In today’s episode I’m chatting to Lily as she shares the story of Winnie’s birth. Lily loved being pregnant and used that time to learn as much as possible about birth. With the support of her amazing doula and husband, Lily laboured in the midwife lead unit where she enjoyed spending time in the birth pool. She required an in-out catheter due to urinary retention but other than that things progressed smoothly and she birthed her baby with just a small tear and a physiological third stage.

You can find out more about Lily and the work she does here.

www.serenalouth.com @SerenaLouth

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Sam as she shares the story of Freddie’s birth. Sam enjoyed her pregnancy on the whole but did have some moments of anxiety due to some bleeding in the early weeks. Having hoped for a physiological birth she was advised to have a C-section as the baby was measuring big. She shares her experience of the surgery, the difficulties of recovering from a caesarean and the importance of a strong support network when she struggled with her mental health postpartum.

You can see a photo of Sam and Freddie here.

www.serenalouth.com @SerenaLouth

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Monika as she shares the story of Sunny’s birth. Monika struggled with awful nausea and vomiting for the entirety of her pregnancy. As the sickness worsened around her due date she opted to be induced and after labouring through the night things ended with an episiotomy and a forceps-assisted birth as her baby’s heart rate was dipping due to a nuchal cord. Monika went on to breastfeed her baby and continues to do so 19 months later.

You can find out more about Monika and her beautiful photography here or on her IG: @Monika_Chatterton

www.serenalouth.com @SerenaLouth

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Lily Canetty-Clarke as she shares the story of Wren’s birth. Lily planned for a homebirth with the support of her wonderful doula but after 2 long days of labouring at home and discovering her baby was positioned back to back, she transferred to hospital for pain relief so she could get some rest. After a difficult start to her time in hospital, things improved when Lily met a kind midwife who really listened to her preferences and she went on to birth her baby with an intact perineum.

Find out more about Lily here or on her IG @LilyCanettyClarke

www.serenalouth.com @SerenaLouth

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Sarah Malcolm as she shares the story of Oscar’s birth. Having been diagnosed with PCOS and told she may struggle to conceive naturally, Sarah was surprised when she found out she was pregnant. She was cared for across two different hospitals due to a heart condition that needed extra monitoring and found she didn’t have as much time as she’d like to relax into her pregnancy as she had a crazy busy year getting married and renovating her new home. Whilst her birth didn’t pan out how she had hoped or imagined Sarah feels grateful for the lessons she learned from the experience and honestly shares her struggles over the first few days postpartum.

Find out more about Sarah here or on IG - @SarahMalcs @SerenaLouth www.serenalouth.com 

Welcome to Birth Tales. Conception, pregnancy, birth and those first hazy postpartum days are a physical and emotional whirlwind. My hope is that by sharing these unique experiences we can support, educate and inspire others on their journeys to becoming parents.