The Birth Chapter

We're baaack! As always we have a lot going on so the pod sadly drops to the bottom of the list but we're so excited to bring this beautiful chat to your ears today. Carrie is youtube vlogger and content creator, originally from the US, she moved to New Zealand 5 years ago for a slower life in the country side. She chats to use about her difficult journey to starting a family and her two different birth experiences. She speaks of motherhood so beautifully and we hope you love hearing her story.

You can find Carrie on instagram @carrierad

The Birth Chapter @thebirthchapter_

Vaginal exams are commonly used but they don’t always give the full picture.

In this short educational episode, we chat through:
• what a VE can (and can’t) tell you
• when they might be helpful
• why they can impact the flow of labour
• your right to informed consent and refusal

Birth isn’t a number, it's a process and this episode is your permission slip to question it, understand it, and choose what feels right for your birth.

Today we're chatting to @chelseaelliss about her second birth to Lola. Chelsea shares her journey through hyperemesis and gestational diabetes again, navigating pregnancy with resilience, and ultimately choosing her dream of a home birth even when it went against hospital advice.

With a fast, intense active labour and a deeply positive postpartum experience, this conversation is honest, empowering, and such a beautiful reminder of trusting your instincts. We hope you love it as much as we did.

We are finally back for another episode after a long break! Happy 2026 to all our listeners.

We sat down and chatted to Lucie who went through the journey of being a surrogate for the past few years. She answers all the questions you are probably wondering too and shares her heartwarming story of helping to create a family after completing her own.

You can find us on instagram

@thebirthchapter_

and our store @andhoney.store or on our website www.andhoney.store where you can also find a podcast submission if you'd like to share your story too.

✨ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of birth trauma. Please listen with care. ✨

In this week’s episode of The Birth Chapter, we sit down with Carla — a birth trauma support practitioner and former midwife. Together we open up a really important and sometimes uncomfortable)conversation around what birth trauma can look like, why it happens, and the ripple effects it can have on women and whānau and your entry to parenthood.

Carla shares her unique perspective as someone who walks alongside parents in the aftermath of difficult birth experiences and supports women to go on to have redeeming births. We talk about the misunderstandings around birth trauma, the emotional and physical layers, and most importantly, the pathways to healing and reclaiming your story.

If you’re pregnant with your first baby, this is such a valuable listen. Not to scare you, but to gently empower you with knowledge and insight, so you can enter birth feeling more prepared, supported, and aware of how to advocate for yourself.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 🤎

Let's talk about sex, baby! This week we’re joined again by women’s health physio Grace Coombs for a chat that’s as informative as it is hilarious. We’re talking all things postpartum sex — from pain and discomfot to pelvic floor and all things hormones. Nothing is off limits, and yes, there are plenty of laughs. Whether you’re nervous, curious, or just need to know you’re not the only one, this episode is a must-listen.

In honour of C-Section Awareness Month, we’re sharing Alice’s two wild birth stories, very different from each other but both full of unexpected twists! Her first birth ended in an emergency c-section without her husband by her side. Her second, an attempted HBAC, so close to her dream goal but eventually led to a rare classical c-section. Alice speaks candidly about how these experiences impacted her, including the birth trauma and mental health challenges that followed. This one's a roller coaster and one that so many will relate to. We’re so grateful to Alice for sharing. 💛

&honey

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Birth Trauma Support

Birth Afterthoughts - https://www.cdhb.health.nz/health-services/birth-afterthoughts-clinic/

Healing Birth - https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/

🎙️ Season 3 is here! We’re back in your ears with a brand new season of The Birth Chapter with a bit of a revamp! Sharing honest stories, expert tips, and those little golden nuggets of wisdom you didn’t know you needed.

We’re kicking things off with a bang. In this episode, we’re diving into Mikaelah's second birth story, another speedy birth at home. We chat about going into another HG pregnancy, being pregnant with a toddler, the mind games of being "overdue" and going from 1-2 kids as well as all the juicy birth details (IYKYK ;) ) We hope you love it!

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Your Birth Weapon Tool

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In this episode we chat with Gabs about the birth of her first baby boy. Gabs is also a step mum so her and her husband weren't sure whether they would add to their family but as you'll here through the episode, despite a very rough pregnancy journey with hyperemesis and mental health Gabs absolutely loves being a mum. We really enjoyed chatting to Gabs about the ups and downs of her journey and she reminded us just how good we have it in NZ for maternal health care compared to the USA! We hope you enjoy this episode

In this episode we chat with Grace from FOUR Physio in Christchurch about C-section birth recovery in regards to pelvic floor and abdominal health as well as scar massage and the return to exercise.