029 - Emma | 2 births, MLU, gas & air, water birth, continuity of care, homebirth transfer, ARM, co-sleeping, mastitis
Release Date: 03/28/2024
058 - Louise | 2 miscarriages, induction, epidural, forceps, episiotomy, combi feeding, mastitis, sepsis, PND, PTSD
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Louise about the birth of her son Rex. She shares her experience of miscarriage; how that changed her perception of pregnancy and how she used keeping busy as a coping mechanism. At 39 weeks a scan suggested she was carrying a big baby so she decided to accept an induction which lead to uterine hyperstimulation and after a long and exhausting labour her baby was born with the assistance of forceps. Louise talks about her very difficult postpartum experience; a bad case of mastitis which lead to being hospitalised with sepsis, and the postnatal...
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057 - Alice | 2 babies, MLU, waterbirth, meconium aspiration, prolapse, continuity of care, homebirth, breastfeeding
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Alice about her two births; the first in the birth centre, the second at home. Her eldest daughter Izra, who was born in the pool on the MLU, needed some special care after the birth due to meconium aspiration and Alice shares her experience of having a prolapse soon after the baby arrived. When she fell pregnant again, despite her husband not supporting her choice, she planned to have her second baby at home. This is such a brilliant birth story as Alice ended up doing a park run in early labour on Christmas Day, birthing her baby at home whilst her...
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056 - Sophie | 2nd baby, homebirth, physiological birth, doula, waterbirth, 2nd degree tear, placenta encapsulation
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Sophie who was one of the very first guests on the podcast and she is back to share her homebirth experience. After finding out she was pregnant by surprise at her friend’s wedding, Sophie admits she found this pregnancy tougher than her last due to sickness, tiredness and lots of travel for her partner’s work. She hired the same lovely doula who supported her first birth and on the whole felt very confident in her ability to birth her baby considering things had gone smoothly with her previous birth. Her labour began at 39 weeks and she birthed...
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055 - Rosie | low AMH, low PAPP-A, hospital birth, PROM, epidural, forceps
Birth Tales
In today’s episode I’m speaking to Rosie who had her baby girl Poppy 9 months ago. At her 12 week scan blood tests showed low levels of PAPP-A which resulted in multiple extra scans through her pregnancy and conversations starting early around a potential induction. As it turns out, Rosie’s labour began spontaneously shortly before 37 weeks on the day she was supposed to be moving house. When her waters released the move was put on hold and she ended up giving birth at her mum’s local hospital. She shares how the experience differed from what she imagined, the amazing high she felt in...
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054 - Rochelle | 2nd baby, homebirth, waterbirth, subchorionic haematoma, ventricular septal defect, hypnobirthing, continuity of care, en caul birth
Birth Tales
In this episode I’m chatting to Rochelle about her second birth which took place just 2 weeks before recording! Her pregnancy differed in so many ways from her last; she suffered with terrible morning sickness for the first 5 months, had the added worry of a subchorionic haematoma and found at 20 weeks that her baby had a ventricular septal defect. Despite all the extra tests and complications, Rochelle was able to go ahead with the homebirth she hoped for and - after what she describes as an extreme dress rehearsal the day before - she birth her daughter in the water at home with her...
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053 - Katie | maternal mental health, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypnobirthing, midwife lead unit, ARM, waterbirth
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Katie, who is back on the podcast to tell her second birth story. She shares how different her pregnancy was this time around from the symptoms she experienced to the support she received, plus the fact her first was heavily affected by covid restrictions. Having suffered with postnatal depression after birthing her first son, Katie was careful to prioritise her mental health. She revisited her hypnobirthing techniques and overall felt confident about giving birth again. Katie’s labour began shortly before her estimated due date and she birthed her...
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052 - Velika | doula, birth pool, hypnobirthing, homebirth transfer, c-section, breastfeeding challenges
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Velika just 10 weeks after giving birth to her son Elio. At the start of her third trimester, having hired a doula and learned about hypnobirthing, Velika opted for a homebirth to guarantee her access to a birth pool. She laboured at home until she was fully dilated, at which time her contractions started to become less frequent. When labour didn’t pick up again despite her best attempts, Velika decided to transfer in to hospital for additional support. An internal examination showed her baby’s head was no longer engaged so the decision was...
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051 - Olivia | endometriosis, adenomyosis, Mira tracker, birth centre, birth pool, ventouse, episiotomy, jaundice
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Olivia who gave birth to her daughter Sienna in the midwife lead unit. Following a diagnosis of endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS it took her years to conceive, so she shares all about her conception journey and the things she did to support the process. She had a busy pregnancy; travelling, moving house and working on her business so admits she didn’t think much about the birth until her waters released just before 37 weeks. She laboured on the birth centre using the pool and gas and air for comfort before birthing her baby with the help of...
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050 - Rochelle | Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, early miscarriage, meconium, ARM, labour ward, high blood pressure, pethidine, epidural, episiotomy, triple feeding
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Rochelle about the birth of her son, Jude. Despite having had a previous early pregnancy loss, she felt confident and intuitively very positive right from the beginning of her pregnancy. Thanks to minimal symptoms she was able to stay busy with work, but as a result feels she might not have prepared for the birth as much as she would have liked. When her labour began a few days after her due date, Rochelle noticed meconium in her waters so was advised to attend the hospital. Whilst her labour had been progressing nicely at home, things slowed down...
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049 - Katie | Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic pain, hospital birth, hypnobirthing, GBS positive, ARM, pandemic pregnancy, jaundice
Birth Tales
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Katie about the first of her two births. She conceived just before the pandemic hit so her pregnancy and birth were both heavily affected by the restrictions; from the antenatal classes she could attend to how much her partner could be with her during labour. Due to her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Katie experienced a lot of leg and hip pain, as well as some joint dislocations during her pregnancy so was put on crutches. As she neared the end of her pregnancy, after several days of mild period cramps and multiple trips to and from the hospital for...
info_outlineIn today’s episode Emma shares her stories of birthing her two daughters. Her first pregnancy went smoothly on the whole; she fell pregnant easily, was lucky enough to experience the sought after second trimester glow and married her husband a few weeks before the baby arrived. She talks us through the emotional challenge of becoming a mother having sadly lost her own mother as a teenager and how art psychotherapy helped her to process the grief that arose. When her due date arrived, Emma and her husband celebrated by cooking a recipe that supposedly helps to get labour started… and her contractions started shortly after! Emma laboured in the MLU and her baby was born gently in the water.
During her second pregnancy Emma opted for a homebirth and talks us through the things she did differently to prepare for her next birth, from the books she read to regular reflexology treatments which all helped her to feel positive and confident in the lead up to the birth. When the time came, Emma loved labouring at home but eventually transferred into the hospital when her labour stopped progressing. She shares her experience of co-sleeping and how surrounding herself with a strong support network positively shaped her postpartum experience.
Emma’s website: https://hungryromantic.co.uk/
Emma’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/hungryromantic/
My website: www.serenalouth.com