The Circle of Birth - Birth Stories - Story Podcas

Midwife Joy and I recorded last year I actually got sidetracked with this track and took me a while to get it all back together, and what a delight to finally find it again! This conversation was so amazing. Joy become pregnant at the age of 19 and at the time was living the ideal nomadic life in a bus. We talk about her bus birth, her steps into midwifery and how she trained with traditional midwifes. She lives on a boat! She is amazing and I need to write no more, dive into the podcast! Its a long one but such a beautiful journey to share…. Resources The Birth Attendants youtube video:  https://youtu.be/P1Ngtl_x0go Connect with Joy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birthwithjoy/?ref=br_rs Website: http://www.birthwithjoy.love           The post E53 – Birth With Joy – Midwife and Birth in a Bus appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

What if we looked at birth and these experiences so graciously shared with us in absolute awe of how amazing women are in birth. Jessie’s story is one of these by tuning into her safety and autonomy. For the next hour you will be podcast blissed with Jessie and her families journey, finding how birth does not always have to be something we endure, survive and see as a painful event that should be over with as quick as possible. During this podcast Jessie explains about her conception and prepping for the birth. Seek out the resources below as you will be gifted with the most beautiful video of Jessie birthing her baby just the way that makes her feel safe and nurtured. What happened with this video? The media got to it and one of the most obvious issues we are facing at the moment is the suppression of women and their right to have the pregnancy and birth that they feel ‘safe’ ‘supported’ and in tune with their bodies. Birth is not a ‘one fits all’ and like the reaction from the media to this video it was full of many so called ‘experts’, so much talk about unnecessary things and distraction from being able to view this with absolute pure elation and un-judgemental awe. We don’t talk about any of this, mainly because I don’t subscribe to that stuff and also because I had so many better things to explore with Jessie and her story than what interpretation the media wanted to make. This is the most important part that Jessie spoke about…. Jessie’s message after this experience was the equal importance of the mental and physical health of the mother. That resonates so well as how many times have women been left with ‘at least’ you have a healthy baby…. Jessie wanted to share this video with the world because she felt so empowered by watching other women share their experiences, this is gifting back… So so much gratitude to you Jessie as you are gifting back so much inspiration to us all! All Photos: Port Douglas Wedding Photography & Designer Portraiture Australia Musings from Jessie “It was just like the stars aligned, everything was happening and we trusted the process.” “The respect, appreciation, trust and gratitude you receive in your body during pregnancy is life changing.” “I really felt like I was listening to my baby during the whole pregnancy.” “’It was really important to surround my birth space of everything that made me happy.” “For women to have access to watch birth videos is such an amazing resource.” “Empowered women, empowering women this is such an important support circle to have.” “Women are amazing, we are capable of so much more than what we may believe.” Resources Hypno-Babies Book – Down to Earth Birth – Jenny Blythe Full Birth Video: https://youtu.be/ZsFlwJMwkm0 Our Right of Reply to the Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01vg1F0CfGg&feature=youtu.be BirthTUBE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/livehomebirth/?source_id=488777274815586 The post E52 – Elective Caesarean to Home Birth Jessie’s Story of Finding her Autonomy and Saftey appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

Welcome to an epic and absolutely essential podcast to listen to. I decided not to split it up and you can enter in and out of this beautiful journey with Katherine and I. So why are we feeling that home birth is no where in a space to celebrate in Australia and worldwide? This story will unravel some of the mysteries of why women are still subjected to an absolute barrage of political, business and oppression driven birth culture. This story is a hard reality of a woman that wants to be supported by her midwife and birth team and how the system takes charge to make sure there were as many hurdles as possible. Katherine is a beautiful connected soul, and her story now is a gift in ours. Take the time to read her blog if you can (links in the show notes) She has compiled a list of amazing resources. Now the audio dips in and out of some parts, yet the story and Katherines beautiful articulation trumps that! So with that welcome to the story and be open to the medicine.  THIS IS KATHERINES BLOG BELOW – Find it at – http://katherineeden.com/speaking-the-unspeakable-not-celebrating-homebirth/ Speaking the unspeakable; why I’m not celebrating homebirth. If this post triggers you or brings up any strong feelings please reach out and speak to someone. You could call Lifeline , PANDA or Beyondblue Today I need to be very vulnerable with you. I started writing this post during homebirth awareness week. But I was not, and will not be celebrating. We have since seen some incredible speeches from some inspirational women about the crisis of birth, both in this country and around the world. I NEED TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST AND SHARE SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BUBBLING WITHIN ME. My heart hurts. It aches. It aches for me, for my baby, for my family, for my fellow birth workers and for all the women and babies who have been affected by the current climate of homebirth. I want to say something controversial to you; I AM SICK AND TIRED OF CELEBRATING HOMEBIRTH Don’t get me wrong, homebirth is, and has always been, my only choice for how I want my babies to enter the world. To me it just feels like my complete natural instinct to support the physiological birthing process and birth where I feel most safe. For me that is at home with a Midwife. Homebirth is incredible and we know from countless stories and an abundance of evidence that homebirth is both safer in terms of physical safety as well as providing increased emotional safety and birth satisfaction (more info here). It is our biological norm. When you tell me homebirth and continuity of care are amazing and worthy of celebration you are preaching to the converted. This is not to discount women who have had wonderful experiences in the hospital. It’s just that at this time we need to start getting more serious about the reality of birth. We know homebirth is safe and incredible and yes we need to continue reminding those who don’t know. We need to remind, and take more action against those who disempower or take away a woman’s control or experience because they are not evidence based or because they work from a place of fear. Yes, we need to continue to have this discussion. Yes, we need to celebrate the amazingness that is homebirth. BUT this CANNOT and MUST NOT be the ONLY discussion! DON’T YOU THINK IT’S CRAZY THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING SOMETHING THAT ONCE UPON A TIME WAS JUST CALLED BIRTH? We are at a crucial time where physiological birth, homebirth or not, is endangered. We are seeing huge increases in intervention birth, and a huge increase in perinatal PTSD (more info here and here and here ) (which actually still isn’t completely recognised, thus not statistically recorded because PTSD was only ever really acknolwedged as something experienced by War Veterans – Sheila Kitzinger, 2006).   NOW IS THE TIME WE NEED TO STOP CELEBRATING AND START ACTING!   We NEED to start being uncomfortable with politics and stories that tell of the truth of what is happening to women every single day! To discuss even with those who know that homebirth is amazing and worthy of celebration. Because even within these circles many are conforming to policies that dis-empower women, whether they want to or not. We shy away from discomfort in our culture because who likes to feel uncomfortable? No one does. But if we don’t feel uncomfortable then we are IGNORING the truth! And things will continue to get worse. We need to stop acting as if orgasmic, transformative and ecstatic birth is a type of unicorn birth. Yes, birth is hard. Yes, it takes us to the brink of our being. Yes, it’s painful. But if women and birth were respected, more women would be having these unicorn births where they feel ecstatic more than they feel the pain. We know this because the WHO statistics, and a number of other studies around what number of women will need intervention is being completely blown.out.of.the.water! The problem is so multi layered and multi faceted it’s hard to see through the fog of where to even start. Well, I’m starting by not celebrating homebirth. I’m not celebrating. I’m getting angry and honest and I hope you are too. WE NEED TO GET UNCOMFORTABLE WE NEED TO CHANGE When I was 30+ weeks pregnant, I sat in the theatre watching ‘Why Not Home’. What a beautifully wondrous documentary. But I left the theatre so angry. I cried. I cried such intense tears of heartache and sadness after watching that movie because it reminded me of what we no longer have access to here. Whenever I want to remember the magic of birth and true women centred care I watch ‘Birth Story’ about Ina May and The Farm. This beautiful utopian commune with wise women holding space for women in their Matrescence, as they transition into mothers. Just as we as women have done for millennia. Again, during my pregnancy this movie brought me to tears. Not happy tears. Deep resounding sadness. Guttural longing. Because for me these movies were reminding me of what I already know, what I was already striving for, but what I could not have. They reminded me about everything that I wanted for myself, for my baby and for the women I work with. To trust birth and to trust our bodies, but also to have someone to care for us, someone WE could trust. This was not obtainable no matter where I looked.   Gold Standard of Care was not available to me I’m a birth worker and am fortunate to be pretty networked and connected, particularly in my local area of Adelaide. Yet I could not achieve the care talked about as ideal in these documentaries. So how do we expect women who don’t know anything about birth to find the care that will best support them? These movies honestly felt like, and still feel like, a completely different planet. Universe even. A utopian dream. The guilt I felt for not being able to find the care that would support my needs and the needs of my baby was intense. The frustration and rage continues to affect me daily.   It’s not safe for midwives The beautiful Midwife that I still have a relationship with from my first birth moved away when I was early pregnant with my second (like most midwives who want to practice independently do) because it’s not safe to be an independent Midwife in Adelaide; or at least it hasn’t been. Their own colleague is on trial. Facing charges of manslaughter. Being used as an example for standing up against the system. But no one really wants to talk about that do they? This Midwife is being used as an example, strewn through the media like an ‘evil’ character from a movie. Not like the human being she is. The mother. The wife. The friend. Other midwives have and are working underground around Australia (please be clear, Lisa is not one of them). They are being reported for attending women at home and are having their registration taken away – most, pretty quietly. But here in my own hometown of Adelaide, one is being publicly vilified as if she represents homebirth and independent midwives everywhere. The whole system has gone to shit and women are being forced into scenarios they don’t want to be in because they are not supported. Many of these options are not evidence based OR women centred (or baby centred for that matter). We know that when women are affected negatively by birth, so are their babies. So this is not about choosing one over the other. I need to say this again… many of the practices and policies governing women’s birthing rights ARE NOT EVIDENCE BASED! Many are actually based around insurance. Ask any Obstetrician about their rights to support vaginal breech or vbac (vaginal birth after c-section) and ask them how much of an impact their insurance company has over how they are ‘allowed’ to support women. The blame for this mess is not soley on the shoulders of a handful of vilified midwives in this country. No, they were the deviants who dared speak up. Who dared stand by women who chose to opt out of the system because they were backed into a corner. Women like me. Women reporting horrendous things that you do not hear about. Situations where the people perpetrating these scenarios are not personally or publicly vilified and made to represent their entire profession. So many Doctors and other Midwives in the system go completely unnoticed. We cannot just be focusing on those who attend homebirths. We continue to regulate women, rather than change and look at the actual issues leading to women needing to go against these harsh regulations in the first place. Why would women choose to put themselves or their baby in danger? They wouldn’t.   