EP31 - Tina’s VBAC of MCDA twins (empowerment, self-advocacy, midwife, NICU, preterm birth, COVID, general anaesthetic caesarean, vacuum birth, breastfeeding establishment in NICU)

In this moving episode, we follow Tina’s powerful VBAC journey — from becoming a young mum at 21 and experiencing a caesarean under general anaesthetic, to reclaiming her birthing power with the vaginal birth of her MCDA twins.Tina opens up about the heartbreak of missing her son’s first moments, the emotional toll of separation and how that experience shaped her path to becoming a midwife. She takes us through her next pregnancy — the shock of conceiving twins, the challenges of preterm labour and navigating birth during the height of COVID.Against the odds, Tina chose a VBAC, birthing her twins vaginally at 32 weeks. She shares the raw details and experiences — the mind game of having to push two babies out, the near en caul birth of her second twin, and the moment she met her daughters before they were taken to NICU. Tina’s story doesn’t end there! She also shares her deeply emotional NICU journey, her commitment to breastfeeding through enormous obstacles, and the deep empowerment she now carries as a mother and a midwife, influencing the way she can support other families on their own journeys.This is a story of which explores advocacy and self-empowerment; a story of resilience, and triumph. We hope you love it as much as we loved sharing it!Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:PANDA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

It is with deep reverence and gratitude that we share Angela's birth stories with you. Midwife Angela shares her powerful journey through three profoundly different births. Her story begins with the premature birth of her first son, Colton, at just 26 weeks following an antepartum haemorrhage and preterm premature rupture of membranes. Angela recounts the emotional and clinical intensity of undergoing a caesarean, navigating the heartbreak of NICU life and the following devastating decision to say goodbye to her baby boy after 22 days on life support. She shares how her midwifery brain helped her to slow down, appreciate the birth experience at the time and also helped her advocate for the information and support she needed as her family had to say goodbye to their baby. Angela then opens up about the grief that followed the loss of her baby boy, an early miscarriage melting into that same grief, and then the conception of her next baby—whose birth would take place just 13 months later, putting her in a 'high-risk' category for VBAC. Despite pressure to have a repeat caesarean, Angela advocated for herself with the support of a trusted midwife and birthed her baby vaginally, powerfully after an artificial rupture of membranes.Her third and final birth was fast and intense, an induction with breaking of waters following reduced movements and increasing blood pressure. This labour was just 50 minutes from the first contraction to holding her baby! Again, with the support of her midwife, Angela experienced a powerful, swift vaginal birth after caesarean.With heartfelt wisdom, vulnerability and remarkable strength, Angela reflects on how her midwifery experience shaped her own birth experiences and also how her personal experiences of birth have shaped her practice as a midwife.Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:PANDA ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this deeply moving and multifaceted episode, we sit down with Jen to explore her extraordinary journey through six births and five miscarriages, with a diagnosis of hyperfertility. Jen shares openly and honestly about her experiences, the medical complexities and the fierce resilience that led to her reclaiming her birth and deeply trusting her intuition, shaping her motherhood story. Jen leads us through her first two births, both vaginal births with doula support, and includes a run over of some of the complexities she experienced (retained placenta in her first birth and a snapped cord in her second). Jen then shares about her third birth where she experienced a shoulder dystocia - a complication that would weigh heavily on her decisions for her future pregnancy.Following her shoulder dystocia experience and another experience of miscarriage, Jen conceived her next baby, a pregnancy involving more complexity with multiple bleeds, a subchorionic hematoma and lots of discussions around risk of shoulder dystocia for this baby's birth. Jen shares of her anxiety throughout this pregnancy and the eventual decision to agree to a planned caesarean birth, but her journey didn’t end there.With her next pregnancy, Jen embarked on a path of deep research and self-advocacy, culminating in a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) that she describes as incredibly healing. She walks us through her path leading