Episode 9 - Janelle - Wild pregnancy, changing care providers, home birth, hypnobirthing

We're baaack! As always we have a lot going on so the pod sadly drops to the bottom of the list but we're so excited to bring this beautiful chat to your ears today. Carrie is youtube vlogger and content creator, originally from the US, she moved to New Zealand 5 years ago for a slower life in the country side. She chats to use about her difficult journey to starting a family and her two different birth experiences. She speaks of motherhood so beautifully and we hope you love hearing her story.

Vaginal exams are commonly used but they don’t always give the full picture. In this short educational episode, we chat through: • what a VE can (and can’t) tell you • when they might be helpful • why they can impact the flow of labour • your right to informed consent and refusal

Today we're chatting to @chelseaelliss about her second birth to Lola. Chelsea shares her journey through hyperemesis and gestational diabetes again, navigating pregnancy with resilience, and ultimately choosing her dream of a home birth even when it went against hospital advice. With a fast, intense active labour and a deeply positive postpartum experience, this conversation is honest, empowering, and such a beautiful reminder of trusting your instincts. We hope you love it as much as we did.

We are finally back for another episode after a long break! Happy 2026 to all our listeners. We sat down and chatted to Lucie who went through the journey of being a surrogate for the past few years. She answers all the questions you are probably wondering too and shares her heartwarming story of helping to create a family after completing her own.

✨ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of birth trauma. Please listen with care. ✨ In this week’s episode of The Birth Chapter, we sit down with Carla — a birth trauma support practitioner and former midwife. Together we open up a really important and sometimes uncomfortable)conversation around what birth trauma can look like, why it happens, and the ripple effects it can have on women and whānau and your entry to parenthood. Carla shares her unique perspective as someone who walks alongside parents in the aftermath of difficult birth experiences and supports women to go on to have redeeming births. We talk about the misunderstandings around birth trauma, the emotional and physical layers, and most importantly, the pathways to healing and reclaiming your story. If you’re pregnant with your first baby, this is such a valuable listen. Not to scare you, but to gently empower you with knowledge and insight, so you can enter birth feeling more prepared, supported, and aware of how to advocate for yourself.