S7 EP188: Laura Gaschk: Private OB + Hospital Shower Birth / Fibroid + Risked Out of Birth Cottage / Postpartum Mental Health / Private Midwifery Care / Rural Birth Options / Homebirth

This week on the show I’m joined by Laura as she shares her journey into motherhood. Laura discovering she was pregnant while travelling around Australia on a honeymoon road trip, navigating early scans across multiple states during COVID, before returning home to prepare for birth. During her first pregnancy Laura sought a physiological birth and continuity of care, but after a fibroid was discovered overlapping the placenta she was risked out of the midwife-led birth cottage she had planned and transferred into hospital care. After navigating conflicting medical opinions and fragmented care, Laura ultimately found support with a private obstetrician and went on to birth her daughter in a powerful spontaneous labour in the hospital shower. Laura shares how the intensity of her postpartum experience, including significant mental health challenges, shaped the way she approached her next pregnancy and birth. When she fell pregnant again, Laura felt strongly that she wanted something more supported, more personal, and more aligned with the kind of care she had longed for the first time around. In this episode Laura shares how she discovered private midwifery care halfway through her pregnancy, hired a “home away from home” birth space, and went on to experience a beautiful water birth surrounded by trusted support… catching her baby boy at home in the water. This conversation explores continuity of care, trusting your instincts, navigating rural birth options, postpartum mental health, and the powerful difference the right support can make in both birth and motherhood. In this episode we discuss: • Discovering pregnancy while travelling around Australia • Navigating scans across multiple states during COVID • Fibroids and being risked out of a midwife-led birth cottage • Navigating conflicting medical advice • Spontaneous labour and hospital shower birth • The realities of postpartum mental health • Pregnancy after miscarriage • Discovering private midwifery care • Hiring a “home away from home” birth space • A beautiful water birth experience • The power of continuity of care Resources + Mentions: Instagram: @Laura_gaschk @marbehvale @marbehvale_homestead Birth Photographer: @amyphilpphotography Midwife: @nurtureyourbirth Pelvic Floor Physio: @somatic_womankind PANDA – Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia https://www.panda.org.au Beyond Blue https://www.beyondblue.org.au Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) https://www.cope.org.au Homebirth Australia https://homebirthaustralia.org Australian College of Midwives – Find a Midwife https://www.midwives.org.au Share the episode... If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. And if you enjoy the show, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more women discover these stories. Mentioned in this episode: Esfera Designs Wellness (Birth) Ball Create a calm, supportive space during pregnancy and postpartum with Esfera Designs. Use code: PBA20 for $20 off your order. Esfera Designs Sacred Birth Affirmations Track This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour. Positive Birth Australia