Australian Birth Stories
by Sophie Walker
Latest episode
642 | Erin Holland - Twenty Rounds of IVF, IUGR Baby, planned…
642 | Erin Holland - Twenty Rounds of IVF, IUGR Baby, planned…
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 641 episodes
- 642 | Erin Holland - Twenty Rounds of IVF, IUGR Baby, planned Caesarean, great breastfeeding experience · 1 h 15 minIn this episode Erin Holland takes us from the very beginning, when a routine AMH blood test sent her and her husband Ben looking for answers, through four egg retrieval cycles…
- Midwife Jo Hunter- Why Home Birth Is on the Line in Australia · 45 minJo Hunter has been at the heart of the home birth movement in Australia for almost thirty years. She birthed three of her four babies at home, became the National Convener of…
- 640 | Laura - physiological birth, public hospital, midwife, early pregnancy bleed, The Birth Class · 1 h 4 minIn this episode I chat with Laura, a midwife and first time mother from Melbourne who birthed her daughter Ariella in the very hospital where she works. Laura takes us through an…
- 639 | Mel elective caesarean, pregnancy loss, emetophobia - fear of vomiting, · 49 minToday I chat to Mel about her path into motherhood. Mel met her partner Antonio later in life, after having come to terms with the idea that she might never become a mother…
- 638 | Kate Jones - Vaginal water birth, Gosford Hospital, fertility tracking, short cord · 1 h 2 minToday I chat to Kate Jones about becoming a mum for the first time to her daughter Lila. Kate takes us through months of frustrating fertility tracking, a tricky local hospital…
- 637 | Beth - two physiological births, MGP, unmedicated hospital birth and a family centered home birth · 1 h 31 minBeth shares two beautiful birth stories. Her first with Bernie was an unmedicated hospital birth at the Mercy, and Quinn's home birth through the Joan Kerner programme, where her…
- 636 | Sarah Viliamu - two contrasting births, induction, miscarriage, pregnancy after loss, doula support, spontaneous labour, Pink Elephants · 1 h 11 minIn this episode, I chat to Sarah Viliamu, content creator, model and founder of The Self Love Supply, about her two very different birth experiences four years apart. Her first…
- Mel | IVF, emergency caesarean, postpartum anxiety and depression, mother and baby unit stay · 1 h 26 minIn this episode I chat to Mel about her road to motherhood, which began with a year of unexplained infertility and a round of IVF squeezed in during a short trip home from remote…
- It’s Time to Fix Postpartum Care with Senator Marielle Smith · 23 minIn this episode, I speak with Senator Marielle Smith about the newly established Senate Select Committee on Women’s Health and what it could mean for women and families across…
- Mia | Two vaginal births, birth centre, single mum to blended family, Canberra · 1 h 7 minIn this episode I chat to Mia, a mother of two living in Canberra, about her two vaginal births, close in age but very different in circumstance. Mia's first birth followed an…
- 632 | Alex - ten year fertility journey, ectopic pregnancy, unexplained infertility, IVF, vaginal birth · 1 h 1 minIn this episode I chat to Alex, a yoga and bodywork facilitator from Hobart, about the ten year journey she and her husband David went through to become parents. Alex takes us…
- 631 | Hannah - three births, induced vaginal birth, private to public maternity care, Darwin · 1 h 4 minIn this episode I chat to Hannah, a mum of three living in Darwin with her husband Joff and their boys Atlas, Abel and Solomon. Hannah takes us through three very different birth…
- 630 | Jess Evans - Two physiological births, pregnancy after loss, fast vaginal birth, amenorrhea · 58 minIn this episode I chat with Jess Evans, a mother of two from Melbourne who has spent eight years working with baby brand ErgoPouch. Jess takes us through the misdiagnosis that…
- 629 | Elise Two births, HG, DCDA twins, induced labour, special care nursery, TFMR · 1 h 14 minIn this episode I chat to Elise, originally from Scotland and now living on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her partner Dan and their three children. Elise has experienced severe…
- 628 | Tully Smyth - finding love, egg freezing, elective caesarean, breastfeeding, grief and motherhood · 1 h 0 minIn this episode I chat to Tully Smyth about her winding road to motherhood and the birth of her daughter, Elke. Tully shares her honest experience of being single well into her…
- 627 | Amy - Five births, blended family, prodromal labour, assisted vaginal birth · 1 h 27 minIn this episode I chat with Amy, a birth photographer and former doula living on the Sunshine Coast, about the birth of her fifth baby, her first with her now husband after a…
