Episodes
Published 12/14/22
In this episode we chat to Sydney mum of two Rachel who experienced an unmedicated VBAC in a private hospital setting after going through 35 hours of labour. Following her caesarean Rachel went on to experience poor postpartum mental health and reflects how her first birth unfolding the way it did could have contributed to those feelings.  Rachel reveals her reasons for wanting to try for a vaginal birth again and one of those reasons is not one that we would immediately think of, but Rachel...
Published 12/14/22
In this episode we speak to Adelaide mum of two Rosalie about her two births. Rosalie underwent IVF and speaks about the unique challenges women in same sex relationships face when dealing with healthcare.  Her first birth was an emergency caesarean which followed an induction for having a macrocosmic baby and being post-dates. Rosalie was very well educated about birth and was planning a public hospital funded homebirth before she was 'risked out.' She knew about the cascade of intervention...
Published 10/28/22
Today we have the honour and pleasure of chatting to Hazel Keedle once again on the podcast. Hazel is a lecturer at Western Sydney University and midwifery researcher who has primarily focused on women’s experiences of vaginal birth after caesarean and is now a lead researcher in the Birth Experience Study- the largest study on women’s experiences of maternity care in Australia. Since we last spoke Hazel has completed her PhD and is now an author with her newly released book Birth After...
Published 09/22/22
In this episode we chat to Shelley, a mum of two from Adelaide. Shelley reached out to us shortly after having her baby because she wanted to share the unique circumstances surrounding her first birth and VBAC. Shelley lives with Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Genital, it is classified as a type of STI, and because of the stigma this carries Shelley could not find any stories from women who have navigated pregnancy and birth with this condition.  It is estimated that three-quarters of Australian...
Published 08/31/22
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 birth was the disconnect between these practices and the public hospital system. Later she would learn there was a program dedicated to indigenous...
Published 07/09/22
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 fluid leaves too slowly from their lungs. It is more likely to occur in c-section babies. She shares what it was like for her having a baby in...
Published 06/10/22
In this week's episode we speak to western Sydney mum of two, Katelyn. Like so many of us in our first birth Katelyn just wanted to experience a physiological birth in a hospital setting, but ended up agreeing to an induction. Interestingly Katelyn intuitively felt that her induction was not medically necessary and there was a good chance she'd end up having surgery that day, yet she felt she couldn't say no. Katelyn was determined to re-write her story in her second birth, and that she most...
Published 05/06/22
In this episode we meet Kate who is a mum of two living in Darwin. Kate is the daughter of a midwife so she really did have some knowledge on her side going through her first birth, but after labouring for a very long time she was placed on a caesarean pathway and although there were things about that birth she would change- she was able to bond with her daughter and have immediate skin to skin which we often hear makes all the difference to a positive caesarean outcome. In her second birth,...
Published 03/25/22
In today's episode we hear our first VBAC birth story from Tasmania. Laura is a mum of two who lives in Hobart and had a swift and beautiful VBAC waterbirth at her public hospital. In her first birth she was induced for reaching post-dates and during the pushing phase it was discovered that her baby was breech. Despite the sudden way her emergency caesarean unfolded Laura holds no trauma from this birth and she shares with us why she thinks this is. In her second pregnancy it's refreshing...
Published 03/11/22
This week we sat down with Jaihden who is a Sydney based mum of two girls who experienced perinatal depression and anxiety as well as postpartum depression. She bravely shares how she navigated these periods and how the experience inspired her to give back to women going through the same challenges. Jaihden sheds light and humour on some dark moments. She speaks about her challenges and blessings and how her husband and support team of health professionals kept her feeling safe through this...
Published 02/25/22
Welcome to Season 3 of VBAC Birth Stories! In today's episode we chat to Melbourne mum of two and registered nurse, Michelle. Michelle went into spontaneous labour with her first child but was recommended to have an emergency caesarean close to the finish line of her labour, but Michelle wouldn't say it was a true "emergency" in the sense of the word. Michelle returned to hospital in her second pregnancy but did not feel supported in her quest to have a VBAC - this coupled with a bit of...
Published 02/11/22
In today's episode we meet Kirsten who is a doula and mum of four and living in Western Australia. Her first birth in her local rural hospital taught her about consent and trauma in the birth ward and she speaks about the fact that having a natural birth didn't ensure she was protected against these realities. The second time around she found herself pregnant with twins and while steered towards a caesarean, she was able to birth her first twin vaginally but taken into theatre when twin B...