Maryn Green on her IndieBirth Blog spoke the truest words in a recent post about this issue when she said: I will no longer be silenced. I choose to not erase who I am and what my Truth is. I will be first and loudest; no Midwife should be in JAIL for attending a birth, no matter what the outcome. If we allow criminalization of Midwifery, we allow criminalization of a woman’s choice to birth where, or with whom she feels safest. When we watch Lisa walk through the fire, we acknowledge that we also get burned. I know, as well as I know anything, that she represents all of us. She is all of us, and her persecution brings harm to EVERY woman.   No Test, No Homebirth. The use of coercion for women choosing homebirth to comply. I was considered ‘low risk’ throughout both of my pregnancies. Something that only a minority get the ‘honour’ to be ‘labelled’. Given that there were almost no Independent Midwives available, and my husband was very unwell at the time so money was definitely a factor, I went with what I thought would give me the same or at least a similar experience as my Independent Midwife. I went through the Midwifery Group Practice at my local hospital. In reality, after experiencing care from around 10 weeks with my first, this time I spent the first 20 weeks with no support. Apparently your baby isn’t ‘viable’ before then if something were to happen so you don’t ‘need’ a Midwife. Those were the first hand words from a Midwife at my booking appointment. Despite having a slight bleed at 7 weeks (luckily I could call my previous Midwife for support) and a history of birth trauma and PND, my experience as a pregnant woman doesn’t count until after my baby is ‘viable’. Interesting. Not more than a couple of weeks into the relationship I was told that I would be required to have both the GBS (Group B Streptococcus) and Gestational Diabetes testing. Neither of which I had risk factors of or symptoms for. And both of which I had intended to decline because I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence to support their use. Additionally, testing positive to either would then also force more testing and intervention. For example antibiotics in labour are compulsory (if you want to keep your care) should you test positive for GBS despite the evidence on antibiotics for GBS not being sufficient. GBS is a bacteria that lives in the vagina and can change from positive to negative on a daily basis. The test is done around 36 weeks. So knowing the accurate status of it at birth is completely impossible. You can read more about GBS testing here and here. Furthermore, according to the Perinatal Practice Guidelines (PPGs), macrosomia (or a large baby) is the reason hospitals give for testing for gestational diabetes (a supposed extra risk for birthing at home). Using the sugar drink (while the evidence is insufficient in determining its efficacy as a test in it’s own right) is not diagnostic for macrosomia. Taking the sugar drink does NOT tell you if you’re having a big baby. And that’s because having gestational diabetes does not mean you will definitely have a large baby. You can have a large baby without GD. And you can birth vaginally with a large baby. Our bodies are a bit amazing like that. You can read more about GD testing here. The PPGs say that antibiotics are required if a woman tests positive for GBS and that uncontrolled GD and macrosomia are risks for homebirth (rendering you unable to birth at home) but it does NOT say anywhere that you are unable to decline the testing. The insurance companies were overriding the Perinatal Practice Guidelines and had decided that these tests would now be tied up with my eligibility to remain in the homebirth program. By this stage I had been allocated a Midwife who fairly bluntly said that while she herself is not supportive of the tests, should I decline, she would no longer be able to be my care provider and I would not be able to birth at home. This was a human rights issue, it goes completely against the Australian Medical Association’s statement on Maternal Decision making. I was NOT going to be forced to have unnecessary tests (that cost taxpayers a lot of money mind you) just because an insurance company said so. In fact, it was proof that it was again an attack on those choosing homebirth because my friend who was due a month earlier birthing on the ward was not even asked to have one of the tests. She was highly annoyed because she had actually wanted it! I would not be coerced to have tests against my will. Where do we draw the line? I looked for a conscientious objection for this instance but no one had ever heard of being coerced into medical tests that would remove care in this way. Why wasn’t anyone else outraged about this? When you look for things that aren’t there you are eventually going to find something. I ended up writing letters to politicians and policy makers who had enforced this ruling of pure and utter coercion pertaining to the fact that if I declined the prescribed tests (not required in Queensland mind you because they’re not evidence based and Queensland just seems a bit more with the times) I would be ousted from the homebirth program. No test, no homebirth. While I still believe that I should have been within my rights to just outright decline, like all women had been able to a month earlier, I negotiated some monitoring that still was considered within the Perinatal Practice Guidelines. I clung to the option of a homebirth with a Midwife by a thread. But my gut, my heart and my head all knew this was not how it should have been.   What does good care actually look like? How should we feel when we birth? “…PARTURITION IS AN INVOLUNTARY PROCESS AND AN INVOLUNTARY PROCESS CANNOT BE HELPED. THE POINT IS NOT TO DISTURB IT.” (ODENT, 1987, P. 105)   The physiology of birth is such that whether we as ‘sophisticated’ modern human beings like it or not, birth is a completely primal experience. And really, while our society has changed over the last millennia, birth has not. In order for all of the physiology and for all of the interconnected ‘cogs’ in the body to interlock as they are meant to, we actually need to be able to allow ourselves and our brain to become primal again. Michel Odent is like the father of undisturbed birth writing. He and Sarah Buckley talk a lot about how vital undisturbed birth is, not just for the birthing process, but also to the woman and her outcomes, for the baby and their long term outcomes AND how these outcomes then affect future generations. When birth is disturbed we get all sorts of out-of-whack consequences. For example, if a woman has been traumatised by her birth (say she was frightened, or she had lots of unnecessary intervention and she felt like a failure), aside from the possible physical effects that could be long lasting for her and her child, bonding and attachment, there can also be long term emotional effects. Breastfeeding could be disturbed which has it’s own detrimental effects. She may develop PTSD, PND, PNA which could last months or years. You see the pattern. Hence the saying ‘peace on earth begins with birth’. Undisturbed, ideal circumstances for physiological, primal and optimal birth includes: The woman feels safe and trusting of her environment and care providers The room is dark, warm and safe The woman is not bombarded with loud noise, talking, smells, lights or other heightened sensory disturbances The woman is able to move, make noise, eat and talk freely, and do what she needs to do to get the baby out The woman and her baby are skin to skin for at least the first hour (the golden hour) and never separated. All checks are done while they are together. Delayed cord clamping is also respected. The woman and the birthing process are respected and trusted (You can read more about the vital need for undisturbed birth and third stage/golden hour here, here, here, here, here and in the books referenced below) Additionally, when ‘safety’ is mentioned in relation to homebirth, or birth, what is actually being discussed is solely based on the research which focuses on the physical – morbidity and mortality. However, safety is a completely subjective experience. The research and discussions about homebirth (or birth) ‘safety’ do NOT acknowledge or take into consideration emotional and psychological safety, which we know (from the research on maternal satisfaction and rising rates of birth related PTSD) is greatly impacting women and birth outcomes. My story. Grateful to be here, to tell you the truth. Homebirth with a Midwife was taken away from me because I was ‘out of time’. When you reach 42 weeks you are automatically considered high risk . Forget the fact that some women have longer cycles. Forget the fact that I had NO other risk factors or any indication that anything was wrong. Forget the fact that we cannot ascertain the true statistics around being ‘overdue’ because women are booked in routinely for their induction at 40+10. And forget the fact that while there is only 0.0015% (Norwitz et. al., 2010) higher chance of fetal demise between 42-43 weeks, the fear from the hospital was intense, and I was now seen as a ‘deviant’ by not complying with routine induction. I was given an extra day and a bit to go into active labour… but if you know anything about the physiology of birth, you’ll know that stress, pressure and increased adrenaline and cortisol are the opposite of labour inducers. So of course I did not go into labour within my required time. And I was scared! Scared to be alone. Scared to go into hospital knowing that I would be handed over to the ‘high risk’ team. Scared because my Midwife who was supposed to be supporting me and understanding that I needed support told me outright that I may not have anyMidwife available, let alone her. I was a mess. But what could I do? No other Midwife would attend me, and I was afraid to birth unassisted (I hadn’t looked into it as a option, and was out of time to feel confident in doing so). I did not trust that I would be supported at hospital. In fact, I kept being told I would be given things I specifically didn’t want because of my deviance of going over 42 weeks. Interventions that are not justified by evidence. Interventions that were unwanted, unnecessary and precautionary. Interventions that I was told with certainty had ZERO side effects but that I had researched and knew came with with risks (however minor you might like to think) I was not willing to take. My fears were never ever validated, they were, in fact, heightened. I had to negotiate tests I didn’t want. I was denied a continuity agreement that I would know the Midwife on call if my Midwife was away (even after a letter from my psychologist). I was being coerced to comply with hospital policy that went against my individual needs, and against all of my instincts. When I sought other options confidentiality was breached. The Midwife from the other hospital I telephoned in turn called my Midwife to tell her I had enquired to change care. Not only that but she was completely disrespectful with how she spoke about me and my ‘situation’ (being that I was just on 42 weeks and despite recent studiesshowing that the risk goes up only very minimally until 43 weeks, ‘no one wants a dead baby’). Every turn I made I was faced with brick walls. (more info about post dates here and here and here)   NO MATTER WHO I SPOKE TO, I WAS CONSTANTLY TOLD TO JUST FREEBIRTH. DESPITE THIS, GIVEN MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND KNOWING WHAT IT’S LIKE TO REALLY HAVE THE GOLD STANDARD OF CONTINUITY OF CARE, I REALLY DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE BIRTH WITHOUT A MIDWIFE.   The care that I received was not the care that I wanted or deserved. Or that any woman deserves. I did not trust my Midwife at all. She let me down every single chance she had. Trust was never built as it should have been. Had I trusted my care provider and felt that I was being supported and that my own individual needs were being taken into account (not just blanket rules) I would have absolutely considered things she may have deemed necessary. The only time in our whole relationship that she was ever on time was the moment that the clock ticked over past my allocated time to be able to birth at home. Right as the clock ticked over, she messaged immediately to remind me that my time was up. That no one would come to me at home. I had been such a naughty girl for going over my time.