Birth Choices

In this episode we speak Fiona Hallinan and Agia Nenke, midwives and internal pelvic release practitioners, about the role of the pelvis in understanding labour and birth, the role of soft tissue and the impact of tension, perineal massage (or more relevantly, perineal kneading, and what not to do!), spinning babies and how to best support women and babies bodies to work together and minimise trauma both emotionally and physically when doing the birth dance.Fiona and Agia speak beautifully about  the history we all hold in our bodies, and the need for midwives and other birth workers to have the skills to be able to support physiology when that history gets in the way. This is an incredible opportunity to hear from two leaders in this space in this space and we know you (whether you are preparing to birth, or supporting others in birth) will love it. Links:The Pelvic SpaceNo Bullsh*!t Birth Preparation course with Fiona, Agia and Lani at The Pelvic Space

In this episode we hear from co-host Alice and her husband Dave about their road from birthing in a private hospital under private obstetric care, through the grief of two miscarriages, to then birth at home via a publicly funded homebirth program. Alice looks back on her first vaginal birth, which she emerged from feeling victorious, now through the lens of greater understanding of birth and the role that her model of care and place of birth played in influencing the dynamic in the birth space, and the interventions that resulted. We speak about the process leading up to the decision to birth at home, and the common questions that come up for partners and support people along that road. This is a great listen for anyone wanting to hear about the difference in experience between continuity of obstetric care and continuity of midwifery care, for those considering homebirth, and for partners who would benefit from another story from both sides (see also Elysia & Andrew’s episode!) Links:Fiona Hallinan & internal pelvic release via The Pelvic Space, and birth education with Agia, Fiona + IlanaWomen’s Health Physio - Embrace Physio & PilatesDoula Sue LeeThe Great Birth Rebellion on Episiotomies “Is Home Birth Safe” Summary of EvidenceSafer Care Victoria Homebirth Guideline“Puts the magic back into life — Fathers’ experience of planned homebirthhh“It could not have been more different.” Comparing experiences of hospital-based birth and homebirth in Ireland: A mixed-methods surveyPrivate birth education with midwife Danielle Sorbello Chapters (00:54) Introduction (06:34) Choosing private obstetric care (25:25) Hugo’s labour and birth(42:17) First postpartum(48:36) Pregnancy loss  (01:06:09) Billy’s pregnancy and the road to homebirth(01:19:18) Experiences of midwifery continuity of care(01:23:32) Managing other people’s opinions on homebirth (01:36:35) Billy’s labour and homebirth Disclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.

In this episode we speak with obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone about her obstetric training and how that contributes to a certain dominant philosophy of birth, her road to “doing” less and learning from and collaborating with midwives and doulas, the question of obstetric care for “low risk” or uncomplicated pregnancies, homebirth, curating postpartum support, and your choices in caesarean section. As you can see, this is a juicy one, and a must listen for all entering the maternity setting whether you are seeking obstetric care or not. Links:Dr Natalie Elphingstone on InstagramDisclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.

In this episode we speak with Karli Smith, a doula with a background in international human rights law and humanitarian aid, who now spends her time supporting women and birthing people on an individual and broader systems level in advocating for rights in maternity care. We speak about the role of doulas in pregnancy, birth and postpartum, the power and magic of birth and having someone hold you in your vision for birth, the importance of informed consent and autonomous decision-making in birth, and strategies for navigating the (public and private) hospital system. Karli gives us some great pointers for language you or your support people can use in the birth space, something she builds on more deeply in her amazing course, “The Hospital Birth Course” (with a version for women and birthing people, and another specifically geared to birth workers). Links:The Hospital Birth CourseReport of the Special Rapporteur — violence against women, its causes and consequences on a human rights-based approach to mistreatment and violence against women in reproductive health services with a focus on childbirth and obstetric violenceAIHW: Australia’s Mothers and Babies (the birth stats we touched on)

In this episode we hear from our very own Elysia, as she and her husband Andrew give us a snapshot of their first three birth experiences — the first two in integrated birth centres in the UK, the third in a Melbourne public hospital, before delving into what led them to choose homebirth for their most recent birth of baby number 4, at home via a publicly funded homebirth program. We discuss the cultural and social influences on your choices around how and where to birth, as well as the journey towards choosing homebirth. We touch on Elysia’s experience of a third degree tear in her first birth (and the improved perineal outcomes with each subsequent birth), and when it came to homebirth — the common partner questions, the role of a student midwife, and their reflections on just how different that model of care, and experience of being in your own home was, for both Elysia and Andrew. Links:- The Great Birth Rebellion on Group B Strep (GBS) and Pushing Out Your Baby- The Midwives Cauldron episode on Gestational Diabetes - Rachel Reed on Big Babies - Cochrane Review into midwifery-led continuity of care: Sandall, J., Soltani, H., Gates, S., Shennan, A., & Devane, D. (2015). Midwife-led continuity models versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD004667–CD004667. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub4Birth Choices, through this website and our podcast, aims to share stories and collate information to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are informational and educational in nature and does not constitute medical or midwifery advice and shall not be construed as constituting or replacing medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care. 

