Annabelle has been tracking her menstrual cycle since high school so when it was time to conceive her baby, she knew exactly when she was ovulating. A self-confessed wannabe midwife, she knew from the start that she wanted continuity of care with midwives. When she missed out on the MGP programme, she opted to hire a private midwife for antenatal and postnatal care through Mama Midwives. Alongside her pregnancy and incredibly beautiful birth experience, Annabelle talks in detail about the full circle experience of losing her mother to leukaemia and welcoming her baby within the same week. Her grandmother stepped into the traditional Chinese role of caregiver for postpartum confinement which was an incredible comfort to Annabelle as she grieved.  I’m counting down the weeks till my new book, The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, is published. It covers everything you need as you journey through pregnancy and prepare for a positive birth experience. --> Pre-order it  now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

356 | Annabelle, physiological birth, private midwife, student midwife, TENS, physiological third stage, traditional Chinese confinement

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.

Kids & Family

Parenting

In today’s episode, I talk to Jen about her pregnancy, birth and traditional Chinese confinement during postpartum. Jen is a second-generation Chinese-Australian and while she was at first hesitant to embrace the confinement period after birth, when she left the hospital feeling frail, “like a creature born trembling, without fur or feathers” she accepted all the teas, soups and rest her mother and mother-in-law offered her. Jen considers her birth a really positive experience and she reflects on her golden month of healing with immense gratitude.    Jen’s mother is an OB/GYN and acupuncturist who encouraged her to track her cycle by taking her temperature. She conceived within two months and opted for shared care with her GP as she didn’t have any health concerns.
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Get our 3 most-loved resources for supporting your birthing journey and beyond in The Birth Bundle.
You get The Birth Class, Discovering Motherhood and our Breastfeeding Guide for a discounted price of just $349 and for a limited time, get a further 20% off for our Birthday Celebration Sale.
Use code 'Birthday24' (offer valid until 11:59pm 20th June 2024)
Learn more here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

483 Postpartum | Jen, one vaginal birth, GD, induction, episiotomy, postpartum confinement

Bee came to her first pregnancy like most women do; with the understanding that birth is incredibly hard and painful - something to be endured. Understandably, she was terrified and not interested in hearing anyone’s birth story. Thankfully, she was accepted into MGP early on and had a beautiful, supportive midwife on her side. She also started listening to the podcast and soon realised she had the opportunity to learn a whole new vocabulary and get educated about birth, an experience that can be positive and empowering. She went into spontaneous labour and spent most of her labour at home before transferring to the birth centre. She pushed for a few hours before making the decision to move to the birthing suite for assistance. Bee’s story is a beautiful example of the power of education to make informed decisions every step of the way.
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If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy. It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:

A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour – what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise
Images of birth positions – the ideal addition for visual learners 3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans.
An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing – everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

482 | Bee, one baby, MGP, spontaneous labour, The Birth Class, sterile water injections, episiotomy, vacuum assisted birth, breastfeeding

In 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 it’s the parent’s ‘job’ to ‘teach’ the baby to sleep. But as you will hear in this episode, babies have a primal drive to sleep and their sleep needs are ultimately influenced by their temperament. Ruby sought advice from two sleep training experts (which she admits felt counterintuitive), before she found a sleep consultant who specialises in normal infant biology. From here, Ruby grew to understand her baby’s low sleep needs and subsequently surrendered to a sleep journey that looks very different to her initial presumptions of sleep and settling.
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If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy. It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:

A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour – what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise
Images of birth positions – the ideal addition for visual learners 3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans.
An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing – everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

481 Postpartum | Ruby, breastfeeding, sleep challenges, normal infant biology, low sleep needs

Sea shared her first three physiological births in episode 304 and today she returns to tell us all about her fourth pregnancy and birth. Little Leia was a big surprise but Sea took it in her stride - as most mums of four do - and managed to get in the MGP program at Cairns Hospital which gave her access to the spacious rooms in the birthing suite. She stayed active throughout her pregnancy, consciously planned for postpartum so she had the support to stay home for six weeks after birth and experienced a beautiful waterbirth. This episode is a powerful reminder that birth can be quiet, calm, gentle and positive.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by Kiwi.co.
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Unlock brain-building play with KiwiCo Panda Crate!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

480 | Sea, MGP, physiological birth, positive birth story, Indigenous, planned postpartum

In today’s episode, Ariane shares her experience with postpartum psychosis. As a psychologist working in child and family services, Ariane was aware of perinatal mental illness but her anxiety prevented her from disclosing her symptoms which included disillusions, hallucinations and suicidal ideation. After a stay in a mother and baby unit, she started seeing a perinatal psychiatrist who saw past her well-presented exterior and diagnosed her with psychotic depression. Ariane speaks candidly about her mental health, her work with the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and her new memoir, ‘Because I’m Not Myself, You See’.
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If you’re considering The Birth Class, now is the time to buy. It just got bigger and better thanks to new content that enhances your birth education and preparation experience, including:

A cheat sheet for your birth partner. This simple outline takes your support person through early and active labour – what to expect, how to support and what to say when challenges arise
Images of birth positions – the ideal addition for visual learners 3 meditations to release tension, foster trust and navigate a change of plans.
An illustrated guide to antenatal expressing – everything you need to know about collecting and storing colostrum.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

356 | Annabelle, physiological birth, private midwife, student midwife, TENS, physiological third stage, traditional Chinese confinement

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