As a senior paediatric and Special Care Nursery (SCN) nurse for 16 years, Gemma knew all there is to know about looking after premature and unwell babies. But when she discovered she was pregnant with twins, she was suddenly faced with the possibility of having her own complicated pregnancy and preterm babies. Twins pregnancies are at a significantly higher risk of being born early, with around half of twins arriving less than 37 weeks. One in ten sets of twins are born very early, at less than 32 weeks gestation. In this episode, Gemma tells her story of her twin pregnancy, complicated by threatened premature labour, decreased fetal movements, and placental complications, which led to the emergency preterm birth of her baby boy Lennox and baby girl Pippa. Gemma then takes us through her experience of the SCN journey as a mother, and how it differed from being on the other side of the clinician / patient divide. Gemma shares her insights into what it is like to have two babies in SCN, the challenges of feeding and caring for two premature babies, and what she has learnt to guide her as she continues to look after families with their own premature and unwell babies. 

When Greg's son Riley was born, Greg's life felt complete.  Together with 3yo daughter Olivia,  Greg and his wife Catherine enjoyed a blissful few weeks in their newborn bubble getting to know their beautiful boy. But on Day 27 of Riley' life, something changed. Riley was suddenly less interested in breastfeeding and had developed a slight cough. The next day, in an abundance of caution, his parents took him into hospital for a check up, feeling confident he would be home that same day. Only four days later Riley had died. Whooping cough, an insidious, but wholly vaccine preventable disease, had claimed baby Riley's life. At only one month old, Riley was too young to be vaccinated. His devastated parents discovered shortly after that a vaccine for pregnant women had been recently recommended in other countries to protect newborn babies in-utero, however this was not yet available or offered in Riley's pregnancy. Incredibly, Greg and his wife Catherine dedicated themselves to bringing the Whooping Cough vaccine to pregnant women across Australia, creating awareness of vaccine preventable diseases, whilst keeping the memory of Riley alive.

Greg shares with us the time he spent with his newborn son, the nightmare of his sudden illness and hospital stay, and  how, as a bereaved father, he navigated the all-consuming grief and breakdown that can only come from losing a child. 

In Episode 4 we welcome Dr Carmen Brown, who shares her personal story of pregnancy complications. As an Obstetrician herself, Carmen has seen it all before. But when complications arose in her own pregnancy, and Carmen found herself on a tiny airplane being repatriated in an emergency air transfer to a larger hospital, and facing the preterm birth of her son, Carmen discovered how different the experience can be when you are suddenly on the other side of the doctor-patient divide. Carmen takes us through her experience of placenta praevia, bleeding in pregnancy, and the trials of an extended hospital stay in pregnancy.

After sharing her personal story, Dr Carmen explores an issue in pregnancy care that is close to her heart. Dr Carmen is an expert in all things women's health, and she has a particular interest in one incredibly important and often overlooked aspect of maternity care; the shocking health disparities that exist along racial lines.  Dr Carmen outlines the extent to which structural and systemic racism contributes to devastating health inequities experienced by women of colour all around the world. Carmen describes how unconscious bias permeates our health spaces and the impact this can have on women's wellbeing, their experience and their survival. Dr Carmen identifies ways these health inequities can be recognised, women can be empowered to identify and challenge them, and health outcomes can be improved via advocacy and structural change. 

In Episode 3 of season 2, our guest Katy shares with us the unimaginably difficult journey of her three pregnancies afflicted with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). Like so many conditions affecting women throughout history, nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, has historically been dismissed as a personal weakness. At best it has been undertreated, at worst women have been blamed and ignored. Whilst these dark ages are hopefully behind us, there is no doubt there is a long way to go in understanding the debilitating impact that nausea and vomiting, and in it’s extreme form- hyperemesis gravidarum - can have on women and their pregnancies.  We are so grateful to Katy for sharing her story of her dark days of battling Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The overwhelming physical and emotional impacts of severe, persistent and debilitating nausea rendering any mundane task impossible for nine long months is difficult to imagine. Katy shares with us the pregnancy story of her two beautiful children, and of the story of her traumatic first pregnancy that ended in heartbreak. Thank you Katy for sharing your story and adding your voice to this rare and little understood condition. 

Following on from hearing our guest Jess discuss the challenges she faced feeding her baby Noah in Episode 2,  we have included this special bonus episode chatting to an expert in all things breastfeeding, our Lactation Consultant Amber. Amber provides a beautiful and balanced approach to the challenges of feeding our babies. Amber shares with us her expert tips for breastfeeding, and ways to approach challenges such as cracked nipples, formula top up, and mastitis. Amber is a brilliant LC whose motto is, above all else, be kind. Be kind to other mothers, be kind to each other, and most of all, be kind to ourselves. We hope you enjoy this special World Breastfeeding Week bonus episode of Pregnancy Uncut. 

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In our first episode of Season 2, our guest Jade opens up about the heartbreak of losing her baby Kai to a condition known as cervical insufficiency or cervical incompetence. Jade’s pregnancy was progressingly beautifully, and her bond with her unborn child was already so strong, when Jade was given some unexpected news that no parent can ever imagine hearing. At almost half way through her pregnancy, Jade was told her cervix had silently opened, and that baby Kai’s life was suddenly at serious risk. Jade walks us through those first terrifying days after hearing this news, the eventual birth of her daughter, and the impact Kai has had, and continues to have, on Jade, her husband Tyson, and all those who met Kai and loved her. 

Navigating a pregnancy and birth of a baby can be exciting, overwhelming, and challenging. For First Nation’s parents however, this universally challenging time is compounded by an additional and constant stress. Not only do Aboriginal parents face the usual challenges facing all new parents, they also carry with them the devastating impacts of colonisation and the ongoing effects of the Stolen Generation. Far from being ancient history, the threat of removal from home care is an ever-present and ongoing source of anxiety for Aboriginal families, with their children currently being removed from home at a rate that is over 10 times the national average. This is just one of many statistics that highlight the entrenched racism that is inherent in our systems, causing ongoing inequities in health outcomes and in our society. 

White Australians live, work, and birth in a system that is built by them and for them. For Indiginous and Torres Straight Islander People, the reality of colonisation and the legacy of the White Australia Policy is something that must be confronted, and survived, every day. The impacts of this on every aspect of their birth and parenting experience is profound. We are so grateful to our guests Lily and Jordy for sharing their story with us. 

In 2019 Alex and her husband were deliberating their plans for 2020. Would the newlyweds travel overseas or start a family? Deciding on the latter, they were thrilled to discover they were pregnant soon after. But accompanying them on their first trimester journey were news stories that grew more urgent by the day, warning them of a terrifying new virus that was spreading around the world. By the time she reached the half way point of her pregnancy, Alex, a midwife herself, faced a pregnancy experience that was nothing like she had ever hoped or imagined. Facing birth in Stage 4 Lockdown restrictions in Melbourne, without her family able to support her, and with hospital rules constantly changing, Alex chose to birth at home with her husband and private midwife. However the restrictions associated with the pandemic continued to present myriad stressful and unpredictable obstacles during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. In this episode, Alex shares a story that is familiar to so many women having a baby in Australia in 2020 and 2021. Episode 9 of Pregnancy Uncut delves into the frightening and isolating reality of being a pregnant woman during a pandemic, and explores how the effects of this unprecedented change in maternity care may be felt for generations.