Shows
Birth Choices21. Corinne’s birth story — from planning a homebirth to a vasa previa diagnosis, extended hospital stay, and planned pre-term caesarean section with MGP midwifery supportIn this episode, we speak with Elysia’s younger sister, Corinne, who shares her journey from planning a publicly-funded homebirth to an unexpected diagnosis at her 20-week ultrasound that changed the course of the rest of her pregnancy and her birth. The ultrasound revealed Corinne had placenta previa, a marginal cord insertion, and an extremely rare condition called vasa previa. Corinne walks us through how she processed this news, how she prepared for her lengthy hospital admission, and pre-term caesarean section. She reflects on the beautiful support her MGP midwife provided in the midst of a now very medicalised pr...2025-05-1456 minBirth Choices20: Sammy's HBAC — from unplanned caesarean section with private OB to homebirth with private midwives + doulaIn this episode we speak with Sammy Veall, artist and former yoga teacher and studio owner, about the contrasting pregnancy and birth experiences of her two boys. Sammy shares her experience of an unplanned caesarean in a private hospital under obstetric care, and how that experience shaped her decision to have a homebirth after caesarean (HBAC) with private midwives for her second son. Sammy speaks beautifully about the ripple effects of her positive and transformative birth experience on not only her mothering, but career and life choices more broadly. A content warning — Sammy speaks openly abo...2025-04-221h 00Birth Choices19. Choosing private midwifery care - with private midwife Kelly Langford of MAMA MidwivesIn this episode we speak with Kelly Langford, co-founder of Victoria’s first private midwifery group practice MAMA Midwifery, about choosing private midwifery care for your pregnancy and birth. After being mentored into private practice early in her midwifery career, Kelly is a passionate advocate for families and midwives alike. Kelly joins us to talk about what a private midwife is, what continuity of care from a private midwife looks like (and the different ways you can choose to be supported, whether you are birthing at home or in hospital), exciting changes affecting the maternity space right now, and wha...2024-12-231h 03Birth Choices18. Paramedic & student midwife Ruth's birth stories — choosing midwifery-led care within a private hospital followed by private midwifery care and a speedy homebirthIn this episode we speak with paramedic and fellow student midwife, Ruth, about her experience of choosing her care provider and place of birth in her first and second pregnancies, receiving care from private midwives with admitting rights in a private hospital in Brisbane, and then after being unable to find that same model in Melbourne, choosing to birth at home with the support of private midwives (and an unofficial backup plan with a supportive OB). Ruth talks us through her marathon first labour, and how morphine (while deviating from her plan) allowed her to get the rest she...2024-09-191h 49Birth Choices17. Georgia & Talbot’s birth story — choosing homebirth for their first babyIn this episode we speak with Georgia and Talbot, barrister and engineer, about their decision to birth their first baby at home. Georgia and Talbot initially chose a private midwife as no publicly funded programs were running after COVID, but late in pregnancy, after agonising over the decision, changed to a publicly funded program. Georgia reflects on the impact of her mum’s work as a midwife on her philosophy of birth (and the beautiful support she then gave them during labour and birth), and how when seeking a physiological birth, home felt like the most appropriate choice for th...2024-09-031h 09Birth Choices16. Care provider choices for First Nations women and babies — an interview with Res McCalmanIn this episode we speak with Res McCalman, a Ballardong woman, midwife and researcher who is part of the team responsible for the Baggarrook Yurrongi culturally inclusive caseload midwifery pilot program, a project which implemented continuity of midwifery care for First Nations women and babies at three key maternity sites in Victoria (with plans for expanded rollout). In this episode Res speaks about the choices available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and those having a First Nations baby in Victoria, and the importance of offering culturally responsive, strengths based care (and how that is defined). Res speaks...2024-08-1252 minBirth Choices15. Kyla’s birth story — physiological birth with private OB + doulaIn this episode we speak with Kyla about her experience of navigating her choice of pregnancy care provider, and deciding to birth in a private hospital under the care of an obstetrician, with doula support. Coming from the US, Kyla was drawn to the possibility of public maternity care and also knew from her research that midwifery-led care was appropriate for her and her hopes for birth. Kyla’s pregnancy took place in the time of ongoing COVID restrictions