On today’s episode, we welcome back midwife and mother of three, Amanda. Amanda first shared her journey in episode #45 of Positive Birth Australia, where she recounted her first two home births. This time, Amanda’s pregnancy came as a surprise, arriving sooner than her family had anticipated as they were planning to travel around Australia in a van. Despite the unexpected timing, she embraced her baby’s timeline and welcomed the joy of pregnancy. Having experienced spontaneous labour at 37 week...
Jun 06, 2024•49 min
To celebrate the release of our soulful 20-minute birth affirmation tracks, today's first micro-episode will focus on the power of birth affirmations and intention-setting during pregnancy. We'll explore how to incorporate them into your daily life to cultivate a strong, healthy mindset as you prepare for birth. ✨ The differences between affirmations and intentions ✨ The power they hold when used in a daily practice ✨ How these practices can help you prepare for birth and beyond And at the end o...
May 30, 2024•22 min
On today's episode we hear from first-time mother, Jess, as she shares her empowering hospital birth story. After two and a half years and four pregnancies, it was finally Jess's moment to welcome her baby into the world. With two sister-in-laws as midwives - one specialising in homebirth -Jess found herself surrounded by a wealth of knowledge and support, which sparked her excitement and deepened her understanding of childbirth. Guided by her midwife relatives and initially considering a homebi...
May 22, 2024•46 min
Today, we dive into Amanda's remarkable birth stories, marked by challenges yet underscored by her unwavering resilience, advocacy and deep knowledge. Amanda's excitement about her first birth was initially clouded by a diagnosis of placenta previa at 32 weeks. This resolved as time passed, but Amanda soon faced another hurdle: preeclampsia, which led to a recommendation for induction at 38 weeks. Despite a series of medical interventions, Amanda achieved the vaginal birth she had hoped for. How...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 30 min
In today's episode, I sit down with Poppy, the host of Out the Gate Parenting, to explore her two distinctly different birth experiences. Poppy was inspired to choose homebirth after her sister's peaceful home delivery, contrasted sharply by witnessing a friend's hospital birth. Knowing this was the right path, Poppy engaged a homebirth midwife shortly after she consciously conceived her first child. However, as her birthing time approached, an uncomfortable encounter led Poppy to question the s...
Apr 30, 2024•1 hr 40 min
Welcome to today's episode, where we delve into the transformative journey of Fiona, a birth educator and doula whose experiences in childbirth deeply reshaped her life. Fiona admits that initially, she knew very little about pregnancy and childbirth. However, inspired by the profound insights from Ina May Gaskin's book, Fiona embarked on a path that dramatically altered her perspective on birth. Fiona shares her first birth experience at a birth center, where she faced a challenging six-hour pu...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 20 min
In today's episode, I am delighted to welcome the visionary creators of the Australian documentary, Born at Home, which explores the intimate world of homebirth. Following the empowering experience of her second child's birth, Amanda, with her extensive background in birth advocacy and evidence-based maternity care, felt an undeniable call to create a resource that could educate and empower other women. When she shared her vision with Eleanor, her friend of 15 years, Eleanor was immediately on b...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 12 min
I'm thrilled to introduce Kristine, an international midwife with over three decades of experience in the birth space. Kristine has dedicated her career to guiding women around the globe through their most transformative journey, offering compassion, expertise, and a profound understanding of the birthing process. Kristine's journey began as an apprentice midwife, working with the Amish community where home births were the norm. Witnessing birth unfold naturally, without medical intervention unl...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 11 min
In this episode, Astrid reflects on her three unique birth experiences, each contributing to her deep respect for the journey of birth. Her trust in birth was instilled at a young age as she witnessed her siblings being born at home. Her first birth, initially planned for a homebirth but ending in a transfer, became a pivotal moment for Astrid. It prompted her to explore the essence of physiological birth more deeply. The natural unfolding of her second baby's birth further solidified her trust ...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr
Today’s episode features Mia, a jewellery creator and first-time mother, sharing her unexpected journey to motherhood. When Mia met her partner, they both agreed that they weren't ready to have children at that time. However, six years later, Mia began to feel a deep longing to become a mother. She sensed the spirit of a little girl around her and knew that a daughter was waiting to be conceived. After a spontaneous night of intimacy without contraception, and a difficult discussion about their ...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 5 min
