Pregnancy Uncut

When Heidi was pregnant with her second child she and her partner made the decision to return to Australia to be close to family. Having managed an intercontinental flight at 34 weeks pregnant with a toddler in tow, she hoped things would be smooth from then on.

Arriving in Australia, Heidi quickly signed up with an obstetrician and, with her due date in sight, they discussed a date for induction - a decision to make based mostly, to Heidi's understanding, on their preference as the pregnancy was considered low risk.

However, with the date still days away Heidi started to feel the cramping of early labour but couldn't quite shake the feeling that things weren't progressing normally. Having called the hospital to share her concerns she was invited in and a routine check gave news that she could never have expected, no heartbeat could be found and a scan confirmed that her baby had died.

It was only when baby Sophie was born that a concealed placental abruption was discovered, the cause of her death.

Heidi is now dedicated to working to raise awareness of stillbirth, and is particularly passionate about ensuring parents have early conversations about all possible outcomes, including the tragic ones.

After the birth of her son Angus, Rebecca and her partner were keen to have a sibling for him and at the time had no reason to imagine that this would be anything but straightforward. However, what followed was a journey of recurrent miscarriage, including a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, emergency surgery and multiple IVF attempts. That journey is ongoing and Rebecca feels that there is impact in sharing her story without knowing the outcome, as many people are in that exact situation themselves. 

As an obstetric doctor herself, Rebecca has found that all the training and experience she has doesn't make it any easier to be a patient herself grappling with infertility and miscarriage. She has found support in community, in books and has realised the importance of sharing her story with others. She is also grateful for the influence her experiences have had on how she works with her own patients.

Rebecca shares her story with Kara, a story yet without ending, a story of exploring your limits and finding your people.

*Two of the books Rebecca mentions are:

Hard to Bear by Isabelle Oderberg (who you can also listen to on this podcast Season 3. Episode 8) 

One and Only by Lauren Sandler

When Alice went for her 20 week morphology scan she had no reason to be nervous. Her pregnancy had been straightforward and included doing all standard testing offered, but a noted anomaly of a small baby was quickly followed by referral to fetal medicine specialists, the discovery of soft markers on ultrasound and, after an amniocentesis, the words that would tip their world on its axis. 

Alice talks with Kara about the heartbreaking moment that baby Marley was diagnosed and the impossible decisions that followed.

She speaks of her experience not just for herself but to open the door to others, to break the silence that can surround termination for medical reasons - a club that no family wants to be a part of and many find difficulty in speaking about. Her story is unique but it is not isolated and she hopes that speaking on the podcast will encourage others to speak openly and feel less alone.

Few people can genuinely claim to have changed the course of healthcare but Caroline de Costa could do just that. Not that she would, for her - pioneering change and fighting for women's rights in healthcare is just part of the all-encompassing job of an obstetrician.

With a career spanning decades, Caroline has been on the frontline of ensuring women have active choice over their reproductive health, from fighting for abortion rights in Ireland early in her career, to pioneering access to medical abortion services in Australia. Those rights are still under attack and so to take inspiration from Caroline's work is particularly galvanising. 

Join Kara in this fascinating conversation with Caroline, the first female professor of Obstetrics in Australia, author and trailblazer.

In our final episode for season 6, Kara talks to Dr. Imogen Hines about Induction of labour, specifically planned induction and the surprising reaction it can prompt.

As an orthopedic doctor, Imogen was no stranger to research and so when she found out she was pregnant she didn't hesitate to put that to the test researching the birth that was going to be best for her and her baby. Based on her findings and on her personal situation she decided to book for a planned induction at 39 weeks.

As a public figure, Imogen was expecting to hear multiple opinions on her decision but she did not anticipate the level of negative comments, even vitriol, that would come her way

As well as speaking openly of her own experience, Imogen and Kara discuss induction at length including the ongoing impact of the Arrive trial and being pregnant when everyone seems to have an opinion on your choices. She also shares fascinating insight on the ongoing gender inequity in surgical training and how women continue to be pushed out by unnecessary structural barriers.

In this episode we are thrilled to welcome back to the podcast, Amy Dawes - co-founder and CEO of the Australasian Birth Trauma Association to talk with Kara about informed consent. This was the theme of this year's birth trauma awareness week and Kara and Amy do a deep dive on just why it is so important.

