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.
This week we're hearing from Eve about her two very different but equally positive birth experiences. Both were planned homebirths, but she ended up in hospital with her first after there was meconium present in her waters. Eve talks about how different decisions can feel when you come to them yourself rather than feeling backed into them, she shares about the trust she built with her midwife over the course of her pregnancy and birth, plus the profound impact that that relationship had on her experience. Her second birth was a beautiful, unmedicated waterbirth at home (following seven weeks…
In this episode Lottie is back on the podcast to share her second birth story. After a positive induction with her eldest, she didn't have any particularly strong feelings about what she hoped for from this birth, so when concerns were raised about her baby's size, she felt comfortable accepting another induction. We discuss the differences between this labour and her first, how Lottie felt she was working collaboratively with her care team whilst birthing her baby and her experience of a postpartum haemorrhage from a cervical tear. Lottie's first birth:…
Lily is back on the podcast for the third time! After a birth centre birth and a BBA with her two daughters, she's here today to share her most recent experience of giving birth to her son. Lily shares how she prepared for her homebirth by working on her mindset and hiring the same wonderful doula who supported her previous births. She explains why protecting her peace became a priority throughout her pregnancy, whether that meant shielding herself from other people's opinions or declining extra scans that were causing her unnecessary worry. Instead, she chose to trust her instincts and…
In this episode Lisa shares her journey into motherhood. Having always wanted to be a mum, she loved being pregnant and was really excited to give birth. Lisa takes us step by step through her homebirth preparation including hiring two independent midwives to ensure continuity of care and planning for a waterbirth. We talk in depth about choosing to have your baby at home as a first time mum, the incredible support she received from her private midwives and her daughter's amazing en caul birth! Lisa's story beautifully highlights the power of both being well prepared and trusting your…
In this episode Sam shares the story of her son Max's birth. She began her conception journey with very little trust in her body, but her confidence grew rapidly once she fell pregnant and, aside from an ECV to turn her breech baby, she went on to have a very straightforward pregnancy. As Sam learned more about birth she transferred to the homebirth team to give herself the best chance of achieving the spontaneous physiological birth she hoped for. When her labour began, it quickly became far more intense than she had anticipated and she made the decision to transfer into hospital for…
In today's episode Helena shares the stories of her two pregnancies and births, which unfolded in surprisingly similar ways. She had planned to welcome her babies at home, but as both labours began earlier than expected, she ended up giving birth in the hospital twice instead. Helena talks us through her two physiological births, the coping techniques she leant on to get her through and the extra care her pre-term babies needed in the early days postpartum. This was a particularly special episode to record because lovely Helena was my first proper doula client - I was actually at her…
In today's episode Rosie shares her journey into motherhood, which very sadly began with the loss of a twin pregnancy. She talks candidly about her miscarriage, finding solace in the stories of women who had been through similar experiences, and how grief, anxiety, joy and gratitude all had to coexist when she conceived again. Rosie always knew she wanted to birth her baby at home and she talks us through her long labour, including the mental challenge of navigating the early stages when progress felt slow. She was incredibly well supported throughout by her husband, doula and acupuncturist…
In this episode Lily shares the story of her second daughter's birth — a freebirth at home in the water. Between her two pregnancies she sadly experienced a loss and she talks openly about the complex emotions she felt when she conceived again soon afterwards. Lily shares how she prepared for this experience by unlearning much of the information she had absorbed the first time around leaning into instinct, intuition, osteopathy and a deeper connection with herself. She also chose to invest in a postpartum doula and describes the incredible support she received after her daughter arrived,…
In today's episode Rebecca shares her two pregnancy and birth experiences. Her first was complicated by obstetric cholestasis, which impacted her options when it came to where to give birth, but amazingly her contractions started spontaneously before she even got to booking the induction she was being recommended. She talks us through her two straightforward vaginal births and ensuing postpartum haemorrhages, and candidly shares her experience of postnatal depression in the months following her first baby's arrival. We discuss the value of birth debriefing, having a strong support system…
In today's episode Ellie shares her extraordinary journey into motherhood. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until a few high blood pressure readings in her second trimester, so Ellie was taken by surprise when she was suddenly told she needed to remain in hospital until her baby's birth. She shares the debilitating anxiety she experienced whilst being monitored and waiting day by day to hear when her son would need to be born. At 31 weeks the decision was made for him to arrive by caesarean. Ellie reflects on how grateful she feels for the care they received and how well the team…
