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A Podcast of Mothers' stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell birth stories. An entertaining and heartfelt resource for pregnancy, labour and delivery and postpartum.
The Calmbirth Conversation Podcast explores issues of pregnancy, birth and parenting infants. Hosted by Karen McClay, director of the renowned Calmbirth® childbirth education method, midwives and experts explore topics for expecting and new parents. Calmbirth’s goal is to educate and improve the birthing outcomes for all women and their families, not just physically, but emotionally as well.
A podcast featuring Australians sharing their journey of vaginal birth after caesarean. Through sharing and learning from each other's lived experiences the podcast is designed to empower and educate those whose VBAC journey may have just begun, help all expecting mums achieve a more natural birth if that is their intention, and better inform birth professionals about one's journey to a VBAC.
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Australian Birth Stories
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328 | Rachel, one caesarean birth, unexplained infertility, IUI, IVF, miscarriage
30:57
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In episode 328 Rachel talks in depth about her ten rounds of IVF over seven years. She discloses the emotional toll of 15 embryo transfers, the challenge of seeing friends and family members fall pregnant with ease, and the simultaneous joy and fear of growing and birthing her miracle baby, Sigrid. Seventeen months after giving birth, Rachel admits…
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Australian Birth Stories
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327 | Brigitte one emergency caesarean, miscarriage, acupuncture, private obstetrician, public hospital, induction, epidural
59:32
59:32
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59:32
In episode 327 Brigitte shares her miscarriage experiences and how they affected her care choices in her next pregnancy. Despite not having private obstetric healthcare, she opted for continuity of care with a private obstetrician but chose to give birth in the public hospital. It’s not a common model of care but it's definitely more affordable and…
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Australian Birth Stories
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326 | Hayley, one breech vaginal birth, PCOS, amenorrhea, ECV, NICU
38:17
38:17
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38:17
In episode 326 Hayley takes us through her first pregnancy where her baby was in a frank breech position (bottom down) at 36 weeks. She listened to the breech episode with Dr Andrew Bisits that features in The Birth Class and promptly arranged to see him for a consultation. After an ECV to turn her baby was unsuccessful, Hayley confidently prepared…
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Australian Birth Stories
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325 | Caitlyn, PCOS, ovulation induction, IVF, TFMR, anencephaly, induction, emergency caesarean, breastfeeding
58:34
58:34
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58:34
In episode 325 Caitlyn @missmaysmoments shares the story of her two pregnancies. After navigating the challenges of PCOS, ovulation induction and IVF, Caitlyn was lucky enough to get 17 embryos and fell pregnant on the first transfer. At her 13 week scan her baby boy - Teddy - was given a terminal diagnosis of anencephaly meaning he would only surv…
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Australian Birth Stories
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324 | Claire, one vaginal birth, private obstetrician, migraines, iron infusion, positive induction, active birth, mixed feeding
43:54
43:54
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43:54
In episode 324 I chat to Claire @thelifeofclaire_ who shares her first pregnancy and birth experience. After discovering that fertility rates fall dramatically after the age of 35, she organised a preconception blood test with her GP, got her mirena removed, tracked her cycle and promptly fell pregnant. She chats about her lifelong experience with …
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Australian Birth Stories
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323 | Nas Campanella, caesarean birth, vision impairment, charcot-marie-tooth disease, breech, lactation consultant, formula feeding, disability discrimination, postpartum doula
1:15:15
1:15:15
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1:15:15
In this episode I interview Nas Campanella, new mum to baby Lachlan and a disability affairs reporter for the ABC. Nas is visually impaired and has a neurological condition that affects her dexterity and balance, so her journey to motherhood has required a lot of active preparation and planning. She talks in detail about the discussions she had wit…
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Australian Birth Stories
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322 | Julie, one vaginal birth, MGP, birth centre, The Birth Class, labial tear, afterpains
59:27
59:27
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59:27
In today’s episode Julie shares her incredibly positive first birth experience. She had listened to the podcast for years before she conceived so she knew she wanted continuity of care with a midwife in a birth centre, ideally one attached to a hospital in case she needed medical support. As soon as she found out she was pregnant she was proactive …
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Australian Birth Stories
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321 | Amy, two births, forceps, pelvic floor injury, prolapse, birth trauma, women’s health physio, postnatal depression, caesarean birth
1:05:54
1:05:54
