Today on the show I speak with ex hospital midwife and ex-child health nurse Kimberely Rose. Kim now works in the somatic sex area as well as studying Naturopathy. Kim’s first birth was a hospital birth, second homebirth with midwife and the last two were fabulous free births. We ponder over a lot if things including her time in the system and the second hand trauma she experienced even though most births would have been considered “good” births. As well as chatting about her somatic sex work and debating over pornography - I hold very strong views on this! I loved chatting to Kim - she is open aware and considered. Enjoy this conversation!

More about Kimberley:

Kimberley has a passion for working with women and supporting them on their journey through all areas of their life.

She is particularly passionate about a woman’s birth journey from preconception through to motherhood.

Her background working as a midwife and as a child and family health nurse, together with her studies in natural health, have prepared her to work with women’s health in a uniquely holistic way.

Kimberley has also completed a Womb Awakening Apprenticeship with The Fountain of Life which has shown her the great potential we all have when we live life from our power centre... the womb.

More recently Kimberley has experienced somatic training in sexological bodywork. A hands on/hands in therapy to address the wide spectrum of imbalances with embodying our sexuality. This, combined with her midwifery experience has become a powerful blend to assist women preparing for birth and healing from birth trauma.

Kimberley’s gentle, intuitive manner and her natural ability to create safety and ease provides a great combination working with women in this field.

Today on the show I speak with Mama of 2 Emma Penno who lives in remote WA in Port Headland. Emma herself was a c-section baby and so were her 3 siblings. Emma believed for a long time that c-sections were the safest and best option. But, fast forward to her first pregnancy Emma intuitively knew she wanted a natural birth but lost her her first baby at 8 weeks. She fell pregnant for the second time shortly after and had a straight forward physiological birth in hospital. After this birth she decided to freebirth her 2nd son and although she did have prenatal care at the hospital she was always in her power and had a very intuitive pregnancy and birth. Her second sons birth was so simple that her husband came home only a mere hour before he was earth side. When I asked Emma to be on the podcast she said - I don’t know what I’d say about it because my freebirth was really a non event. And I replied - that is what I love about it. We also talk about womb regression, how important it is to work on yourself and spirit babies. Enjoy this conversation a very simple but still spiritual birth.

More about Emma:

Emma is a curious, independent, wild woman. Also, a Mother of two boys living in the remote town of Port Hedland, Western Australia.

It was after the birth of Emma's first baby she became really passionate about birth, to then realise 4 years later that her passion for the way we are born actually began at the time of her own birth.

After spending the last 6 years understanding more about why and how we birth like we do and creating a business, Emma has shifted her focus to mastering the art of honouring a 'slow' Mother phase, for herself and her family. This looks like getting back to basics, connecting to herself through her inner cycles and nature, slowing down her days and bringing more ritual into her life.

From seeing freebirth as dangerous and risky, to thinking a c section would be safer, here is Emma's story of freebirthing her own baby.

Photo Credit - Bobbi Lockyer/@Hedlandphotographer

Today on the show I speak with Ashley Winning who runs her own podcast The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast. Ashley after 2 caesareans free birthed her 10 pound baby at home. We talk through through all her births, including her two hospital births where she was discriminated against because of her high BMI and then her triumphant freebirth. Although Ashley’s Freebirth didn’t go exactly as planned, she says she chose to view it as a peaceful and positive experience. Like my previous guest Cat, while Ashley’s baby was half way out some words from her doula really affected her. Her contractions stopped, panic arose, oxytocin was inhibited but regardless baby was born. Baby seemed to have laboured breathing and although Ashley says she didn’t really see it, an ambulance was called. Like Cat again, the baby was checked over by the ambulance and was given the all clear. This being said - in the meantime Ashley, with all the all the interruptions, disturbances and panic was starting to have a postpartum haemorrhage and was transferred to hospital for a 3.1l blood loss. She says that she felt forced to freebirth as no midwife would take her and really shows the failings in our system for women who want a homebirth with a midwife but fall outside the parameters. I think it’s so brave of women like Ashley to share their story of a freebirth when things didn’t go perfectly. Honestly I believe these are the stories that help people the most. Enjoy two podcast hosts conversing!

More about Ashley:

Ashley believes that when women step into their power and birth their babies on their terms that they take a huge step forward in living life in alignment & true to their hearts calling.

She works intimately with highly sensitive pregnant women who freebirth by working through fear and challenges, while providing emotional support so that they feel heard, seen & validated while taking the steps to intuitively birth their baby their way.

You can find many pregnancy & birth resources and support on her website www.themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Today on the show I speak with Allyce Ananda who describes herself as a expressionist, sound and vibrational healer and Mama Diviner. Allyce and I had crossed paths in our previous lives as actors but we had never met - until now. Allyce free birthed her first baby Aria and also had an autonomous pregnancy. We talk about the spiritual and emotional side of pregnancy and how it can be such a massive time of growth. We also delve into the way we express ourselves in birth and how important it is to feel comfortable in vocalising - especially when the sounds we make aren’t familiar to ourselves or others and aren’t considered “pretty”. We ponder over watching beautiful home births on youtube with the whale music playing behind them and how this image has not matched our experience at all and the intensity of a primal birth. Although there is not “right” way to do it we talk about how important it is to give ourselves permission to roar our babies into the world uninhibited and in a full bodied expression. We also talk about how Allyce dealt with a partial retained placenta naturally at home, the power of laughter in labour and why she thinks she had morning sickness. Enjoy this deep and meaningful conversation between two performers who’s worlds have now aligned.

