Born on The Rock: Gibraltar Birth Stories

KEY TOPICS: 2 births, caesarean, retroverted uterus, failure to thrive (FTT), postpartum hypomania, bipolar disorder (BPD), obesity, maternal mental health (MMH)

Emily Adamberry Olivero (MBE GMD MBPSS) is the Chairperson of Clubhouse Europe, and former chief director and founder of Clubhouse Gibraltar – a local charity providing mental health support. In this episode she gives an honest account of her motherhood and mental health journey through the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Emily grew up in the 1950’s as one of eight siblings. She married and was expecting in 1983, but through pregnancy her weight provoked unwelcome comments. Due to a tilted uterus, Emily had a caesarean. Her daughter was an ‘easy’ baby, but didn’t gain weight for many weeks. We discuss mother's instinct, and the feeding journey.

Emily returned to work and seemed to adapt well to motherhood - at first. But she felt ‘wired,’ and barely slept, as a colleague urged her to seek help. Her postpartum hypomania and subsequent bipolar disorder took time to diagnose, and she describes referrals to doctors in Spain. Emily went to great lengths to avoid admission to KG5, the psychiatric hospital… where three of her brothers had also received care.

With medication, time and her spiritual faith, Emily recovered and founded the first psychological support group on the Rock in 1992. As she gained qualifications, she also gained confidence that she now had a mental health ‘safety net,’ to have another baby. An easier pregnancy and recovery saw the birth of her second daughter, a decade after her first.

Worldwide, around 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental health disorder.* Untreated, it can become so severe that it impacts daily functioning and care for the baby... and may even pose serious risk to the mother's life ⚠️ But maternal mental health disorders are treatable; as Emily says - "there IS life after a mental health episode.' She's passionate about empowering all in our community to live satisfying lives, and you could say she 'gave birth' to Clubhouse Gibraltar! Thank you Emily for sharing two Gibraltar Birth Stories on such important - and often taboo - topics (Recorded May 2026).

Local Resources:
If you’re facing a mental health crisis, call the GHA on 111.
Local support info: https://www.gha.gi/public-health/mental-health/
For more on Clubhouse: https://clubhousegibraltar.com/
GibSams: https://gibsams.gi/

Maternal Mental Health Resources:
*World Health Organisation (WHO): https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/promotion-prevention/perinatal-mental-health
Maternal Mental Health Alliance: https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about-maternal-mental-health/perinatal-mental-illnesses
World Maternal Mental Health Day: https://wmmhday.org/
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KEY TOPICS: 3 births, adolescent pregnancy, natural deliveries, miscarriage, hypotension, advanced maternal age, large age gap, jaundice, grandparent

This week’s guest is Kationa Matto: a mother of three with qualifications in child development, wellness and yoga… and a parenting career spanning four decades! From a teenage pregnancy in the 1990’s to a last baby in her 40’s, she’s had a fascinating journey with her husband by her side. At the time of recording, her children were aged 34, 30 and 10.

Kationa explains what it was like to discover pregnancy... as she prepared to finish school at sixteen. Despite family support, she eloquently describes the weight of shame she carried through her trimester, and for years after. Kationa and her husband wed, and after a long labour she delivered their son at the old St Bernard’s hospital in 1992.

The couple felt ready to grow their family four years later, and conceived easily. Kationa embraced this pregnancy, though had a more painful labour for the birth of their daughter in 1996. There’s a sweet story about the siblings meeting with a gift as they settled into life as a four, believing the family to be complete.

But in 2014, Kationa researched books and meditation resources to approach parenting challenges – and it marked the start of a powerful journey of self-discovery. She describes the strong vision of having another child with her husband – “I had to.” Sadly the couple faced a first trimester loss, before a healthy pregnancy with their last child.

Kationa explains the connection with her baby before his fast birth, and feeling truly ready this time as well as proud... not ashamed. These are three totally different experiences that Kationa tells so well, and I’m so grateful to her for sharing her Gibraltar Birth Stories! (Recorded June 2026).
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KEY TOPICS: 1 birth, induction, natural delivery, step-parent

Our guest this week is Davina Barbara – a mother with plenty of experience in local culture and broadcasting, and with a very unique date of birth herself! It’s an empowering listen as she shares her positive parenting journey.