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I interview Amy, the founder of the Australiasian Birth Trauma Association. In honour of her experience and Birth Trauma Awareness Week, Amy talks about the physical trauma that resulted from an instrumental (forceps) birth. She goes into detail about her pelvic floor injury and prolapse and because her story shares so many parallels with mine, I a…
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Australian Birth Stories
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320 | Luka, three vaginal births, Midwife, unassisted homebirth, 42 weeks, irritable uterus, breastfeeding
51:08
51:08
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51:08
In today’s episode I chat to midwife and mum, Luka @boobtofood for the second time. You can listen to Luka’’s first two birth stories in episode 140 but today she takes us through her third birth which was an unassisted homebirth. She talks at length about her past birth challenges and the way she was feeling in the days leading up to this birth as…
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Australian Birth Stories
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319 | Sonia, Vaginal Birth, Adopted, Shared Care, Ulcerative Colitis, Epidural
39:49
39:49
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39:49
I chat to Sonia who shares her first pregnancy and birth story. Sonia was adopted from India when she was four-years-old so pregnancy was particularly poignant for her as she thought a lot about her birth mother’s experience and wondered about her medical history (of which there are no records). She opted for shared care with her GP and chose to do…
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VBAC Birth Stories
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54 | Amielia's VBAC at 42 weeks and 6 days following an emergency caesarean after induction at 41 weeks and 5 days; Indigenous Australian, 'FTP' at 2cm, Group B Strep, VBAC with shorter birth-interval ...
1:37:46
1:37:46
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Amielia is a 21 year old Djab Wurrung woman and this week we would like to share her birth stories in celebration of NAIDOC week. Amielia only found out about the details of her indigenous ancestry when she was 12 and who her family were related to. She grew up learning about her cultural practices and a part of the disappointment in her first birt…
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Australian Birth Stories
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318 | Laura, two vaginal births, varicose veins, OB, low amniotic fluid, epidural, low milk supply
1:27:16
1:27:16
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1:27:16
Laura talks about her two births and the difference between private obstetric care and midwifery group practice (MGP) in the public system. If you are trying to conceive or you’re in early pregnancy and you’re interested in learning more about your care options, this episode is a must-listen. As well as discussing her two very different vaginal bir…
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Australian Birth Stories
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317 | Kate, vaginal water birth, bicornuate uterus, birth trauma, PND, birth centre, cervical lip
1:05:45
1:05:45
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Kate about her second birth. You can listen to her first birth story in episode 155 where she discusses her bicornuate uterus and her challenging induced labour. She admits that in retrospect, she was traumatised from her first birth experience; the pain of an induced labour and the lack of both consent and privacy culminated and led to postnatal d…
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Australian Birth Stories
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316 | Madi, two births, miscarriage, MGP, vaginal birth, PND, chiari malformation type 1, caesarean
1:23:03
1:23:03
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1:23:03
Madi shares her very interesting story and talks at length about her experience with postnatal depression. After her first positive vaginal birth, she was diagnosed with chiari malformation type 1 where part of the brain at the back of her skull bulges and puts pressure on the spinal column. Her neurologist confirmed that she could birth vaginally …
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Australian Birth Stories
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315 | Jess, one vaginal birth, endometriosis, PUPPS, induction, epidural, peanut ball
45:26
45:26
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45:26
I In today’s episode Jess shares her pregnancy and birth story. A history of mental illness gave her access to a continuity of care midwifery program at John Hunter Hospital where she was cared for by one midwife throughout pregnancy and postpartum. This invaluable support allowed her to navigate pregnancy and covid without overwhelm or anxiety. To…
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Australian Birth Stories
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314 | Lizzie, one vaginal birth, MGP, ambulance transfer, cleft lip and palate, 3C tear
53:17
53:17
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53:17
Lizzie shares the story of her pregnancy and birth with baby Bill. At a 35 week scan, she learnt that Bill had a cleft lip. Lizzie and her husband, Liam, allowed themselves two weeks to process their shock and do their research…after that they were counting down the days till they could meet their new baby. Lizzie takes us step by step through her …
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Australian Birth Stories
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313 | Gemm, Uterus Didelphys, two planned caesareans, low amniotic fuid, postnatal anxiety
56:12
56:12
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56:12
Gemma shares her experience with uterus didelphys; she has two uteruses, two cervix’ and a vaginal septum. Most women with her condition have caesarean births before full term because it's common for their babies to have growth restriction or present breech and there’s often doubts about how the uterus will contract and whether the cervix will dila…
