In this episode Sophia shares the stories of her two homebirths. Her first birth was long and winding, with many visits from bodyworkers and a hospital visit in an effort to spur along labour after her waters broke, eventually ending in the safe deliver of her son Abel after five days. Her daughter, Bowie was born 20 months later, and her experience of labour the second time around is very different, with it being very fast and powerful. Sophia is interviewed by Indi as part of the handover of the podcast, as Sophia will be taking over as host of the Keep Birth Wild Podcast in an effort to bring back much needed story-telling medicine. Sophia is a doula working in Naarm (Melbourne) and living with her two children in the bushy hills along the Birrarung. She speaks about her journey into Rites of Passage and Ceremony as a space holder for expecting and new parents. Her deep belief in the healing properties of community lead her to this work and she hopes that the more we speak about birth as a normal physiological experience, the less we have to fear from it. Sophia Grant - Sophiagrantdoula Lisa Wraith - Mimosa Midwifery Robbie - Essence Midwifery Steffi Arvanitakis - Sacred Ways of Being

In this episode Jess shares the stories of her two births. Both of her pregnancies were unplanned but very lovingly received. Her daughter was born in hospital, and although the birth was relatively straight forward, Jess describes the experience as traumatic and a catalyst for choosing a very different model of care for her next birth. During her next pregnancy she explored several options for homebirthing, and opted to have the birth attended by a birthkeeper. She describes the whole experience as an exercise in tuning in to her own intuition and exercising autonomy over her choices. Jess runs a wonderful women’s circle in the Yarra Valley, and you can follow her on instagram @welcometojessland to find out more about how to access her circle and her new offerings as they unfold.   Photos by Mother Mehndi   Ten Moons by Jane Hardwicke Collings The Down to Earth Birth Book by Jenny Blyth Newborn Mothers by Julia Jones The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson

In this episode Sarah shares the story of her second birth with her son Freddie. You can find Sarah’s first birth story all the way back in Episode 1, so be sure to head back and listen to that one first if you haven’t done so already. After sharing Freddie’s fast and furious birth, Sarah goes on to talk about postpartum, tandem breastfeeding, and what she envisions for her next birth. You can find Sarah on instagram @simplifyfit

Martina is a Mum of 3 crazy, fun, loving and uber cheeky kids! She is a midwife, runs Calmbirth courses, and has just completed her IBCLC certification. She offers her full spectrum services through her business, Hey Baby! Birth & Breastfeeding Support. In this episode Martina shares the stories of her three beautiful homebirths and her breastfeeding journey through her baby raising years. She brings a unique perspective through her expertise in all things birth and breastfeeding!   Martina recommends: Birth with Confidence by Rhea Dempsey. Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Sarah Buckley. Give Birth like a Feminist by Milli Hill. The Midwives Cauldron podcast The Aware Parenting Podcast And this Episode of Rockstar Birth Magazine with Sarah Buckley: https://podtail.com/da/podcast/rockstar-birth-radio/ep02-dr-sarah-buckley-undisturbed-birth/   You can find Martina on instagram here.   Support Keep Birth Wild on Patreon here.

Janelle and her husband are farmers, growing avocados, beef cattle and a market garden. She is religious and after many years of feeling that she may not want children, she left the decision to start a family to God, and conceived not long after. In this episode she shares the story of her pregnancy and birth with her son. Janelle’s birth was overall a positive and life changing experience. Her favourite books she would recommend for expecting parents are Sarah Buckley’s Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering and Rhea Dempsey’s Birth With Confidence.

Jana Woodhouse is a Melbourne based homebirth, newborn and maternity photographer. Her work captures the beauty of birth and pregnancy and the magic of fresh babies earth side. In this episode Jana shares the stories of her own three births. Her first birth experience was through the caseload midwifery program at Casey Hospital, where despite developing preeclampsia at 38 weeks she was still about to labour spontaneously and have an unmedicated vaginal birth. Jana left that birth feeling proud, but also traumatised by the way she was treated during the birth by hospital staff. For Jana’s second birth she opted for care through an obstetrician. She describes the thoughtful, hands-off and attentive trust from both her obstetrician and the midwives who attended the birth. During her third pregnancy, Jana had persistent bleeding and a miscarriage scare. She explored several care options through her pregnancy and ended up having a beautiful birth at home with a private midwife. You can find Jana on instagram @janawoodhousebirthandbabies Visit the episode web page at https://www.keepbirthwild.com.au/episodes/45-jana-woodhouse- 

