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Description
A podcast that documents the stories of people choosing to birth at home throughout Australia
63 Episodes
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Send a text In this episode, we sit down with Marley to hear her two very different birth stories and how they shaped her journey in the motherhood space. Marley is a doula, birth educator, nanny, and babysitter who continues to support families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. Her first pregnancy followed the cascade of interventions, ultimately leading to an instrumental birth. During her second pregnancy, Marley planned a home birth. However, after discovering her baby was br...
Send a text Originally from the USA and now based in Canberra, Shelby is a rebirthing breath worker, yoga teacher, and mother of three. In this open and reflective conversation, she shares her birth imprint, her experience of neurodivergence, and how pain and trauma shaped her early births. Her first birth at the birth centre included a shoulder dystocia, 3B tear, major postpartum haemorrhage, retained placenta requiring surgery, transfusions, and a later prolapse. Her second began with prodr...
Send a text In today’s episode, Hannah shares her deeply personal journey through three very different birth experiences. Originally from the United States, Hannah is a midwife and PhD candidate who now lives in Switzerland. She worked as a midwife in Australia, where she also had her children. Based on her experiences as a midwife, Hannah had planned to birth her babies at home. After a medically necessary termination at over 20 weeks in her first pregnancy, her first baby was born in hospit...
Send a text On today’s final episode of 2025, Aimee and Laura catch up on what’s been happening in their lives and reflect on the year that’s been. They also chat about what’s next and share their plans for the podcast in the year ahead. A huge thank you to everyone who tuned in this year, and a special thank you to those who’ve been with the podcast from the very beginning. The support throughout the year has meant more than words can say. Support the show @homebirthstoriesaustralia Suppor...
Send a text In this episode, Elizabeth, a midwife and first-time mum, shares the story of her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. She always knew she wanted a homebirth, and the moment she saw her positive pregnancy test she contacted her private midwife to begin planning. During pregnancy she also reflects on how her work as a midwife brought up certain fears and vicarious trauma. She talks about how going on leave before birth gave her the space to process these feelings and prepare e...
Send a text In this episode, Georgia from Western Australia shares the two birth experiences that shaped her journey into motherhood. Her first birth at 41+1 began with an induction and unfolded in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Georgia speaks about labouring on her own for a period — even after asking for her partner and doula, who weren’t allowed in right away — and being offered pharmaceutical pain relief before having an epidural. Her baby was born with the help of a vacuum, along with an e...
Send a text In this episode, Katie shares the stories of her two births. After a long journey to conceive, her first pregnancy was marked by hyperemesis gravidarum. With the support of a Midwifery Group Practice, she went into spontaneous labour and gave birth in hospital. Katie reflects on the overwhelming moments immediately after birth, the early challenges of breastfeeding, and how she gradually established feeding over the following months. Just six months later, Katie conceived again an...
Send a text In this episode, Emma, a mum from Western Australia, shares her two very different birth experiences. During her first pregnancy, Emma received GP shared care and went in for reduced movements late in pregnancy. A scan suggested her baby was measuring large, and she was induced. After a long pushing phase, she birthed her 4.59kg baby via caesarean. For her second birth, Emma chose a completely different model of care — working with a private midwife and planning a homebirth after ...
Send a text In this episode of our Homebirth Transfer Mini-Series, we speak with Sarah, who shares her two very different birth experiences—both at the same hospital, but under two very different models of care. Her first birth, under the care of a private midwifery group within the hospital, involved a long stretch of prodromal labour, an induction at 42+ weeks, and an artificial rupture of membranes where meconium was present. After a lengthy labour, Sarah made the decision to take control ...
Send a text We’re back (briefly!) for a mid-season catch-up and your Insta questions In this bonus ep, Aimee and Laura jump on the mic for a life update and to answer some of the great questions you sent in on Instagram. We chat about how we’re both doing, what’s been happening behind the scenes, and dive into topics like Anti-D, becoming a doula (and our thoughts on it), transferring from a planned homebirth due to pregnancy-induced hypertension, and more. Links: Ani-D explained - Dr Sara W...
