a complete and welcomed surprise two years later. After very careful research and consideration, Katie planned to birth both her babies at home with private midwives. After labouring for 24 hours at home under the care of her private midwives, Katie transferred to hospital after the labour was slow to progress and exhaustion was setting in. Edie was delivered in a public hospital with the assistance of induction medication and an epidural. Willem's home birth took a turn when Katie passed a large blood clot early on in the labour. Katie's midwife advised her to go into hospital to ensure everything was ok and she delivered him later that day with the support of her husband and private midwife. Katie’s Recommended resources: Birth with Confidence: Savvy choices for normal birth - Rhea Dempsey Active Birth - Janet Balaskas Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin 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, Lucy tells the story of the birth of her second child Holly. Both Lucy’s pregnancies were achieved with the assistance of IVF. Lucy discusses the challenges IVF, having Hyperemesis Gravidarum (server morning sickness) and gestational diabetes. Lucy was very pleased to have achieved an unmedicated vaginal delivery after having undergone an epidural, episiotomy and forceps with her first delivery of her son Dan. Lucy describes her labour as a positive induction story as she felt like it was carefully monitored by a midwife she quickly built a good rapport with. Topics Covered: IVF, Low sperm count, morning sickness, private obsetricain, induced labour, breastfeeding. 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.

Hilary's waters went at home the day before Sonny's due date. As she had tested Strep B positive, her midwife asked her to come into the hospital to be induced immediately. Sonny's labour was incredibly intense and Hilary found little to no relief in between contractions. She recalls that her husband only left her side for a one minute toilet break during the 8.5 hour labour, and even that was duly noted as being too long. Despite practicing yoga and active birth techniques from Juju Sundin's book 'Birth Skills' , Hilary found the pain overwhelming and cried out for a c-section after 5 hours. She then attempted Gas and Air which she loved. She discusses her birth plan (which stated to offer no pain relief) and doesn't recommend detailing your birth plan in this way - she wishes she had been offered Gas and Air earlier. Sonny was mal positioned and Hilary was on all fours for part of her birth, trying to turn him into a better position for delivery. She ended up delivering on her back, which was not what she had envisioned for herself. After 35 minutes of pushing, Sonny arrived. These beautiful images are the very few she has of her labour, which she'd hoped to have been able to document in more detail (being a photographer). Hilary looks forward to a second attempt at putting Juju Sundin's techniques in an unmedicated birth if she decides to try for a second baby. 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.

After a long 36 hour first birth with my son Niko, (which included an epidural, an episiotomy, forceps and then a postpartum haemorrhage) I was determined to have another attempt at an unmedicated birth centre birth. Louis' birth came right as planned the day before his due date allowing for his Dad to help out during his school holidays. Louis' labour started quickly at home in the middle of the night and resulted in the birth centre birth I had planned for. Arriving at the birth centre at 5am Louis was born at 7am and we were all home for dinner at 7pm. I used hypnobirthing techniques, yoga, pilates, massage and acupuncture to assist in the preparation for the second birth I had dreamt of. Louis dropped very little weight after his birth and I attribute this to his voracious appetite. I supplemented his first feeds with colostrum that I had pumped and frozen prior to his birth. I used the frozen colostrum and fed him through a syringe so as to avoid any early possible nipple confusion. The photo above shows me and my sister Hilary (see episode 2 for Sonny's birth story) breastfeeding together in my birth centre room just 2 hours after Louis' 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.