We Are Mothers.

This episode discusses severe hyperemesis, postpartum depression requiring inpatient psychiatric care, a CMV diagnosis, and medical termination for medical reasons (TFMR). Please make sure you’re in a good space to listen to Jessie’s story. This week we're joined by Jessie, a photographer and mum of two - her son Jai, and her daughter Matilda, who was stillborn nearly two years ago, who shares two profoundly different pregnancy and birth journeys.Jessie's first pregnancy with Jai was defined by severe hyperemesis gravidarum, a breech baby, and a planned caesarean. The postpartum period that followed was just as hard.A baby with reflux and a cow's milk protein intolerance, virtually no sleep, and a diagnosis of postpartum depression and anxiety that led Jessie to spend several weeks in a mother-baby mental health unit, an experience she says saved her life.Her second pregnancy, with daughter Matilda, started smoothly until a routine growth scan at 32 weeks revealed Matilda had contracted congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus), a common virus that can cause serious harm when caught for the first time in early pregnancy. Jessie shares the whirlwind of scans, an amniocentesis, and the devastating diagnosis that led her and her partner to make the decision to pursue medical termination for medical reasons.Jessie speaks with extraordinary openness about grief that doesn't move in a straight line, memorialising Matilda's short life, and why she's since used social media to raise awareness of CMV, a virus still not routinely screened for in Australian pregnancies.In this episode:​Severe hyperemesis and a breech pregnancy with Jai​A planned caesarean and a baby who wouldn't sleep or feed easily​Postpartum depression and anxiety, and weeks spent in a mother-baby mental health unit​Falling pregnant with Matilda and an easier early pregnancy​A 32-week growth scan that changed everything​Diagnosis of congenital CMV and what that meant for Matilda's prognosis​The impossible decision to pursue medical termination for medical reasons​Grief, memorialising Matilda, and explaining loss to a toddler​Raising awareness of CMV screening in pregnancy​What a future pregnancy might look like for JessieWant more?You can find episode photos over at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠You can find me at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠You can find Jessie at:https://www.instagram.com/photographybyjessiemaree/https://www.instagram.com/jessie_garlick/CMV Awarenesshttps://www.cmv.org.au/

This week we're joined by Kiani, a first-time mum living on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, who shares the birth story of her daughter, Isla.Kiani takes us through a pregnancy marked by severe nausea and reflux, and a decision to be induced due to how much the reflux was affecting her mentally.She walks us through the multi-day induction process - from the tape and stretch and sweeps, to a balloon catheter, to having her waters broken and the preeclampsia diagnosis that emerged partway through.After hours of labour and a slow-dilating cervix, Isla's heart rate began dipping, leading to an emergency caesarean Kiani hadn't planned or researched for. She shares what it was like being wheeled to theatre, the surreal moment of hearing Isla's first cry, and the anxious wait to properly hold her daughter after a stint in special care for breathing support.Kiani also opens up about a challenging breastfeeding journey, including latching difficulties, low supply, and the support of one particularly wonderful midwife and how she and her husband adjusted to life as a family of three.This is an honest, grounded conversation about induction, advocating for your baby's safety, and finding beauty in a birth that went nothing like the plan.In this episode:Falling pregnant quickly after a year of marriageSevere nausea and reflux throughout pregnancyDeciding to be induced due to reflux and the toll of uncertaintyA multi-day induction: tape, stretch and sweeps, and a balloon catheterA preeclampsia diagnosis midway through labourSlow cervical progress despite Pitocin and a TENS machineIsla's heart rate dipping and the move to an emergency caesareanA stint in special care for breathing supportA challenging breastfeeding journey and the midwife who helped turn it aroundAdvice for first-time mums preparing for birthWant more?You can find episode photos over at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠You can find me at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠You can find Kiani at:https://www.instagram.com/kiani_macnaughton/

This week we're joined by Kellie, a mum of two based in Brisbane, who shares two genuinely empowering birth stories, including a wild postpartum twist nobody saw coming.Kellie takes us through the birth of her first daughter, a positive, well-supported private hospital birth guided by a trusted OB.She used hypnobirthing preparation, despite a gestational diabetes diagnosis and a posterior baby that led to days of early labour. She also shares her daughter’s post-birth thyroid diagnosis and the sensitive way the gestational diabetes result was originally delivered to her.For her second birth, Kellie made the leap from private obstetric care to a home birth, navigating the search for the right midwife, a breech baby that flipped just in time, and a fast, intense labour that ended with a peaceful water birth at home with her toddler watching on.Then, just six weeks postpartum, Kellie's story takes an unexpected turn: a misdiagnosed appendix that turned out to be gangrenous and close to rupture, leading to four days in hospital while recovering from birth and relying on her "village" to keep breastfeeding going.This is an uplifting, honest conversation about finding the right care for you, advocating for yourself, and how differently two births and two babies can go.In this episode:Falling pregnant quickly and choosing a private OB and hypnobirthingA gestational diabetes diagnosis delivered without much careA three-day posterior labour and a supported, low-intervention hospital birthHer newborn thyroid diagnosisDeciding to pursue a home birth for baby twoNavigating a breech baby and spinning babies techniquesA fast, intense, peaceful water birth at home with her toddler presentA near-ruptured appendix discovered six weeks postpartumLeaning on her "village" to keep breastfeeding through a hospital stayAdvice for first and second-time mumsWant more?You can find episode photos over at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠You can find me at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠You can find Kellie at:https://www.instagram.com/kellie.bright_/

