085 - Ellie | 31 week birth, premature baby, preeclampsia, caesarean birth, NICU, triple-feeding

Rose is on the podcast today sharing her powerful story of birthing her little boy, Rumi. She had planned a homebirth and talks about the deep trust she felt in her body throughout pregnancy. After two weeks of prodromal labour, her contractions finally became more intense, but when she was unable to get hold of her homebirth midwives, she made the decision to go into hospital. Towards the end of her labour, Rose sensed that something wasn't right so asked her doctor for help and when Rumi was born, he needed life-saving care from their amazing medical team. Rose reflects candidly on her experience and the sadness, grief, rage and gratitude she has come to understand can all exist alongside one another. She shares how she received some of the kindest care from the place she least expected it, the overwhelming relief of finally holding Rumi in her arms in the NICU and the magic of witnessing his recovery. I'm so grateful to Rose for sharing such a deeply personal story with such honesty. This is a moving episode about navigating the unexpected, holding space for complex emotions and finding moments of hope in the midst of a difficult experience. Rose's IG: https://www.instagram.com/mamatapmethod/ The Birth Prep Bundle: https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/zkj6c4q686

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 of prodromal labour), with the support of her partner and doula. We chat about the differences between the two experiences, how things don't have to go exactly to plan for a birth to feel positive and empowering and why Eve says she'd do her daughter's birth again in a heartbeat. This is a really thoughtful episode about trust, choice and the importance of feeling genuinely supported throughout your birth.

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.

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 listen to her body. We chat about the idea that third births can throw you a curveball, and Lily shares how, after waiting much longer than she'd expected for her labour to begin, her third birth was definitely more mentally challenging than her second. Despite this, she found the experience genuinely fun and enjoyable. This is such a lovely story about waiting patiently for your baby to come when they're ready, and I'm sure it will be a really positive and empowering listen for anyone awaiting their baby's arrival.

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 instincts when it comes to childbirth.