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Australian Birth Stories
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312 | Andrea, two vaginal births, same sex couple, sperm donor, IVF, prenatal anxiety, induction, postnatal anxiety, breast hypoplasia, formula feeding
1:26:28
1:26:28
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Andrea opens up about so many aspects of pregnancy and parenthood that often go undiscussed and she does so with such eloquence you could listen to her all day. She’s in a same-sex relationship so as well as sharing her IVF fertility journey she discusses the often dated language and expectations that sometimes still exist in contemporary maternity…
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Australian Birth Stories
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311 | Jamie one vaginal birth, blended family, arthritis, HG, student midwife, stretch and sweep, episiotomy
1:02:39
1:02:39
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1:02:39
In today’s episode Jamie talks at length about her arthritis and her choices regarding medication in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Considering her health condition and the added complication of a broken back, she was labelled high risk and could access midwifery group practice care. She opted instead for continuity of care with a student midwi…
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VBAC Birth Stories
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53 | Tina's drug-free VBAC following an emergency caesarean at 2cm dilation; Public Hospital, Meconium in waters, TTN, NICU, Episiotomy, Student Midwife
1:11:34
1:11:34
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1:11:34
Today we meet Tina a registered nurse and mum of two who lives with her husband in Melbourne. She shares her two very different birth and postpartum experiences with us. After Tina's son was born via an emergency caesarean he experienced what is called TTN (Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). Babies with TTN have extra fluid in their lungs or the …
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Australian Birth Stories
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310 | Lewarna, two births, breech presentation, ECV, caesarean birth, VBAC, third-degree tear
1:12:29
1:12:29
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Today Lewarna shares the story of her first baby who stayed in a breech position despite embracing all the turning and spinning techniques. She talks about her birth preparation and her fear, and while her caesarean was planned, she actually went into spontaneous labour and felt comforted by the fact that her baby chose her birth date. Her caesarea…
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Australian Birth Stories
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309 | Cara, two vaginal births, missed miscarriage, ovulation testing, episiotomy, 3C vaginal tear
49:25
49:25
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49:25
In today’s episode Cara shares her experience of a missed miscarriage followed by 11 months of trying to conceive. After blood tests revealed she ovulates on day 18 of her cycle (not day 14 as her fertility app suggested) she fell pregnant the following month. Following an epidural and episiotomy in her first labour, she experienced a 3C vaginal te…
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Australian Birth Stories
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308 | Jo, two vaginal births, midwifery care, public hospital, GP, co-sleeping, extended breastfeed
1:24:34
1:24:34
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1:24:34
Today I interview Jo, a mother of two and GP who brings so much knowledge and advice to her story. She says that being a mother has definitely made her a better GP although she admits that so many of her expectations of parenthood were thrown out the window when she became a mum. She feels strongly about safe co-sleeping (she shares a lot of eviden…
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Australian Birth Stories
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307 | Erin, three births, one emergency caesarean, VBAC, early infant loss
1:18:09
1:18:09
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1:18:09
Erin shares the story of her firstborn, Aiden. At her 20 week morphology scan the sonographer noted that there was an issue with Aiden’s kidneys and because they weren’t producing enough amniotic fluid, Aiden’s lung development was affected. Two days later, under the care of the maternal foetal medicine team, Aiden was given a terminal diagnosis. E…
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Australian Birth Stories
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306 | Rebekah, two vaginal births, breech, ECV, episiotomy, distended bladder, incontinence, PROM, breech vaginal birth
1:13:31
1:13:31
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1:13:31
In today’s episode I interview Rebekah about her experience with two breech-presenting babies. She had a successful External Cephalic Rotation (ECV) in her first pregnancy and experienced a posterior labour with a vacuum-assisted birth. She suffered a distended bladder after the catheter was removed before the episiotomy wore off and she lost the a…
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Australian Birth Stories
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305 | Serena, two homebirths, miscarriage, midwife, pelvic instability
1:14:54
1:14:54
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1:14:54
In today’s episode I interview Serena, a midwife who shares her two homebirth experiences. I always love chatting to midwives because they’re so generous with their knowledge and advice and Serena is no different. After supporting women through the MGP programme at the Mercy Hospital till 38 weeks, she consciously had to switch off her midwife mind…