Published 12/17/21
Today we meet Sammy who is a mum of two living in Brisbane Queensland who is a trained doula and high school music teacher. She tells us of her first birth which ended in an emergency caesarean. Sammy, like 1 in 3 Australian women experienced significant birth trauma as a result of what happened and this birth went on to change the course of her life- inspiring her to help other women by providing emotional and physical birth support to those in need. We hear of her journey towards her VBAC,...
Published 11/16/21
In today's episode we speak to midwife and Calmbirth educator from regional Victoria, Rosie. Rosie has had four very different birth experiences. This episode has a trigger warning as we do discuss pregnancy loss. Rosie's first birth was a medical termination at 23 weeks following a rare diagnosis her daughter was given at her 20 week scan. Rosie tells of the often unspoken guilt and complex grief that comes with this form of loss. The gravity of her experience caused her to reflect on the...
Published 10/29/21
This week Amy and her mum Janene a midwife join us to share her extraordinary three birth stories. Her first a vaginal birth, her second a caesarean birth, and her third a VBAC with twins. This episode has a trigger warning as baby loss is discussed. Amy's first pregnancy was thankfully straightforward with a positive induction experience followed by a vaginal birth under Midwifery Group Practice at her local hospital. Having her mum's guidance she was well informed ahead of time, however...
Published 10/15/21
Today we hear from Kasey who lives in Melbourne with her husband and two daughters. In her first birth she experienced the rare complication of a bandl ring and was taken for an emergency caesarean despite reaching full dilation. We speak about what it's like to be a young mother in your twenties when your peers are all doing different things and how this can affect friendships. We also speak about her challenges with her oldest baby's allergies and breastfeeding and what a difference the...
Published 09/24/21
Today we meet Nadima who lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. Nadima, like many of us, never imagined she would have a caesarean so when she was wheeled into theatre for an emergency caesarean this naturally came as a shock to her. She was booked in for an induction at 37 weeks due to earlier concerns with her baby's heart rate, but she actually never got to experience labour. Although Nadima doesn't describe her first birth as traumatic she knew immediately that she did not...
Published 09/03/21
Today we meet Zara from central Queensland and talk to her about her two births. Zara's VBAC journey began with Darcy who was a planned caesarean due to his breech positioning. The caesarean itself wasn't traumatic, but it was what happened afterwards that left Zara feeling like she could not go through childbirth again. She experienced post natal depression following this birth. Zara's heart eventually opened to the possibility of having another baby and when the time came she felt a deep...
Published 08/20/21
Discussion of birth in the time of Covid-19 in Australia, lockdown effects on birthing and pregnant women, effects of restrictions on hospitals, care providers and birthing women.
Published 08/15/21
Today Mel and I are having a chat about her second VBAC with her third baby Emilia. Her birth was a surprise breech homebirth, which was somewhat poetic given her primary caesarean was due to her first baby being breech. Her second birth in a public hospital under caseload midwifery care was a successful unmedicated VBAC (You can listen to this story in episode 2). We talk about Mel's decision to homebirth, the implications of covid on her pregnancy, the complications she faced in Emilia's...
Published 07/30/21
In this episode we meet Jess who is a mother of four living in regional Victoria. Jess has a unique VBAC story to tell us. Her first birth was a vaginal birth in a private hospital setting- the fairly positive birth experience was somewhat overshadowed when doctors discovered her newborn daughter had a rare connective tissue disorder. Despite the challenges presented by her eldest's diagnosis, Jess embraced motherhood and was thrilled to discover she was pregnant with twins. When one twin...
Published 07/12/21
Three women reflect on their Covid-19 birth experiences in Australian hospitals.
Published 06/30/21
Today we hear from Erin who lives in Perth with her husband and two children. Erin is a Type 1 Diabetic and we hear how this affected her first pregnancy and what different approaches she took in her VBAC pregnancy to give herself the best chance of experiencing spontaneous labour for the first time, as she was induced at 37 weeks in her first birth as per hospital policy for Type 1 Diabetic women. Erin tested positive to Group B streptococcus (GBS) towards the end of her VBAC pregnancy...
Published 06/25/21
Today we hear from Wollongong (NSW) mum of two Mara who had a VBAC with a short birth interval of only 15 months. Mara's first birth was a deeply traumatic emergency caesarean where she reached full dilation with a posterior baby. She was determined to have a VBAC when the time came, which to Mara's surprise happened a lot sooner than she had anticipated and this posed some challenges for her as her hospital were very discouraging of a VBAC due to her birth interval being less than 18 months...
Published 06/04/21