Claim OwnershipBirth Tales
Subscribed: 6Played: 40
Subscribe
© 2023
Description
Welcome to Birth Tales. Conception, pregnancy, birth and those first hazy postpartum days are a physical and emotional whirlwind. My hope is that by sharing these unique experiences we can support, educate and inspire others on their journeys to becoming parents.
75 Episodes
Reverse
In today's episode we're hearing from Lara about her precipitous birth. When she found out she was pregnant she threw herself into reading, researching and preparing for labour. She hoped to give birth in the midwife lead unit, but when her contractions started it became clear her baby was coming very quickly. Lara and her partner called the paramedics who managed to get her to the hospital and her baby was born after just 95 minutes of labour. Lara talks about the mental challenge of convincing herself the baby was coming early, the intensity of such a short labour and her plans for her imminent second birth. My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode Sarah is back on the podcast to share her second birth story. Having had a difficult experience first time around, she knew what mattered most to her this time; to feel strong, to advocate for her wishes and to feel like she had more agency. She hired a doula, planned a VBAC, changed hospitals and got lots of independent support to help her prepare for the birth. Unfortunately she faced endless obstacles along the way, which resulted in her birthing her daughter via planned caesarean. Sarah talks us through the grieving process of letting go of the VBAC she had hoped for and how despite numerous challenges she still had a beautiful, calm birth. This is a super special episode because Sarah was the first ever guest on Birth Tales! So it is a joy to have her back on again and it is so lovely that we were joined by little Sadie who you can hear chatting away throughout. FREE hypnobirthing taster session: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-introduction-to-hypnobirthing-online-event-tickets-1970359050962?aff=oddtdtcreator My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/ Sarah's IG: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmalcs/ Sarah's website: https://sarahmalcolm.co.uk
In today's episode we're hearing from Anna who freebirthed her son with the support of her partner and doula. Having always felt trusting of the birthing process, Anna knew she wanted to have her baby at home. She shares how amazing it was to have the reassuring presence of a doula through her pregnancy and labour, about the pressure she felt to comply with maternity care that didn't feel right for her and why she ultimately chose to give birth without any midwives present. 9th December FREE hypnobirthing session: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/free-introduction-to-hypnobirthing-online-event-tickets-1970359050962?aff=oddtdtcreator Anna's IG: https://www.instagram.com/annawilliamson09/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode I'm chatting to Maria about her two pregnancies. Her first was very sadly an ectopic pregnancy and she shares her journey of expectant management, which left her feeling very lonely and anxious. When she conceived again and got through the first trimester, Maria loved her second pregnancy. She planned to birth her baby at home but ended up accepting an induction at 42+2. She talks about her experience of a 3rd degree tear, the amazing postnatal care she received and how healing her birth felt following her loss. I'm so grateful to Maria for sharing so honestly about her ectopic pregnancy and just want to flag to you listening that thats what we speak about for the first few minutes of our conversation in case you'd prefer to save this episode for another day. My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/ Maria's IG: https://www.instagram.com/maria.iggy/ Maria's story: https://ectopic.org.uk/stories/an-expectant-management-experience
In this week's episode I chat to Tassy about her planned c-section. She conceived quickly after coming off the pill and Tassy really enjoyed being pregnant and learning about birth. At 32 weeks her midwife flagged concerns around her baby's small size and after accepting some additional growth scans she quickly realised the birth centre birth she had hoped for was becoming increasingly unlikely. Tassy shares how empowering it felt to choose a caesarean over the induction she was being recommended and how ultimately it felt like a really special and positive way to birth her baby. This is such a lovely example of the value of education in making informed choices and I know you're going to love hearing Tassy's story. Tassy's IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_littlegrape/ Little Grape: https://thelittlegrape.co.uk My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode I'm sharing my own story of birthing my second son, Sidney. I talk about how I experienced pregnancy with a toddler in tow, the choices I made differently this time and how much I loved birthing my baby at home. After a long and physically exhausting previous birth, this labour challenged me mentally so I share all the coping techniques and comfort measures that helped me through when self-doubt arose. Throughout pregnancy and labour I was cared for by the most awesome midwife Annie, so a strong theme of my birth story is how incredible it was to receive continuity of care from both a midwife and amazing doula Michele who made me feel so safe, listened to and nurtured. The Birth Prep Bundle: https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/zkj6c4q686 My previous birth story: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/016-serena-pregnancy-after-loss-doula-gbs-positive/id1703057905?i=1000638522383 My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/ Milestoneable sculptures: https://milestonable.com
