The Real Birth Podcast

In this week's episode, Kate shares her two birth stories. Her first birth was a long, slow labour which resulted in a hospital transfer due to exhaustion.

Kate's second birth was just six months ago, and was a very fast labour and successful home birth. She was supported by community midwives, her partner, her mum and a birth photographer.

Kate tells us about her complex medical history - as she lives with Cystic Fibrosis, and in between her pregnancies, Kate suffered with thyroid issues as well as very high blood pressure. Her story is a brilliant example of advocating for yourself in the medical system, whether pregnancy related or not.

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In today's episode, Jade shares her two birth stories.

Her first birth was a natural water birth with only gas and air, in a midwife led unit. She gave birth in the pool and says it was an amazing experience.

Her second birth took place on Labour Ward as Jade was induced due to her baby measuring big. Her waters were broken artificially and her baby's umbilical cord prolapsed, meaning she needed to have an emergency c-section.

Jade talks at length about the stark difference between her two birth experiences, in particular giving birth during the Covid-19 pandemic - which meant a whole host of rules and restrictions surrounded her hospital stay.

She describes her second birth as 'dramatic, not traumatic', but Jade did feel that the experience of her son being born was not as positive due to the pandemic, and also her induction.

I hope you enjoy this week's episode.

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Jackie is a family and wedding photographer, and is married to Joe. She has three biological children and two step-children, so her home is a busy one!

Jackie had a drug-free home birth 'on land' - i.e. not in water! - just 12 weeks ago with her little baby Otto. After two previous births, one on a midwife led unit and another at home, Jackie knew she wanted to have another home birth and did everything she could to make this happen.

Jackie's husband Joe had attended the births of his two elder children, but as both were caesarean births this was his first experience of a vaginal birth - and of a home birth. She shares how Joe was able to mentally prepare for the day thanks to a local Doula who offered a 1:1 preparation session for them both.

Despite the midwifery staffing crisis meaning she was urged to transfer into the labour ward whilst she was in advanced labour, Jackie's student midwife advocated for the family's wishes and refused to abandon the home birth plan. Otto was born shortly after in the living room!

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Deanna is a body piercer from Newbury, UK, who had a complete - and we mean *complete* -surprise pregnancy with her daughter.

We've all heard those mythical playground tales of women not knowing they were expecting until a baby literally came out of them, right? Well, it can happen - and it did happen to this week's guest, Deanna.

Dee shares her incredible story of not knowing she was pregnant until she was in fll-blown labour. Just four hours after being admitted to hospital with what she thought was severe abdominal pain, her daughter was born and placed in her arms!

Having suffered from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) since she was 11, Dee had always experienced irregular periods and hormonal imbalances making her fertility hard to determine.

Dee's daughter was delivered with no one knowing her gestational age, and so she spent some time in the NICU after her birth. Dee shares her emotional story of how such a massive shock impacted her mental health, and how she went about seeking support for her mental health in the first year of parenting.

This truly is a rollercoaster ride of emotions - we hope you enjoy Dee's story!

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Sarah is a birth and postnatal doula working in Somerset. She is also a birth photographer and captures incredible images of pregnancy , birth and the postnatal period. You can see her work at www.doulasarah.co.uk or on her Instagram page.

Sarah was living and working as a nanny in LA when she made an intentional choice to have her baby on her own. She talks about her decision to have a peaceful home birth in a culture which so heavily promotes hospital birth and medical interventions, and how one progressive doctor turned her experience from stressful to blissful.

After trying several natural induction methods, Sarah went into labour and birthed her baby at home in a pool. She was surrounded by strong female support, including her room mate, a photographer and her mum who had flown over to be present at her grandson's birth.

Sarah later returned home to the UK and her story is a wonderful example of the differences in medical care here vs. across the pond.

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Leanne and her partner underwent IVF treatment to have their son who is now 2 and a half years old. During treatment, Leanne developed an extreme reaction to the stimulating IVF drugs, known as OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome).

Her pregnancy was difficult as she bled throughout, and was diagnosed with complete placenta previa. This meant her dream of a vaginal birth in water was not going to be possible, as a c-section is the only safe way to deliver a baby due to a high risk of blood loss with placenta previa.

Despite having a planned caesarean due to a potential emergency in the event of spontaneous labour, the date of Leanne's surgery was moved several times and only after strongly advocating for themselves did Leanne and her husband manage to secure a fixed day for their son's birth.

Leanne talks about the realities of how OHSS and IVF affected her body, and we also discuss how she handled letting go of the birth she thought she would have and accepted the cards she was dealt.

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Lucy Hill is the founder of The Real Birth Podcast, and in episode 1 she shares her birth story. Lucy and her husband Mike suffered a miscarriage before falling pregnant with their son, Rufus. In preparation for their birth, they chose to take a hypnobirthing course, hire a doula and also decided on a home birth.

After going into labour spontaneously at 39+6 weeks (in the supermarket!) Lucy laboured at home with her husband and doula until her midwife arrived. Around 16 hours into labour, it was discovered that Lucy's baby was breech - a complete surprise to everyone. Lucy decided to transfer into her local hospital and made an informed, empowered choice to have a c-section birth. Rufus was born weighing 7lbs 8oz and latched immediately.

Lucy shares her story of how planning and preparing for the unexpected helped her to avoid a traumatic birth, and how doula support not only helped during her pregnancy and birth, but also led to a life-changing career decision.

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Welcome to The Real Birth Podcast. In this short trailer episode, you can find out more about your host Lucy Hill, how TRBP came to be, and why everyone should be listening to real birth stories!

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