On today’s episode, I have the honour of sharing the remarkable story of Amber and her journey to birthing her triplets at home. Amber's husband sensed something unique about her pregnancy when he noticed her symptoms were more intense this time around. Initially dismissing it as typical pregnancy fatigue for a mother of five, Amber went for a dating scan with a friend. Little did she know, this scan would reveal a surprise: three sacs, three heartbeats. Amber recounts her reaction to the sonogr...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 6 min
In today's episode, I’m excited to welcome Emma, co-founder of Maia Mothers Collective, as she shares her contrasting birth experiences. During her first pregnancy, Emma felt well-prepared for birth, but her experience of prodromal labour sent her on a rollercoaster of emotions. This ultimately led to a series of interventions that ended in an emergency caesarean. Without any real understanding why, in the moments that followed that experience she knew her next birth would be at home. Describing...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 55 min
Welcome back to season 5 of PBA. We’re kicking this season off with a two-part series. In this opening episode, I'm taking you on an intimate journey through my own experience of childbirth. We'll explore the transition from maiden to mother as I recount the birth of my daughter - a journey that, while filled with challenges, taught me invaluable lessons about myself. This episode delves into my unexpected journey through an unplanned induction and the typical cascade of interventions that usual...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 55 min
In today's episode, we are joined by Hannah, tuning in all the way from the US, as she shares her two unique birthing experiences. Choosing the path of motherhood was a spontaneous decision that immersed Hannah in the journey of pregnancy, evoking a deep appreciation for the miracle of growing life within. Hannah's deep desire for a healing journey to redefine her family's lineage gained clarity when she witnessed women in circle sharing their empowering birth stories. Inspired, she made the int...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 26 min
On today's episode, Paige takes us on a her journey, navigating the challenges of conception and recounting her empowering experience of an unmedicated hospital birth. After a heartbreaking missed-miscarriage, a sobering realisation dawned on Paige that a pregnancy doesn’t always guarantee a baby. Following the identification of a blood clotting disorder, low ovarian reserve, and an endometriosis diagnosis, she embarked on a series of fertility treatments that proved unsuccessful. But just as th...
Nov 30, 2023•49 min
In today's episode, Lucinda guides us through the journey of her three contrasting births. Her introduction to motherhood was far from smooth, given a preexisting kidney condition that required careful blood pressure management. Unfortunately, poor care from health providers meant she never received the correct protocol, leading to a stressful pregnancy and a preeclampsia diagnosis. Lucinda's struggle for her birth and baby in the face of inadequate care resulted in a cascade of interventions an...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Today we warmly welcome back Emma to the podcast sharing her most recent birth. Emma’s first birth can only be described as a dream unfolding, one you can hear in detail over on episode #102. While Emma maintained the awareness that each birth is a unique journey, as she approached her second birthing experience, there was a natural sense of anticipation that it might progress more quickly. However, this labour would unfold over a span of 29 hours.. Emma guides us through the series of events th...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 19 min
Today we're diving into Marie's incredible story, one that beautifully illustrates the profound transformation that took place following her unplanned, intervention-free physiological birth in the hospital. In her first pregnancy and birth, Marie found herself consumed by anxiety and fear. She willingly handed over her power to medical professionals, following their guidance and even entertaining the idea of a planned caesarean or induction. But an unexpected turn of events changed everything. A...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 14 min
S4 EP134: In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating birth experiences of Charlotte. Her upbringing instilled in her a profound reverence for birth. Being surrounded by positive birth stories, shaped her perspective, casting aside fear and filling her with a genuine sense of excitement. However, her first pregnancy took her by surprise. Though she had eagerly anticipated the journey into motherhood, she found herself struggling to enjoy the experience. As her birth drew closer, it was the ...
Nov 02, 2023•46 min
Today’s episode features Brooke Turner, the founder of Balance Fitness and Nutrition and the internationally recognised course, Functional Fitness for Pregnancy & PostPartum™. With over 15 years of expertise in the health and fitness industry, Brooke is a renowned figure, earning accolades such as the Australian Fitness Educator of the Year. Her qualifications in exercise science and nutrition, combined with her specialisation in functional training, nutrition, and mindset for pregnancy and ...