This episode discusses birth trauma, a non-consented vaginal examination, neonatal resuscitation, and postpartum psychological therapy. Listener discretion advised.This week we're joined by Hayley - a midwife, wife, and mum of two who shares two profoundly different birth experiences from a truly unique vantage point: as both the woman giving birth and a clinician who understands exactly what's supposed to happen in that room.Hayley takes us through the birth of her first daughter, Adeline, a labour that started smoothly before her epidural catheter dislodged during transition, leaving her in unmanaged pain during one of birth's most intense phases. She shares the moment a doctor continued a vaginal examination despite Hayley repeatedly asking her to stop, and the deep sense of violation and dissociation that followed - plus the difficult, drawn-out process of getting a genuine debrief and accountability from her care team afterwards.She then shares the story of her second daughter, Elsie, a carefully chosen home birth guided by trusted midwives, a shoulder dystocia managed calmly at home, and a birth she describes as redemptive, though not without its own challenges.This is an honest, deeply informed conversation about informed consent, birth trauma, advocacy (even when the people involved are your colleagues), and what true accountability in maternity care should look like.In this episode:Falling pregnant quickly, twice, despite expecting a longer journeyChoosing MGP care for her first birth as a midwife herselfA fast-progressing first labour and a home stretch that changed everythingAn epidural catheter dislodging during transitionA non-consented vaginal exam and the moment trust was lostHer baby needing respiratory support after birthThe long road to processing birth trauma, therapy, and EMDROrganising a formal debrief with her own colleaguesChoosing a home birth for baby two after a traumatic first experienceA shoulder dystocia managed calmly at homeWhat she hopes her daughters take from their birth storiesWant more?You can find episode photos over at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠You can find me at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠You can find Hayley at:https://www.instagram.com/hayleyclack_/Midwives in this episode:You can find Jacinta at:https://www.instagram.com/intuitive_birth_collectivehttps://www.intuitivebirthcollective.com/Download her free labour toolkit here:https://intuitivebirthcollective.mykajabi.com/thelabourtoolkit?utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3_a1denni6i48x9bYou can find Taan at: https://www.instagram.com/taanmw/

This week we're joined by Renea, a mum of three based in Queensland, who takes us through an incredible evolution across three completely different birth experiences.Renea's first birth took place during COVID lockdowns, with fragmented antenatal care, an induction that spiralled into two Code Pink emergencies, an episiotomy and forceps delivery without consent, and a postpartum haemorrhage.This was followed by an isolating, under-supported hospital stay with an underweight newborn on a gruelling feeding schedule.For her second birth, Renea sought out continuity of care, private education, and ultimately hired the doula who would become one of her most trusted birth supports. She shares how informed consent, a calmer environment, and a supportive midwife transformed the experience into one she describes as healing and empowering.By her third pregnancy, Renea had made the decision to birth at home. She walks us through six weeks of false labour, a birth guided almost entirely by her own instincts, and the powerful, "sacred" experience of birthing her son on her own terms, surrounded by private midwives, her doula, and her family.This is a moving conversation about advocacy, informed consent, the impact of continuity of care, and what it really means to reclaim your birth story.In this episode:Falling pregnant amid the uncertainty of early COVID lockdownsFragmented care and a chaotic, conflicting induction processTwo Code Pink emergencies, forceps delivery, and an unconsented episiotomyPostpartum haemorrhage and an isolating hospital stayChoosing continuity of care and hiring a doula for birth twoA calm, empowering hospital birth with the MGP modelDeciding to have a home birth for baby threeSix weeks of false labour and trusting her body's instinctsA powerful unassisted-feeling home birth, caught in a towelWhat empowerment in motherhood means after three transformative birthsWant more?You can find episode photos over at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠You can find me at:⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠You can find Renea at:https://www.instagram.com/reneacurrie_/Midwives in this episode:You can find Jacinta at:https://www.instagram.com/intuitive_birth_collectivehttps://www.intuitivebirthcollective.com/Download her free labour toolkit here:https://intuitivebirthcollective.mykajabi.com/thelabourtoolkit?utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3_a1denni6i48x9bYou can find Taan at: https://www.instagram.com/taanmw/