Australian VBAC Stories cover art

Australian VBAC Stories

By: Australian VBAC Stories
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Welcome to Australian VBAC stories. This podcast is for you, the women and parents of Australia to share your journey to vaginal birth after caesarean, and to listen to those who have forged the path before. Whether you’ve had a VBAC or planned one, supported someone through one or simply want to learn more - we hope this will be a resource that inspires, informs, and celebrates all unique experiences. This podcast is produced on Dharug and Gundungurra Country by Aimee Sing, Bronwyn Senn, Georgia Slee, and Katelyn Commerford.
    Australian VBAC Stories
    Show More Show Less
Episodes
  • EP18 - Imogen's VBAC (miscarriage, planned homebirth, private midwife, transfer, augmentation, epidural, failure to progress, emergency caesarean, public hospital, supportive team & midwives)

    EP18 - Imogen's VBAC (miscarriage, planned homebirth, private midwife, transfer, augmentation, epidural, failure to progress, emergency caesarean, public hospital, supportive team & midwives)
    May 19 2024
    Welcome to Episode 18 of the Australian VBAC Stories Podcast! Today we are delighted to have Imogen on the podcast sharing her somewhat unusual journey to VBAC with us. Imogen's first pregnancy was a beautiful surprise, but before she could really come to terms with it, sadly, she lost that baby at 7 weeks. However, this experienced had opened up her heart to the idea of having a baby, and her and her partner Courtney started trying to fall pregnant again. Imogen was very motivated to have a natural birth, and ended up at a private midwife information night where she was quickly sold on the idea of a PPM and a homebirth that the immediately booked in for. As her pregnancy progressed beyond 40, and then 41 weeks, nerves kicked in from all sides as she faced needing to transfer into hospital if she passed 42 weeks gestation in her corner of the world. After a couple of stretch and sweeps, she did begin contracting just ahead of the deadline, and a long and challenging labour began. Imogen shares her experience of labouring at home and knowing things weren't happening as they should, and before long, being transferred into hospital. A classic cascade of interventions occurred once in hospital, and she eventually found herself labelled "failure to progress" and being wheeled into an emergency caesarean. She talks us through the delay she found in bonding with her baby, and her chaotic experience of postpartum including moving house multiple times. When she was ready to have another baby, Imogen knew she wanted a VBAC, and she decided to try a different model of care and booked in under the public hospital. This birth involved a similarly long and challenging labour, and Imogen expresses how important her support team was in holding her through those crises of confidence along the way, including the beautiful hospital midwives who she met at arrival to the hospital who really advocated for her to get the birth she wanted. We hope you are inspired by Imogen's tenacity and strength as much as we were, and that you can take away some incredible inspiration for her story! 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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • EP17 - Nadia's VBAC (Private Obstetric care, birth doula support, breastfeeding experience, intrauterine growth restriction, IUGR, induction, perinatal anxiety)

    EP17 - Nadia's VBAC (Private Obstetric care, birth doula support, breastfeeding experience, intrauterine growth restriction, IUGR, induction, perinatal anxiety)
    May 5 2024

    In this episode we have Nadia, an incredible mama of two, sharing her caesarean and VBAC journeys. Her stories are rich with reflection, exploring her first birth journey involving a baby with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) and sudden induction leading to a caesarean, and her following, empowering VBAC with the support of her husband, doula and a private OB.


    Nadia beautifully shares her thought processes and reasoning throughout these journeys with such wisdom, including her struggles with breastfeeding and perinatal anxiety and how she worked through these experiences. We are sure you will love hearing her incredible birth stories. We are so excited to share it with you and would love to hear your thoughts!


    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • EP16 - Kim's VBA3C (private midwife, twisted ovary, hospital birth, private OB, breech, 16 month age gap, no prior labour, breastfeeding struggles, postnatal depletion, core and pelvic floor rehab)

    EP16 - Kim's VBA3C (private midwife, twisted ovary, hospital birth, private OB, breech, 16 month age gap, no prior labour, breastfeeding struggles, postnatal depletion, core and pelvic floor rehab)
    May 4 2024
    Welcome to Episode 16 of the Australian VBAC Stories Podcast! Today, on the International Day of the Midwife (5th May), we are so excited to be sharing Kim's incredible birth stories! Kim shares her inspiring and awesome journey to a VBA3C, including 3 public hospital caesarean births and then a VBA3C with a private midwife. Kim's first pregnancy resulted in a little girl born via caesarean due to high blood pressure and breech positioning at her local, low-risk public hospital. While Kim wasn't thrilled at the prospect of birthing via caesarean she describes that she had a positive caesarean experience, but also that her partner (Nick) struggled with this birth given it was unexpected and he hadn't experienced theatre previously. Kim describes her breastfeeding journey and the sudden conception of her next two babies within a year of birth each time. Given the local public hospital didn't support VBAC she prepared herself for a repeat caesarean each time, though she did ask about VBAC not only at her local hospital, but further afield as well. A little over a year after her 3rd baby's birth, which was another caesarean, Kim found out she was pregnant again! In the interim she had spoken with a private midwife and this time she knew she was going to plan a VBAC! She contacted the private midwife, Ashlee Anslow, who had admitting rights at a hospital about 2 hours away and she prepared for her VBA3C. Kim's story is rich with information and inspiration, guiding women towards trusting their innate knowledge and intuition. It not only talks about her incredible VBA3C but also about her caesarean experiences, pelvic floor and core rehabilitation, navigating breastfeeding struggles, having small age gaps between children, relationship changes and dynamics with multiple babies and the fragmented hospital system. Kim describes navigating all of these hurdles in an empowered and conscious way, finally celebrating the triumph of birthing her baby into her arms, in the water, after having not experienced a single contraction during any birth prior. We know you'll be so inspired by Kim's powerful story and can take so much hope, information and encouragement from her sharing. Thank you, Kim! 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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
History Social Sciences
Show More Show Less

What listeners say about Australian VBAC Stories

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
No Reviews are Available
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.