From a step-mother ‘soft launch,’ to expecting a baby with her husband, Davina describes an easy conception and a good pregnancy. She gives an account of the induction process, after going 10 days past her due date in 2009.

Her husband was by her side at birth… along with her midwife sister, who delivered the baby!* Davina was grateful for the trust and support in her ‘dream team,’ …although her recollection of time spent in active labour was different to her sister’s! It was a textbook delivery compared to others in hospital at the time and Davina recovered well, although she reflects very honestly about the challenge of establishing breastfeeding.

Davina describes what it was like to return from maternity leave to a full-time role in the public eye (she worked 18 years at GBC), as well as the huge value of family support in navigating motherhood. We discuss how powerful women are, and changing perceptions of self-identity over time, plus how parents can actually learn from children. It's such an engaging listen, and I’m so grateful to Davina for 'broadcasting' her Gibraltar Birth Story! (Recorded April 2026).

*Bonus listen!* Davina's midwife sister recorded her birth story with the podcast - check out Episode 13: 'A Midwife Special, with Denise Camilleri.'
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KEY TOPICS: 2 births, induction, fast delivery, ventricular septal defect (VSD), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), jaundice, postpartum depression (PPD), pandemic

It’s a story that grows in drama this week with Stephanie Piri, her husband and two pandemic pregnancies.

Stephanie describes how her body let her know she was expecting, days before tests confirmed it! Despite social distancing, she had pregnancy company with her sister giving birth in the same week. Stephanie describes going past her due date and being induced, before the fast arrival of her little girl.

There’s a lovely story about discovering their second pregnancy after the couple conceived quickly. Everything changed at the 20-week scan however, with the a heart issue identified. The rest of the pregnancy became a blur of appointments, trips to Spain and multiple scans. Worryingly, a second condition was identified: Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR).

Their son measured small… and then stopped growing. Stephanie was induced at 37 weeks and believes this saved his life. She had a choice on delivery preference and experienced another fast birth, with a very small placenta. Her son arrived just before Christmas 2022 and recovered well from jaundice. There was positive news about his heart issue too.

Stephanie speaks honestly about the impact of the pregnancy stress on her mental health. She sought postpartum counselling support, with encouragement that it’s OK to ask for help.

Stephanie highlights the importance of measuring placenta during scans, speaking up in appointments and practising self-care… plus how her family took surprise positive inspiration from a children’s TV show! I’m so grateful to Stephanie for sharing her two Gibraltar Birth Stories (Recorded May 2026).
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KEY TOPICS: 2 births, retroverted uterus, caesarean, miscarriages, premature, grandmother

Local cooking enthusiast and author Jessica Montado serves up a flavour of what motherhood was like in the 1980’s and 1990’s this week – and what it’s like to be a grandparent now. In fact, there are touching references to her own mother and grandmother’s influences throughout our chat.

Jessica married in 1987 and was pregnant with her first son at the age of 24 the following year. There was an unusual twist to her pregnancy tests, and a ‘near miss’ situation in the first trimester, before an induced labour and caesarean due to her tilted uterus.

We discuss the concept of not feeling fully ‘ready,’ for motherhood, plus differences in maternity care and the short period of leave that was usual in those days. Jessica also highlights the challenges of accessing support and information – relying on advice from other women in the community, as opposed to the internet now. She references two miscarriages before becoming pregnant with her next son - another 'bun in the oven' - in 1994.

Jessica’s second birth was a harder experience as her son arrived eight weeks prematurely. He remained in Gibraltar and although both mother and baby recovered well after the C-section, she describes the lasting impact of that emotional time. We discuss adapting to life as a family of four, navigating the teenage years and what it’s like to become a grandmother – “the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Jessica’s own grandmother was a big influence in her life, as captured in her recipe book full of home-cooked family meals and memories that she herself passes down now to her children and grandchildren. She reflects on great positive advice she would give to her younger self too. Thank you so much Jessica, for ‘serving up’ this great episode! (Recorded May 2026).

Jessica’s book is out now: “CosyKitchenCorner: A Legacy of Recipes from Lely's Kitchen.”
https://www.facebook.com/Cosykitchencorner
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