back to her intuition, her advocacy for herself and her babies and how she came to the decisions she did as she navigated a high risk pregnancy that she felt was anything but. Finally, Jen shares her final birth of her sixth baby, a planned homebirth supported by a privately practising midwife who trusted her intuition and listened to her every step of the way. Jen describes her decision to transfer to hospital, how she was supported through this and her journey from feeling that she failed at homebirth to recognising that this was a successful homebirth, despite the transfer. Throughout it all, Jen’s story is one of profound loss, strength, and reclamation. She speaks candidly about her experiences with miscarriage, the complexities of hyperfertility, the trauma and triumphs of birth, and how she ultimately found her voice and autonomy as a mother.Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:PANDA ⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this beautiful episode we get the opportunity to listen to Freyja's 2 incredible birth stories! Listen in to hear a beautiful recount and reflection around the births of her two gorgeous, big baby boys!Her first birth was a difficult one, occurring amongst floods and during COVID and involving an induction due to insulin dependent gestational diabetes and suspected big baby. Ultimately Freyjas' first birth resulted in a caesarean due to 'failure to progress' at 7cm dilation. Freyja recounts her feelings surrounding her birth and all of the hardship in her community at the time of her birth due to surrounding flooding, as well as birthing in the time of COVID. She talked through the journey through processing her first birth experience and how she navigated working towards her next birth, a planned VBAC! Freyja's next birth story is one of triumph, joy and empowerment, involving lots of self-advocacy, flexing her autonomy and pushing forward even when her birth team shifted and changed. Freyja vulnerably shares how she navigated discussions with doctors, balanced the risks of a VBAC with another suspected big baby and also advocated for herself both leading up to and during labour. She talks about the challenges and mindset shifts that led to her VBAC and discusses the importance of educating herself, building strong support systems, advocating for her birth choices and listening to other women' stories as a form of education and inspiration. This episode is full of reflection and information, and Freyja's story is an inspiring reminder that every birth journey is unique and that, with the right support and mindset, women can reclaim control and autonomy over their birthing choices. We hope you love listening as much as we loved interviewing Freyja!Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:PANDA ⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠COPE Australia ⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this very special episode, we hear from our beloved co-host Aimee as she steps into the storyteller's seat to share the deeply personal journeys of her three births - a path woven with loss, healing, and profound transformation.Aimee begins with the unexpected birth of her first baby, Willow - a planned homebirth that turned into an emergency caesarean at 36 weeks due to a placental abruption. She speaks candidly about the grief of losing her envisioned birth, the joy and relief of her daughter’s safe arrival, and her conviction to follow her intuition when hospital breastfeeding support fell short.Her second birth was a redemptive and empowering homebirth after caesarean (HBAC) with her son Hamish, following multiple miscarriages and the emotional imprint of her first birth. Surrounded by a trusted team and held in safety, Aimee surrendered to the rhythm of labour and birthed her baby in a beautiful, supported water birth.She then shares the story of her third baby, Evalie - a triumphant second HBAC. This birth unfolded during the still hours of a new moon, with her children present and her birth space lovingly prepared. Through the intensity of a long transition, emotional highs and lows, and a stubborn cervical lip, Aimee ultimately welcomed her daughter into her own hands in a euphoric, joy-filled moment.With humour, honesty, and raw vulnerability, Aimee reflects on the mental load of labour, the importance of advocacy and support, and the transformational power of birthing on her own terms. This episode is a celebration of birth in all its forms - intense, ordinary, sacred, and wildly powerful.We’re so honoured to share these stories from our co-host and friend. Aimee, thank you for your courage, your voice, and your unwavering belief in the power of birth.Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:PANDA ⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠COPE Australia ⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

