Kiwi Birth Tales

In Episode 31 I speak with Libby Boxall (Matthews) about the pregnancy journey and birth of her baby girl Maxwell. 

Libby takes us through falling pregnant with Max and moving to South Africa to be with her partner who was playing sport there at the time. Libby discusses the high C Section rate in SA and the differences between her birth there with other stories she has heard of birthing in New Zealand. 

Libby gave birth to Maxwell via emergency C-Section on New Years Eve, she takes us through her breastfeeding journey, life as a new mum living away from family and also her journey with Post Natal Depression. 

Thanks for joining me on the podcast Libby! If you don't already follow her you can check her out @libbyboxall

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 30 I speak with Eden Crowley about the births of Nellie & Waylon. Eden takes us through her first pregnancy, in which she suffered morning sickness and went to 41+5, ending up being induced and needing assistance with a forceps delivery in which she didn't feel in control. Nellies cord snapped which was a concern as she was born, but she was a healthy 4.71kg baby girl. 

Eden was determined to have more control over her 2nd birth with Waylon, after finding out she needed to be induced due to preeclampsia at 37 weeks, she managed to have a Vaginal birth unassisted and was able to ensure she asked for what she wanted during her labour. 

These birth stories are a contrast both in Edens experience and also in the impact that then had on the birth. 

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Eden! 

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 29 I talk with Annelise from Future Foody. Annelise had planned for a Water Birth in a Birthing Centre, however Tallulah had other ideas - Annelise was induced at 40+5 due to reduced feotal movement and after a long labour Tallulah made her way into the world with the help of forceps, the last step before needing a Cesarean. 

Annelise then takes us through the birth of baby Coco, which was a scheduled induction just after 41 weeks however Annelise went into labour spontaneously and Coco was born 3 hours later. 

Annelise talks about her two very different experiences and how that impacted her mental health post birth, their breastfeeding journey and adjusting to life with two children. 

Thanks for joining me on the Podcast Annelise, if you want to check them out on Instagram head to @anneliseclarke or @futurefoody to find out more about their amazing NZ business. 

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 28 of Kiwi Birth Tales I speak with Kendall about the birth of her son Brooklyn, and then the birth of her Quadruplets Indie, Molly, Quinn and Hudson. 

Kendall takes us through the surprise pregnancy with Brooklyn after being told it would be extremely difficult for her to fall pregnant, severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Emergency CSection and life threatening complications post birth with retained placenta. Kendall also talks about her breastfeeding experience with Brooklyn and adjusting to life as a new Mum when she had to spend weeks in the hospital. 

Kendall then talks about her fertility issues, trying for years to get pregnant again and eventually falling pregnant but losing the baby. After seeking help from a Doctor and a round of Clomiphine, Kendall fell pregnant and was told at the initial scan she had one healthy baby. Kendall suffered again from extreme HG ending up in hospital which is when she was then told she was having twins, then triplets, then quadruplets! Kendall discusses processing that information and their decision making process from there. The Quads were born via CSection after Kendall went into labour and she then talks about their experience in the NICU, life as Mum to 5 children and how they are adjusting to their busy household as a family. 

Kendall is a superwoman, but she is also so lovely and down to earth - I enjoy following their journey on instagram @quad_mum_plus_one if you haven't already checked them out, you should! 

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Kendall! 

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 27 I talk to Emma Tevita about the birth of her daughter Amèlie. Emma had an ectopic pregnancy in 2016 with one of her fallopian tubes rupturing, meaning she wouldn't be able to conceive without IVF. Emma takes us through her IVF experience and falling pregnant, along with the highs and lows with having complications that caused anxiety around being pregnant. 

Emma then takes us through her induction, epidural and long pushing experience which resulted in an episiotomy - Amèlie was stuck behind Emmas pelvic bone and her midwife needed to intervene to help get Amèlie out, which ended up meaning Amèlies clavicle was broken in the process of getting her free, she was then out within a matter of minutes. 

Emma takes us through processing her birth experience, being a Mum to a newborn and dealing with lack of milk supply for the first 10 days due to retained placenta and the amount of blood she lost when the doctors and midwives were trying to ensure it was all removed. 

Emma takes me through dealing with guilt around formula feeding, but quickly realising how much of a change it made in their stress levels and Amèlie was like a new baby afterwards. 

Emma has a very interesting story she has shared with us all and I am so grateful she gave me her time, thanks Emma. 