In today's episode we're hearing from Lou about her precipitous birth. She loved being pregnant and really embraced educating herself and preparing for labour. Lou shares her experience of white coat hypertension and how she managed it with the support of her midwife during pregnancy, so her story beautifully highlights the value of continuity of care. We also talk about how she navigated an unexpectedly fast labour and how the final 40 minutes ended up being some of the best moments of her life. My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
Following on from Tania's first birth story in episode 6, today she returns to share her second pregnancy and birth with her daughter, Juniper. Much like the first time around, Tania struggled in the first trimester but she was lucky to have a fairly smooth pregnancy after that. She planned to birth her baby at home with the support of her local homebirth midwives and went on to have a truly joyful and healing experience. We talk about adjusting to life as a family of four, how much more she trusted her intuition and her body this time around, the simple pleasure of having access to your own…
In this episode Rhian shares her two very different experiences of pregnancy and birth. Her first was marked by hyperemesis gravidarum, an emergency caesarean at 32 weeks and a NICU stay during a COVID lockdown, all of which brought immense physical and emotional challenges. Her second pregnancy, however, was a much more positive experience. Rhian talks about how different it felt to approach a planned caesarean this time around and how her recovery felt more intentional and supported. Rhian also candidly shares her experiences of recurrent loss, IUI and placenta previa. This is a really…
In this episode Jess shares her experience of birthing her third baby. As a midwife and a mum who had previously had two uncomplicated births, her plan was always to have a homebirth. Unfortunately her third trimester threw some unexpected curveballs and Jess ended up being induced at 39 weeks. We talk about midwives' intuition, how incredible intervention can be when it's truly needed and how her induced labour compared to her previous physiological births. This is such a beautiful example of how birth can still be an incredibly positive experience, even when plans change. Jess's passion…
In this episode Lydia shares her journey into motherhood. After a difficult start conceiving, she very sadly miscarried her first pregnancy and talks about how that loss affected her emotionally when she became pregnant again. Lydia shares the many ways she prepared for birth, including how valuable she found listening to a wide variety of birth stories, and describes her experience of consultant-lead care within a private hospital. After a few sweeps and a very special reflexology treatment, Lydia's labour began at nearly 41 weeks and she gave birth to her baby with the wonderful support of…
In today's episode I'm welcoming Monika back to the podcast to share the story of her youngest son's birth. After a traumatic induction first time around, she didn't engage with preparing for the birth until about 20 weeks, at which point Monika hired a doula and made the decision to birth her second baby at home. We talk in depth about how she juggled pregnancy sickness with caring for her toddler full time, managing a borderline gestational diabetes diagnosis and moving both house and hospital in the third trimester. It was so lovely to hear how the fear she had experienced during her…
In this episode we're hearing from Eleanor about her first pregnancy and birth during lockdown. Having learned lots about birth from her midwife sister and planning for a homebirth, her estimated due date came and went with no sign of labour starting. At nearly 42 weeks she accepted an induction and was able to return home to wait for things to begin. When her contractions became regular, Eleanor and her husband went to the midwife-led unit where she laboured in the pool until concerns were raised about meconium in her waters. After an epidural, a period of rest and infection concerns for…
In today's episode we're hearing from Ella about her son's birth. She explains how using the fertility awareness method helped her to conceive, how much she loved being pregnant and why she chose to plan a homebirth with the support of a doula. Ella talks honestly about finding it mentally challenging to go beyond 40 weeks and describes her long labour at home, including the coping techniques she leant on. After hours of pushing the decision was made to transfer, which was a scary experience for both Ella and her partner. Thankfully all was well with the baby and after the doctor assisted…
In today's episode we're hearing from Loren, who reflects on her homebirth at just 9 weeks postpartum. She generously shares the challenges she faced conceiving, how she processed her son's talipes diagnosis and how she and her partner are navigating his ongoing treatment. Loren talks us through her labour, which was surprisingly quick, with the midwives arriving just after her baby was born. Despite the unexpected twists along the way, she reflects on the birth as a positive experience and talks about how incredibly well supported she felt throughout. I'm so grateful to Loren for sharing so…
In today's episode we're hearing from Molly about her daughter's birth. Having loved being pregnant, the biggest challenge she faced was deciding whether or not to accept an induction. Molly talks us through her decision-making process and shares her experience of the different stages of her labour in the hospital. She reflects on the importance of feeling well supported, the brilliant care she received throughout and how that helped her come away from the experience feeling really positive, even with a failed epidural along the way. It's so lovely to be able to share a genuinely positive…
