Finally, in episode 16, I - the host of Birthing at Home: A Podcast, get to share my 2 homebirth stories. From my first baby in 2020 who was 4.55kg and my second in 2023 who was 4.61kg. I'm excited to share my stories, especially to help inspire 1st time mums & mums with 'big' babies. Thanks to my midwife friend Hannah, from @thesacredbubble on the Sunshine Coast for taking the time to chat with me. 

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth https://woomwomen.com.au/products/ina-mays-guide-to-childbirth-book
• Rachel Reed https://www.rachelreed.website/
• Sara Wickham https://www.sarawickham.com/
• Some tips about being a student midiwfe from Sara Wickham https://www.sarawickham.com/original-articles/eight-things-id-like-to-share-with-midwifery-students-who-care/
• Would you like a student midwife as a support person? Contact any university that offers midwifery and they'll be able to help you. ALL Midiwfery programs require 'continuity of care' experiences 
• The label for Gestational Diabetes https://midwifethinking.com/2018/03/20/gestational-diabetes-beyond-the-label/
• The Great Birth Rebellion https://open.spotify.com/show/3gQRikeOcaHkJjWTtcT1B1?si=a044a4d334ea4de0

CHAPTERS 

00:00
Introduction and Acknowledgements

01:00
Sharing Home Birth Stories

03:18
Reflections on Midwifery Education

05:12
Discovering Home Birth

07:38
Choosing Nursing over Midwifery

08:37
Considering Home Birth

09:59
Navigating the Maternity System

10:43
Family History of Home Birth

11:38
Overcoming Self-Doubt

12:33
First Home Birth Experience

19:08
Challenges and Frustrations with the System

20:30
Negative Experience with Glucose Tolerance Test

22:14
Birth of Murphy

29:53
Mixed Feelings about First Birth

36:20
Empowering Experience with Frankie's Birth

47:03
Pregnancy in the Netherlands

50:35
Financial Challenges and Support

53:32
Friend's Generous Loan

54:01
Challenges with Medical Professionals

58:11
Uncomfortable Pregnancy

01:00:03
Dealing with Infection Risk

01:02:01
Concerns about Midwives

01:03:29
Preparing for Birth

01:05:48
Labor Begins

01:08:35
Labor Progresses

01:12:15
Transition and Pushing

01:17:31
Birth of Frankie

01:18:26
Placenta Birth

01:19:51
Post-Birth Moments

01:21:16
Euphoric Experience

01:22:10
Healing Journey

01:23:09
Sharing Birth Stories

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Today we hear from Jamie, husband of Desiree in Episode 8, from the Melbourne suburbs. It was so interesting to hear Jamie talk about how he felt with the emergency c-section of Ivy at 32 weeks, and then how he felt about homebirth initially, especially in a VBAC context. It's a great episode!

Please share, like, and rate the podcast and this episode :) 

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Episode 15 is shared by Ashley, a well known VBAC and birthing at home advocate, who is also a Homebirth Mindset Coach and Guide, a Podcaster and regularly is invited to speak about her experience. Ashley shares the stories of how she came to freebirth her 3rd baby at home in 2020 after 2 traumatic labour and births that both were c-sections.

Ashley also has her own fabulous podcast called 'VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast' and you can learn more about Ashley via her website  > https://ashleywinning.com/

Freebirth story begins approx 1 hour 2 min

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header
• The Glucose Tolerance Test https://midwifethinking.com/2019/09/02/big-babies-the-risk-of-care-provider-fear/
• 'Plus Size Pregnancy' Sara Wickham - an awesome resource https://www.sarawickham.com/plus-size-pregnancy/
• Plus Size Pregnancy on The Midwives Cauldron https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xbivX76xFbrH0YaKu4K3w?si=358e4bbc8ba24a27
• 'Why Induction Matters' Rachel Reed https://www.rachelreed.website/wim
• VBAC - Midwives Cauldron Interview With Dr Hazel Keedle https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RZzyTfNpwR7hLTt64Gfrx?si=21354f5d7f274625
• The 'dead baby' card 
  
  “Sadly, I hear from many women and families who have been told that they have 'a high chance of stillbirth,' or that their baby, '…will almost certainly die if you don’t come in for induction right away,' when this is absolutely not true." (Wickham 2021).
  
