Keep Birth Wild

In this episode I chat to Alicia about the births of her six children. Her first three were born in hospital and she went on to have her next three at home. She is currently pregnant with her 7th baby!

Alicia grows big babies, her most recent was over 11 pound! She was considered high risk for her hospital births and shares about how positive the transition to private midwifery care was for her.

Alicias last 5 babies were very close in age, at one stage she was actually breastfeeding three of them at once! We discuss the logistics of tandem feeding and the toll that so many pregnancies in a short period had on her body. 

I feel like I’ve come away from this interview with more questions than I went in with, so we have decided to open up an opportunity for listeners to ask questions over on instagram. I will pass those onto Alicia and share with you all so if you have any questions about her births or what life is like in a big family please head over to instagram and let us know!

I really hope you enjoy this episode!

In todays episode I chat to Danielle about the births of her sons Lucas and Levi. Lucas was born in hospital and Danielle then went on to have Levi at home through the Publicly Funded Home Birth Scheme. We talk a little about her partner’s experiences of birth too as he was initially quite nervous about home birth and becoming a parent, so its really beautiful to get a small insight into his journey too.

Danielle runs an online eco friendly store so make sure you check that out if you’re looking for sustainable alternatives for every day items including some amazing looking eco friendly baby products.

www.theearthmumma.com.au

You can find Danielle on Instagram @theearthmumma 

If you’re enjoying the podcast and have time, please leave a star rating and a quick message with what you’re enjoying about the show. It helps me slowly climb the ranks a bit and hopefully together we can get these amazing and empowering birth stories out to more women!

In todays episode I speak to Tarryn about the births of her son Orlando and daughter Hermione who were both born at home.

Late in her second pregnancy Tarryn experienced a devastating loss in her family and she shares openly about how those very raw feelings came up in her birth.

She went on to experience postnatal depression after Hermione's birth and describes what it was like navigating that time with a newborn while also processing the grief of loss, sleep deprivation and the changed family dynamics going from 1-2 children.

If you’re feeling like you might not be up to hearing descriptions of intense grief or postnatal depression you may want to skip this episode for now and come back to it at a later date. And if this episode does bring anything up for you please see links below to PANDA and Lifeline Australia.

And lastly there is the odd swear word in this episode so just be mindful if you’re listening with little people around!

You can follow Tarryn on instagram @tarryn_woods or visit her website www.tarrynwoods.com .

Head over to instagram @keepbirthwild.podcast to see gorgeous photos from Hermione's birth taken by photographer Anna Todd. 

PANDA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia 1300 726 306

Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14

In today's episode I interview Helen about the birth of her son Otto. 

Helen takes us through her pregnancy and how she managed her pregnancy migraines and severe hip pain. Her waters broke at 36+4 weeks and she ended up deciding to have regular monitoring at hospital but proceed with her plans for a home birth. 

Helen is a midwife and lactation consultant herself and she gives a great explanation of how she weighed up the different risks and benefits and came to her decision to continue on with labour at home. 

Helen is currently on maternity leave but will be taking bookings from November. You can find out more about her lactation consultancy on her website https://www.helengordonlactation.com.au/ and head over to @keepbirthwild.podcast on instagram to see some photos of Helen, Tim and Otto just after his birth. 

In todays episode I interview Ruby about the births of her three children, Louis, Pearl and Vince. 

Ruby birthed Louis at home under the care of her private midwife. She went on to use the same midwife for her second birth where Pearl arrived very quickly! Ruby had the same midwife throughout her first labour however ended up transferring to hospital for delivery at 42 weeks due to a breech presentation. 

You can find more photos from Ruby's births over on the Keep Birth Wild instagram page @keepbirthwild.podcast.

In this episode I interview Sam about the births of her two children Jaxon and Emersyn Rae.

Sam fell pregnant with her son at 19 years old and was directed to her public hospital for her care. A private midwife offered to take on her care after an unfortunate first experience at the hospital and was her primary care provider for that birth in hospital. She went on to use the same midwife for a home birth with her daughter.

During her second labour Sam's husband at the time revealed that he had been having an affair, and she speaks openly about how she managed to continue her labour and what it was like becoming a single parent when her baby was just a few days old. 

Sam had a birth photographer at her second birth so make sure you head over to instagram @keepbirthwild.podcast to see some gorgeous photos!

In this episode I interview Natalie Rees about the births of her two children Charlie and Stella. 

For her first pregnancy Natalie opted for a homebirth under the care of a private midwife. She transferred to hospital due to reduced foetal heart rate. For her second birth she chose to freebirth and she takes us through how she came to that decision and the autonomy she felt in taking full responsibility for her pregnancy and birth. 

You can follow Natalie on instagram @the_renegade_mama and keep posted as she will be releasing her own podcast shortly!

I this episode I speak to Carrie Rigoni about the births of her two children. 

Carrie planned to birth both of her babies at home. Her first birth with her son ended with a hospital transfer due to a surprise breech presentation and a few years later her daughter was born at home.

Carrie shares really beautifully about what it was like to have her son present at her second birth and the moment that her children met for the first time. 

You can follow Carrie on instagram @drcarrierigoni 

In this episode I speak with my beautiful friend Joelle about the birth of her son Elio. 

Joelle had a very long labour and ended up transferring to hospital to get some help delivering her son. She shares openly about how she surrendered to the challenges of her birth and had a positive and empowering experience.  

You can follow Joelle on instagram @joelle.constance and find out more about her offerings as a doula, nutritionist and postpartum meal support!

If you would like to find out more about the Pelvic Alignment work that is discussed in this episode you can find Steffi on instagram @sacred_ways_of_being or on her website https://www.sacredbirth.com.au/ .

In this episode I speak with Sarah about the birth of her first baby daughter. 

Sarah was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and she takes us through how she managed that during her pregnancy and how it affected her options for midwifery care. 

I loved speaking to Sarah and really resonated with her reasons for choosing to birth at home with her first baby and I hope you enjoy hearing her story as much as I did!