In today's episode we're hearing from Lara about her precipitous birth. When she found out she was pregnant she threw herself into reading, researching and preparing for labour. She hoped to give birth in the midwife lead unit, but when her contractions started it became clear her baby was coming very quickly. Lara and her partner called the paramedics who managed to get her to the hospital and her baby was born after just 95 minutes of labour. Lara talks about the mental challenge of convincing herself the baby was coming early, the intensity of such a short labour and her plans for her…
In today's episode Sarah is back on the podcast to share her second birth story. Having had a difficult experience first time around, she knew what mattered most to her this time; to feel strong, to advocate for her wishes and to feel like she had more agency. She hired a doula, planned a VBAC, changed hospitals and got lots of independent support to help her prepare for the birth. Unfortunately she faced endless obstacles along the way, which resulted in her birthing her daughter via planned caesarean. Sarah talks us through the grieving process of letting go of the VBAC she had hoped for…
In today's episode we're hearing from Anna who freebirthed her son with the support of her partner and doula. Having always felt trusting of the birthing process, Anna knew she wanted to have her baby at home. She shares how amazing it was to have the reassuring presence of a doula through her pregnancy and labour, about the pressure she felt to comply with maternity care that didn't feel right for her and why she ultimately chose to give birth without any midwives present. 9th December FREE hypnobirthing session:…
In today's episode I'm chatting to Maria about her two pregnancies. Her first was very sadly an ectopic pregnancy and she shares her journey of expectant management, which left her feeling very lonely and anxious. When she conceived again and got through the first trimester, Maria loved her second pregnancy. She planned to birth her baby at home but ended up accepting an induction at 42+2. She talks about her experience of a 3rd degree tear, the amazing postnatal care she received and how healing her birth felt following her loss. I'm so grateful to Maria for sharing so honestly about her…
In this week's episode I chat to Tassy about her planned c-section. She conceived quickly after coming off the pill and Tassy really enjoyed being pregnant and learning about birth. At 32 weeks her midwife flagged concerns around her baby's small size and after accepting some additional growth scans she quickly realised the birth centre birth she had hoped for was becoming increasingly unlikely. Tassy shares how empowering it felt to choose a caesarean over the induction she was being recommended and how ultimately it felt like a really special and positive way to birth her baby. This is…
In today's episode I'm sharing my own story of birthing my second son, Sidney. I talk about how I experienced pregnancy with a toddler in tow, the choices I made differently this time and how much I loved birthing my baby at home. After a long and physically exhausting previous birth, this labour challenged me mentally so I share all the coping techniques and comfort measures that helped me through when self-doubt arose. Throughout pregnancy and labour I was cared for by the most awesome midwife Annie, so a strong theme of my birth story is how incredible it was to receive continuity of care…
In this episode we've got Laura back on the podcast to share her second birth story. After a long back to back labour in the hospital with her daughter, Lauren knew she wanted to approach things differently this time and planned to birth to her baby at home. She shares how different her experience of conceiving was second time around, why hiring a doula was the best decision she made and how she dealt with the immense pressure she felt to accept an induction once she passed 42 weeks. She trusted her instincts and went on to have an amazing homebirth for her surprisingly big baby boy! Laura's…
In today's episode Beth shares her experience of conception, pregnancy and birth with type 1 diabetes. She talks us through the support she received from a fellow nutritional therapist, the preparation she undertook for her son's birth and the implications of her condition. Whilst induction wouldn't have been her preference, Beth managed to create a plan that both aligned with the recommendations of her care providers and also felt good to her, so despite the challenges that arose during her labour she came away from the experience feeling positive. I'm so grateful to Beth for sharing her…
In today's episode we're hearing from Alice. She always knew she wanted a homebirth so when she found out she was pregnant it felt like the obvious choice. She shares how she prepared in the lead up to birth; what she read, how she loved science behind hypnobirthing and how supportive she found affirmations for her mindset. Alice's patience was tested with a few days of latent labour, but after chatting to some helpful midwives she was able to relax into it and once things got going her son ended up being born pretty quickly. This is such a lovely story of first time homebirth and the…
In this episode Bec shares her wild pregnancy and freebirth. As a traditional birth keeper she had plenty of experience supporting women choosing to birth outside the system, so this felt like the obvious choice for her own pregnancy. From the moment she conceived she had no tests, scans or interaction with the maternity system and she talks about how she worked through the range of emotions that came up throughout the process. Bec takes us step by step through her blissful final few weeks of pregnancy, labouring in the woods with her partner and pushing for an intense 6 hours before her son…
About Birth Tales
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.
Birth Tales is a English kids & family podcast from Serena Louth. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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