PODCAST · kids
Australian Birth Stories
by Sophie Walker
A Podcast of Mothers' stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell birth stories. An entertaining and heartfelt resource for pregnancy, labour and delivery and postpartum.
Episodes
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639 | Mel elective caesarean, pregnancy loss, emetophobia - fear of vomiting,
Today I chat to Mel about her path into motherhood. Mel met her partner Antonio later in life, after having come to terms with the idea that she might never become a mother. Living with emetophobia, a fear of vomiting, shaped nearly every decision Mel made in pregnancy, from her choice of care...
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638 | Kate Jones - Vaginal water birth, Gosford Hospital, fertility tracking, short cord
Today I chat to Kate Jones about becoming a mum for the first time to her daughter Lila. Kate takes us through months of frustrating fertility tracking, a tricky local hospital landscape after her area's only private birthing suite closed, and the vaginal water birth she had hoped for from the…
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637 | Beth - two physiological births, MGP, unmedicated hospital birth and a family centered home birth
Beth shares two beautiful birth stories. Her first with Bernie was an unmedicated hospital birth at the Mercy, and Quinn's home birth through the Joan Kerner programme, where her partner Paddy caught their daughter in their own lounge room. Beth talks honestly about the power of continuity of…
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636 | Sarah Viliamu - two contrasting births, induction, miscarriage, pregnancy after loss, doula support, spontaneous labour, Pink Elephants
In this episode, I chat to Sarah Viliamu, content creator, model and founder of The Self Love Supply, about her two very different birth experiences four years apart. Her first birth took place in Melbourne during the height of the 2020 lockdowns and ended in a long induction with a frightening...
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Mel | IVF, emergency caesarean, postpartum anxiety and depression, mother and baby unit stay
In this episode I chat to Mel about her road to motherhood, which began with a year of unexplained infertility and a round of IVF squeezed in during a short trip home from remote Northern Territory. Her pregnancy played out almost entirely in a small community several hours from the nearest town...
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It’s Time to Fix Postpartum Care with Senator Marielle Smith
In this episode, I speak with Senator Marielle Smith about the newly established Senate Select Committee on Women’s Health and what it could mean for women and families across Australia. We unpack what a Senate Select Committee actually is, how it differs from a Royal Commission or state-based...
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Mia | Two vaginal births, birth centre, single mum to blended family, Canberra
In this episode I chat to Mia, a mother of two living in Canberra, about her two vaginal births, close in age but very different in circumstance. Mia's first birth followed an unplanned pregnancy at twenty three, was quick and left her with a healthy respect for gas and air. Her second birth was...
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632 | Alex - ten year fertility journey, ectopic pregnancy, unexplained infertility, IVF, vaginal birth
In this episode I chat to Alex, a yoga and bodywork facilitator from Hobart, about the ten year journey she and her husband David went through to become parents. Alex takes us through years of unexplained infertility, a life threatening ectopic pregnancy, multiple rounds of IVF, several...
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631 | Hannah - three births, induced vaginal birth, private to public maternity care, Darwin
In this episode I chat to Hannah, a mum of three living in Darwin with her husband Joff and their boys Atlas, Abel and Solomon. Hannah takes us through three very different birth stories, starting with an induced hospital birth in Melbourne during lockdown, through to a calmer second labour in...
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630 | Jess Evans - Two physiological births, pregnancy after loss, fast vaginal birth, amenorrhea
In this episode I chat with Jess Evans, a mother of two from Melbourne who has spent eight years working with baby brand ErgoPouch. Jess takes us through the misdiagnosis that delayed her first pregnancy, a joyful and completely intervention free vaginal birth with her son Hunter, and then the...
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629 | Elise Two births, HG, DCDA twins, induced labour, special care nursery, TFMR
In this episode I chat to Elise, originally from Scotland and now living on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her partner Dan and their three children. Elise has experienced severe hyperemesis gravidarum in all three of her pregnancies, and she takes us through an incredibly quick, vaginal birth…
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628 | Tully Smyth - finding love, egg freezing, elective caesarean, breastfeeding, grief and motherhood
In this episode I chat to Tully Smyth about her winding road to motherhood and the birth of her daughter, Elke. Tully shares her honest experience of being single well into her thirties, the decision to freeze her eggs twice, and how that choice changed the way she approached dating and…
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627 | Amy - Five births, blended family, prodromal labour, assisted vaginal birth
In this episode I chat with Amy, a birth photographer and former doula living on the Sunshine Coast, about the birth of her fifth baby, her first with her now husband after a divorce from the father of her first four children. Amy takes us through meeting her husband, the decision to grow their...