In today’s episode Sarah is sharing the story of her son Henry’s birth. Sarah was under the care of a midwife through the CMP at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth. She had a fairly straight forward pregnancy and birth where she used the Hypnobirthing techniques, but some extra challenges during postpartum. Sarah also speaks to some of the limitations with the CMP model and whether she would opt for that option again for future births.    Hypnobirthing Australia Kate Vivian from Bright Mums - Hypnobirthing Practitioner Community Midwifery Program - King Edward Memorial Hospital Perth

Julie is a herbalist by trade, a homebirther, a feminist, a doula, a self proclaimed ‘non-vaxxer’, and a devout Christian who has found her way out of a fundamentalist faith. In this episode she joins me to share her observations about the roots of conspiracy theories and deliberate coronavirus misinformation campaigns. We begin with a look into the infiltration of the alternative left by far-right political groups, specifically through the foothold they have found in the existing anti vaccination sentiment. Julie shares her journey to exiting fundamentalist faith, of living in Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic, and of her close observation of the rise of conspiracy thinking and deliberate misinformation that has unfolded during the Covid-19 pandemic. We discuss our own Covid-19 vaccination choices, and some pieces around living and thriving in a time of increasing global crisis.   Further reading It Is For Freedom – Julie’s blog that began as a resource for women exiting fundamentalism and ended up morphing into tackling conspiracy theories and disinformation as well.  Julie’s story of a journey from legalism to grace: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3  What has fundamentalism & patriarchy got to do with election & Coronavirus disinformation?   Institute for Strategic Dialogue – Powering solutions to Extremism & Polarisation The Global Network on Extremism & Technology - Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism   Julie’s picks for Covid 19 and vaccine information: Redemptive History and Theology  Dr Sara Marzouk  Sarah Stogryn Dr Aviva Romm on wellness during Covid  Therapeutic Goods Administration Covid 19 Vaccine Weekly Safety Report

Julie Bell is a mother of four, a doula, herbalist, Christian, feminist, and the creative genius behind Blissful Herbs. In this episode Julie shares the births of her four children. She conceived for the first time while living in Hong Kong and working in foreign aid, and ended up giving birth in her ancestral homeland, Ireland. Julie’s first birth was a homebirth under the care of a private midwife, who was hands off and allowed Julie to intuitively travel through her labour and birth. Julie’s second baby was born in a shopping mall in New Zealand, after she went into labour with almost no notice and ended up birthing in a breastfeeding cubicle in the parents’ room! Her next birth was again in New Zealand, at home and under the care of a private midwife. There was some complications in this birth and Julie shares about how she navigated a tricky birth and advocated for herself to achieve her homebirth. Eight years later she fell pregnant again, and delivered her fourth baby, and first son, at home in Australia. Throughout her birth stories Julie has woven many pieces of wisdom she has picked up as a doula and mother. She shares her experiences of freeing herself from fundamentalist Christian faith, of living through the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, and speaks to her vision of what an alternative maternity care model could look like.

In this episode Rachel shares the story of her son Patricks birth. Rachel had a really straight forward conception and pregnancy and shares some special moments from that time, including when she discovered that she was pregnant and told her very clucky partner Liam that he was finally going to be a dad! Rachel chose to have a big birth team with lots of family and friends, as well as her midwives, to offer support and wisdom through her labour and transition to motherhood. She shares about the different roles they each had during her birth, and how loved and supported she felt to have all of them there. Rachel takes us through each stage her long labour, and the relief she felt when her baby was finally born.  As Patrick was being born, Rachel tore quite badly and needed an extended repair, which her midwives were able to do at home. Her description of the love, care, and attention to detail she felt from them during the repair, and her reflection of the way that that type of care, if given routinely, could create a ripple effect and change the world, is breathtaking.  Rachel also briefly speaks about her experience of late onset postnatal depression and I would like to flag that she briefly mentions suicidal thoughts. If you’re not in a space to hear that part of the story, just pause the episode after her midwives go home and Rachel, Liam and Patrick are alone for the first time as a family of three.    Link to donate via Patreon https://www.keepbirthwild.com.au/donate 