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 26 I talk with Jana about the birth of her two babes Eddie & Thea. Jana takes us through falling pregnant unexpectedly and going through a miscarriage with her first baby, then falling pregnant again 3 months later. 

Jana was showing signs of Preeclampsia and was induced at 38 weeks, after 20 hours and an epidural Eddie was born after about 14 minutes of pushing. Jana had to stay in the hospital for a few nights post birth as she was showing signs of organ failure but after being cleared by the renal team she was able to go home. After about a week Jana then experienced some very serious complications where she was struggling to breathe, initially thinking it was an asthma attack but after being checked over in the hospital she was immediately admitted and rushed to emergency with heart failure. Jana spent a week in the hospital with Eddie but made a quick recovery. 

Jana then takes us through her second pregnancy with Thea - a planned birthing unit birth. Jana went for an iron infusion at 39 weeks an woke in the wee hours of the morning with contractions, Jana spent a short time in the shower and then realised her body was telling her she needed to push. Janas Mum called the Midwife and she made it over just in time to deliver Thea on the bedroom floor, an unplanned homebirth and one she describes as an amazing experience. 

Thanks for joining me on the Podcast Jana! If you want to check out their awesome family you can do so @bringingupthebassicks

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 25 I speak with Caitlin about her two birth stories, her first with her Daughter Kyrie and second with Son Kemba. Caitlin talks through her first birth in which she was induced and ended up needing ventouse and forceps to deliver, bringing 1.5 year old Kyrie into the world. 

Caitlin then takes us through her pregnancy and birth with Son Kemba - Caitlin was told it looked as though she had gestational diabetes late in her pregnancy, however at 38 weeks Caitlin noticed reduced movements and was concerned, after a midwife check it was discovered there was no heartbeat, but Caitlin needed to go to the hospital to have this confirmed. In shock Caitlin and her Partner rushed to the hospital, only to be told another 2 times that there was no heartbeat and they had lost their baby. Caitlin was induced and gave birth to Kemba in the Hospital surrounded by friends and family, describing the birth as empowering while still grieving, like her body knew what it was doing the second time around. 

Caitlin talks about processing this trauma, dealing with day to day life as a Mum when going through such a painful time and also how she is coping 3 months on. Caitlin is an incredible Woman and I am so grateful she was willing to share her story with us all. 

Thanks for joining me on the Podcast Caitlin. 

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 24 I speak with Laura Deveth about the birth of her first Son Isaac. Laura takes us through her induction when she was 42 weeks, which lasted a few days before Isaac was born with the assistance of an episiotomy and forceps. 

Laura and her partner Aaron decided to move to the Waikato not long after Isaac was born to be closer to family, which she explains was difficult to do with a Newborn. Laura experienced extreme pain in her stomach about 6 weeks after Isaac was born, it turns out her Appendix had ruptured and she was raced to hospital, very unwell. Laura explains how the period after her hospital stay was the hardest for her as a new Mum - adjusting to life how it had been for her family while she was away was confronting and difficult. Laura takes us through how she managed this and tips she would have for other families in similar situations. 

If you want to check out Laura and her lovely family on Instagram you can do so @laurahinemoa

Thanks for joining me on the Podcast Laura!

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 23 I talk with Dayna about the birth stories of Jethro & Imogen. Dayna takes us through her fertility struggles, breech Elective C Section and then falling pregnant 4 months after birth with her second child, Dayna then talks about her successful VBAC and adjusting to life as a mother to two young babies. 

If you want to check out Dayna and her lovely family on Instagram you can do so @daynabkr

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 22 I talk with Kate Mc Cormick about the birth of her first daughter Freya. Kate was 19 when she gave birth to Freya and takes us through their journey to pregnancy, finding out they had Marginal Cord Insertion while pregnant and then being induced at 38.5 weeks. 

Kate had a long induction process, which ended up in an Emergency C-Section, Kate had to be put to sleep as the epidural wore off / wasn't working before the C-Section which was a traumatic experience for Kate and her Husband. 

Post Birth Kate experienced complications with her C-Section recovery about 3 weeks later, needing to be in and out of hospital. When Freya was 4 weeks old she was rushed to Hospital due to Apnea where she stopped breathing, she also had another one of these episodes a few weeks later - there has been no cause discovered for these which has resulted in Kate experiencing Post Natal Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress. 

If you want to check out Kate and her lovely family on Instagram you can do so @mrskatemccormick

Thanks for joining me on the Podcast Kate!

Thanks for listening!

@Kiwibirthtales
@Yourbirthproject

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.