In this episode we've got Laura back on the podcast to share her second birth story. After a long back to back labour in the hospital with her daughter, Lauren knew she wanted to approach things differently this time and planned to birth to her baby at home. She shares how different her experience of conceiving was second time around, why hiring a doula was the best decision she made and how she dealt with the immense pressure she felt to accept an induction once she passed 42 weeks. She trusted her instincts and went on to have an amazing homebirth for her surprisingly big baby boy! Laura's IG: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1582903528590264/ Laura's first birth: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/033-laura-hypnobirthing-hospital-birth-gas-air-op-baby/id1703057905?i=1000653532310 FB group 10 month mamas: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1582903528590264/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode Beth shares her experience of conception, pregnancy and birth with type 1 diabetes. She talks us through the support she received from a fellow nutritional therapist, the preparation she undertook for her son's birth and the implications of her condition. Whilst induction wouldn't have been her preference, Beth managed to create a plan that both aligned with the recommendations of her care providers and also felt good to her, so despite the challenges that arose during her labour she came away from the experience feeling positive. I'm so grateful to Beth for sharing her professional wisdom along with her personal story and I know this is going to be a really valuable episode for anyone else navigating pregnancy with type 1 diabetes. The Birth Prep Bundle: https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/zkj6c4q686 Beth's IG: https://www.instagram.com/bethedwardsnutrition/?hl=en Beth's website: https://www.bethedwardsnutrition.com/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing from Alice. She always knew she wanted a homebirth so when she found out she was pregnant it felt like the obvious choice. She shares how she prepared in the lead up to birth; what she read, how she loved science behind hypnobirthing and how supportive she found affirmations for her mindset. Alice's patience was tested with a few days of latent labour, but after chatting to some helpful midwives she was able to relax into it and once things got going her son ended up being born pretty quickly. This is such a lovely story of first time homebirth and the benefits of being supported by a midwife you know and trust. A short and sweet episode for what ended up being relatively short labour in the end! The Birth Prep Bundle (guided meditations for pregnancy): https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/zkj6c4q686 Alice's IG: https://www.instagram.com/alice_inwineland/ Helena's episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/046-helena-physiological-birth-mlu-gbs-positive-gas/id1703057905?i=1000664690760 My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In this episode Bec shares her wild pregnancy and freebirth. As a traditional birth keeper she had plenty of experience supporting women choosing to birth outside the system, so this felt like the obvious choice for her own pregnancy. From the moment she conceived she had no tests, scans or interaction with the maternity system and she talks about how she worked through the range of emotions that came up throughout the process. Bec takes us step by step through her blissful final few weeks of pregnancy, labouring in the woods with her partner and pushing for an intense 6 hours before her son was finally born into the water. She shares how they chose to honour the placenta, how birth has humbled her and how her own experience has influenced the way she supports other mothers through this transition. Bec's IG: https://www.instagram.com/becoakaiah/ Bec's website: https://subscribepage.io/thejurassiccoastbirthkeeper My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In this episode I'm chatting to Anna about the birth of her 2 little boys. She shares how much she enjoyed pregnancy and the healing effect it had on her relationship with her body. After going into spontaneous labour shortly before 40 weeks, her baby was born via c-section due to concerns around his heart rate and whilst this wasn't what she'd hoped for, she still found the birth to be really positive and amazing. Anna was hoping to experience a vaginal birth second time around and threw herself into preparing for that, but for various reasons ended up having a repeat caesarean. She talks us through how different she found the planned c-section, finding acceptance with letting go of the VBAC she was planning and the importance of really kind and understanding care providers. Anna's IG: https://www.instagram.com/annaolewistrounce/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing about Shanna's two births; one at the hospital and the other at home. Throughout her pregnancy she had a very clear idea of what she was and wasn't comfortable accepting in terms of intervention and she was very confident in her intuition around the birth. She explains how she resisted the pressure to accept an induction until she was nearly 43 weeks and shares how her birth was managed when her baby was born with a shoulder dystocia. Her first labour and the way it left her feeling massively impacted the decisions Shanna made when preparing for her second birth. She hired a doula, chose to birth at home and was very aware of her positioning and alignment during her pregnancy. Despite a few complications in the final weeks, she once again trusted her instincts when it came to making decisions around her care and went on to have her beautiful homebirth. Shanna shares how she struggled to find accounts of other mother's whose babies had had a shoulder dystocia so she was really keen to tell her story in the hope its supportive for anyone else who finds themselves in her position. Shanna's IG: https://www.instagram.com/shanna1hn/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In this episode we're hearing from Annie about her amazing HBAC. This is Annie's second time on the pod so you might remember her first birth story; a lengthy induction that lead to a c-section. Today we're hearing how that experience heavily influenced the choices she made this time around. She knew that birthing at home would give her the best at the VBAC she wanted, so she gathered her support team, researched the risks of a vaginal birth following a caesarean, and focussed on building up trust in her body and her intuition. After a tough pregnancy filled with intense nausea and overwhelming exhaustion Annie's labour seemed to be beginning at 37 weeks, but what followed was 3 long weeks of tiring and mentally challenging prodromal labour. When the day finally came, Annie laboured steadily at home until the evening when things very quickly intensified and her daughter was born in the bathroom before the midwives arrived. She shares with