… cos I wasn’t already staring at the clock hoping I would suddenly go into active labour that second. No of course not. I was not able to fully let go and have the mind-blowing ecstatic experience that I feel like I might have had, had I felt safe. The type of ecstatic birth that Michel Odent talks about as what should be more ‘normal’ when respected and left undisturbed. My experience was still incredible and I do feel grateful and empowered that I did birth my baby on my terms. That I trusted and listened to my insticts. The fact that I birthed my baby on my own despite the shitty care and support that I had makes me feel so happy! I was able to heal in many ways. I am so grateful that we were able to bond and connect. I got the oxytocin rush (albeit brief) that I missed with my first and I did not develop PTSD. I am also certain that my baby got the best possible birth he could have, and he is far better off for it. For that I am grateful. But this experience did nearly (and I really hate to say it) cost me my life. NOT because homebirth or freebirth is innately dangerous, but because I did not feel safe or supported. I was scared. I didn’t want to freebirth.  I know how corrupt this state’s culture is around supporting homebirth. I didn’t want to be on my own. I wanted a Midwife. My Midwife. Who was supposed to be modelling continuity of care. Who was supposed to have fostered a trusting relationship with me throughout my pregnancy. To be with me; with woman. Reluctantly, my husband and I agreed to labour at home as long as possible as instructed by the Midwife, and then transfer in. But I wasn’t confident when to transfer after labouring for 3 days last time. My baby came quickly and unexpectedly. I laboured (early labour) at home for a few hours. Contractions were steady but I didn’t know when/if it was time to go in. I decided to get into the pool (that we had set up because a few hours earlier I was still ‘allowed’ to have a homebirth remember) to get more comfortable and ease my discomfort and nausea. It was like heaven. I finally felt a sense of safety, comfort and warmth. We decided to call an ambulance when I started involuntarily pushing. I was overwhelmed. I thought I still had ages to go, like last time. My husband and friend kept saying we should go to the hospital. They even packed the car. But I couldn’t move. My baby was coming. Every time I tried to move I vomited. I couldn’t get in the car. I couldn’t even get out of the pool. I refused. I had not planned to freebirth. I had not planned to go to 42 weeks. I had not planned to not be able to get out of the pool and not go to the hospital. I had not planned to be without a care provider present. I had not planned that my labour would be quick after being many days last time. I had not planned to not know when to go in, to not have anyone to say it was time, and to feel that if I did go in I would be entering some sort of battle because of my ‘high risk’ label applied only hours earlier. It just happened, and my Midwife told be that she had ensured no one would come to me because I was ‘outside of the guidelines’ by a few hours over 42 weeks. Not even for the labour. And guess what happened… after birth, I was half a pint of blood loss from death. Half.a.pint. (237ml). I didn’t actually know this until last week when I had my iron checked and I had to have yet another iron infusion (after 2 blood transfusions already). I decided to google how much blood you can lose. I lost 2.6L, most of which was in an ambulance because despite having synto in my fridge, ambulance officers don’t give or carry synto (WTAF?!). Ambulance officers are trained by Midwives, often attend fast births, but still do not give synto? I still haven’t recovered. My body has struggled to build itself back up. I was on a high those first couple of days. I just hadn’t realised quite how dire it could have been. Grateful for these babies to help with my recovery   But I didn’t die. Nope. I was probably burnt at the stake in another life, but not this time. I will not stay silent. I am angry. This was so easily preventable. If only the message from ‘Why Not Home’ was actually listened to instead of watched in awe as something unattainable. Something we should all swoon over about how ‘they’ over ‘there’ in some other place are getting it so right. My Midwife tried to deflect any responsibility by saying that my uterus didn’t work. Which makes no sense since I have birthed 2 babies vaginally – my first was just malpositioned in an asynclitic position. It was my first birth and it took a LONG time. I was in labour at home for 3 days. I could not keep food down from vomiting so transferred in. And my second, well he came perfectly, just quicker than expected! She tried to say it’s because I have red hair. Yup, red hair. She asked why I would call the ambulance? They would of course disturb my third stage. The blame was placed on me, my body and nothing to do with the fact that she wasn’t there. That the policies are fucked and not evidence based. That I should not have been high risk because I clicked over to 42 weeks. This wouldn’t have happened if I had had the support that is celebrated and talked about as ‘gold standard’ as I birthed. If I had had a third stage that was quiet, safe, warm and supported – as it should be. As she knew it needed to be.   IT IS CLEAR AS FUCKING DAY, I BLED BECAUSE MY THIRD STAGE WAS FILLED WITH FEAR.   And you know what the real clincher for me here is? This blood loss, while I don’t plan to have any more children, does now make me officially ‘high risk’. I was informed as I lay in hospital being told I bled for all these reasons pertaining to my own doing:   I WOULD NEVER BE ‘ALLOWED’ TO BIRTH AT HOME AGAIN. IT WOULD BE TOO DANGEROUS. THAT I WOULD BE CONSIDERED HIGH RISK. WELL, LOW RISK DID ME NO GOOD ANYWAY, BUT STILL, THAT LABEL OF HIGH RISK, THAT JUST TOPPED IT ALL RIGHT OFF.   I don’t blame my Midwife. I am angry at her. But it’s not all her fault. She was supporting a system that doesn’t support women, because otherwise she herself would be persecuted and burnt. She is scared just like so many other Midwives who want to support women’s choices. She didn’t understand the impact of birth trauma or have any way of supporting it, like so many Midwives. But again, why would she when it’s not acknowledged as important in the majority of circles. I triggered her because I wanted something from her she couldn’t give me. I wanted something she used to be able to provide, that she would like to provide, something she herself had wanted, and something that isn’t available without threat of persecution.   THAT PERSECUTION IS VERY REAL HERE IN ADELAIDE It is reverberating out to everyone – birth workers, Midwives, women. The lack of choice around birthing options and the heightened fear of birth (especially homebirth and physiological birth, or birth outside of the very tight guidelines) can be felt far and wide. Homebirth should be celebrated but not when women and Midwives are being persecuted in our own backyard. Midwives whom many called their friends and mentors are on trial and going to jail and the ripple of fear against homebirth is traveling world wide. But you know what, I’ll be honest; I would have done anything to be able to access even an underground Midwife. I would have trusted an underground more than the options I had. And I’ll tell you with certainty… I wouldn’t have bled like I did because my third stage would have been respected. I would have been respected. Birth would have been respected. And if all else failed, I had synto in my fridge that the ambos, who are supposedly taught about birth, refused to give me.   THE MIDWIVES THAT HOLD THE ANCIENT WISDOM OF CHILDBIRTH ARE THE MIDWIVES ON TRIAL AND SCARED FOR THEIR LIVES AND FAMILIES SO STOP PRACTISING; JUST LIKE THE WITCH BURNINGS ALL OVER AGAIN. AND BECAUSE OF THAT I BLED. I BLED AND I BLED NOT HEALING THE RED THREAD THAT I HAD HOPED I WOULD.   Is freebirthing illegal? I started Midwifery before I became a doula and I chose not to continue because I knew how restricted and restrained I would be to actually support women and birth in the way that we celebrate. I had never seen firsthand such insidious bullying, fear of those higher up in the hierarchy, such vicarious trauma being thrown around in every direction, and complete lack of ethics (I’m a social worker first so I had a pretty good ethical foundation which made it all the more unbearable). This is not at all to discount the wonderful work of some of my beautiful hospital Midwife friends, and the Midwives I am so grateful for when I have transferred. To the Midwife who was there, who helped stop the bleeding and still ensured my baby and his placenta remained attached, I am so grateful. But what we talk about as an idea of the ‘ideal’ and what the reality of practice is, are two very different things. As a doula, I and the majority of the doulas here in Adelaide are scared to attend homebirths because there are laws in place that could see us prosecuted. Yes, laws. Not policies. Official, black and white l.e.g.i.s.l.a.t.i.o.n (Restrictive birthing practices could see anyone who is not registered or in the presence of an unregistered person at a birth prosecuted). People think this is just a myth but you know how I know it’s not… because as I bled, three police officers filmed me in my house. Which just led to more blood. As a doula I was told to call an ambulance if a baby was coming quickly. I knew I wanted someone there to support me and my baby if something did happen. But I had heard many horror stories of ambulance officers physically forcing women into their ambulances with their babies heads half way out and this thought filled me with fear. I could not move. They knocked on the door as my own baby’s head was starting to crown and I instinctively told my husband to ask them to wait just a few moments so I could push him out without being disturbed. At that moment we were completely fine. Great in fact. We just needed an undisturbed moment. He went to the door and calmly explained my request and they said they would wait. We were trying to be responsible. Unbeknownst to us, during this time they quickly called the police then knocked on the door again and said that if they couldn’t come in right then and there they would leave. My confused husband came back to me and explained briefly (trying to keep the space calm and the interruption to me minimal) that the ambulance officers were going to leave if we didn’t let them in. This was not a conversation I needed to be having as my baby was crowning, which was obviously requiring every ounce of my concentration. I quickly stated that they could come in if they didn’t try and move me. I just wanted them to let me birth my baby. To just be present if they were needed. Isn’t that what you call an ambulance for? Is birth actually an emergency? BIRTH IS NOT AN EMERGENCY, IT IS SIMPLY AN EMERGENCE. ~JEANNINE PARVATI BAKER~ The ambulance officers must have agreed and in they came, followed soon after by uniformed police officers who entered our house and my birthing space without invitation, with my husband asking what they were doing here. The ambulance officers called the police to report us to child services and ensure there was no ‘rogue’ Midwife hiding somewhere in our house. They did not trust that I could have possibly asked for an undisturbed moment to birth my baby before they came in wanting to take over and get me out of the pool.   THREE POLICE OFFICERS STOOD BY THE POOL AS I PULLED MY BABY OUT OF THE WATER. THE MOMENT MY BABY TOUCHED MY CHEST THE AMBULANCE OFFICERS COMPLETELY IGNORED THE UNIVERSAL NEED FOR CALM DURING THE THIRD STAGE. It was rush rush rush. Rub Rub Touch Touch.   They wanted me out. They wanted my baby. I was safe, my baby was safe; chubby, pink and crying! But neither I nor my baby could be controlled while we were in our little warm bubble in the pool. I was not even given a minute to take in what had happened. What I had just done. They were reaching, touching and rubbing and not just letting us be for even a moment. The police officers stood watching as I got rushed out of the pool on my wobbly legs by the ambulance officers. As I had to defend my right (and luckily so given the outcome) to not cut the cord (why aren’t they taught about delayed cord clamping?). They wanted my baby and I to be separated immediately in the cold, while their fear of birth filled the room. While the fear of the police filled the air. Wet and cold I was instructed to take my sports bra off and told to squat to ‘encourage my placenta to dispel’, which was not ready. The first gushes of blood began. With cameras on their lapels the police were asking what was happening and said they needed to ‘make sure everyone is ok’. I guess we were off the hook because everyone was ok? The fear was palpable.  The young ones you could see were terrified. One ambo in particular was completely triggered, freaked out and angry. All of this energy was the complete opposite from my needs at this vital time. It is pretty widely understood that the third stage can be a risky time. If a woman’s space is not warm and filled with oxytocin, her risk of bleeding is much higher. It is not just birth that needs to be undisturbed but also, and almost more importantly, the third stage. Placentas are shy organs. They take their own time and like a certain ambiance to emerge. It is no wonder my uterus refused to allow ours to make an appearance. All this event did was reinforce to the officers why they think homebirth is dangerous. As I stood there naked and bleeding, holding my baby, I should have been warm and calmly waiting for my placenta to arrive on it’s own, riding an oxytocin wave. Instead I was thinking about how these officers will forever have this scary image etched into their mind. I want them to know that it wasn’t homebirth that did this. It wasn’t me being stupid or reckless. If only they could know how amazing, positive and backed by solid evidence homebirth is. That we (my husband and I) were informed about birth and I trusted my body, my baby and homebirth. I just didn’t want to be without a care provider for fear of, well; bleeding, death, or something being wrong for my baby. I WASN’T BLEEDING BECAUSE HOMEBIRTH IS DANGEROUS. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF SUPPORT AND THE LACK OF OPTIONS. IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE INTERFERING IN THE SACREDNESS OF BIRTH. BECAUSE THOSE WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER, PREFER TO FEEL NEEDED AND INTERFERE INSTEAD OF BEING TAUGHT HOW TO IDENTIFY AND TRUST NORMAL BIRTH. THIS WAS NOT MY CHOICE ANYMORE THAN IT WAS THEIR CHOICE TO BE THERE. AND THEREIN LIES THE CYCLE OF FEAR.   Imagine if I had lost that extra half pint of blood. Think of the headlines you would be reading right now about ‘that horrible homebirth in Adelaide’. Imagine the policies that would have come in. Imagine how much more fear and restriction would have been put on women who gestate a bit longer. Well, I’m sure glad I’m here so I can tell you first hand exactly how it is and how it would have been completely misrepresented.   This shouldn’t have happened. I watched a video recently that made me cry of some ambulance officers who attended a woman birthing at home whose baby was distressed. Despite the officer’s own personal experience with loss, and the woman’s own history of stillbirth (aka high risk) they treated her with so much respect and love. They wrapped her in support and empathy. They spoke to her gently and softly and reassured her that she was amazing. Why couldn’t I get that? Why can’t every birthing woman be treated with that much respect and non-judgment? I didn’t plan to birth at home in that way but birthing my baby was FUCKING AMAZING (as it should be) and I was a FUCKING GODDESS! We did the ‘right’ thing and called for support, so why was the ambulance officer angry at me? Angry at everyone? She was huffing and grunting at every light we sped through saying ‘this shouldn’t have happened; this will be reported to child services!’ as I bled and winced in pain. WHY WAS I HAVING TO EXPLAIN TO THE POLICE WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AS I BLED, AND BLED ASKING WHY THEY WERE THERE AND IF WE WERE IN TROUBLE?   Why was my friend who was there supporting me through my labour and who had tried to get me out of the pool earlier being questioned over and over by police? Being interrogated using different words in an attempt to catch her out as if she was some sort of underground Midwife?  A rogue. One of those witches who supports a woman’s choice on where to birth. She was just my friend, supporting me as best she could, watching me bleed and scared for my life when she wasn’t allowed in to see me in the hospital. Scared for her own safety. Why did the police follow us to the hospital and further interrogate my husband and my friend prohibiting them from getting to me to see if I was ok? Why was there a guard at my door in the hospital who wouldn’t let my husband in to be with me as I was bleeding? Why?! Why did I feel, in my foggy oxytocin high state that I needed to apologise to that angry ambo for feeling like I had traumatised her, or opened some wound for her. WHAT THE FUCK WAS HAPPENING? (Side note – and I want to say this because I appreciated her gentleness at a time when I needed it the most. The other ambo was beautiful and lovely, calm and kind to me, but her actions were overshadowed by the others).     LEAVE YOUR SHIT AT THE DOOR AND SUPPORT YOUR PATIENT WITHOUT JUDGEMENT! COMPASSION COSTS NOTHING, BUT THE LASTING EFFECTS WILL IMPACT MANY. This should not be celebrated! This is what women and midwives/birth workers are facing as a reality. #enough! Too many birth workers vicariously traumatised. Too many women suffering from birth related PTSD when birth isn’t even recognised as a cause of PTSD. I’m not the first and certainly not the last to have an experience like this. (read more about that here) Every.fucking.day. No one questions the women and babies injured, violated or traumatised in hospital. I don’t see cops on the doorsteps of hospital Midwives or Doctors or Obstetricians who hurt women and babies. Whose practices are so far from evidence based and more about their own needs. Or their faces splashed over the front page of the newspapers likening them to serial killers. No, because that would create fear. That wouldn’t be acceptable… so how is any of this ok? Why aren’t we standing up to this? It’s not about us vs them either. We are ALL affected. It’s about choice, options and respect for evidence based birth. SO WHAT DO WE DO IN THIS MESS? IS IT HOPELESS? Please, I need to ask you one thing. Please do not feel sorry for me. Do not try to understand or pick apart all the layers of my story to find blame where it does not belong. The sympathy in the eyes of others is the hardest thing about my telling my story. Do not feel sad. I had a beautiful birth without the unnecessary intervention I would have had (remember, there was no indication anything was ever wrong or warranting intervention. It was purely a time thing). I birthed my baby into my space, on my terms. My baby had a beautiful entrance into the world despite the aftermath. We did it together, and he was 4 kg of healthy plump, pink goodness with an APGAR score of 10! (FYI APGAR is the score they give babies right after they are born to indicate their health based on their appearance)   IT’S NOT HOW I WOULD HAVE WANTED IT, AND IT’S NOT HOW IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OR HAD TO BE. BUT PLEASE JUST DO ME ONE THING. TAKE THAT SADNESS FOR ME AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE.   What you can do is get angry! Please, get real. Please listen to these stories that women are telling of births that didn’t have to end the way they did. STOP trying to blame the women. It’s not their fault their options are so limited and they are not being listened to. If you are triggered, good, dive deeper into what is making you uncomfortable. Sit with that discomfort. Unpack it. Tell someone about it. THIS is why more women are choosing (or being forced into) planned freebirth. I sure wish I had at least looked into it more. It is not a myth. This is a reality. If you’re a Midwife in a hospital this is not a personal attack. Or an attack on Ambos for that matter. I know you do an amazing job. I know women have lovely births. I love Midwives! And Ambos are incredible. But you should be able to practice your craft without fear. This is not about you personally, this is about needing to do better as a WHOLE. Take that anger and discomfort and use it. For all women to have the choice to birth where SHE feels safest and with the option of having someone to care for her. For physiological birth to be understood and respected over what we are afraid of. WE NEED TO BE HAVING REAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE VERY REAL THREATS TO HOMEBIRTH.   We need to be getting to the nitty gritty of the seeming utopia that is normal physiological birth at home with continuity of care that we keep celebrating and putting on a pedestal, and why it is not accessible to all women who want it? Wise words by Heather Hancock: Women choosing to give birth at home are becoming increasingly marginalised, with fewer options for quality care than those who give birth in other settings. These restrictions only serve to further diminish their confidence in the health system, which they see as working against them. We need to intelligently and safely accommodate women who want to give birth in their home into the mainstream maternity care system and provide them with safe and varied options. We can and must do better   I cannot sit here and celebrate something that only a very select few can access. We need to be honest and raw. We ALL need to get political. There is no point celebrating the last rhino and how amazing it is. No, we need to use that energy to SAVE ITS FREAKING BUTT!   Hannah Dahlen on our need for change: One thing is clear: home birth is not going away and government denial won’t resolve this issue. Governments must act quickly to resolve this issue to ensure Australian women have access to safe and supported home births.   I know this experience had to happen for whatever reason. Maybe to give me the fire in my belly to push forward and speak out. I did everything I could to find other options. There weren’t any. I did plan to transfer earlier, but things happened too quickly. I did not expect to be alone at home (without access to a care provider). I did not prepare to be blamed for my bleeding when it was caused completely and utterly by the preventable circumstances of my third stage. I also know that I am not alone. That increasingly, many women are actively choosing freebirth. Not because they want to, but because they don’t feel like they have any other option. And this is increasing as less women have access to Independent Midwives, and more women are being labelled ‘high risk’ (You can read another similar story here). I’m not entirely sure where to from here, but we need to WAKE UP! We need to resist and stand up against another witch hunt; against the extinction of homebirth. Rally together, not just for homebirth, but for a woman’s choice to birth where and with whom she feels safe, for a Midwife to practice her craft and for women to reclaim their right to birth undisturbed in any location. We need to remember that homebirth is amazing, but we also need to ensure its survival, and the survival of woman centred care in any setting. We are talking here about human rights. Read that again – our rights as human beings. To birth as our bodies require. To be respected as birthing women. To make decisions about where and with whom we birth. Do NOT let your fear or discomfort prevent you from standing up and speaking out. Do not let your fear enable its extinction. This blog, and the discomfort I sit with in sharing my story publicly is my ode and promise to homebirth. To women. To the next generation. To those being persecuted. I will not celebrate until our human right to birth undisturbed, where and with whom we choose is accessible to all women, without fear of persecution. WILL YOU RISE AND SPEAK UP WITH ME? Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped/doula-ed me through this experience and this writing process. I am so very grateful. References: Undisturbed Birth/The Golden Hour: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595201/ http://sarahbuckley.com/leaving-well-alone-a-natural-approach-to-the-third-stage-of-labour An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women Odent M. The fetus ejection reflex. Birth. 1987;14(2):104–105. [PubMed] Odent M. 1992. The nature of birth and breastfeeding. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing. Odent M. 1994. Birth Reborn. London, UK. Souvenir Press LTD http://www.sanfordhealth.org/stories/the-golden-hour-giving-your-newborn-the-best-start https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/7-benefits-undisturbed-first-hour-after-birth/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4235060/ http://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/maternal-health/hormonal-physiology-of-childbearing-all-fact-sheets.pdf   A woman’s right to choose: Maternal decision making policy https://ama.com.au/position-statement/maternal-decision-making-2013 Group Streb B- testing and the use of antibiotics: http://www.cochrane.org/CD007467/PREG_intrapartum-antibiotics-known-maternal-group-b-streptococcal-colonization https://evidencebasedbirth.com/groupbstrep/   GD testing https://evidencebasedbirth.com/gestational-diabetes-and-the-glucola-test/   SA Perinatal Practice Guidelines: Planned Birth at Home http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/76aaf1004f3219c488eefd080fa6802e/Planned+Birth+at+Home_in+South+Australia+2013_ppg_v2.0.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=76aaf1004f3219c488eefd080fa6802e   SA Restrictive Birthing Practices: http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/about+us/legislation/restricted+birthing+practices   Homebirth ‘safety’ in terms of physical safety: http://homebirthaustralia.org/is-homebirth-safe https://theconversation.com/comfortable-safe-and-in-control-why-women-should-have-the-option-to-give-birth-at-home-4065 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22972043 (Olsen & Clausen 2012)   Maternal Satisfaction/Rising PND/PTSD http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/mothers-need-better-care-to-reduce-posttraumatic-stress-after-childbirth-20130404-2h8yz.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399594/ (maternal satisfaction) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15015989/ https://www.panda.org.au/ www.aihw.gov.au Post Dates/Induction: http://www.sarawickham.