In this episode Ashley shares the birth stories of her two children Zoe and Piper. During her first pregnancy Ashley put a lot of thought into what she would like her birth to look like and after attending a Calmbirth course, planned an unmedicated and low intervention hospital birth. Zoe’s labour was long and Ashley laboured for days without sleep before finally delivering Zoe in hospital with the aid of an episiotomy. It took a while for her to integrate the emotional impact of her birth and challenging postpartum, and it wasn’t until she fell pregnant again that she realised she wanted to do things differently for her next birth. She engaged private midwives for her planned homebirth and spent a lot of time preparing for labour. Ashley was diagnosed with an irritable uterus during her pregnancy with Piper so she talks about the challenges of enduring that regular discomfort throughout her pregnancy. She goes on to describe in detail her beautiful homebirth and slow supported postpartum.   Books Ashley recommends; Well Adjusted Babies - Dr Jennifer Barham-Floreani Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Dr Sarah Buckley Birth with Confidence - Rhea Dempsey The First Forty Days - Heng Ou Group B Strep Explained - Sara Wickham Vitamin K and the Newborn - Sara Wickham Your Birth, Your Baby - Hollie de Cruz Hypnobirthing Australia audio tracks and ebook Calmbirth Antenatal course Flourish Integrative Health https://flourishintegrativehealthco.com.au/

In this episode Kirsty aka The Zen Birthkeeper shares the birth stories of her two children Sophyr and Rio. Growing up, Kirsty never wanted to have children, but within a couple of months of meeting her partner she had had a change of heart and Sophyr was conceived soon after. Kirsty birthed both of her babies at home under the care of private midwives. Through the telling of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum stories she weaves in the ups and downs of her relationship, friendships and mental health in a beautifully vulnerable and relatable way. You can see a video from Sophyr’s birth in the birth highlights on instagram @keepbirthwild.podcast and a video from Rio’s birth here. Kirsty is a holistic birthkeeper and doula who is passionate women feeling empowered during pregnancy, birth and postpartum and practises out of Brisbane. You can visit her website here or find her on instagram @thezenbirthkeeper.

In this episode I chatting with Lulu, who shares the story of her first daughter Ayla’s birth.  Lulu shares a gorgeous tale of Ayla’s conception and the moment that she found at that she was finally pregnant. She went through quite a few different models of care, before finally deciding at 38 weeks pregnant to hire a private midwife and birth at home.  She then goes on to share Ayla’s labour and birth, which didn’t follow the expected progression of labour and came with some unusual challenges.  We also talk postpartum and specifically about the huge emotional and spiritual shift that takes place in the weeks and months following birth and the fears that came up for her during that time.   Thank you for listening in to today’s episode with Lulu. You can find some photos from her birth on the website www.keepbirthwild.com.au or on instagram @keepbirthwild.podcast.    You can also find links to some resources that Lulu found helpful when preparing for her birth on the website.

In this episode Leah shares the story of her first baby Sonny’s birth.  Leah had one earlier pregnancy which she chose to terminate. Her pregnancy with Sonny was another surprise, but a joyful and much wanted one this time around. Leah is a midwife herself, so she shares a little about her work, what led her to choose homebirth and how she chose a birth team.  She experienced a nasty candida infection during her pregnancy and was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so we chat about how those issues impacted her pregnancy and how she managed them naturally.  Covid 19 restrictions came into place during Leah’s pregnancy, so she shares about how her friends were able to create a beautiful mother blessing for her remotely and how Covid impacted her postpartum. As a midwife, Leah was well aware that first time births are often overdue and can be long, so she was surprised when Sonny arrived at 38 weeks following quite a fast labour.  This is such a special birth story which was a pleasure to hear, and I also recommend jumping on the Keep Birth Wild website and having a look at the photos because they are just gorgeous!    Di Diddle’s birth classes https://www.birtheducation.com.au/   Prenatal yoga with Michelle http://www.yogashalaspace.com.au/phone/classes.html   Laura Pegoli - Chinese Medicine Practicioner https://instagram.com/the_acupuncture_palette?igshid=epn2fkn92oq1   You can find Leah on instagram @leahmdaniel. Send her a dm to find out more about her upcoming Birth Circle she is co-hosting and her other offerings.   Sign up as a Patreon supporter here: https://www.keepbirthwild.com.au/donate

In this episode I am chatting to Nina about the birth of her daughter Sunday.  Nina had one pregnancy prior to Sunday’s which she chose to terminate, and then went on to have some fertility challenges when trying to conceive again. Once she did fall pregnant, she was planning to birth in hospital but decided to switch to a homebirth as covid unfolded and it became clear that she wasn’t going to get the experience she was hoping for in a hospital setting.  Nina weaves a beautiful story of her birth which was very long and slow until close to the end and describes those golden first moments after birth. We also discuss what postpartum was like in the midst of a stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne and how she recovered and nurtured herself during those early weeks with very little in person support. If you’re listening with little ones around, just be aware that there is a language warning on this episode.    Di Diddles Birthing Classes https://www.birtheducation.com.au/