- 626 Navigating Postpartum Support with Dr Eliza Hannam · 45 minBreastfeeding and sleep concerns are common in early parenthood but unfortunately, many GP’s aren’t qualified to support you through these challenges. So where do you go for…
- 625 Jessie Stephens | twin pregnancy, gestational diabetes, premature birth, NICU, breastfeeding twins · 1 h 19 minIn this episode, I chat with Jessie Stephens, who many of you will remember from her first birth story with her daughter Luna in episode 415. Jessie returns to share her second…
- 624 Danni Duncan four babies, twin birth, emergency caesarean, VBAC, bowel cancer survivor · 1 h 9 minI chat with Danni, a mother of four living on the Gold Coast, who takes us through eight remarkably eventful years of motherhood. Danni shares her path to becoming a mum of four…
- 623 | Grace - Two births, midwifery care, induction, homebirth, physiological birth, fetal ejection reflex · 1 h 7 minIn this episode, high school teacher and mother of two Grace shares her contrasting birth stories from Wollongong, NSW. Her first pregnancy was meticulously researched and…
- 622 | Hilary’s Birth, MGP, Secondary Infertility, Missed miscarriage, Advanced Maternal Age, Induction, Cervical Lip · 1 h 27 minJoin me today for a conversation with my sister, Hilary who shares her second pregnancy and birth with her daughter Rhoda. I was in the birth centre from the moment her waters…
- 621 | Freya - 35-week premature birth after car accident, hyperemesis gravidarum, tongue tie, perinatal anxiety · 1 h 7 minIn this episode I chat with Freya, a paediatric doctor from Melbourne, about her pregnancy and premature vaginal birth of her daughter Goldie. Freya's journey to motherhood came…
- 620 | Jade - Stage four endometriosis, two vastly different births, postural headaches, fear of second birth, dream water birth, PND · 1 h 33 minJade is a registered nurse of fourteen years, a newly qualified doula, and a birth photographer living on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her husband Matt, her daughters Milla…
- 619 | Lauren - Yoga teacher, intentional conception, positive induction, dream water birth, navigating grief in pregnancy, two births · 1 h 33 minLauren is a yoga teacher, women's circle facilitator and prenatal yoga educator living in Sydney's northwest with her husband James and their two children, Joel, who is nearly…
- 618 | Hannah Home Water Birth with a 5.2kg Baby, Physiological Birth with Private Midwifery Care · 1 h 3 minHannah first shared her birth story in a previous episode (episode 402) a home water birth with her 5.1kg son Archie. Now, four years later, she returns to share the story of her…
- Fourth Trimester Village | Francesca Hung , Precipitous Labour and Finding Your Villange in Postpartum · 56 minThis episode is part of The Fourth Trimester Village, a four-part series in partnership with Bugaboo exploring what it actually takes to navigate those first twelve weeks after…
- 615 | Hana identical twins, vaginal twin birth, breech second twin, no epidural, postpartum village, breastfeeding twins · 1 h 9 minWhen Hana went in for her thirteen-week scan on a road trip through Western Australia, she was expecting to confirm a due date. What she got instead was the shock of her life —…
- Fourth Trimester Village | Dr Nicole Gale, newborn sleep, breastfeeding support, matrescence, postnatal loneliness · 55 minThis episode is part of The Fourth Trimester Village, a four-part series in partnership with Bugaboo exploring what it actually takes to navigate those first twelve weeks after…
- The Fourth Trimester Village: Postpartum Movement & Recovery: Getting Back Out There with women's health physio Heidi · 49 minToday I'm joined by Heidi, women's health physiotherapist and the woman behind Women's Health with Heidi. With over a million followers, she's become a trusted voice in pelvic…
- 613 | Jordan, MGP, physiological first birth, The Birth Class, pelvic floor physio, water birth · 37 minJordan birthed her daughter Hali in the water at the birth centre of the Royal Hospital for Women, supported by her MGP midwife, after just three hours and forty minutes of…
- The Fourth Trimester Village - Matrescence, Motherhood Rage & the Making of a Mother with Dr Edna Lekgabe · 1 h 5 minIf you've ever felt blindsided by motherhood — the grief, the rage, the identity shift, the loneliness — this episode is for you. I sat down with Melbourne-based perinatal and…
- 611 | Renako, two births, COSMOS programme, emergency caesarean, planned caesarean, postnatal support · 1 h 2 minRenako, a Japanese-Australian creative, marketer and mum of two living on the Great Ocean Road, shares two very different caesarean birth stories. Her first, Kieran, arrived via…
- 610 | Beth - two physiological births, MGP, unmedicated hospital birth and a family centered home birth · 1 h 29 minBeth shares two beautiful birth stories — Bernie's unmedicated hospital birth at the Mercy, and Quinn's home birth through the Joan Kerner programme, where her partner Paddy…