  “Sheila Kitzinger described this as ‘emotional blackmail,’ and many people refer to it as ‘playing the dead baby card.’” (Wickham 2021).
• Cervical Tear https://www.vinmec.com/en/news/health-news/obstetrics-gynecology-and-assisted-reproductive-technologies-art/treatment-method-for-cervical-tear/
• Posterior Baby https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/08/in-celebration-of-the-op-baby/

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Estimated to be due on Christmas Day, Sarah shares how she come to learn about homebirth in her 2nd pregnancy (with River), only after having been told by her private obstetrician that she would "have to" be induced because she was "too fat" and the baby would be "too fat"...a bit suss with a Christmas EDD huh!

Episode 15 is a great episode and shed's the light on how Christmas infamously impacts birth and also tells the story of how life changing a positive (homebirth) is.


Homebirth story begins approx 18:00

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Prolonged Rupture of Membranes + Antiobiotics  https://midwifethinking.com/2017/01/11/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/
• Induction of Labour - The Midwives Cauldron Episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/551gib4EParZSmsDbZFNYh?si=238f0aa3afb84cc6
• Episiotomy https://midwifethinking.com/2016/01/13/perineal-protectors/
• Post Partum Haemorrhage https://www.sarawickham.com/tag/pph/
• Birth Trauma resource https://birthtrauma.org.au/
• Sarah Wickham's comprehensive book on BMI in Pregnancy https://www.sarawickham.com/plus-size-pregnancy/
• 'Plus Size' Pregnancy https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/birth-outcomes-plus-size-pregnancy/
• Homebirth Australia FB Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/212985225383780/
• Post-Partum anxiety https://panda.org.au/articles/postnatal-anxiety-signs-and-symptoms/
• Group B Strep (GBS) https://www.sarawickham.com/gbse/
• Gestational Diabetes - The Midwives Cauldron episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uFokd2PlitplZUdHRZ5Ts?si=77385010d4f34048
• Stretch & Sweep/Membrane Sweep https://midwifethinking.com/2015/03/18/induction-a-step-by-step-guide/
• The Fetal Ejection Reflex "In some un-medicated births, the active pushing phase and delivery may be more accurately described as the fetal ejection reflex—when your body expels the baby with little or no conscious effort (Newton, 1987). People who experience the fetal ejection reflex sometimes describe this as “I wasn’t pushing, my baby was just coming out!”" https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-birthing-positions/

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Back in September, I saw a picture of a mama who had homebirthed her twins & thought SURELY this must happen in Australia. 

This is Bibi's story of THREE freebirths and if that isn't powerful enough, 2 of those births were her twin baby girls. 

Bibi's story is awesome for so many reasons - so give it a listen now! 

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Continuity of Care benefits https://midwives.org.au/Web/Web/News-media-releases/Articles/2023/02_February/Midwifery_Continuity_of_Care_benefits_everyone.aspx
• Uterine Fibroids - there was not much about physiological birth with fibroids, but this touches on it https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness/womens-day-2023-normal-birth-with-fibroids-pregnancy-8485376/
• Clary Sage https://fertilitypregnancyacupunctureclinic.com.au/clary-sage-oil-to-induce-labour-naturally/
• Freebirth Group Australia https://www.facebook.com/groups/440879893282551/?mibextid=c7yyfP
•  Freebirth Society https://www.freebirthsociety.com/
• Freebirth https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/freebirth/

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

[email protected]

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This is another episode in the 'Birthing at Home: A Podcast - partners sharing stories supporting birth @ home' series from Lloyd, located currently in NSW but previously in Victoria. A builder and business owner who is now a strong homebirth advocate. 

