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/
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057 - Alice | 2 babies, MLU, waterbirth, meconium aspiration, prolapse, continuity of care, homebirth, breastfeeding
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/
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.
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