The Real Birth Podcast

This week I interview Tara, who had her daughter after two pregnancy losses. Tara and her partners had actually stopped trying to conceive when she found herself pregnant unexpectedly - much to their delight!

Tara's baby measured big throughout her pregnancy and she was offered additional growth scans to track her size. She was placed under consultant care and recommended either early induction or a c-section due to perceived risks.

Tara was happy to plan her caesarean birth as she found having this plan helped her anxiety. When her baby was born, she was much smaller than they'd predicted, much to everyone's surprise.

We chatted a lot about Tara's postnatal experience and the importance of getting the right support when it comes to recovery and breastfeeding.

I hope you enjoy this episode!

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Today I interview Jo, who had her baby in 2021.

Jo has Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects her joints and ligaments. This was an extra consideration during pregnancy and when planning for her birth.

After speaking to a consultant, Jo decided to birth in hospital, and after several episodes of protein in her urine and feeling unwell, opted for an induction. Her body was already going into labour however, and it wasn't long before she was having her baby.

Jo had an episiotomy, and birthed on her back which isn't what she initially wanted, but she feels her birth was positive overall. She has some great resources, such as The Naked Doula on instagram and Rachel Fitz-Desorgher, an expert midwife who speaks about EDS a lot.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode!

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This week my guest is Maggie, who joins me all the way from Texas, USA.

Maggie's first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and she was understandably nervous about falling pregnant again. When she did conceive, she planned a home birth with a midwife, which is unusual for her area in Texas.

Despite being a positive birth at home (with an undiagnosed breech baby!), Maggie didn't click with her midwife and felt there was a lot of tension caused by her. For her second pregnancy, Maggie knew she again wanted a home birth and employed the same midwifery team as they were financially the best option for her.

However, due to covid restrictions, her midwife refused to attend a home birth and she was pressured into agreeing to a birth centre birth - despite knowing she didn't want to do this. In the lead up to her due date, Maggie knew she was never going to attend the birth centre, and she started preparing to birth unassisted.

Maggie's story is inspiring and demonstrates what true autonomous, empowered birth can look like. I hope you enjoy this episode!

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In this episode, Rosie shares the birth story of her first baby.

Rosie planned a home birth and was supported by a continuity of care midwife whom she saw for every appointment. After a long labour at home, Rosie decided to transfer to hospital due to exhaustion - but realised when she arrived at hospital her baby was imminent!

Two weeks after her baby was born, COVID hit and Rosie's maternity leave experience was spent in isolation, which was tough mentally but allowed for a wonderful breastfeeding relationship to be established.

Rosie also experienced mastitis, but chose not to go in to hospital as, due to COVID, she would have been separated from her 10-day old baby.

I hope you enjoy Rosie's story!

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In today's episode I meet Sarah, who had two very fast labour and births. Her husband was more keen to have a baby than she was, and so she was surprised when she stopped taking the pill and discovered she was pregnant before she'd even had a period.

Sarah's first pregnancy was discovered late, and her exact dates were unknown - but all suspected her baby was post-dates. Her labour was fast and furious but without the 'pain' she had been told to expect. Her medical team couldn't believe she was having a baby!

Her second birth was equally as speedy, but her baby was in a suboptimal position which caused some issues. When he finally shifted position, he was out very quickly!

Between pregnancies, Sarah discovered the Fertility Awareness Method of Birth Control and used this to both achieve and avoid pregnancy without artificial hormones. She believes this made her second pregnancy much more relaxed as she knew exactly when she had conceived.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

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Welcome to another episode of TRBP. Today's guest is Holly, who shares her two birth stories and her experience of NICU stays.

At her 20 week scan, Holly and her husband Mark were told that their daughter Ivy had a heart abnormality known as Transposition of the Great Arteries (or TGA). In essence, Ivy's two main heart arteries had grown around the wrong way, meaning her heart wasn't pumping oxygen rich blood around the body. Their consultant described her condition as 'incompatible with life' unless baby Ivy had surgery within days of her birth.

Holly tells the story of what it was like to accept a diagnosis for her baby before she had even been born, and how she prepared for the inevitable surgery which was to come.

Holly also shares her second birth story, with her son Walter, who (for completely unrelated reasons!) also spent a short time in NICU.

Holly is so articulate, so calm and so easy to talk to and I hope you enjoy this episode - I learned so much from listening to her.

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Welcome back to Series 2 of The Real Birth Podcast!

In this episode, Grace shares her birth story. Shortly after finding out she was pregnant, Grace's relationship with her partner at the time broke down and she embarked upon motherhood as part of a co-parenting team.

Grace's labour progressed quickly and she used hypnobirthing techniques to help her through. After a time at her local birth centre, Grace transferred to hospital and had an episiotomy in theatre to help her baby be born.

Giving birth during the height of the pandemic meant Grace had to make some difficult decisions about who she wanted present at her birth - her sister, who's love and support she desired the most, or her baby's father.

I hope you enjoy this episode!

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In the final episode of season 1, I speak to Rhiannon, who is a midwife and hypnobirthing teacher.

Rhiannon planned a calm home birth with her colleagues from the community midwife team to support her. However, her pregnancy was difficult and at around 42 weeks she opted for an outpatient induction.

Rhiannon experienced hyperstimulation and was contracting far more regularly than is normal, safe or effective. She chose to have an epidural, and after several hours of her labour not progressing in a healthy way, she made the empowered and informed decision to have a c-section.

After her baby was born, Rhiannon struggled to breastfeed and talks about her incredible journey of exclusively pumping - making more than enough milk for her baby and helping to feed another sick little one, too.

I really hope you enjoy this episode, and I look forward to seeing you for season 2!

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This week I interview Lisa, who suffered two pregnancy losses before her son was born. This led to extreme anxiety, which meant Lisa felt her most appropriate birth choice was an elective c-section.

The night before her planned caesarean, Lisa's water broke and she went into spontaneous labour!

Lisa talks openly about the huge transition into parenthood, the guilt she felt for electing to have her baby by caesarean, and the misinformation she encountered surrounding breastfeeding her baby. Her words of advice are wonderful for anyone who is thinking about their birth choices and their rights in pregnancy, labour and birth.

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In today's episode, Emma shares her two very different birth stories.

Emma's baby boy Ted was born nine years ago, and suffered oxygen deprivation during his delivery - which resulted in a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Emma and her husband were shocked to learn that the hospital trust admitted full responsibility for Ted's brain damage and said this was due to a series of errors. Emma shares how their family processed this information while seeking the compensation they needed in order to effectively care for Ted.

Emma's second birth was a water birth using hypnobirthing, which she describes as healing, and exactly what she needed.

Emma speaks with such clarity and has some wonderful words of wisdom and advice for families faced with a similar diagnosis or scenario. My thanks go to her for sharing.

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