We’re so excited to bring you this episode with the wonderful Caitlyn, who shares her incredible birth journey and the lessons she's learned along the way. Her story begins with the traumatic birth of her eldest daughter in 2020 during lockdown, which set her on the path to pursue a VBAC with her son.  Despite her hopes for a more straightforward, peaceful experience, her son’s birth did not go as planned, as she faced a cord prolapse after her membranes were ruptured, which ultimately resulted in a CAT1 emergency cesarean. While the outcome could have been far more difficult, Caitlyn reflects on how the situation was much smoother and less traumatic than it could have been, and how kind and considerate treatment from care providers makes all the difference in a woman’s birth journey. Now, Caitlyn is expecting her third baby and, once again, she’s holding onto her dream of a VBA2C. In this episode, she opens up about her experience navigating these challenges, the emotional rollercoaster of working towards a VBA2C, and what she’s hoping for in her upcoming birth. Her story is one of resilience, hope, and the power of learning from each experience, and we know you’ll find her honesty, strength, and humour incredibly inspiring. Join us as Caitlyn takes us through her birth journey, with all its ups and downs, and her ongoing hope for a beautiful, healing birth this time around. Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.  If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends! If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below: PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠ Gidget Foundation ⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠ COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠ If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations: Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠ Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠ Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

We are so thrilled to bring you this episode with the wonderful Cara who shares her three very different birth experiences with us. During her first birth, Cara had done independent birth education and felt able to say no to some things that didn't feel right to her, but found herself in a difficult situation with prelabour rupture of membranes and a slow early labour that eventually led her to being induced/augmented and put on the cascade towards an emergency caesarean. A very difficult postpartum period followed, where her son was diagnosed 'failure to thrive' and she needed to be readmitted to hospital and have him receive formula and treatment to get him back to healthy weight. Despite this, she managed to go on to breastfeed her first son well into toddlerhood. She knew she wanted a VBAC immediately after that first birth, and began down the rabbit hole of education. This time, she laboured spontaneously but after arriving at hospital, was allocated a midwife whose poor treatment and disrespectful care really coloured her VBAC experience, which ultimately saw the use of a vacuum to support the birth of her second son, and also eventuated in a third degree tear and a delayed postpartum haemorrhage, the symptoms for which were dismissed impatiently by the midwife until the next shift rotation came through. By her third birth, Cara had learned so much more and this time employed a doula to support her and her husband. This birth was a redemptive and healing experience, beautifully supported by midwives in the same hospital with incredible respectful care that made the world of difference. She pushed her baby out on her own terms, and speaks to how significant this was after her prior two births. We know you will adore the wealth of knowledge and experience that Cara shares with a gorgeous and light hearted approach to her stories, and many amusing anecdotes along the way. Cara wishes to thank her wonderful doula, Aimee Sing of Birth Aims. Cara's birth class: Kaia Birth Cara's women's health physio: HerHealth Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.  If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends! If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below: PANDA https://panda.org.au/ Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/ COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/ If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations: Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/ Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/ Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

We’re overjoyed to bring you the incredible story of Carissa’s three births. She takes us deep into her journey from a planned caesarean with a private obstetrician, to her emergency caesarean in hospital, to her powerful and joyous freebirth with her third son. Carissa hired a private obstetrician in her first pregnancy and was devastated to learn that the myomectomy, that she had previously undergone, led to being recommended a planned caesarean at 39 weeks. This was a very difficult experience and ultimately led to a disconnect in bonding with her son, that resulted in a very challenging postpartum period. After significant preparation of her body and womb, Carissa and her husband consciously conceived their second son, Aubrey. They considered a homebirth with a private midwife, though ultimately planned to birth in the local public hospital within the continuity of midwifery care program. Carissa hired a doula for this birth, and reflects very openly and deeply about how she feels she handed over her power to others around her, hoping for them to “save her”, and looking outward to them to ensure she had the birth she wanted. After a marathon labour, which involved discovering she had contracted an infection, Carissa made the decision to have a second caesarean. She describes the trauma she experienced when her son was taken from her for resuscitation and the separation they experienced after she was taken to recovery. Carissa speaks about reclaiming this postpartum and having much more connected and healing experience with her second son, including what she describes as a beautiful experience of tandem feeding him and her first son, Teddy. As soon as Carissa fell pregnant with her third son, she knew she would not be birthing in a hospital. She and her husband ultimately chose to have a freebirth, and Carissa shares her wealth of wisdom gained on that journey. These learnings include how Carissa empowered herself from within to birth the way she wanted; the need to ride the wave and rewrite the story in a birth that unfolded in a similar way to her previously traumatic one; and the importance of and the power found in surrounding yourself with a tribe of like-minded people. Carissa describes her gorgeous, undisturbed, empowering and healing freebirth at home, with just her husband and a trusted friend present. We were so moved by this story and know all our listeners are going to love the abundance of wisdom and emotion shared in this episode, no matter how and where they are choosing to birth. Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.  If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends! If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below: PANDA https://panda.org.au/ Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/ COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/ If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations: Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/ Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/ Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

