Today we're diving into Marie's incredible story, one that beautifully illustrates the profound transformation that took place following her unplanned, intervention-free physiological birth in the hospital.

In her first pregnancy and birth, Marie found herself consumed by anxiety and fear. She willingly handed over her power to medical professionals, following their guidance and even entertaining the idea of a planned caesarean or induction. But an unexpected turn of events changed everything. At 36 weeks, her waters broke, and on arrival to the hospital she was placed in a small room due to how busy they were, feeling abandoned as she waited for a more suitable space. Little did she know that this challenging situation would turn out to be a monumental gift. With only her husband by her side, she could labour undisturbed. When they finally secured a room for her, Marie caught her son shortly after, an empowering moment that shattered her preconceived notions about childbirth. This moment became the catalyst for her journey of unlearning.

Marie's conscious conception of her daughter marked a new beginning. Determined to approach her pregnancy differently, she chose to take each day as it came, avoiding unnecessary medical interventions that had marred her first experience. Fearful of re-entering the system, given her higher BMI and prior experience of excessive testing, she was instead led by her intuition and the knowledge she’d gained on childbirth. This time around, she opted for a free birth at home with only her husband by her side.

Marie's journey is a testament to the power of birth, self-discovery, intuition, and the unlearning of societal birth norms ⋒

Show Notes:

Instagram: @mama_fairy_

Resources: Sovereign Birth Sessions by Amy Lou

Sacred Birthing by Sunni Karl D.D

10 Moons by Jane Hardwick Collings

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

S4 EP134: In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating birth experiences of Charlotte. Her upbringing instilled in her a profound reverence for birth. Being surrounded by positive birth stories, shaped her perspective, casting aside fear and filling her with a genuine sense of excitement. However, her first pregnancy took her by surprise. Though she had eagerly anticipated the journey into motherhood, she found herself struggling to enjoy the experience. 

As her birth drew closer, it was the restrictions imposed by the hospital that ultimately guided Charlotte toward the idea of a homebirth. A choice she holds profound gratitude for, as it not only enabled her to have all their appointments in the comfort of their own home but also to bring her baby into the world within the intimate sanctity of her own space.

Their second child's conception coincided with the start of a long-awaited family expedition around Australia. As Charlotte's pregnancy progressed, it became evident that she would be embarking on a freebirth journey. The warmth and support of an online community played a pivotal role in helping her find a place to settle, where she could safely bring her baby into the world, within the comforting embrace of her newfound friends' home.

Today’s story weaves together a truly special and heartwarming story that exemplifies the beauty of birth and the strength of community love.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @growingaroundaus

Resources: @freebirthsociety

Books: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

Today’s episode features Brooke Turner, the founder of Balance Fitness and Nutrition and the internationally recognised course, Functional Fitness for Pregnancy & PostPartum™. With over 15 years of expertise in the health and fitness industry, Brooke is a renowned figure, earning accolades such as the Australian Fitness Educator of the Year. Her qualifications in exercise science and nutrition, combined with her specialisation in functional training, nutrition, and mindset for pregnancy and motherhood, make her a leading expert in the field.

As a mother of three, Brooke's passion is to educate and empower women on the importance of safe, effective, and enjoyable exercise throughout pregnancy and motherhood. Having personally trained hundreds of women through singleton, twin, and quad pregnancies, as well as various motherhood journeys, Brooke understands the unique needs and challenges that women face during these transformative stages of life.

Tune in as Brooke shares her journey, insights, and mission to advocate for keeping women moving in a way that helps them thrive. 

Show Notes:

Instagram: @brooke.turner._

Facebook link HERE.

Programs for Pregnancy & Postpartum

Download the Balance by Brooke app to access Brooke’s 12 week Exercise for Pregnancy Program that is perfect for any stage of your pregnancy, or her 8 week REBUILD program. Designed to rebuild from the inside out, get a more functional pelvic floor and stronger core to support your return to exercise journey.

App launching Wednesday 1st November. Sign up for exclusive access HERE

Can’t wait until November? Download Brooke’s Exercise & Nutrition for Pregnancy, or Return to Exercise & Nutrition for Postnatal Recovery ebooks HERE. Use code FITBUMP for 15% off.

www.balancefitnessandnutrition.com.au

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

On today's episode, I have the pleasure of sitting in conversation, once again, with Emily from the Authentic Birthkeeper. Not only is she a devoted wife and loving mother to three wonderful children, but she's also a freebirther and an experienced birth keeper. 