- 609 | Managing Pregnancy Aches, Pelvic Pain & Recovery with Osteopath Dr Daniela Aiello · 49 minIn today’s episode I chat with Dr Daniela Aiello, a registered osteopath specialising in pregnancy and postpartum care at Bulleen Osteopathy in Melbourne’s northern suburbs…
- 608 | Clare, Maternally Assisted Caesarean, Baby hearing loss, Endometriosis · 52 minIn this week’s episode, I chat to Clare about her two planned caesarean births. Despite severe endometriosis, Clare fell pregnant easily and sailed through the first half of her…
- 607 | Molly, Cape York water birth, neurodivergent motherhood, baby pinks experience · 50 minMolly takes us on her remarkable birth journey in the remote mining town of Weipa, Cape York, Queensland. As a neurodivergent woman living 800 kilometres from the nearest major…
- 606 | Lauren, Six children, doula, identical twins, water birth, precipitous labour · 1 h 22 minIn this remarkable episode, Lauren takes us through her extraordinary journey of birthing six children whilst building her career as a doula. From her first precipitous labour…
- 605 | Bettina- Three births across two countries: UK NHS care, Australian private care, and choosing caesarean birth · 1 h 15 minBettina has experienced birth across two countries and healthcare systems. She had her first baby in London during COVID-19, navigating the NHS as an Australian expat, before…
- 604 | Tahlia's Journey: From Heart Surgery to NICU Mum - A Story of Resilience and Hope · 1 h 4 minTahlia was born with a complex congenital heart condition requiring three open-heart surgeries and a pacemaker. She was told early on that if she wanted children, sooner would be…
- 603 | Gen's Second Birth Story: From IVF challenges to a powerfully healing birth experience · 1 h 11 minIn this deeply honest and often hilarious episode, Gen returns to share her second pregnancy and birth story - a journey that took her from secondary fertility struggles through…
- 602 | Building Breastfeeding Confidence with IBCLC Dr Amber Hart · 43 minToday I sit down with Dr. Amber Hart, a Melbourne-based GP and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Dr. Hart shares her expertise on the realities of…
- 601 | Lucy's Story of an Emergency Caesarean, Twin birth, Redefining Body Image After Birth · 1 h 3 minLucy shares her contrasting birth experiences - from an emergency caesarean with her first daughter Ocean at 42+2 weeks, to a planned caesarean with twins Koa and Maddox that…
- 600 | Postpartum - Ruby, breastfeeding, sleep challenges, normal infant biology, low sleep needs · 26 minIn today’s episode Ruby shares her journey with infant sleep. We all come to postpartum with a predisposed understanding of baby sleep which usually involves the mindset that…
- 599 | Ellie, Navigating Pregnancy and Birth as an Autistic Mother, Hospital Birth, and Early Motherhood realities · 54 minIn this raw and honest episode, Ellie shares her journey from home insemination to navigating pregnancy and birth as an autistic woman in a same-sex relationship. Living in…
- 598 | Estelle, unexplained infertility, two positive birth experiences, postpartum anxiety, feeding challenges · 1 h 3 minEstelle shares her complete journey to motherhood - from unexplained infertility and IVF to an unexpected natural conception with her second child. Estelle opens up about the…
- 597 | Michelle & Michelle IVF journey, reciprocal IVF, miscarriage, emergency caesarean, induced lactation · 1 h 20 minToday I chat with Michelle and Michelle (yes, two Michelles!), a couple who fell in love at work and knew immediately they wanted to build a family together. Their journey to…
- 596 | Leila Two Sets of Twins, Two Different Journeys: Leila's Christmas Day Birth Story & Postpartum Village · 1 h 28 minLeila returns to share her incredible second twin birth story - a Christmas Day birth that began at home and culminated in a powerful breech water birth at hospital. As the…
- 595 | Jazz Two precipitous births, hyperemesis gravidarum, navigating motherhood as a midwife · 1 h 13 minIn today's episode, Jazz a midwife, maternal and child health nurse, and sleep consultant, takes us through her remarkable journey to motherhood. From her first precipitous birth…
- Special Announcement from Sophie · 4 minI wanted to share something important with you — especially if you’re currently pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or supporting someone who is. Over the past seven years of…
- 594 | Fatuma, Hemiplegic migraines, toxoplasmosis, medical advocacy, African birth traditions · 58 minFatuma shares her transformative journey through a high-risk pregnancy that challenged everything she thought she knew about birth, motherhood, and her own strength. What began…