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AIMS-Ten-things.pdf https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/ https://evidencebasedbirth.com/studies-that-calculate-risk-of-stillbirth-by-gestational-age/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889812/ Cotzias CS, Paterson-Brown S, Fisk NM (1999) Prospective risk of unexplained stillbirth in singleton pregnancies at term: population based analysis. BMJ 1999;319:287. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.319.7205.2 Norwitz, E R,Belfort, M A, Saade, GR, Miller, H, (2010) Obstetric Clinical Algorithms: Management and Evidence: Chapter 49. Post Term Pregnancy. Published Online: 6 MAY 2010 Accessed Oct 2017 (only a 0.0015% chance of fetal demise at 42 to 43 weeks) Intervention rates and risks: http://theconversation.com/birth-interventi on-and-harm-more-likely-in-private-hospitals-26801 http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/cs-statement/en/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4743929/   Decline in Women’s Options and Rising Freebirth Rates: https://theconversation.com/pushing-home -birth-underground-raises-safety-concerns-6825 http://www.kidspot.com.au/birth/labour/types-of-birth/i-go-to-hospital-in-an-emergency-for-me-having-a-baby-is-not-one/news-story/7ec8618e2fa1f442588d9277ea054be4 What we can do? https://hypnobirthing.com.au/lets-make-waves-ladies/ https://www.jenniferhazi.com/midwifthis/anarchy Other Books: Sarah Buckley (2009) Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering. Celestial Arts, Berkley USA. Sheila Kitzinger (2006) Birth Crisis. Taylor & Francis Ltd London, UK. If this post triggers you or brings up any strong feelings please reach out and speak to someone. You could call Lifeline , PANDA or Beyondblue   Connect with KATHERINE EDEN: Website – http://katherineeden.com  Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/nourishedcollective Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/katherineeden_rewilding/ SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post E51 – Why Im Not Celebrating Homebirth – Katherine Eden’s Story appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

Could you ever imagine your whole house set up with cameras? A film crew sleeping near by and all anticipating the moment they are called in? Coming into a space so sacred, so intimate and so powerful to a primal woman’s right of passage…. Well Emily has gone beyond and above with gracious love to invite this whole experience of the birth of her fourth baby. I am so excited and so deeply honoured to bring this podcast to you before this films release on Mother’s day 2018. What is the film all about? What was it like for Emily? This is your scoop here! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story, you will to, then I have no doubt you will want to watch this epic and beautiful film! We begin our podcast with Emily talking about her own birth, we can see here how Emily has grown into not having fear of birth. All Emily’s babies have been birthed at home, and we talk about her first birth with a midwife. Baby was born in around 6 hours. This was not what Emily was expecting for a first time! We navigated to Emily’s next baby, same house, pool and midwife, epic quick birth at 1.5 hours. Emily describes how she navigated this next transition into her motherhood. During these conversations we talked about the birth climate in the area. Third baby was a different location, a longer birth this time and Emily wanted to cultivate the longer transition moments, she worked and learned from Whapio and the holistic stages of birth (see resources). This baby was born with a nuchal hand and Emily recalls reaching down to baby as he was coming out Emily could feel baby’s little hand hold hers! So from listening to Emily we have a good understanding on how powerful this women is and how powerful this film will be to many. Next, fourth baby and the film. Emily spoke so honestly and beautifully about her miscarriages in between. The calling was there for her next baby, and also the film was agreed upon. This bought up many interesting intense feelings for their family. Listen to how Emily navigated this with the upcoming film and what it felt like each time she went thorough this experience of miscarriage. We talked about the film now, this was exciting for me to ask so many questions what it was like to have so many cameras, people during this birth, how it started, what Emily recalls my questions went on! Mostly I loved how the whole crew of mostly men were in absolute awe of this process, not trying to fix it, wanting to be an part of this and let it happen, does not sound common practice right? This episode is a beautiful dive into something so intimate, and sacred that Emily and her family has so generously shared with the world. This is the voice we need, and this film is the healing we want. Musings from Emily “I was my mothers first baby, I was very wanted and consciously created.” “I never had the concept that birth was something to be feared.” “As my baby was coming out, I reached down and I could feel his little hand, it held onto my finger.” “’I have the most wonderful women come into my life.” “During all my births I never had anyone reach in and bother me. I never really knew what a huge deal that was until looking back and hearing other women’s stories.” “My film crew were in no rush for the birth to happen, this made them perfect witnesses, as they were just happy to let it be.” “My fourth postpartum was the most blissful that I ever had.” “If everyone could be this excited about a birth happening, what it could do for women!” “One of the best parts of the film is the birth / after birth scene. This part has a strong potential for changing the philosophy of what we think about birth.” “I worked it out myself and this is what I wanted.” “Our culture has devalued our knowing.” “She is not afraid.” Resources Holistic Stages of Birth – http://thematrona.com/the-holistic-stages-of-birth/ Connect with THESE ARE MY HOURS FILM: Website: https://thesearemyhours.com Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thesearemyhours/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thesearemyhours/ The post E50 – These are My Hours – First Documentary Filmed Entirely During Labour – Emily’s Story appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

Homebirth Consortium Australia [HCA] is a newly formed working group made up of representatives from local homebirth groups around Australia. HCA’s aim is to show their support for homebirth midwives and fight for changes to government policies so that midwives can return to working more autonomously and within their full scope of practice. By supporting our homebirth midwives, we support home birthing families and accordingly aim to protect homebirth within Australia.   Media Release for Mothers For Midwives March on May 5th2018 With International Midwives Day on May 5th, it is an opportunity for women around Australia to thank the professionals who held their hands during the most important day (or night) of their lives: their baby’s birth day. It is estimated there are over 32,000 registered midwives, with around 28,000 midwives employed by public and private hospitals in Australia. However, there is also a seriously shrinking population of midwives who assist women to birth at home. Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that in 2014 there were 287 midwives attending homebirths as a primary carer – this not only includes Privately Practising Midwives (PPMs), but midwives attending homebirths that are publicly funded by the government through the 14 hospital-led homebirth programs. The latest data shows that in 2015 that number fell to 241and that number has certainly shrunk dramatically since then as regulations have stifled the health professionals who work in private practice, and who home birthing women rely on to maintain safety. Amantha McGuinness from Homebirth Australia had this to say: “Ever increasing regulation and the relentless vexatious reporting of PPMs has led to a decline in the number of midwives supporting homebirths, with those remaining in practice often feeling marginalised, unsupported and unable to practice in a way that aligns with the midwifery philosophy of being “with woman”. Many women, particularly those in regional and rural areas, are unable to access homebirth at all. Despite the extra regulation, women are still birthing and midwives are still working without intrapartum insurance for a homebirth with no valid solution in sight. The new requirement for two midwives at homebirth is also impacting on women and their birth options. Women in many areas of Australia who want a homebirth with a midwife are now faced with the choice to travel great distances to access midwives, or birth at home without a midwife at all. This begs the question: are all the regulations actually making birth safer, or are they just reducing and restricting the options of birthing women?” With a decreasing chance of “normal birth” and an increasing caesarean ratein Australian hospitals, the choice to homebirth is not one that is going away. But with less and less homebirth midwives to assist women during the prenatal, birth and postnatal period, there is a danger that these women, many of whom are casualties of an underfunded, understaffed, fragmented and broken hospital system, will choose to birth at home anyway, but without the safety of a midwife in attendance. Indeed freebirth is said to be on the increase. Professor of Midwifery Hannah Dahlen says “We have undertaken several studies into the issue of freebirth and it appears to be increasing in Australia. Women tell us the main reasons they freebirth is they are unable to find a midwife in their area or can’t afford to pay for them. More and more women are fleeing mainstream maternity care after previous traumatic birth experiences. We will continue to see adverse outcomes unless we fix the system and respect women’s right to choose their place of birth and care provider.” Jo Hunter, a privately practising midwife from the Blue Mountains, says she had 14 enquiries for April and had to turn away 10 women as she could only support 4 of them for the month. Homebirth Consortium Australia [HCA] is a newly formed working group made up of midwife, consumer and organisation representatives from around Australia. The HCA was formed to show support for homebirth and for Privately Practising Midwives (PPMs) and fight for changes to government policies so that midwives can return to working more autonomously and within their full scope of practice to support home birthing families. They are calling on the government, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to make the following changes: Come up with a solution to the Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) issue – the exemption for PII for birth, which has been extended 3 times since September 2009, expires on December 31st2019 and will see homebirth midwifery made illegal after that date.  The government should subsidise PII just as they do for Obstetricians. Remove the requirement from the Safety and quality guidelines for privately practising midwivesfor two midwives to attend births at home, which was brought in by the NMBA without appropriate transparency and consultation with consumers or stakeholders, and has led to the demise of midwife assisted homebirth, particularly in rural and regional areas. Remove the NHMRC’s requirement for midwives to secure a written collaborative agreement with an Ob or Dr in order for women to access Medicare rebates. This is a one way power imbalance which is never required in the reverse. Undertake a full inquiry into the increased vexatious reporting of PPMs to AHPRA – almost half of PPMs in Australia have been reported for minor complaints, the vast majority of which were done by hospital staff, not consumers themselves who overwhelmingly report positive experiences with their midwives. These reports, which in almost all instances end up being overturned, result in midwives having their practice restricted, affecting their livelihood and their capacity to care for their clients. Virginia Maddock from HCA says that government regulation of midwives directly affects women’s choices in how and where women birth, so it is important that consumers get behind midwives and fight for change. May 5thwill see women around Australia participate in the nationwide ‘Mothers For  Midwives March’ to AHPRA offices in every capital city. For details and info please see the Facebook eventor contactAimee Singor Virginia Maddock. Please sign our associated petitionand join the Homebirth Consortium Australia [HCA]on Facebook to stay up to date with the march and its associated outcomes. Musings  “That continuity of care was so vital to my mental and emotional wellbeing during the birth process.” “I want to see that sense of community boosted.” “We are the home-birth community and our midwives are an endangered species now.” “’This march is a chance for the consumers to protest for better working conditions for midwives.” “We need to move beyond awareness raising and move towards political action, so if you are anywhere near the protest locations COME & bring your family.” “This is going to be a very informative event and source of information.” “The way we can make this sustainable is to get everyone looped into a group to make a community.” “It’s so sad to see midwives dropping off like flies.” “The change needs to come from the women.” “We really need to come together, we are stronger together.” “The better working conditions for midwives trickles down to how mothers are and feel  supported in their birth.” Link to Events Aus wide and Homebirth Access in Australia https://www.facebook.com/HomebirthConsortium/ https://www.facebook.com/homebirthaustralia/ https://www.facebook.com/Homebirth.Access.Sydney/ Who Did I Inner-review? These woman are amazing! Aimee Sing – Check out her podcast! – http://circleofbirth.com/e44-aimee-sing-caesarean-placental-abruption-home-birth-hbac-cared-supported/ Grace Sweeney – https://www.facebook.com/melbournehomebirthassociation/  Virginia Maddock –  https://www.facebook.com/natural.beginnings.page/ SaveSaveSaveSave The post E49- #MothersForMidwives -Homebirth Consortium Australia -Continuity & Mothers Supporting Midwives appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