us her experience of postpartum haemorrhage and subsequent transfer in to hospital and how despite not having the exact birth she imagined she feels really lucky with how it all went. Annie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/annieclarke_/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing about Jessi's two vastly different births. Her first - an induction that sent her into uterine hyperstimulation and was heavily influenced by covid restrictions. Her second - an empowering waterbirth in her living room with continuity of care from an amazing homebirth team. She shares how her first birth influenced the choices she made around her second, what a physiological labour was like in comparison to an induced one and how her postpartum healing differed after the two. Jessi's IG: https://www.instagram.com/tokissthecook/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we've got India back on the podcast to tell her second birth story. Having had a planned c-section after discovering her daughter was breech, India was keen to try for a VBAC this time round. She talks us through the preparation she did; lots of reading, gentle movement, acupuncture, reflexology and taking a hypnobirthing course. Her care team encouraged her to book in a c-section as a back up plan and as the scheduled date came around with no sign of her baby, India made the decision to go ahead with the caesarean. We talk about all the things she did differently this time, the challenges of being post-op with a toddler to look after, her vastly different breastfeeding journey and the transition from one to two children. If you haven't heard India's first story and want to give that a listen before diving into this one it is episode 10 of the podcast. Sign up for the postpartum planning session: https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/dwmlbecfzt My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode Anaïs shares the story of her freebirth. She always knew she wanted to give birth to her baby at home and whilst it wasn't necessarily the plan to birth without midwives present, when her labour began she felt so calm and confident that she never felt the need to call them. She spent a lot of her labour in the shower and felt herself communicating with her baby throughout as a way of reassuring herself and checking in with the process. With the support of the couple's amazing doula, Lucy was born into her father's arms in the bathroom. Anaïs shares some of the resources that helped her connect strongly with her intuition and her birthing body, she talks about trusting and surrendering over preparing in the conventional sense and she explains her decision not to call the midwives immediately after the birth, instead choosing to prioritise her family's oxytocin bubble a little bit longer. Anaïs's IG: https://www.instagram.com/anaiskegels/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing from Louise about the birth of her son Rex. She shares her experience of miscarriage; how that changed her perception of pregnancy and how she used keeping busy as a coping mechanism. At 39 weeks a scan suggested she was carrying a big baby so she decided to accept an induction which lead to uterine hyperstimulation and after a long and exhausting labour her baby was born with the assistance of forceps. Louise talks about her very difficult postpartum experience; a bad case of mastitis which lead to being hospitalised with sepsis, and the postnatal depression and post traumatic stress disorder which ensued. Sepsis Trust: https://sepsistrust.org/about-sepsis/ Louise's IG: https://www.instagram.com/louisemariebowen/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing from Alice about her two births; the first in the birth centre, the second at home. Her eldest daughter Izra, who was born in the pool on the MLU, needed some special care after the birth due to meconium aspiration and Alice shares her experience of having a prolapse soon after the baby arrived. When she fell pregnant again, despite her husband not supporting her choice, she planned to have her second baby at home. This is such a brilliant birth story as Alice ended up doing a park run in early labour on Christmas Day, birthing her baby at home whilst her family were visiting and still managing to squeeze in a festive roast before bedtime. My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode we're hearing from Sophie who was one of the very first guests on the podcast and she is back to share her homebirth experience. After finding out she was pregnant by surprise at her friend's wedding, Sophie admits she found this pregnancy tougher than her last due to sickness, tiredness and lots of travel for her partner's work. She hired the same lovely doula who supported her first birth and on the whole felt very confident in her ability to birth her baby considering things had gone smoothly with her previous birth. Her labour began at 39 weeks and she birthed her baby in the water at home supported by her midwife, partner, doula and mum with her toddler sleeping soundly upstairs. She shares what a calm and positive experience the birth was, the tools she used to keep herself focussed and relaxed when things felt tough, and how she went about introducing her toddler to her new little sister. This was actually the final episode I edited before birthing my second son at home and it was perfect for getting me in a positive birth mindset so its well worth a listen for anyone who is giving birth soon! Sophie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/sophiexanneliese/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
In today's episode I'm speaking to Rosie who had her baby girl Poppy 9 months ago. At her 12 week scan blood tests showed low levels of PAPP-A which resulted in multiple extra scans through her pregnancy and conversations starting early around a potential induction. As it turns out, Rosie's labour began spontaneously shortly before 37 weeks on the day she was supposed to be moving house. When her waters released the move was put on hold and she ended up giving birth at her mum's local hospital. She shares how the experience differed from what she imagined, the amazing high she felt in the weeks following the birth and how with hindsight she wishes she had got everything prepared a little bit sooner! Rosie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/rosiefitzy1/ My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States