In this episode, I speak with Senator Marielle Smith about the newly established Senate Select Committee on Women’s Health and what it could mean for women and families across Australia.

We unpack what a Senate Select Committee actually is, how it differs from a Royal Commission or state-based inquiry, and - importantly - how the stories and experiences shared with the committee can help inform recommendations and future policy.

We also discuss why the inquiry extends beyond postpartum care to examine broader issues affecting women’s health, including women’s pain, medical misogyny, fertility and reproductive health, pregnancy and birth, postpartum care, stillbirth and infant loss, and the regulation of medical devices.

For so many women, the six-week postpartum check can feel like the end of their care, despite recovery, feeding, pain and mental health challenges continuing for weeks or months afterwards. We talk about the opportunity this inquiry presents to reconsider how women are supported during those crucial first months after birth.

Most importantly, Senator Smith explains how women, partners and families can contribute their own experiences to the inquiry.

Submissions are open until 9th of October 2026

If you have an experience of Australia’s healthcare system that you believe needs to be heard — including your experience of postpartum care - this is an opportunity to have your voice included.

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In this episode I chat to Mia, a mother of two living in Canberra, about her two vaginal births, close in age but very different in circumstance. Mia's first birth followed an unplanned pregnancy at twenty three, was quick and left her with a healthy respect for gas and air. Her second birth was carefully planned as a home birth through Canberra's continuity of care programme, but a posterior baby, reduced movements and a racing heart rate meant she ended up induced in hospital instead, birthing on an epidural she never expected to need. Mia also speaks candidly about single motherhood, meeting her now partner at a Pilates class of all places, and blending two families into one. It's a warm, funny and very honest conversation about surrendering the plan and still coming out the other side with a positive birth.

Today's episode is brought to you by Bare Mum.

If you're pregnant, we encourage you to start thinking about your birth recovery now. You need more support in the fourth trimester - the 12 weeks after birth - than you do in pregnancy, which can be surprising to many new mothers. It's for this reason that Bare Mum began, and now they offer a beautiful collection of practical and supportive products to assist your postpartum healing. If you're preparing for a vaginal birth, or know someone who is, check out Bare Mum's Vaginal Birth Care Kit, and use the code ABS2026 at checkout to get 15% off storewide.

Bare Mum — supporting mothers through the fourth trimester and beyond.

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In this episode I chat to Alex, a yoga and bodywork facilitator from Hobart, about the ten year journey she and her husband David went through to become parents. Alex takes us through years of unexplained infertility, a life threatening ectopic pregnancy, multiple rounds of IVF, several miscarriages and the moment she finally made peace with a child-free future, only to fall pregnant naturally soon after. She speaks so openly about the mental health toll of fertility treatment, the identity shifts along the way, and her vaginal birth following a two-day labour and augmentation. This is a raw, generous conversation for anyone whose path to motherhood hasn't gone to plan.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Nutra Naturals.

Made from Australian grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken bones, Nutra Naturals’ award-winning bone broths are slowly cooked and concentrated into either a rich paste or convenient powder. Shop online at nutranaturals.com.au. Use the code AUSBIRTHSTORIES at checkout to get 20% off. But be quick, this offer is only available until the 18th of September 2026 and cannot be used on bundles or with any other offer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.