Wise women, there all about the place, all wraps, all stages of the life cycle and in all forms of nature. Here is one. Vickie who I was deeply honoured to have on the podcast. This story from Vickie is quite an amazing story of strength, love, hope and possibility. Vickie has walked and navigated the birth and death paths, her life has been a colour of experience, and guidance into the exemplary woman she is right now, right from the young age of 18 when her first daughter was removed in Australia’s forced adoption program in the 1970’s, the story goes on from here….. Vickie in 1970 Vickie and I head back to where she was 18. She had her first job and a trophy of a boyfriend. She then discovered that she was pregnant. This is in year 1969. Those were not the times for someone unmarried to be pregnant. A wedding was arranged yet her husband to be disappeared. Vickie was moved into a convent for unmarried mothers, she was unaware at the time that there was a government policy forcing religious organisation to coercing girls into giving babies up for adoption. Vickie was looked after in this place, however she was pressurised into adopting her baby. She was amongst many young girls at this time. She birthed and saw her baby only briefly before she was taken away from Vickie. She was nursed at the convent for two weeks, she was send back home and pushed all her feelings aside and was told to ‘get on with life’. Moving on in life Vickie talks about her birth of her son Jake, from this Vickie become very interested in the mechanics of birth. She birthed at the time of shaving, enemas, and birthing on the her back. She devoured books from people such as Grantly Dick-Reed and Leboyer to name a few. However nothing prepared Vickie for her next birth experience two years later, she birthed twins as a still birth and was promptly told upon leaving the hospital by the nurse, “there, there, plenty more where that come from”. Again Vickie was told was to get on with life. Vickie in 1984 with Amy and Gemma We talk about Vickies other children and how her life transversed around and how she come into the work she is doing today. We get into the adoption and Vickie reconnecting with her daughter Gillian. And especially connecting with her children knowing that there is a half sister. Vickie during this process was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. The unpacking begins. Now lets remember that there was a policy in place in Australia at this time that there was a government policy in place that would practically force adoption of babies from mothers such as Vickie. 1979 Baby Jake, Amy and Emma We talk now about the reunion with Gillian… This part is amazing… Listen.. Vickies work in birth and death shines out in this story and we shine on some of this amazing wise women wisdom. This last 20 minutes of the podcast is beautiful interpretation of Vickies collective gifts that she brings as a Doula.  Delivering a placenta Musings from Vickie “Let me see my baby.” “Birth has to be better than this.” “What is a long labour?” “When does labour start will be forever a fought question.” “Holding Jake for the first time was amazing, I never wanted to let him go.” “Dealing with grief not just the individual events.” “When you get to the top of the ladder, you need to make sure the ladder is against the right wall.” “Acceptance and understanding of the uniqueness of each woman and her birth.” “There is no cookie cutter approach of being a Doula.” “Having the wisdom to really understand what a woman wants.” “When I work with women I always ask them what their own births were like.” “I see that birth and death are the same door, you are just going another way.” After we had finished I thought of something I often tell new doulas  – and that is to be aware of cultural interpretations of language – particularly words like  ‘surrender’ , to some women it means standing still with your hands in the air.  Link to Radio Interview & Info on Forced Adoption in Australia http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/08/14/3292947.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_adoption_in_Australia Resource – https://www.amazon.com/Laboring-Under-Illusion-Childbirth-Download/dp/B006GWFD8A Connect with Vickie: Website: http://www.canberraplacentaservices.com SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave The post E48 – Forced Adoption in Australia – 15 Years a Doula – Walking the Birth and Death Paths appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

Freebirth or birth out the system is becoming or remembering its way back into our community. With the pressures, costs and accessibility for midwifes in Australian system of private practice more and more people are deciding to take full responsibility for their body and birth and that is where freebirth, unassisted or what ever it needs to be labelled works well for many. Natalie I connected with after the 7.30 report aired on the ABC in Australia late 2017. Her report included Hannah Dahlen speaking on changes to the insurance for private practicing midwives in Australia. Again this talks about the increasing risk for women, yet when Natalie and I spoke, I wanted to hear her full journey, HERstory. So listen in for a story from a young women wanting to change her life and grown into the mother Natalie is with her voice that is seeking to serve the community to find their own in pregnancy and birth. Natalie begins her talk with the growth of her self as a person. A history of sexual abuse Natalie used methods of escapism for a long time before coming to the realisation she also had a problem with alcohol. Natalie chose health, she chose the path to healing and then she became pregnant. Life changed. Natalie talks about the first pregnancy and feeling into what her body was telling her, what was it like to trust and believe in her body. During the pregnancy Natalie talks about her journey and the system with in that. She had an obstetrician that pulled the ‘your baby will die’ card on her when he wanted to do a stretch and sweep. This process triggered all Natalie’s old sexual abuse history again. We talk through her awareness at this time and how it upset the pregnancy and her emotional state heading into the labour. She felt fear, alone and deserted. Into the birth, she found some amazing midwives that trusted in her birth process, trusted in her breathing and most importantly they stuck by her. She also describes that the midwives kept the space clear of men, this again as a person that has been through sexual assault involving men this is was a very important factor into this birth. The birth after 23 hours happened and this was needed after a release from the bowel. Natalie describes this as a big release. Babe was born and handed into her arms and Natalie transitioned to mother. Post birth they noticed tachycardia and her boy was taken from her for a while. Natalie talks about this process. She talks about how a male paediatrician was holding her baby in the NICU and how this felt for Natalie. Baby is fine yet Natalie was left with some resonating feelings, one of the factors there was women in fear of having a voice, a fear of the old patriarchal system and having her baby taken away if she spoke up. Since this birth and leading up to her next birth 9 years later, Natalie became a Hypnobirthing practitioner. She leaned so much from her clients, one of these things she saw was ‘accidental’ freebirth’, this opened up her mind. We talked about molar and partial molar pregnancies and this I wanted to delve into a little more, as I personally had an experience of a partial molar pregnancy. Natalie describes the miscarriages in between before she become pregnant with her next babe Cyan. For this birth, Natalie knew in her visions that she was going to birth at home and her partner would be the only other person present. The birth was how she imagined, and if you check out the link below for the 7.30 report you can see some footage of this. After Natalie tells of a interesting story of a placenta down the toilet and consuming her placenta there and then for potential haemorrhage. We talk here about instinct and how this method has worked in the wise women ways. We finish up the podcast with the 7.30 report and how this looked for Natalie post release of this media. Musings from Natalie “Pregnancy gave me the thrill of what it can feel like for your body to talk to you”. “I finally let my fear out by yelling ‘I’m afraid my vagina will tear”! “The woman has the fear in her, yet she also has the wisdom and the answer”. “Our history of the way women have been treated gave me a deep sense that I had to be careful in this birth”. “My clients have taught me more about birth than I have learned anywhere else”. “Im very much in the here and now, each moment is a moment of gratitude or happiness”. “In this pregnancy I was letting my self grieve that this is the last time that I will hold a baby in my body & learning to let go of that”. “If I work with my vision then that’s how my vision will be, I will not be fighting it, I will be allowing it to come through”. “If it was instinctual and I felt driven to it, then I would do it”. “If you speak out loudly and proudly and walk in your truth, the culture will have respect for that”. Link to ABC 7.30 Report and Article http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/the-rise-of-freebirthing/8854118  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-29/freebirthing-if-there-was-baby-death-i-was-capable-of-grieving/8827582  Connect with Natalie: Website: http://www.hunterbirtheducationcentre.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunterbirtheducationcentre/ The Hunter Birth Education Centre is predominantly a virtual centre. We also provide specialised childbirth education courses at various locations around Newcastle. The Hunter Birth Education Centre website offers, lists and refers services that actively improve emotional outcomes for mothers, fathers and babies. We are: * An information website, * A provider of high quality, Independent Birth Education (birth courses also include key breastfeeding and parenting education), * Managed by Natalie Meade – a passionate womens’ health and birth activist! Please contact Natalie by email or phone, anytime you like, for compassionate and caring information to support you during your pregnancy, birth and post partum journey, * Providing good, local referrals to any service you see described on our page, * Independent of all hospital and all government health services. Our website has been set up to empower you to know some great, local, health care choices. Our hope is that you may be surprised at all the great options available in the Hunter and feel very glad you found our page. Sadly, your medical care provider does not have time to mention all the great pregnancy and birth options available to you. Sadly women who follow standard pregnancy care are often only rewarded with standard birth experiences. SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave The post E47 – Freebirth & Taking Full Responsibility in Your Birth – Natalie Meade & The ABC 7.30 Report appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  This is a small snippet of the amazing folk that brought their wisdom to the 32nd Home Birth Conference in Sydney, Australia. I got to sit with some of these people and find out what messages they brought to the conference, what they were seeking, their thoughts on the state of the maternity system in Australia, their feelings around men at birth, how they feel we can best support homebirth in Australia and, most importantly, what they planned to bring back to their community. As a student midwife I often feel unsure about my journey; the clouds of doubt often surface as I question the integrity of the system and my place in it. The many women I have come across at the conference and during the podcast series have been working so strongly to advocate for women, birth and human rights, and yet injustice is still happening. Many stories of this injustice have not been told, and many still are silenced while business as usual carries on. After this conference I feel myself again asking: What is our call to action? What would it look like if all of these amazing midwives, who are currently struggling within the system, stepped away from the repression, over regulation and intimidation of their integrity? Do they have to be brave to do this? Is it better to play the game? Or is playing the game further adhering to the ‘dutiful girl’ role? I don’t know the answers, all I know is that I have these questions. A part of my role in this lifetime is to be a messenger and I feel that this is born from a history of women being persecuted and denied education. I have an impulse for change, cracking open the shell and releasing the old, and bringing in group awareness. I see this as larger than myself, and my deep quest for truth and meaning seeks a new awakening; a new way of doing things for humanity. I applaud the conference for getting these people together, and yet I wonder: What is our call to action? What can we do to support each other rather than expending our energy on continually adhering to the absolutely ludicrous restrictions placed on midwives. What would a system look like if it had noone to regulate? Musings from the Conference “The vision for me is that home birth is normal, most accessible and accepted way to birth.