Today we are excited to share Emma’s beautiful birth stories, her first baby boy, Eric, born via caesarean after an induction, and her second baby girl, Chloe, born via a repeat caesarean after reaching full dilation during a spontaneous labour.   Her first pregnancy resulted in a pre-eclampsia diagnosis which led to an induction. Emma beautifully describes this birth journey of labouring with a posterior baby with a deflexed head, her experience of having an epidural and then eventual decision to have a caesarean section at 7cm dilation. While Emma’s caesarean section was done via general anaesthetic due to the spinal anaesthetic not working, she describes having a very positive experience of meeting her baby. She describes an initially difficult postpartum experience followed by months of positive breastfeeding with her son before falling pregnant with her next baby. Emma’s next baby, Chloe, was conceived just 7 months after her son, Eric’s, caesarean. Emma describes the discussions she had with the OBs, her decision to plan a VBAC for the easier, more positive recovery it would bring and this subsequent labour, birth and postpartum experience. Emma was an incredible advocate of the birth she wanted, including planning out what a future caesarean might look like so as to avoid the difficulties with epidural/spinal anaesthetic and having these difficult conversations before labour. She shares her labour with another posterior baby (but this time, no deflexed head!), what it was like receiving sterile water injections and also talks about getting to full dilation and pushing only to be told her pelvis was incorrectly shaped and not allowing her baby to descend. Emma describes her second caesarean, again via general anaesthetic, and the way that her empowered decisions during pregnancy and birth led to a much more positive recovery and easier breastfeeding journey too. The reflections shared in this episode are rich and vulnerable, and we believe will be so helpful for women processing their own experiences and journeys through a repeat caesarean after a planned VBAC. We hope you love listening to this episode and learning from Emma’s journey as much as we have enjoyed sharing it with you.   Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.  If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends! If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below: PANDA ⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠ Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠ COPE Australia ⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠ If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations: Maternity Choices Australia ⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠ Maternity Consumer Network ⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠ Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

We are so excited to bring you the incredible Zelda's four epic birth stories for our 22nd episode! First things first: We had a few technical struggles recording this episode, so please forgive the occasional glitchiness of the audio quality and consistency. We hope you will still experience the richness of Zelda's experiences as she shares them It's not often we get to hear about VBA3C stories, and we are so grateful to bring you the second of these stories to the podcast with the incredible Zelda, who shares with us her experiences of planning for a vaginal birth with her first baby, the trauma of her journey to an emergency caesarean and the serious challenges that followed with a baby who didn't feed. Zelda went on to plan a VBAC with her second baby, only to be thwarted again and find herself with a second caesarean. This time, she knew a lot more and demanded skin-to-skin with her baby, and latching and feeding in theatre, and both this bub and her third bub who was born via a planned elective caesarean, she had much smoother feeding and postpartum experiences with. However, when she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her fourth baby, her first son, she knew she wasn't going to accept another elective caesarean as her only option, and she sought out the support of a private midwife with hospital admitting rights. Zelda shares her powerful and redemptive VBA3C with her biggest baby (a healthy 5kg baby boy!) and how she reclaimed her power and her faith in her mind and body in doing so. Thank you, Zelda, we can't wait to hear what you all think! Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.  If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends! If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below: PANDA https://panda.org.au/ Gidget Foundation https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/ COPE Australia https://www.cope.org.au/ If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations: Maternity Choices Australia https://www.maternitychoices.org/ Maternity Consumer Network https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/ Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.