Today we touch on the stories of Emily's initial two births, which you can listen to in more detail on episode #44. This sets the stage for a deeper exploration into her most recent birth experience. She guides us in detail through the birth of her daughter, an experience she describes as her first entirely undisturbed and authentically physiological birth.

Emily’s purpose transcendes beyond her own experiences. She's devoted to championing women to birth on their own terms, standing firm in their autonomy and sovereignty. Rooted in a profound trust and belief in the innate intelligence of women's bodies - and the symbiotic relationship between mother and child during birth - she envisions a world where birth remains undisturbed and uninhibited. Every word she speaks vibrates with her passion to reconnect women with their inherent strength and restore childbirth to its natural essence. In doing so, she challenges the prevailing medical birth paradigm and its inherent skepticism towards the natural capabilities of women's bodies.

Today, Emily imparts her invaluable wisdom on childbirth and delves into her role as a freebirth birthkeeper.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @the_authentic_birthkeeper

Pelvic Physiotherapy: @embody_inner_harmony

Resources Mentioned: Dr Rachel Reed, Freebirth Society

Listen to Emily's previous episode here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

In today's episode, we unpack Lauren’s two births. Lauren's acceptance into the local MGP program ensured she received continuity of care throughout her pregnancy. Pairing this with a hypnobirthing course, Lauren armed herself with knowledge to strive for a physiological, intervention-free water birth. As labour started, Lauren was faced persistent vomiting, and upon reaching the hospital and hitting transition, she grappled with a crisis of confidence. As it turned out, her baby girl was en caul, still within her sac, and although an empowering water birth with zero interventions, this birth ended with Lauren sustaining a third-degree tear, needing 27 stitches.

When the time came to welcome another child into her family, Lauren had relocated and was without the MGP care model. Leaning into her hypnobirthing training, she advocated for another intervention-free physiological birth in her local hospital. As labour started, the familiar sensation of vomiting returned, but as we know, every birth writes its own script. With her labour progressing faster than anticipated, another tumultuous transition unfolded. However, the natural release of her waters turned the tide, giving her a brief moment to pause, allowing her to harness her inner strength, slow down, and intuitively guide her body to birth her baby, preventing any tears.

Today, as Lauren details her births, she shares the powerful moment when nurses struggled for hours to regulate her daughters breathing, but once wrapped in the comfort and warmth of her mother's embrace, she effortlessly found her breath's rhythm.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @laurenbarsley

Hypnobirthing: @inbirthandbeyond

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

On today’s episode, we dive into the incredible journey of Paige, a first-time mother and dedicated doula. Paige comes from a lineage that celebrates birth as a natural and transformative experience in a woman's life. Growing up surrounded by pregnancy circles and bearing witness to the birth of her siblings, she developed an unwavering trust and faith in the power of physiological birth.

As she began her own rite of passage into motherhood, Paige was fearless, knowing that homebirth was the only path she would take to welcome her child into the world. However, during her pregnancy, sharing her birth choices unexpectedly brought forth fears projected onto her by others - a surprising twist for someone who had been raised with a strong foundation of normalised, empowering birth experiences. This exposure introduced her to a world of fear-based narratives surrounding childbirth.

Join us as Paige shares her birth story, one that was not only positive and powerful but also offers a unique perspective on childbirth, highlighting the disparities she observed between the births she witnessed in her mother's birthing space and her own personal experience.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @your_birth_keeper

Podcasts: Midwife Couldron, The Natural Birth Podcast

Books: Birth With Confidence, Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering, Sarah Wickham - Vit K and the Newborn Group B Strep

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

In today's episode, we hear Kayla's transformational journey through her three distinct birth experiences. Kayla's lifelong desire for motherhood led her down a path toward a holistic lifestyle even before she became pregnant. Her introduction to the concept of homebirth through online videos solidified her decision that this was the path she wanted to take in bringing her babies into the world.

Her first birth unfolded swiftly, leaving her with mixed emotions. While it was a positive and empowering experience, she couldn't help but grieve the rapid conclusion of a journey she had invested so much time and energy into. It was during this period that she delved into the world of placenta encapsulation, eventually embarking on a career supporting women as a placenta alchemist.

Kayla recounts her extraordinary third birth, which unfolded before the 37-week gestation mark, highlighting the immense trust her midwife had in her and her baby, which fuelled her own confidence in birthing her 2kg son safely at home. When it was time to welcome her third child into the world, Kayla carried the profound knowledge that everything required for this birth resided within her. Despite the challenges she encountered, this birth instilled within her the profound wisdom of surrender and trust—a powerful lesson that beautifully marked the end of her childbirth journey.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @milky.rituals

Doula: @iamemilyedgar

Freebirth Online Circle: @maggiestorm_ @michellepalasia

Books: The First Forty Days, The Postnatal Depletion Cure

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

On today’s episode, I warmly welcome back Luna, who joins us to recount her two most recent birth experiences. Since our last conversation, Luna has traversed the heart-wrenching path of pregnancy loss, an experience that plunged her into the depths of grief while intricately weaving together the notions of birth and mortality, prompting profound contemplation.