Oct 19, 2023•52 min
On today's episode, I have the pleasure of sitting in conversation, once again, with Emily from the Authentic Birthkeeper. Not only is she a devoted wife and loving mother to three wonderful children, but she's also a freebirther and an experienced birth keeper. Today we touch on the stories of Emily's initial two births, which you can listen to in more detail on episode #44. This sets the stage for a deeper exploration into her most recent birth experience. She guides us in detail through the b...
Oct 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min
In today's episode, we unpack Lauren’s two births. Lauren's acceptance into the local MGP program ensured she received continuity of care throughout her pregnancy. Pairing this with a hypnobirthing course, Lauren armed herself with knowledge to strive for a physiological, intervention-free water birth. As labour started, Lauren was faced persistent vomiting, and upon reaching the hospital and hitting transition, she grappled with a crisis of confidence. As it turned out, her baby girl was en cau...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 4 min
On today’s episode, we dive into the incredible journey of Paige, a first-time mother and dedicated doula. Paige comes from a lineage that celebrates birth as a natural and transformative experience in a woman's life. Growing up surrounded by pregnancy circles and bearing witness to the birth of her siblings, she developed an unwavering trust and faith in the power of physiological birth. As she began her own rite of passage into motherhood, Paige was fearless, knowing that homebirth was the onl...
Sep 14, 2023•52 min
In today's episode, we hear Kayla's transformational journey through her three distinct birth experiences. Kayla's lifelong desire for motherhood led her down a path toward a holistic lifestyle even before she became pregnant. Her introduction to the concept of homebirth through online videos solidified her decision that this was the path she wanted to take in bringing her babies into the world. Her first birth unfolded swiftly, leaving her with mixed emotions. While it was a positive and empowe...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 40 min
On today’s episode, I warmly welcome back Luna, who joins us to recount her two most recent birth experiences. Since our last conversation, Luna has traversed the heart-wrenching path of pregnancy loss, an experience that plunged her into the depths of grief while intricately weaving together the notions of birth and mortality, prompting profound contemplation. In the aftermath of this loss, Luna and her family embraced the time they needed for reflection and healing. After a restoritive journey...
Aug 31, 2023•48 min
On today's episode we dive into the birth story of Tamarin – a practitioner renowned as a Holistic and Intuitive Therapist and Healer. Tamarin's story begins with a 13-month conception journey, where the weight of time began to cast doubts upon the arrival of their long-aweaited child. Having wrestled with the complexities of fertility hormones, Tamarin eventually found solace in a natural alternative, a turning point that led her to conceive a daughter. Her pregnancy became a chapter filled wit...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min
On today’s episode we dive into the contrasting birth experiences of Australia's first professional Instagramer, Lauren. After eight adventurous years traveling the globe as a dedicated travel influencer, Lauren's path led her to a profound new chapter: motherhood. Coming off a whirlwind of experiences, Lauren knew it was time to anchor herself and nurture a family of her own. The radiance of Lauren's pregnancy journey painted a portrait of vitality and inner glow. While her husband's Zimbabwean...
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Monique – a mother of two, postpartum doula and co-founder of women's health and wellness clinic, Maia Mothers Collective. From an early age, Mon's longing to embrace motherhood was undeniable. However, faced with a 9-year absence of her menstrual cycle, she recognised the imperative of restoring her body's equilibrium. Through determination and resilience, she embarked on a journey that led her to the essential support she required, effectively regaini...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 17 min
On today's episode, we explore the fascinating journey of Alana and her nine birth experiences. Alana grew up in a community where natural, undisturbed births were celebrated as the norm, fostering a positive outlook on childbirth. Witnessing her close friend giving birth further deepened her understanding of the process and prepared her for her own journey into motherhood. Alana's initiation into motherhood was a deeply sacred and intimate experience as she gave birth at home, with only her hus...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to today's episode, where we join Taylor on her profound journey from maiden to mother. When Taylor first conceived her daughter, she found herself with limited knowledge about childbirth and the various care options available to her. Seeking continuity of care, she embraced her local MGP program, leaning on the familiar presence of dedicated midwives that brought her a sense of security. As Taylor's labour began, she was confronted with intense back pain due to her baby's posterior posi...
Jul 27, 2023•2 hr 14 min