If you would like to support the podcast check out: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header or https://ko-fi.com/birthingathomeapodcast#linkModal


Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Deepak Chopra https://www.penguin.com.au/books/magical-beginnings-enchanted-lives-9781409004844

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

[email protected]

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Episode 12 is told by Poppy from New Zealand who had a homebirth with her daughter Frankie in 2020, and a freebirth with her son Alfred (Fred) in 2022. It was fantastic to listen to Poppy share her stories that challenges many maternity guidelines that suggest only the elusive "low risk" women could birth at home. 

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Birthing at Home Etsy Store https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header
• Freebirth https://www.freebirthsociety.com/
• Fawn/Appease response https://feminineinstincts.com.au/fawning-in-birth-a-sign-of-self-protection/
• Radical Responsibility 'Birth like a Feminist' https://www.millihill.co.uk/books/
• Prolonged ROM https://midwifethinking.com/2017/01/11/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

[email protected]

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Episode 11 is the homebirth story of Alaska from Mel , a Womiri woman from Newcastle, who is also planning a freebirth. 

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Homebirth shirts/Born at Home https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthingAtHome?ref=dashboard-header
• Vaginal birth & low lying placentas https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.15622
• "A low-lying placenta occurs in 28% of pregnancies found at the 20-week anomaly scan but most will have moved higher by a subsequent scan at 32–34 weeks with an incidence of around 3% at term ( Varouxaki et al., 2018 ). The change of placental position results from the formation of the lower uterine segment, which moves the placenta upwards with the expanding uterus. If there is still evidence of a low-lying placenta then women should be forewarned by their primary community-based midwife that they may be at risk of placenta praevia, advised that this increases the risk of vaginal bleeding and informed about the urgent need for midwifery / medical attention if they have any vaginal bleeding until the diagnosis has been confirmed." Donaldson, C & Dixon, L (2023) 'Challenges in Pregnancy' in Midwifery Preparation for Practice, pp. 897-94
• Hypnobirthing https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1uDp2
• GBS https://www.sarawickham.com/topic-resources/group-b-strep-resources/
• GDM https://midwifethinking.com/2018/03/20/gestational-diabetes-beyond-the-label/
• You can learn more about Worimi people here > https://parksaustralia.gov.au/search.html?q=worimi

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

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In this episode of partners supporting birth at home, I chat with Paul who supported his partner Stacey to freebirth in New Caledonia! It was very interesting to hear how he described their hospital experience with their first baby and then a "night & day" experience with their 2nd. 

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

[email protected]

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10 episodes!!! 

Episode 10 is a double homebirth story from Meredith who shares the Australian (NSW) homebirth of Audie and the New Zealand homebirth of Etta. Meredith also discusses being pregnant with a pre-eclampsia risk and having a rhesus negative blood type 

Links to people/business/resources for this episode:

• Anti-D & Rhesus negative https://www.sarawickham.com/topic-resources/anti-d-resources/
• Anti-D Explained on The Midwives Cauldron https://themidwivescauldron.buzzsprout.com/1178486/8664928
• 'Babies are not pizzas' https://evidencebasedbirth.com/book/
• Homebirth NSW (lots of great resources) https://www.homebirthnsw.org.au/homebirth-101.html
• Hypnobirth Australia https://l.linklyhq.com/l/1uDp2
• Prolonged rupture of membranes https://midwifethinking.com/2017/01/11/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/
• Vaginal Examinations https://midwifethinking.com/2015/05/02/vaginal-examinations-a-symptom-of-a-cervix-centric-birth-culture/
• Beautiful cord ties from Blissful Herbs https://www.blissfulherbs.com.au/category-umbilical-cord-ties-sibling-wrist-bands-25.aspx
• Breech - Dr Bissets on Great Birth Rebellion https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion/episodes/2147886882

Support the show

Reach out:

www.emdrwithelsie.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast
@emdr_with_elsie (EMDR info) 

[email protected]

[email protected]