In the aftermath of this loss, Luna and her family embraced the time they needed for reflection and healing. After a restoritive  journey to Uluru, they found themselves contemplating whether their family was now complete. This contemplation was met with a surprise when Luna discovered her pregnancy shortly thereafter. Guided by a strong belief in divine timing, they found roots on a particular piece of land that seemed to call them and their unborn child.

Today, Luna shares her transformative journey, interwoven with loss and renewal, and reconnecting her with the sheer beauty of existence itself.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @lunaflowerday

Book: Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage

Previous podcast episode link here.

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

On today's episode we dive into the birth story of Tamarin – a practitioner renowned as a Holistic and Intuitive Therapist and Healer. Tamarin's story begins with a 13-month conception journey, where the weight of time began to cast doubts upon the arrival of their long-aweaited child.

Having wrestled with the complexities of fertility hormones, Tamarin eventually found solace in a natural alternative, a turning point that led her to  conceive a daughter. Her pregnancy became a chapter filled with a deep sense of gratitude, as she honoured the sacred connection between herself and the life growing within.

Instinctively, Tamarin knew that her ideal birthing environment was at home, where she could harness familiarity and security. Safeguarding her energy and shielding herself from projected fears, she kept this choice private, and surrounded herself with like-minded individuals who could provide the support and guidance she needed. Diving deep into her inner work, she confronted her fears and shadows, nurturing an unwavering belief in her body’s innate ability to birth her baby. 

Today, Tamarin takes us on her transformative journey through the fires of labour that ended in the profound moment of meeting her daughter, and shares the deep reverence that her husband held for her, as he witnessed her navigate the thresholds of creation.

Show Notes:

Instagram: @empowherhealing

Midwife: @gentlebirthmethodaustralia

Doulas: @thehealingshed @birthtoearth

Books: Sacred Birthing, 10 Moons

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia

On today’s episode we dive into the contrasting birth experiences of Australia's first professional Instagramer, Lauren. After eight adventurous years traveling the globe as a dedicated travel influencer, Lauren's path led her to a profound new chapter: motherhood. Coming off a whirlwind of experiences, Lauren knew it was time to anchor herself and nurture a family of her own.

The radiance of Lauren's pregnancy journey painted a portrait of vitality and inner glow. While her husband's Zimbabwean heritage introduced her to the essence of natural birthing, she chose to further educate herself through a Hypnobirthing class.

Armed with knowledge and a steadfast vision for her birth outcome, Lauren's evolution from maiden to mother began to unfold. Faced with overwhelming fatigue after a 36-hour labour, she opted for much-needed respite through an epidural. A decision that brought a mix of relief at the time, but ultimately left her disempowered by how she was treated, with an undercurrent of heavy emotions like guilt and shame. 

With the elation of her next pregnancy also came the echoes of her prior birth experience. Toward the end of her pregnancy, her body began to show signs of burnout. Guided by an impactful energy work session, Lauren experienced a profound internal shift, renewing her connection with her inner self and baby, as she embraced the final stages of her pregnancy. Lauren's second labor experience mirrored the first in some ways. Yet this time, with a heart open and willingness to surrender, she embarked on a healing journey that led her to birth where her son knew she needed to be - at home.

With unguarded authenticity, Lauren takes us on an emotional journey through vulnerability, growth, and redemption. 

Show Notes: 

Instagram: @laurenepbath

Digital Baby Journal: @makiathebabyjournal

Birth Photographer: @rewildherbirth

Lauren's Blog Link Here

Makai The Baby Journal Link Here

Join Lauren's Mailing List Here

FREE TRIAL Makai The Baby Journal Here

Mentioned in this episode:

Positive Birth Australia Birth Affirmations Tracks Available Now!

Did you know that studies have shown affirmations can significantly boost self-esteem and reduce stress? Here at Positive Birth Australia, we’ve crafted a 20-minute affirmation to guide you to deeply remember the power you hold within. And to my fellow Belly Birth mothers, we’ve created a track specifically for you, to honour that all birth is sacred.

Positive Birth Australia

Mentioned in this episode:

Sacred Birth Affirmations Track

This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.

Positive Birth Australia