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© 2025 Guardian Doula’s Diary
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An honest collection of the stories & experiences of birthing women, and the professionals that support them, to empower, equip, & inspire us all.
32 Episodes
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Send us a text “PUSHHHHH! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” Sound familiar? That’s coached pushing - when you’re told how and when to push during labour. Sometimes it’s helpful… sometimes it’s not… and sometimes, it’s just a hospital trying to beat the clock 🕒 In this episode, I’m breaking down: 👉 What coached pushing actually is 👉 When it can be a game-changer (hello, avoiding forceps 🙌) 👉 When it can backfire — and disconnect you from your body 👉 What to do instead if it doesn’...
Send us a text The end of your pregnancy is here, finally. The last stretch! You’ve done all the prep. You’re informed, empowered, and ready for your unmedicated birth. But... There’s one vital piece that often gets overlooked – and it’s not about your pain threshold or the perfect birth playlist. In this episode, I’m diving into the mental game that matters most in the final weeks of pregnancy – the one that can either set you up for a spontaneous, physiological birth… or lead to inter...
Send us a text Have you heard this myth before? 👉 “When you feel like you can’t do it anymore, it means you’re in transition – and baby’s almost here!” Me too. More times than I count! And sometimes that’s true… But - other times, you still have a while to go. And when the labour isn’t nearly over yet, that belief can really mess with your head. So in today’s new podcast episode, I’m busting this common myth wide open. We’ll talk about: 👉 What the “I can’t do this” moment actually ...
Send us a text If you’ve ever wondered what specific, practical things I actually DO as a doula, and thought “do doulas just help with breathing?!”... Then this episode is for you! 👇 In today’s chat, I walk you through what I actually do for my clients during pregnancy, birth and postpartum – and how it makes a very real, evidence-backed difference. Including: What my support actually looks like throughout your pregnancy + during your birth Real stories from real births (like...
Send us a text "Do I really need a doula if… (insert your situation here)?" This is a common question I get as a doula - and in this episode, I’m walking you through the honest, evidence-backed answer. Because you might have wondered, "do I *really* need a doula if...": 👉 If I've got a supportive partner…? 👉 Or if I'm having a home-birth…? 👉 Or if I'm in the MGP…? 👉 Or if I've given birth before…? 👉 Or if my pregnancy is low risk (or high risk!)…? 👉 Or if I don't...
Send us a text Let’s talk about something LOTS of women are nervous about, but few women talk about enough… perineal tearing. How common is it? Can you actually prevent it? What really causes it — and what doesn’t? Tearing is something I VERY often find my clients feel nervous about going into birth. But it doesn't have to be scary! So in this episode, I’m breaking down the truth about tearing in birth: the myths, the evidence, and the very practical things you can do during pregn...
Send us a text Are doulas really worth their weight in gold? In this episode, we dive into the research that proves just how powerful doula support can be in labour. From shorter labours to lower rates of intervention, the evidence is clear — the doula difference is real. Let's explore exactly what the research proves! 4o Where to find me: 👉 If you're in Sydney and are looking for in-person birth doula support, view my packages via my website www.guardiand...
Send us a text The first VIDEO episode of the podcast is here, yay! 🎉 And if you've ever wondered, "how will I handle the pain of labour!?" - then this episode is for you. You’re not weak for worrying about it. You’re smart for wanting to prepare. In this episode, I’m giving you everything you need to tackle birth pain head-on: ⚡ Why pain in birth is different and how to work with it ⚡ Mindset shifts that will change everything ⚡ Techniques I’ve used in my own 4 births and t...
Send us a text A concern I hear from pregnant women all the time, is that they'd love to have an empowering, natural birth - but they're birthing in the hospital system and they're not so keen on all the unnecessary intervention that commonly comes with that... Well, today I'm here to give you all the practical tips and tricks to improve your odds of the birth of your dreams. So many people believe the myth that "birth is outside your control, so you may as well not put anything in place". Wh...