When Amy was last on the podcast she spoke openly about her personal journey of birth trauma and living with levator avulsion. Now, some years on we welcome her candor as she talks about her own life and the directions it is now taking her.

This is a fantastic and important conversation that covers many aspects of why informed consent in healthcare is the cornerstone of supporting and caring for women through pregnancy, labour and birth.

Hayley is a qualified trauma counsellor and mum of two. With her education and expertise she felt well equipped to manage her own trauma from sexual assault, particularly when her first birth was straightforward.

Going into her second Hayley felt prepared and excited. However, in the midst of her labour and birth she found herself disassociating and unable to reach anyone who would be able to help her. Bravely sharing her raw yet insightful story, Hayley teaches us how past trauma can impact pregnancy, labour and birth. 

Alex and Hayley discuss her personal experience of birth after sexual assault but also discuss more broadly the things that healthcare providers can be doing to provide true trauma-informed care to victim survivors.

Tune in to this valuable episode now by listening to Season 7 episode 8 at pregnancyuncut.com, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We encourage you to please reach out if you, or someone you know, need support
Sexual assault support services | Sexual assault (reachout.com)

Family is everything to Renee. 

At 95, she is a living legend, and our oldest guest on Pregnancy Uncut. Renee' s memory is impressively sharp and despite her age, her experiences of her five births remain vivid and profound. Renee now has three grown up children, but she also has two children no longer earthside: she is a survivor of her time, to say the least.

Renee is one of ten (10!!) and grew up in a time where resilience reigned and preventable deaths were part of life. She's lived through a world war, and lost siblings to vaccine preventable disease. Perinatal loss was considered a mishap, at least to some, rarely acknowledged and never discussed or supported.

Her most profound and lasting memories as a young mother are of her still born baby, and subsequent death of another baby, at just a few days old. Sounds and the kind of maternity care she received have never left her.  

Renee generously shares her story, and reflects on how much maternity has changed in the last 100 years and how birth experiences imprint on mothers.  She is a living testament to the lasting and deep impact of loss, and the strength and resilience of a generation. 

Join Alex as she talks to Renee about family, bereavement and the changes that she has seen across nearly a century. 

When his partner Maddy went into labour with their second child, Matt was excited to meet the new addition to their family, but a cord prolapse leading to emergency surgery, saw him instead, alone in a waiting room looking at the seemingly motionless hands of a clock. When Baby Wren was born, she required intensive breathing support, and soon afterwards Matt and Maddy had to make the impossible decision to palliate or transfer her to Melbourne to see if specialist help could save her.

Wren spent 8 days in the Royal Children’s hospital in Melbourne and underwent cooling. Despite receiving the devastating news that she would not be able to live without a ventilator, Matt describes them as some of the most treasured days of his life, and the special memories they created that captured her last moments.

In his grief and trauma, Matt has been mobilised to bring about change. He is an incredible advocate for bereaved parents, creating spaces where they, especially the Dads, have the support and resources they need to support themselves and their families. 

Join Matt as he talks to Alex about the heartbreaking and precious short life of baby Wren, and how they navigated pregnancy and birth after birth trauma and loss.  

After a complex fertility journey and a birth and post-partum overshadowed by Covid, Isla was hopeful that she was through the complexity and her journey to her next baby would be more straightforward. At first, this seemed to be the case - as Isla naturally fell pregnant with second baby Freddie. Everything seemed to be going well when Isla discovered a lump on her breast.

Thinking it was likely nothing, possibly mastitis or something connected to the changes of her body in pregnancy, Isla couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. She persued it further and, after being sent for scans, was told that her hunch had been right - she had aggressive Stage four breast cancer.

Only 33 weeks pregnant at the time, Isla suddenly had to make all kinds of hugely difficult decisions, not just about what was right for her, but also what was the best thing for her baby and she had to do so fast.

Isla speaks of the enormous support she found in community groups, two of which can be found here:

Cancer Chicks.
https://www.instagram.com/cancerchicksau?igsh=dHMzNHFvNTdjeDd2

Pregnancy With Cancer Support Group. (Note, this is a private group and you must ask to join)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/168089259921374/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT