
EP42 - Zoe's Caesarean (planned homebirth, private midwife, long labour, deflexed head, unplanned caesarean, future vbac plan, future hbac plan)
In this episode, we’re sharing something a little different in honour of Caesarean Awareness Month.
Zoe joins us to reflect on the birth of her first baby: a journey that began with a deeply intentional plan for a homebirth and unfolded into a caesarean after a long, steady labour at home. This isn’t a VBAC story (yet), but a story from the in-between... the space where many women find themselves after a caesarean, holding both the weight of what was and the hope of what could come next.
Zoe speaks openly about her preparation for birth, the experience of labouring for over 30 hours, and the moment she knew it was time to change course. She shares the powerful role of connection, intuition, and support throughout her experience, as well as her reflections on flexibility, informed decision-making, and what it means to feel at peace with a birth that didn’t go to plan.
This episode is a reminder that the path to a VBAC often begins here: in the processing, the integration, and the quiet rebuilding of trust in your body and your choices.
From Zoe:
I am a first time mamma, relationship and sex therapist, animal lover and total birth junky. Having been fascinated by birth since I was a little girl, I always looked forward to my own one day.
And while I had always wanted a home birth in my garden, whenever anyone asked me about my birth plan, I always followed up with - whatever gets my baby into this world in the most natural and safe way.
So I hope my story ignites courage in all its forms - courage to be intentional, courage to be informed, courage to advocate for yourself and trust your intuition and courage to therefore adapt when you feel it’s right to.
Because I truly believe when we are empowered AND adaptable, there is always room for nourishment, enjoyment, beauty and bliss, no matter what the journey may end up looking like.
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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/
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