Send a text In this episode, we speak with Rebecca, a mother of two from Perth, Western Australia. Rebecca shares her powerful and deeply personal birth stories — from her first homebirth to her second birth, a freebirth. Rebecca begins by taking us through her pregnancies, both of which were marked by hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) lasting up to 20 weeks. She opens up about the physical and emotional challenges of navigating pregnancy while managing HG. For her first birth, Rebecca chose a home...
Send a text In this episode, we speak with Tate—midwife, mother, and passionate advocate for physiological birth. Tate takes us through her path to becoming a midwife and her time working within the system as an MGP midwife, where she came face-to-face with the harsh reality: the system is not set up for true woman-centred care. Hospital policies, rigid protocols, and the fact that maternity care operates like a business often leave women and midwives disempowered. When Tate became pregnant w...
Send a text In this episode, Renee shares her experience of choosing a home birth for her first baby, explaining what led her to that decision and how she prepared for it. She speaks openly about her intense journey with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), describing the constant nausea, relentless vomiting, and exhaustion that lasted throughout her entire pregnancy — right up until the moment she gave birth. Renee talks about everything she tried to manage it, including medications, IV fluids...
Send a text In this episode, Ebony shares the story of her first birth — a journey that began with a planned homebirth and unfolded in unexpected ways. After a long labour and signs of possible malposition, her care team discovered meconium in the waters and an elevated heart rate in her baby. At that point, Ebony made the decision to transfer to hospital via ambulance. At the hospital, doctors attempted a manual rotation and three vacuum-assisted birth attempts before her baby was born by ca...
Send a text Today we interviewed Cally, who shared her experiences across two very different births. Her first pregnancy took place during COVID, where limited access to care led her to an OB by default. Red flags emerged throughout the pregnancy, but she continued with the same provider. After a long posterior labour that ended in an epidural and Syntocinon, she began to reflect more deeply on her birth choices. We also spoke about her breastfeeding journey—navigating early challenges, pumpi...
Send a text In this episode of our mini-series on homebirth transfer, we share the story of Tiahn, a mother who, inspired by the documentary Birth Time, knew that homebirth was the path for her. As she approached 42 + weeks, concerns about potential pre-eclampsia arose, but she made the choice to decline induction and continue her pregnancy. Throughout her journey, Tiahn faced significant pressure from friends and family, especially towards the end of her pregnancy and even during labour. Des...
Send a text In today’s episode, we chat with Alinta, a mother who has experienced the beauty and challenges of homebirths for both her children. Alinta shares the powerful story of her first birth, which took place at her mother's house after a 37-hour labour journey. Living a few hours away from a hospital in a remote location, Alinta chose to be with her mum for support during the long labour. For her second birth, Alinta chose to have her baby at home, in a space she found most comfortable...
Send a text In today’s episode, we are joined by Ellena, who shares the deeply personal and transformative stories of both of her births. Ellena’s first birth journey was marked by unexpected challenges, as she faced an emergency caesarean at 34 weeks after being diagnosed with eclampsia. She opens up about the subtle, often overlooked signs of the condition during her pregnancy and reflects on the surreal experience of having her son under general anesthesia after suffering an eclamptic seiz...
Send a text Today, we interviewed first-time mum Rachel about the birth of her baby. Initially planning for private OB and hospital care, Rachel explored public hospitals and homebirth midwives before choosing a homebirth after watching Birth Time. She experienced PROM and prodromal labour, and during active labour, transferred to the hospital due to her baby's elevated heart rate. Rachel reflects on the challenges that followed, particularly hospital policy placing her baby in special ...
Send a text Today, we’re joined by Ellen, a mum of two, who shares the story of her evolving birth journey. Her first experience was in the MGP program at her local hospital. After experiencing reduced fetal movement, Ellen was advised to have an induction. The induction led to complications: a fever, blood in her urine, and an accelerated heart rate for her baby, culminating in an unexpected caesarean. Ellen felt a deep sense of disappointment with her first birth experience. Determined to a...
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