ALLYCE ANANDA:

Allyce is here to support women into full authentic expression of their body wisdom.

Feeling at home within their voice, their body, and their emotions - this is her mastery.

Ever since she was a child she wanted to sing, and she has spent her life studying how we make sound, how we express, why we do, and what motivates us.

Over that time she has learnt many techniques of voice, dance, yoga, womb work, meditation, spirituality… as well as working professionally as a music theatre performer in both Australia and overseas for over 10 years.

But it didn’t weave together fully until 2018 when she became pregnant ‘unexpectedly’.

Through the wild pregnancy and empowering freebirth of her daughter in 2019, Allyce was able to have the incredible experience of truly inhabiting everything she had been learning about a woman’s body and its expression.

Both the voice and the pelvic bowl are loves of hers - when we work on one, we work on the other.

Today on the show I speak with Mama of 5 Khristie Castledine. Khristie says that she and her husband had their kids in two sets, the first two, then the next three. She started in one world with her first and ended in the other with her last. From c-section to freebirth. From vaccinating to not vaccinating. From 5 months breastfeeding to 5 years breastfeeding. Her experiences are really worlds apart. What I love about Khristie story is that it shows us how we can all grow and evolve and not to have judgement on ourselves or others when things are done differently. And for us to remember where we have come from. It makes me wonder where I will grow and evolve to next? And maybe it’ll do the same for you? Enjoy this episode with the wonderful Khristie!

More about Khristie:

I am Wifey to Krys and Mumma to 5 amazing kids. I care for the elderly in their own homes and I also support families through pregnancy, birth and end of life here in Adelaide as well.

I am a very passionate, strong-willed woman and am honoured to share my journey of having complete faith and trust in the system to having complete faith and trust in myself and the universe.

I am all about love and autonomy. I want everyone to know there is no greater authority on yourself or your children than you. If anyone would like to connect, feel free to send me a msg ❤️

Today on the show I speak with my good friend Arisa Yura. Arisa and I go way back and she was actually one of my bridesmaids! The reason I wanted to get Arisa on the show was, besides being an all round awesome person - Arisa is Japanese Australian and she is represents a group in the homebirth community that is so often underrepresented. Arisa went into homebirth a little unsure and a comment from a friend’s friend saying that the “Asian anatomy is not suitable for homebirth.” surely didn’t help. This kind of racism is baffling and obviously utterly ridiculous. Arisa’s post about this on Facebook, caused quite a stir here in an Australian Homebirth Facebook group with many outraged. Arisa went on to have a beautiful homebirth and proved that her anatomy is designed perfectly for her and her baby! Arisa is so different to me and this is what I love about her - the ying to my yang . She gives such a unique perspective on homebirth and she is so gentle and consider in her approach. I hope you enjoy this conversation between two friends.

More about Arisa:

Hello! I’m Arisa. I’m a great friend of Renegade Mama, Nat!

I’m an Aquarian mother to gorgeous boy Renon and wife to my ‘Kei Nishikori & Michael Chang’ power team husband, Gareth. We are both actors and are very proud of what we do.

I’m a 1.5 generation Japanese Australian and Gareth is a 3rd generation Chinese Australian.

As a first time home birther, I didn’t know many other Asian home birth mums before my pregnancy but leading up to the birth, it was really comforting and encouraging to meet and find them all.

So I want to share my birth story especially to mums with Asian heritage that’s thinking and dreaming of home birth

Today on the show I speak with Cat Price. Cat is a Mama of 2, an ex-midwifery student and more recently a birthkeeper. Cat had a wonderful first homebirth with a midwife which opened up a whole new world to her. For her second pregnancy she went on to decide that she’d like a freebirth but says that she was only 90% there. I find Cat’s story really interesting, as it’s an example of when we are not 100% aligned - how things can have the potential to go haywire. Although the birth was relatively straight forward - a comment from her doula really affected her. When her daughter was born - she decided to call an ambulance at the suggestion of the doula. These kind of power leaks where we listen to others over ourselves can have detrimental effects. The ambulance came - Cat knew everything was well and they left. But - consequently in the coming days - social services rocked up on her door unannounced. They berated her and harassed her in her vulnerable postpartum state. Cat understandably felt overwhelmed and shut done - she even started to question herself. She endured some very dark days postpartum but has recently come out the other side and has graciously been brave enough to share her story, which I know will be able to help others. I thank Cat for her open vulnerability - I am honoured to share her story.

More about Cat -

My name is Cat. I was born in South Africa but have lived in the UK since I was a baby. I am a wife and a mother-of-two. I'm a birthkeeper, a holder of sacred spaces and a weaver of words.

In 2017 I was training as a midwife in the system when I became unexpectedly pregnant with my first child. I gave birth to him in a simple and powerful birth at home (midwife-attended) that undid everything. As a result I swore off attending births myself and left my training, instead immersing myself in full-time mothering.

I later returned to assisting a local doula in running groups for new mothers and trained as a postpartum doula myself. I became unexpectedly pregnant again just before the Covid madness descended. After a wild pregnancy and freebirth (which was ultimately disturbed) with my daughter, I was subject to a Social Services investigation which desecrated my sacred postpartum time. These events inspired the darkest night of the soul that I've ever experienced.

Subsequently in early 2021, I witnessed the death of my beloved father-in-law at home. It opened my heart to the magic inherent in the rites of passage of both birth AND death.

With all that I have learned and embodied in the past few years, I have been moved recently to claim the title of "birthkeeper" and to begin to hold sacred space once again. It feels like coming home after the most arduous journey.