In this episode we welcome back Dr Hazel Keedle to discuss all things vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC). We speak about her research that collated in her book, Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth, what informed consent looks like in this space, the benefits of relationship-based care, the four contextual factors impacting on women’s experiences of VBAC, and how the ripple effect of a positive VBAC can echo through communities and pass down through generations. Links:- Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth - Dr Kristen Small of Birth Small Talk for more resources on CTG MonitoringDisclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.

In this episode we speak with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer of @flo.to.grow, about her experience of the “cascade of intervention” in her first birth following induction, her journey of preparing for a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), the ongoing advocacy required through her pregnancy, and birth, and how it felt to birth her second baby vaginally, both in those minutes and hours post-birth, and now, weeks into her postpartum. She reflects beautifully on the shift from being what she thought was informed first time around, to getting really informed, and standing in her power to birth her baby as she wanted to. This is a great story for anyone preparing to birth their baby, as well as for anyone preparing for a VBAC. Jules also takes us through how she prepared for and is experiencing postpartum second time around. Links:Jules drew on the following resources in preparing for VBAC Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth (we cover this with Hazel in an upcoming episode)Flor Cruz https://www.instagram.com/badassmotherbirther/B from Core and Floor Restore https://www.instagram.com/coreandfloorrestore/ Rachel Reed on VBACRhea Dempsey - Birth with ConfidenceEvidence Based Midwife on the ARRIVE Trial Learn more about Jules and her postpartum doula offerings at: https://flotogrow.com/Disclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.

In part 2 of our mini-series on care provider choices we speak with Dr Hazel Keedle, lead researcher on Australia's largest survey on women's experiences of maternity care, the Birth Experience Study (BESt). We discuss the findings explored in a few key papers emanating from the responses of 8,804 women to that survey, including key findings around “what women want if they were to have another baby”, as well as the strengths and and limitations of different maternity models of care accessed by women in Australia in the preceding 5 years.Links:Keedle, H., Lockwood, R., Keedle, W., Susic, D., & Dahlen, H. G. (2023). What women want if they were to have another baby: the Australian Birth Experience Study (BESt) cross-sectional national survey. BMJ Open, 13(9), e071582–e071582. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071582Pelak, H., Dahlen, H. G., & Keedle, H. (2023). A content analysis of women’s experiences of different models of maternity care: the Birth Experience Study (BESt). BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1), 864–864. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06130-2The Conversation — More than 6,000 women told us what they wanted for their next pregnancy and birth. Here’s what they said Hazel’s book — Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth (which we covered with Hazel in a different episode to be released in the coming weeks)Disclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care. 

This is Part 1 of our care provider choices mini-series. In this episode we walk you through the care provider options available to you for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. We discuss care under the public system - from fragmented general care, to caseload/MGP continuity models, publicly funded Homebirth, and shared care with a GP or private midwife, as well as care from private midwives and private obstetricians. Choosing your car provider matters, and it shouldn’t just be a case of whether you do or don’t have private health insurance. To read more about your care provider choices — head to www.birthchoices.com.au/careproviderLinks:Cochrane Review into midwifery-led continuity of care: Sandall, J., Soltani, H., Gates, S., Shennan, A., & Devane, D. (2015). Midwife-led continuity models versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD004667–CD004667. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub4Study comparing caseload midwifery with standard or private obstetric care for first time mothers — ​​Tracy, S. K., Welsh, A., Hall, B., Hartz, D., Lainchbury, A., Bisits, A., White, J., & Tracy, M. B. (2014). Caseload midwifery compared to standard or private obstetric care for first time mothers in a public teaching hospital in Australia: a cross sectional study of cost and birth outcomes. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 14(1), 46–46. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2393-14-46“Factors promoting or inhibiting normal birth”: Prosser, S. J., Barnett, A. G., & Miller, Y. D. (2018). Factors promoting or inhibiting normal birth. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 18(1), 241–241. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-018-1871-5“What women want if they were to have another baby: the Australian Birth Experience Study (BESt) cross-sectional national survey”: Keedle, H., Lockwood, R., Keedle, W., Susic, D., & Dahlen, H. G. (2023). What women want if they were to have another baby: the Australian Birth Experience Study (BESt) cross-sectional national survey. BMJ Open, 13(9), e071582–e071582. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071582A content analysis of women’s experiences of different models of maternity care: Pelak, H., Dahlen, H. G., & Keedle, H. (2023). A content analysis of women’s experiences of different models of maternity care: the Birth Experience Study (BESt). BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1), 864–864. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06130-2Disclaimer: This podcast aims to share stories and education to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are educational in nature and do not constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care. 

Welcome to our introductory episode for birthchoices — the podcast. Meet co-hosts Alice and Elysia who introduce themselves and discuss their plans for the podcast — a platform to share digestible evidence and stories from families, as well as insights from experts, about the range of choices available to you in pregnancy, birth and postpartum.