Today I chat with Sophie, a clinical psychologist and mother of two who runs her own practice, Nimble Minds Clinical Psychology, in Sydney's Sutherland Shire. Sophie shares her journey from a 10-month conception period during COVID lockdowns to two incredibly positive birth experiences at the Royal Hospital for Women. Her first birth with daughter Charlotte (Lottie) was a beautifully managed hospital birth, whilst her second pregnancy brought the surprise of a 4.6kg baby boy, Henry, and initial plans for a home birth that ultimately led to another wonderful hospital experience. Sophie's story is particularly valuable for expectant mothers as she navigates the mental preparation for birth through her professional lens whilst experiencing the raw emotions of becoming a mother herself.

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Tamsyn shares her journey from first-time mum to birthing fraternal twins vaginaly at 40+6 weeks. After experiencing a medicalised first birth with Maya during COVID lockdowns, Tamsyn was determined to achieve the physiological birth she envisaged for her twins. Despite facing significant pressure from hospital staff to accept routine interventions, Tamsyn's story demonstrates the importance of having strong support people and trusting your body's ability to birth. With the guidance of her private midwife Helen and support person Shelly (a midwife and family friend), Tamsyn navigated challenging conversations with obstetricians and ultimately achieved her dream birth - birthing both babies naturally within 10 minutes of each other after just 90 minutes in hospital.

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In this episode, Ruby - a registered nurse turned midwife and maternal child health nurse - shares her positive birth experience through the Royal Women's Hospital homebirth program in Melbourne. After initially planning a homebirth, Ruby's journey took several turns including a low-lying placenta scare that kept her in limbo for months, waters breaking early, and ultimately birthing her daughter Clementine in hospital with syntocinon induction. Ruby's story beautifully illustrates how birth can unfold differently than planned whilst still being incredibly positive and empowering.

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In this episode, personal trainer and mother of three Gen takes us through her complete motherhood journey from Richmond to the Victorian coast. Her first pregnancy was unplanned but led to a powerful physiological birth at the Royal Women's Hospital. After moving through various challenges including COVID lockdowns, job redundancy, and relocating interstate, Gen welcomed her second daughter in a beautiful water birth. Her third pregnancy at 44 brought unexpected challenges with ageist comments from healthcare providers, but culminated in an incredible one-hour home birth in the shower. Gen's story beautifully illustrates how birth experiences can evolve and how trusting your body's wisdom leads to empowering outcomes.

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Today I chat with Chris, a registered nurse and midwife who has been working with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's milk program for eight years. Chris takes us through the fascinating world of donor breast milk - from the rigorous screening process for donors to how this precious resource supports the tiniest and most vulnerable babies in neonatal intensive care units across Australia. Whether you're curious about donating your excess breast milk or want to understand how donor milk could support your premature baby, this conversation is packed with essential information that every parent, midwife, and doula should know.

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In this episode, Jordan, a 28-year-old midwife from rural South Australia, shares her two incredibly positive birth experiences at the hospital where she works. Living 600 kilometres from Adelaide in the tiny farming town of Port Neill, Jordan navigated the unique experience of birthing alongside her colleagues whilst balancing her partner's demanding harvest schedule. Her first labour was a marathon 31-hour journey that tested her resolve, whilst her second was beautifully swift and powerful. Jordan's story beautifully illustrates the mind-body connection in birth, the invaluable support of the TENS machine, and how subsequent births can offer completely different but equally empowering experiences.

Sponsor:

I rarely talk about supplements on here - mostly because so many aren't backed by real evidence, and as someone who's always reading the fine print, I'm pretty selective about what I'll share with you.

But every now and then, something stands out. Mother Dose by Land Lab is one of those rare finds that cuts through all the confusion. What has really impressed me is that it's been formulated by doctors, dietitians, and naturopaths - every single ingredient is there for a reason, backed by evidence and aligned with current prenatal guidelines.

It includes the good stuff like choline for baby's brain development, folate in its most active form, and a clinical dosage of ginger that's actually proven to help with morning sickness. Over 50 health professionals have peer-reviewed the formulation, and they all said the same thing - it's an amazing blend that delivers the kind of care every woman deserves.

And here's what I love even more - through their charity arm, they provide completely free prenatals to women with an Australian healthcare card.

Whether you're pregnant, trying to conceive, Mother Dose takes the overwhelm out of choosing a prenatal.

Check out Mother Dose at land-lab.co - thoughtfully dosed, high quality prenatal care when you need it most.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Steph Claire Smith returns to share her second birth experience with daughter Billie. After Harvey's induction at 41 weeks, Steph was determined to experience spontaneous labour this time around. Her journey included navigating a breech presentation, trying every trick in the book to encourage baby to turn, and ultimately achieving the birth she'd always dreamed of.

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Celeste's three births showcase dramatically different experiences within the same hospital system. Her first birth involved an induction that led to forceps delivery and NICU admission, her second was a precipitous labour where she dilated from 3cm to fully dilated in just 30 minutes, and her third was a planned induction that resulted in her dream water birth. Throughout all three experiences, managing her multiple sclerosis added an extra layer of complexity to her care.

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