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626 Navigating Postpartum Support with Dr Eliza Hannam
Breastfeeding and sleep concerns are common in early parenthood but unfortunately, many GP’s aren’t qualified to support you through these challenges. So where do you go for professional advice? In this episode, Dr Eliza Hannam discusses her early motherhood experiences alongside her role as a…
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625 Jessie Stephens | twin pregnancy, gestational diabetes, premature birth, NICU, breastfeeding twins
In this episode, I chat with Jessie Stephens, who many of you will remember from her first birth story with her daughter Luna in episode 415. Jessie returns to share her second pregnancy and birth journey, this time with a twist nobody expected, twins. She takes us through the heartbreak of a...
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624 Danni Duncan four babies, twin birth, emergency caesarean, VBAC, bowel cancer survivor
I chat with Danni, a mother of four living on the Gold Coast, who takes us through eight remarkably eventful years of motherhood. Danni shares her path to becoming a mum of four, including a miscarriage before her first pregnancy, the surprise of conceiving twins through ovulation induction, an...
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623 | Grace - Two births, midwifery care, induction, homebirth, physiological birth, fetal ejection reflex
In this episode, high school teacher and mother of two Grace shares her contrasting birth stories from Wollongong, NSW. Her first pregnancy was meticulously researched and planned. Grace approached conception with the same precision she'd bring to organising a holiday, using ovulation tracking…
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622 | Hilary’s Birth, MGP, Secondary Infertility, Missed miscarriage, Advanced Maternal Age, Induction, Cervical Lip
Join me today for a conversation with my sister, Hilary who shares her second pregnancy and birth with her daughter Rhoda. I was in the birth centre from the moment her waters broke. It was the first birth I’ve ever attended and such a precious experience (although I think it confirmed that I...
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621 | Freya - 35-week premature birth after car accident, hyperemesis gravidarum, tongue tie, perinatal anxiety
In this episode I chat with Freya, a paediatric doctor from Melbourne, about her pregnancy and premature vaginal birth of her daughter Goldie. Freya's journey to motherhood came with more challenges than most; she battled severe hyperemesis gravidarum for her entire pregnancy, was involved in a...
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620 | Jade - Stage four endometriosis, two vastly different births, postural headaches, fear of second birth, dream water birth, PND
Jade is a registered nurse of fourteen years, a newly qualified doula, and a birth photographer living on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her husband Matt, her daughters Milla, four, and Remi, seventeen months, and their beloved Westie, Doug. Diagnosed with stage four endometriosis at twenty-one,...
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619 | Lauren - Yoga teacher, intentional conception, positive induction, dream water birth, navigating grief in pregnancy, two births
Lauren is a yoga teacher, women's circle facilitator and prenatal yoga educator living in Sydney's northwest with her husband James and their two children, Joel, who is nearly four, and Grace, who is just three months old. From the moment she came off the contraceptive pill, Lauren embarked on a...
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618 | Hannah Home Water Birth with a 5.2kg Baby, Physiological Birth with Private Midwifery Care
Hannah first shared her birth story in a previous episode (episode 402) a home water birth with her 5.1kg son Archie. Now, four years later, she returns to share the story of her second home water birth with baby August, born at 41+2 weeks and weighing 5.2kg. This episode is rich with clinical...
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Fourth Trimester Village | Francesca Hung , Precipitous Labour and Finding Your Villange in Postpartum
This episode is part of The Fourth Trimester Village, a four-part series in partnership with Bugaboo exploring what it actually takes to navigate those first twelve weeks after birth. Not just physically, but emotionally, socially and practically. Because we spend so much time preparing for…
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615 | Hana identical twins, vaginal twin birth, breech second twin, no epidural, postpartum village, breastfeeding twins
When Hana went in for her thirteen-week scan on a road trip through Western Australia, she was expecting to confirm a due date. What she got instead was the shock of her life — two babies. Identical, monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins, sharing a placenta, and completely unplanned. Having…
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Fourth Trimester Village | Dr Nicole Gale, newborn sleep, breastfeeding support, matrescence, postnatal loneliness
This episode is part of The Fourth Trimester Village, a four-part series in partnership with Bugaboo exploring what it actually takes to navigate those first twelve weeks after birth. Not just physically, but emotionally, socially and practically. Because we spend so much time preparing for…
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The Fourth Trimester Village: Postpartum Movement & Recovery: Getting Back Out There with women's health physio Heidi
Today I'm joined by Heidi, women's health physiotherapist and the woman behind Women's Health with Heidi. With over a million followers, she's become a trusted voice in pelvic floor health and postpartum recovery. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and honestly, I think every pregnant and...
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613 | Jordan, MGP, physiological first birth, The Birth Class, pelvic floor physio, water birth
Jordan birthed her daughter Hali in the water at the birth centre of the Royal Hospital for Women, supported by her MGP midwife, after just three hours and forty minutes of active labour. She talks about managing symphysis pubis dysfunction throughout pregnancy, using a TENS machine at home,...
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The Fourth Trimester Village - Matrescence, Motherhood Rage & the Making of a Mother with Dr Edna Lekgabe
If you've ever felt blindsided by motherhood — the grief, the rage, the identity shift, the loneliness — this episode is for you. I sat down with Melbourne-based perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist Dr Edna Lekgabe to talk about one of the most profound and under-discussed transitions a woman...