and changes to pregnancy care, which meant that for her booked hospital, all appointments were by telehealth until well past 20 wee...2024-07-3156 minBirth Choices14. Emily & Josh’s birth story — physiological waterbirth in the public system with caseload midwifery care + doula supportIn this episode we speak with first time parents Emily and Josh about their experience of navigating their choices in pregnancy and birth, and preparing for what was a beautiful physiological waterbirth in the public system. Em and Josh sought out continuity of care through their local caseload program, and chose additional support from a doula. We hear about the positive social influences on their mindset for pregnancy and birth, their experience of reviewing the evidence on midwifery continuity of care in choosing where and with whom to birth, and in navigating other choices throughout their pregnancy and birth...2024-07-161h 12Birth Choices13. Midwife Clare’s birth stories — from unplanned caesarean section through to choosing when and how to birth by caesareanIn this episode we speak with private midwife Clare from @tobirthbeautifully_ about the births of her four boys by caesarean section, and her various experiences of both labour and theatre. Choosing midwifery-led care (via MGP) for her first pregnancy, Clare takes us through her first labour and birth, and the choices she made which she feels contributed to her first caesarean section, setting the path for the three experiences that followed. Clare continued to seek a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) in her second, third and fourth pregnancies, while also developing her preferences around caesarean section. For the birth...2024-07-011h 09Birth Choices12. Choosing a student midwife to support youIn this episode, Elysia and Alice discuss the role of a student midwife and why you might choose one to provide additional (and free) support to you in pregnancy, birth and postpartum. We discuss what’s involved, what some evidence says about the physical and emotional outcomes, and how you can find the right student for you. LinksFor links to the studies discussed, as well as to the Facebook and other pages to find a student midwife, check out our student midwife page on the websiteTo connect with a student midwife, post a com...2024-06-1731 minBirth Choices11: Olivia’s birth stories — choosing VBAC with a private obstetrician and doula after an unplanned caesarean during COVIDIn this episode we hear from physio and internal pelvic release practitioner, Olivia, about the births of her two sons. Olivia received private midwifery care in her first pregnancy. Her plans for homebirth changed when she chose induction at 41+3, and Olivia talks us through her experience of birthing in hospital without the support of her private midwife due to covid restrictions, and the unplanned emergency caesarean section under general anaesthetic that followed. Olivia reflects on the damaging narratives around people who have birth preferences (or plan to birth at home), and her and her husband’s experiences of trauma fr...2024-06-031h 15Birth Choices10: Fiona Hallinan + Agia Nenke on internal pelvic release work and the role of the pelvis and tension in pregnancy, labour and birthIn this episode we speak Fiona Hallinan and Agia Nenke, midwives and internal pelvic release practitioners, about the role of the pelvis in understanding labour and birth, the role of soft tissue and the impact of tension, perineal massage (or more relevantly, perineal kneading, and what not to do!), spinning babies and how to best support women and babies bodies to work together and minimise trauma both emotionally and physically when doing the birth dance.Fiona and Agia speak beautifully about the history we all hold in our bodies, and the need for midwives and other birth w...2024-05-091h 21Birth Choices09: Alice + Dave’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after private obstetric care and navigating pregnancy lossIn this episode we hear from co-host Alice and her husband Dave about their road from birthing in a private hospital under private obstetric care, through the grief of two miscarriages, to then birth at home via a publicly funded homebirth program. Alice looks back on her first vaginal birth, which she emerged from feeling victorious, now through the lens of greater understanding of birth and the role that her model of care and place of birth played in influencing the dynamic in the birth space, and the interventions that resulted. We speak about the process leading...2024-04-162h 03Birth Choices08: Obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone on choosing woman-centred obstetric care, “doing” less, homebirth, and your choices in caesarean sectionIn this episode we speak with obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone about her obstetric training and how that contributes to a certain dominant philosophy of birth, her road to “doing” less and learning from and collaborating with midwives and doulas, the question of obstetric care for “low risk” or uncomplicated