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula)  “All women should have a safe space to come together.” (Amanda Trieger, Naturopath and Doula) “Women need to return home to the earth to birth.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife)    “As a student midwife I am a little afraid that being registered would limit my ability to work in authenticity.” (Natalie Rose, Student Midwife)  “If we can drop down from our minds into our bodies, we realise we are not seperate from each other.” (Natalie, Student Midwife)  “We use risk so often, perhaps we should look at the needs of women.” (Beth Sandstrom, Midwife) “Women having a more empowered position in society would be a good start.” (Ella Kurz, Midwife)  “I come with the knowledge that the women taught me about birthing.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife) “We have the opportunity in NZ for midwives to behave the way they need to behave to support women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife) “If a male obstetrician has a great interest in a birthing woman, then the best thing he can do is get her connected to other women.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife) “Midwives are an immensely powerful group, they could say no collectively and bring immense change, yet this is about courage and support.” (Maggie Banks, Midwife) “We need to get women and doulas to recognise the emotional manipulation that can happen. In some circumstances, women end up saying yes to something that they would never have wanted because they are put in a position as though they are in opposition to their baby.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “Women need to ask more questions; even if it’s a terrible option women should always have options.”(Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “I personally feel that every woman should have access to a midwife that can provide care, no matter what.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “Private practicing midwives get put in a space that makes us feel very uncomfortable, but you have to play in that space to get what’s needed for your women to feel safe and get what they want.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “Every woman I have looked after, even if its only for a shift, I have found a way to connect with.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “The pressure on midwives is breaking the interconnectedness that we share.” (Belinda Maier, Midwife, Professional Officer) “When it comes time to give birth there are often competing needs in the birth room.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “Its important to have our needs met in our birthing and mothering journey.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “The best way to get good outcomes for women and babies is to have that continuity of care.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “I see women literally physically step back when I tell them that they are important.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “How we change as a culture I don’t know, but I work with one woman at a time, and one conversation at a time.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “How you function as a woman affects the function of the family, and the function of the family affects the function of your community.” (Belinda Costello, Mother and Speaker) “Instead of taking the women’s choices away, they are going for the people that are providing the service; thats us midwives.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) “I know we provide a gold standard of care.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) “Just because a woman looks like she is in labour land, she is still conscious and has every right to still make informed decisions.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) “I really feel we could have more support from the Australian College of Midwives.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) “It was a crippling time for me to be accused of doing something the opposite of what my whole life is about, which is bringing safety to mums and babies.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) “I believe in advocating and standing up for that woman’s human right to be able to say no when someone wants to put their hand in her vagina.” (Janine O’Brien, Midwife PPM) Connect with Home Birth Australia: Website: http://homebirthaustralia.org Connect with Jerusha Sutton Photographer at the HomeBirth Conference: http://www.jerusha.com.au SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave The post E46- Reflections from the Home Birth Australia Conference 2017 – #hbacon2017 appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  While ‘birth’ and ‘death’ may feel very distant from one another, they are in fact so close together that life would not occur without them. As a birth keeper myself, I am completely compelled to learn more about death, and the more I connect the richer the tapestry of my life becomes. I start to weave life with a brighter thread. I become aware and open and increasingly more accepting of the death path. So, when I connected with Amy from Little Silk Wings, I felt so connected to the work she was and is doing. Amy is supporting Doula’s to support death, and in turn reaching out to the wider community to bring birth and death back into awareness. This work is imperative for the processing of grief; its important that we talk about death because, like birth, death is a right of passage. Death is becoming one of my favourite subjects and I just loved this story with Amy. In this story, we speak closely about Amy’s own experience, with her son being very close to the death path, and how Amy navigated this experience. I am not going to apply any trigger warnings here because this story shares the gifts and the potions of how we can come together and support the death path. Please share this and check out the event Let Me See My Baby in the resources below.  So, we begin the journey with Amy heading into her three birth stories. Amy describes her first pregnancy as being the entry into the world of birth and advocacy for women. The pregnancies, as Amy describes, were rather straight forward and from in between the first and second pregnancy, Little Silk Wings was born. Amy! Amy talks about her doula journey and supporting families for the best outcome possible. During the unfolding of her journey, Amy found a lack of understanding and support for when baby is unwell; it’s not the issue of people not wanting to support the mother and family, it’s simply the lack of understanding on how to provide support. Amy trained with Still Birthday in Canada and then, indirectly, came into a support role for doula’s called into bereavement. Amy in her first birth with her doula. We then talk about her third birth, when Amy would have liked to give birth at home but homebirth was unaffordable. Amy and her doula jokingly talked about a freebirth on the road, and what happened? A freebirth on the side of the road! Amy talks about the whole event and the quick birth that just did not quite make it to the hospital. Everyone felt calm and OK about the situation, an ambulance was called and Amy was in hospital for a few hours then back home again. Amy describes that she never could visualise her birth in a hospital.   Happy roadside family! From here the journey took a change of direction. Amy describes heading home and having a beautiful dinner and then sleep. The next day Amy started to feel that something was ‘not right’ with her son, Gabriel. She found him to be limp and just not quite right and, having been there twice before with her daughters, knew that something was different. On day 3 Gabriel started to vomit a little, the colour seemed not quite right and Amy says she was advised to try to be positive. An ambulance was called and then they left not long after saying, “He is fine.” Amy was still concerned and took him straight to hospital and her concerns were right; little Gabriel had mal-rotation of the bowel. Recovery after the surgery – Amy describes – “His face was swollen and he had a machine breathing for him. He had cords coming out of him in numerous places and had a big, red slice across his tummy. They had put his little white beanie back on, I was thankful for that.” The surgery process was massive: Amy describes being left in the surgery waiting area covered in newborn vomit and completely tired, not really understanding what was happening. Surgery went well and Gabriel recovered quickly; Amy describes the emotional journey throughout this time. We talk again about supporting people in this journey, terminal illness and thus how Little Silk Wings turned into bereavement support and the event Let Me See My Baby.  Amy with the amazing Vickie Hingston-Jones (stay tuned for her story soon!) She will be guest speaker at Let Me See Baby Event. Musings from Amy “It felt like utter defeat, that I could not protect my newborn during the surgery.”  “In an energetic sense, I still felt connected to my baby while he was in surgery; this helped me communicate with him.” “It was a situation where I really needed to trust how I was feeling.”  “To feel like you’re back into that mother role and connected physically is a very special feeling.” “From my own experience I can now understand how situations can occur when mothers are encouraged to go against their intuition and feelings.”  “Everyone’s gut instinct is unique to them and that never should be dismissed.” “It’s not that people don’t want to be there during death, it’s the lack of understanding of what that woman is feeling, needing and going though.” “I see a lot in miscarriage or loss the use of words such as ‘only’ or ‘at least’. This language, I feel, is very dismissive to the woman and can impact on how her grief journey plays out.” Resources: Still Birthday Doula Traning  – https://stillbirthday.com/sbd-doula-registration/ Let Me See My Baby Event Canberra 4th December 2017 – http://www.littlesilkwings.com.au/let-me-see-my-baby-canberra/ Birth Story in Amy’s Words – http://www.littlesilkwings.com.au/a-mothers-instinct-pays-off/ About Amy I’m a mum myself to 3 little people – Elsie-Rose, Anastasia and Gabriel. I’m also Mum to our children who aren’t so lucky, being that stranger trying to hold pieces together in the name of foster care. Over the years I’ve enjoyed setting myself personal challenges. These started out as long-distance walks. My first walk, many moons ago, was from Brisbane to Canberra. It was called Walk With a Rose, and it became a national awareness raising event about Acquired Brain Injury and the lack of respite care available in Australia. It raised an amount of $50,000 and received extensive national coverage. You can see the episode of Australian Story here. And you can read over the blog I kept here. My second initiative was called Strength to Speak. It was aimed at raising awareness of depression and anxiety. With strong local and national support I created the Strength to Speak program which was placed in 425 schools across Australia. To promote the program, I completed a four month walk from Perth to Canberra in. You can take a look at the program here. And you can read over the long and dusty blog I kept here. I went on to do some uni work, travelled, and began working with disadvantaged youth and in a program for young sex offenders – I stayed with these programs for about 5 years. In 2006, I won the Young Person of the Year Award through the Foundation for Young Australians, have become the ACT Youth Advocate for Drug Free Australia, have established the Walk With a Rose Foundation for people in the ACT with acquired brain injury to