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611 | Renako, two births, COSMOS programme, emergency caesarean, planned caesarean, postnatal support
Renako, a Japanese-Australian creative, marketer and mum of two living on the Great Ocean Road, shares two very different caesarean birth stories. Her first, Kieran, arrived via emergency caesarean at the Royal Women's after being induced at 38 weeks for low amniotic fluid. Her second, Nori, was…
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610 | Beth - two physiological births, MGP, unmedicated hospital birth and a family centered home birth
Beth shares two beautiful birth stories — Bernie's unmedicated hospital birth at the Mercy, and Quinn's home birth through the Joan Kerner programme, where her partner Paddy caught their daughter in their own lounge room. Beth talks honestly about the power of continuity of care, hiring a doula…
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609 | Managing Pregnancy Aches, Pelvic Pain & Recovery with Osteopath Dr Daniela Aiello
In today’s episode I chat with Dr Daniela Aiello, a registered osteopath specialising in pregnancy and postpartum care at Bulleen Osteopathy in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. Daniela brings over two decades of experience treating pregnant and postpartum women, combined with her personal journey as…
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608 | Clare, Maternally Assisted Caesarean, Baby hearing loss, Endometriosis
In this week’s episode, I chat to Clare about her two planned caesarean births. Despite severe endometriosis, Clare fell pregnant easily and sailed through the first half of her pregnancy. However, at her 20 week scan she discovered that her baby had ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJ) and...
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607 | Molly, Cape York water birth, neurodivergent motherhood, baby pinks experience
Molly takes us on her remarkable birth journey in the remote mining town of Weipa, Cape York, Queensland. As a neurodivergent woman living 800 kilometres from the nearest major hospital, Molly's story beautifully illustrates how proper preparation, supportive care, and self-advocacy can lead to…
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606 | Lauren, Six children, doula, identical twins, water birth, precipitous labour
In this remarkable episode, Lauren takes us through her extraordinary journey of birthing six children whilst building her career as a doula. From her first precipitous labour that saw her go from 3cm to fully dilated in 45 minutes, to her recent identical twin water birth, Lauren's story is one…
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605 | Bettina- Three births across two countries: UK NHS care, Australian private care, and choosing caesarean birth
Bettina has experienced birth across two countries and healthcare systems. She had her first baby in London during COVID-19, navigating the NHS as an Australian expat, before returning to Australia for two more very different births - including choosing an elective caesarean with her third. Her...
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604 | Tahlia's Journey: From Heart Surgery to NICU Mum - A Story of Resilience and Hope
Tahlia was born with a complex congenital heart condition requiring three open-heart surgeries and a pacemaker. She was told early on that if she wanted children, sooner would be better than later. After conceiving through IVF, her high-risk pregnancy led to an emergency caesarean at 30 weeks,...
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603 | Gen's Second Birth Story: From IVF challenges to a powerfully healing birth experience
In this deeply honest and often hilarious episode, Gen returns to share her second pregnancy and birth story - a journey that took her from secondary fertility struggles through severe hyperemesis gravidarum to achieving her dream maternal-assisted delivery. After trying to conceive naturally for...
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602 | Building Breastfeeding Confidence with IBCLC Dr Amber Hart
Today I sit down with Dr. Amber Hart, a Melbourne-based GP and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Dr. Hart shares her expertise on the realities of breastfeeding, the importance of antenatal education, and addresses the controversial rise in tongue tie diagnoses. Amber offers a...
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601 | Lucy's Story of an Emergency Caesarean, Twin birth, Redefining Body Image After Birth
Lucy shares her contrasting birth experiences - from an emergency caesarean with her first daughter Ocean at 42+2 weeks, to a planned caesarean with twins Koa and Maddox that took a frightening turn when Maddox was born unresponsive. Today's episode is brought to you by Bare Mum. Explore the full...
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600 | Postpartum - Ruby, breastfeeding, sleep challenges, normal infant biology, low sleep needs
In today’s episode Ruby shares her journey with infant sleep. We all come to postpartum with a predisposed understanding of baby sleep which usually involves the mindset that it’s the parent’s ‘job’ to ‘teach’ the baby to sleep. But as you will hear in this episode, babies have a primal drive to...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A Podcast of Mothers' stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell birth stories. An entertaining and heartfelt resource for pregnancy, labour and delivery and postpartum.
HOSTED BY
Sophie Walker
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Australian Birth Stories have?
Australian Birth Stories currently has 637 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Australian Birth Stories about?
A Podcast of Mothers' stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell...
How often does Australian Birth Stories release new episodes?
Australian Birth Stories releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 637 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Australian Birth Stories?
You can listen to Australian Birth Stories on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Australian Birth Stories?
Australian Birth Stories is created and hosted by Sophie Walker.
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