pregnancies, homebirth, curating postpartum support, and your choices in caesarean section. As you can see, this is a juicy one, and a must listen for all entering the maternity setting whether you are seeking obstetric care or not. Links:Dr Natalie Elphingstone on Instagram...2024-04-021h 27Birth Choices07: Choosing a doula, and navigating hospital policies and your human rights in childbirth — with doula and childbirth activist Karli SmithIn this episode we speak with Karli Smith, a doula with a background in international human rights law and humanitarian aid, who now spends her time supporting women and birthing people on an individual and broader systems level in advocating for rights in maternity care. We speak about the role of doulas in pregnancy, birth and postpartum, the power and magic of birth and having someone hold you in your vision for birth, the importance of informed consent and autonomous decision-making in birth, and strategies for navigating the (public and private) hospital system. Karli gives us some...2024-03-181h 08Birth Choices06: Elysia + Andrew’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after UK birth centres and hospital birthsIn this episode we hear from our very own Elysia, as she and her husband Andrew give us a snapshot of their first three birth experiences — the first two in integrated birth centres in the UK, the third in a Melbourne public hospital, before delving into what led them to choose homebirth for their most recent birth of baby number 4, at home via a publicly funded homebirth program. We discuss the cultural and social influences on your choices around how and where to birth, as well as the journey towards choosing homebirth. We touch on Elysia’s exper...2024-03-041h 19Birth Choices05: Choosing VBAC — an interview with midwifery researcher, Dr Hazel KeedleIn this episode we welcome back Dr Hazel Keedle to discuss all things vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC). We speak about her research that collated in her book, Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth, what informed consent looks like in this space, the benefits of relationship-based care, the four contextual factors impacting on women’s experiences of VBAC, and how the ripple effect of a positive VBAC can echo through communities and pass down through generations. Links:- Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth - Dr Kristen Sm...2024-02-1949 minBirth Choices04: Birth story — choosing VBAC and advocating for your preferences with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer @flo.to.growIn this episode we speak with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer of @flo.to.grow, about her experience of the “cascade of intervention” in her first birth following induction, her journey of preparing for a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), the ongoing advocacy required through her pregnancy, and birth, and how it felt to birth her second baby vaginally, both in those minutes and hours post-birth, and now, weeks into her postpartum. She reflects beautifully on the shift from being what she thought was informed first time around, to getting really informed, and standing in her power to birth her baby...2024-02-121h 48Birth Choices02: Choosing a care provider — what are your choices? with Alice & ElysiaThis is Part 1 of our care provider choices mini-series. In this episode we walk you through the care provider options available to you for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. We discuss care under the public system - from fragmented general care, to caseload/MGP continuity models, publicly funded Homebirth, and shared care with a GP or private midwife, as well as care from private midwives and private obstetricians. Choosing your car provider matters, and it shouldn’t just be a case of whether you do or don’t have private health insurance. To read more...2024-02-0451 minBirth Choices03: Choosing a care provider — evidence on women's experiences of different care providers, an interview with Dr Hazel KeedleIn part 2 of our mini-series on care provider choices we speak with Dr Hazel Keedle, lead researcher on Australia's largest survey on women's experiences of maternity care, the Birth Experience Study (BESt). We discuss the findings explored in a few key papers emanating from the responses of 8,804 women to that survey, including key findings around “what women want if they were to have another baby”, as well as the strengths and and limitations of different maternity models of care accessed by women in Australia in the preceding 5 years.Links:Keedle, H., Lockwood, R., Keedle, W...2024-02-0433 minBirth Choices01: Introducing Birth Choices — the podcastWelcome to our introductory episode for birthchoices — the podcast. Meet co-hosts Alice and Elysia who introduce themselves and discuss their plans for the podcast — a platform to share digestible evidence and stories from families, as well as insights from experts, about the range of choices available to you in pregnancy, birth and postpartum.2023-12-1816 min