In this episode I’m speaking to Kate AKA The Mama’s Alchemist about the early loss of her first pregnancy, and then the pregnancy and birth of her little baby Arva. Kate is a registered midwife and Chinese medicine practitioner herself so brings all that knowledge and experience to her reflection of birth and postpartum. She chose to birth outside of the hospital system with an independent midwife and had a positive and straight forward homebirth. In this episode Kate shares how she prepared for postpartum and what the first 5 weeks of motherhood have been like so far. I really think this story is a wonderful example of how impactful actively preparing for those challenging early weeks of postpartum can be.    You can find more photos from her pregnancy and birth on my website www.keepbirthwild.com.au and you can also find Kate on instagram @themamasalchemist.    If you’re currently pregnant and preparing for birth and postpartum, firstly, I’m so glad you’re here listening along with me every week, thank you! And also I highly recommend heading over and listening to another podcast called ‘Postpartum with Steph’ as that’s a wonderful one for hearing specifically postpartum stories and getting more of an understanding of how best to be prepared for life after the birth of your baby.   I look forward to bringing you another episode next week!

In this episode Michelle shares the story of her pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding journey with her son Ollie.  Michelle has polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS and having been told that she may find it difficult to conceive, she was quite surprised when she fell pregnant really quickly. Michelle’s pregnancy was very straight forward, and she tells a beautiful story about how she celebrated and honoured her pregnancy at each stage to help her connect with her baby and honour her transition to motherhood.  Following Ollie’s fast and complication free homebirth, Michelle went on to have a long and difficult breastfeeding journey, where she ended up relying predominantly on donor milk. We talk about the practice of breastmilk sharing and the community that has sprung up around it. We discuss how giving and receiving donor breastmilk through an online platform is a perfect example of bringing traditional practices of ‘Village Parenting’ into the current time, another step in our shared passion for breaking down the unsustainable ideal of nuclear parenting and shifting towards interdependence.

In this episode I am speaking to Maggie Storm. Maggie describes herself as a birth keeper and postpartum doula supporting and advocating for raw, embodied, intuitive birth. Her offerings are centred around deeply acknowledging pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period as a transformational time that deserves to be celebrated and honoured through all seasons, and her passion and wisdom certainly comes across in her sharing of her two birth stories. Maggie’s first son was born at home through a publicly funded midwifery program at her local hospital. While there was a few things she would change, she was overall really happy with her birth and the care that she was provided through that program.  Just over a month ago, Maggie had an early birth at just 13 weeks gestation. Her sharing of this birth is raw and honest and it really demonstrates her amazing ability to sit with what is and embrace the highs and lows that parenthood takes us on.  A little content note here for anyone who may find it difficult to hear descriptions of miscarriage and grief, this episode might not be for you.  You can find more photos from her two births on my website www.keepbirthwild.com.au or instagram @keepbirthwild.podcast. You can also follow Maggie on instagram @maggiestorm_ to seem more photos from her work and family, it’s a really beautiful account. 

In this episode I speak to Bethany about the births of her two boys.  Her first pregnancy was low risk and she opted to be cared for at her local birth centre. She went on to have a straight forward birth with some complications afterwards, but in general describes her birth and postpartum as easier than she expected, which is probably the first time I have ever heard those words uttered! Bethany had a 3.5 year gap between her two children and was actually diagnosed with cancer during that time. She shares a little about her recovery and what it was like navigating maternity care options with a history of cancer. In the end she chose to have a homebirth and went on to have another straight forward vaginal delivery.    In this episode Bethany references the book New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas.

In this episode I’m speaking to Elysia about the birth of her son Finley. Finley was just 4 weeks old when I recorded this interview and 5 weeks old now, and it was so special to speak to such a fresh mama! Elysia has a history of disordered eating and negative body image and she speaks very honestly about how that contributed to fears that came up during her pregnancy and labour. Despite having a straight forward vaginal birth at home and a beautiful early postpartum, Elysia’s big take away from birth was that it was much MUCH more painful than she expected. She left the birth shocked and a bit traumatised by how painful it was and again speaks very honestly about that. This is a really beautiful episode which I thoroughly enjoyed recording, but I do just want to briefly flag that if you’re 40 weeks pregnant and trying to protect your space, you might choose to listen to this one later as pain is a big feature in this episode. You can follow Elysia on instagram @_thisiselysia and find more photos of her and baby Finley on my website www.keepbirthwild.com.au.