Send us a text Today, my past client, Claire, shares the positive, empowering birth story of her first baby. Now as a side-note, recently, I was chatting to another client who was worried about a complication she'd encountered in her pregnancy. I sent her all sorts of super reassuring evidence. (I'm talking, a studies that looked at over 500,000 women with this complication, and 99.5% of them went on to have no issues whatsoever.) Sounds like it'd be reassuring right? Well, it was, but ...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered whether midwives don't like doulas? Do you *really* need a doula if you have a midwife? How are the roles different? In today's episode, Abby Sidery (seasoned midwife & mum to 2) answer these questions & more, as we chat all things midwives + doulas. The evidence shows that midwives & doulas working together brings improved birth outcomes for women. So understanding their complementary roles is a HUGE part of putting together a great bir...
Send us a text Leaving at the right time for the hospital is crucial. But have you ever wondered how the heck you're supposed to know?!. Leave too early? Cascade of intervention. 🙃 Leave too late? Carpark birth. 😬 See why finding the "sweet spot" is huge? 💡😂 In this episode, I'm going to share some tips and frameworks to help you navigate this so you can pick your timing confidently. 💪 Where to find me: 👉 If you're in Sydney and are looking for in-person birth doula support, view my pa...
Send us a text Okay mama's, time for a heart to heart. This message is SO freaking important. 🙌 People pleasing is such a common struggle that women face throughout their lives - and it often affects your pregnancy and postpartum. 😔 I've seen & experienced the negative impact of this in my own life, and I've seen it impact my clients. I'm telling you - overcoming the need to please everyone is absolutely crucial to set yourself up well for a beautiful birth and postpartum experienc...
Send us a text So last week we heard my lovely past client Amber's beautifully remeptive VBAC birth story (episode 17 if you haven't listened yet!), but today, I wanted to focus on HOW to have a VBAC. Something that should be so straightforward, is unfortunately anything but that. Today, Sammy and I unpack it all and hopefully you'll have a much clearer understanding of what you can do to improve your odds! Enjoy! Hope it's helpful! PS. Please remember that absolutely none of this is to be ta...
Send us a text Today, my beautiful client Amber shares her VBAC story. After a not-so-positive experience with her first daughter, she decided to hire me as her doula to help her work towards a beautiful, redemptive VBAC. She knew VBAC's don't just "happen", that they take preparation and commitment. But she wanted to experience birth as the sacred rite of passage it can be, and prove to herself that she didn't "fail" the first time - that she really could do it all along. And that's ju...
Send us a text It's an unfortunate reality that with a due date around the holiday period, women are 3-4 more times more likely to be induced (this was confirmed by a study conducted by the university of QLD). Unwarranted induction of labour can have very significant impact on women's birth outcomes, and I'm afraid, it's not usually in a positive way. That's what the research shows. So it's super important to have a solid strategy for navigating these conversations with your care provider...
Send us a text In this episode, I chat to Dr Melanie Jackson about common birth myths that need some serious busting like women's birth experiences depend on it... because they do. Mel is a private midwife with her PhD, host of the amazing 'Great Birth Rebellion Podcast", and a mumma. She's worked for 16 years as a midwife caring for birthing women, and now trains + mentors other midwives. When it comes to birth, she knows her stuff. It was so much fun bouncing off each other in this e...
Send us a text In today's episode, I chat to Ruby Kellaway. Ruby had 5 kids under 4 (yep, you read that right!) & is a passionate chiropractor who has a particular passion for working with birthing women. So much so, she's undertaken study in midwifery & is now considering becoming a doula too... Ruby is a wealth of knowledge & experience, in this episode she talks us through how chiropractic care can be helpful for expecting mumma's, and generously shares with us about all of her...
Send us a text We've probably all heard of the oh-so-dreaded "cascade of intervention", but what is it *really*, and most importantly... how can we avoid falling victim to it!? Today, I'm going to tell you. Here's everything you need to know about the cascade of intervention. Enjoy! PS. Time is running out to grab your ticket & secure your spot in my workshop! Jump on this link right now so you don't miss out! Where to find me: 👉 If you're in Sydney and are looking for in-person birth ...
Send us a text Buckle up, because today I am taking you on a wild ride down memory lane. After so many requests to share my own birth stories, today I'm going to spill the beans on my experience giving birth to my first child Mali. And, arguably, most importantly, sharing the mistakes I made in this birth - so that you can learn from them. I had Mali at 38 weeks, after a very long, posterior labour. And although I had a mostly very positive experience, there was certainly so much I cou...
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