access respite care, and became the 2008 recipient of the Young Canberra Citizen of the Year award. I then become a certified Simplicity Parenting coach and had my first daughter Elsie. So I started to talk to parents a lot and ran group gatherings and workshops to childcare providers, foster parents, grandparents, social workers, educators, counsellors and other care professionals who work with children and families in order to guide them in reconnecting with their own values through layers of simplicity that can be incorporated into their family lives. For the past seven years, I have worked as a foster carer for high risk adolescents, mentoring and supporting while they live with me in my home. I have since become double certified as a birth doula after my second daughter was born and started up a business as a placenta encapsulator…this is a beautiful service for happy birth outcomes and you can find a list of verified placenta encapsulators available by state here. During the time I was spending journeying with birthing women as a doula, I always felt there was more of a pull towards being with the women who devastatingly learn of their baby’s death or learn of their baby’s fatal diagnosis…yet I felt unequipped. There were questions I needed answers to and things I felt I needed to learn before I continued to step into those spaces. I found some bereavement doula training which was detailed and confronting – it was just what I needed – however, it was based overseas, which came with differences in systems and legalities. Nevertheless, the content was what I needed at the time. I gave birth to my son, and decided to then focus on my role as a bereavement doula to only be available for these women. I felt like I was being true to my passion and gift. Then, over a period of time, I was contacted by families in other states in Australia, asking if I could find a bereavement doula to help a mother there who is experiencing the death of her child. More often than not, I had no luck. There is an abundance of doulas, yet the training to be a bereavement doula is different. For example, there is specific knowledge about how labour can work differently (and not in the mother’s favour) if the baby is sick or has died. However, I’ve now ‘worked’ from afar with mothers experiencing the death of their baby for long enough to know that it shouldn’t be me being with them .. I never does feel quite right. Instinctively, I know the person to best serve that mother was someone already in her tribe. So I then began to change the way I worked and would instead train them, the bereaved mother’s sister, over the phone and online, so that they would be the one able to offer support and have knowledge regarding options for that woman. Which felt so much better, as it meant there were no shift needed to the already established tribe around that woman. Working forward to improve things from there I knew what was needed and am developing my business Little Silk Wings. This is an Australian bereavement doula training platform and resource centre. It will provide both immediate, free information about what to expect when supporting a mother whose baby had died or will die, as well as the option to be a part of extensive, detailed training to be certified as a Little Silk Wings Practitioner and be called upon to support other mums in your community. I feel strongly about continuing to connect with young people in my community and am passionate about working with families for best outcomes particularly for children and will continue to do this through Little Silk Wings with the intention of supporting, guiding and informing young people about grief and death. SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post E45 – Let Me See My Baby – Amy Little Silk Wings – Honouring Birth and Death – Road Side Birth appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

    Want to find a real depth into the value of continuity of care? This episode with Aimee Sing who is currently the editor of Homebirth Access Sydney. Aimee takes us through a very informative journey here from miscarriage with bleeding episodes, working though trusting the body, caesarean, placental abruption and then a home birth with her second baby. If you really want to understand the deep processes in the fertility and pregnancy journey then this is for you! Aimee is a beautiful story teller, and shares her journey in a way to outline the importance of continuity of care. The experiences are shared with the upmost respect to each individual birth and the gifts that the family received. This is a real  in depth story fuelled with love, you can tell Aimee is spreading the importance of continuity of care! Learn more about the important work Home Birth Access Sydney is doing by supporting homebirth families and increasing awareness to better our access to this service in Australia. https://homebirthsydney.org.au This story below is written by the hand of Aimee…  Our baby boy’s birth story really starts with his big sisters birth. After researching and planning a homebirth and finding our perfect birth team we were so excited about meeting our first baby! My pregnancy was really asymptomatic, I felt well and happy but I had some minor and some major episodes of bleeding due to a subchorionic hematoma (SCH). Still, we kept planning our homebirth and counting down the weeks before we would meet our baby. At 36+4 weeks I woke to a gush which, once I checked, I realised was actually bright red blood! I rang my midwife and said I was bleeding a lot and thought I was having a placental abruption to which she advised we head to the hospital and she’d meet us there. Our birth plans were tipped on their head and I ended up ha ving an emergency caesarean section to deliver our baby girl, Willow, safely. While for many women a homebirth caesarean (HBC) can be traumatic, for me I was really blessed in that I was upset and mourning the birth experience I had so hoped and planned fo r, but I had no trauma related to the birth at all…the hospital stay afterwards on the other hand was horrendous and I vowed never to expose myself to that sort of treatment again if I could prevent it ! Birth With Willow In the months and years following my HBC I continued to research everything I could about placental abruption. I had many tests to try to figure out why I’d had the placental abruption, but there was no reason discovered . While this was a blessing it was also really hard as I had no reason to ‘blame’ and acc ordingly nothing to ‘fix’ to prevent it in future . The only small bit of information that I felt might explain the placental abruption was that a lack of protein (malnutrition) can result in one, and I’d gone entirely off meat and didn’t substitute it for anything throughout my pregnancy, so I started to up my protein intake for a subsequent pregnancy. I researched everything I could about vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) and home VBAC (HBAC) , and I searched for anyone who had birthed a baby at home af ter a prior abruption , but to no avail. I watched HBAC videos and read their stories, I spoke to my midwife and women in my community and online and eventually I decided that, provided we were blessed with another pregnancy, I would be trying for a HBAC ne xt time. It took my husband and I 18 months to really decide that we would try for another baby (I was terrified of losing a baby, he was pretty scared of losing me), and after that point it took another 6 months and partially weaning my 2yo daughter to ac tually conceive! Despite doing all I would to maintain a healthy pregnancy (eating well, seeing a naturopath, acupuncturist, maya abdominal massage therapist, counsellor, kinesiologist and chiropractor) I sadly lost two pregnancies in the following 6 month s. Feeling very disheartened and confused I decided to cut almost all of the work I had been doing and to just trust my body would do what it needed if we were meant to have another baby – surrender was the word for this pregnancy, birth and postpartum per iod! W e stopped ‘trying’ to have a baby and I weaned my daughter entirely…we fell pregnant that month with a healthy, perfect pregnancy! My pregnancy was very simple and easy once I got past the first trimester fear of losing another baby. Everything with bub and I measured and looked perfect, we avoided most of the routine procedures , though we did have scans (mainly to ease my mind regarding placental position and function). As I approached 35 weeks I started nesting like crazy – washing clothes, cleaning the house and prepping for bub, as I’d found it so frustrating being so unprepared when my daughter had arrived early. 37 weeks rolled around and I was shocked and so grateful to still be pregnant! I actually got to have a mothers blessing and experience having henna decorating my belly. My chiropractor did a couple of adjustments on my pelvis and soon after that our baby engaged. Then 38 weeks came along, and I was feeling even more shocked and blessed, everything was going perfectly this time! Over the following couple of weeks I finished work and baby moved further and further down, but I still felt totally comfortable and happy to be pregnant, not about ready to pop at all! I had a few fears surrounding birth, mainly regarding haemorrhage (I guess f rom the abruption being in my mind) , and had discussed those and what would happen if my waters broke early with my midwife, commenting that it rarely happens anyway but that I’ d like to be prepared . On the 12 th November I decided to start doing spinning babies exercises as bub was always curled towards my right hand side and I was worried that would cause issues for labour and birth – it felt really good to stretch everything out a bit. On the 13th November, our babies due date (and the day after my and before my MIL’s birthday ), I woke up and commented to my hubby ‘I’m still too happy and comfortable being pregnant for this pregnancy to almost be over, this baby is going to be in for a while yet ’… then about two hours later at 9:30am my waters broke while I was lying down reading the ‘Birthing from within’ book! I said ‘Oh…’, and shifted and bit, felt a gush and said ‘OH!’ and ran to the vinyl area in our kitchen. My hubby looked over and said ‘is everything OK?’ and I said ‘either I’m wetting myself, a lot , or my waters just broke!’. He grabbed some towels, we mopped everything up and I was delighted to notice that the waters were crystal cl ear with little flecks of vernix ! I was so elated, hugged my hubby in excitement and rang my midwife and texted my dou la to let them know. At the same time I still felt this was so surreal, surely we wouldn’t be meeting our baby soon. I told hubby we had to keep the toilet extra clean and that if I hadn’t started contracting soon I’d start high dose vitamin C and bug beat er from our herbalist…still, I was so excited to recognise that regardless of what happened it would only be a few more days at most before we met out newest family member! We decided to take Willow up to our local growers market and walk around a bit to see if it started anything off, and we saw lots of familiar faces while there , including a fellow homebirth mum, which was totally lovely but had me rushing away for fear of blurting ‘I’M GOING TO BE HOLDING MY BABY SOON!!!’ . While walking I kept feeling g ushes of fluid and was filling pads pretty quickly. I also noticed I was starting to have little, niggly braxton hicks. I could easily walk, talk and act normal through them, but hubby said my face turned bright red with each one, so after stocking up on some food we headed back home. I had always planned to set up my birth space and bake a cake (chocolate , at my daughter’s request) with my daughter while in labour, but once I got home I realised things were potentially starting to pick up! I thought I should rest because maybe this wasn’t the real deal and it’d fizzle out, so I asked Juz to look after Willow and went and laid down and listened to some hypnobirthing tracks to try relax and sleep. After 10 minutes of trying to do that and realising that laying down was making the braxton hicks worse, and that I was starting to need to moan through them, I came out and told Juz that we better get stuff ready. We set Willow up with a few toys, I packed the food from the markets away and my hubby helped me set up my birth space which was very basic with just affirmations (lots of them!), willow tree figurines, my birthing necklace, some stones, beeswax candles I’d made and a plant my mum had bought me for my birthday . By the time we’d finished setting everything up I was swaying and stopping during surges, and found the most comfortable position to be on all fours with a heat pack on my lower belly. My mum called at 1:30pm during a surge and I managed to talk to her through it saying ‘I’m just having some niggles, nothing serious’ (because honestly, I didn’t know if this was the real deal!). Soon after though the only way I could manage through contractions was to rock forwards and backwards over a fit ball, vocalising with heat packs on both my lower belly and back (one of which my daughter took a lot of convincing to part with !). At 2:15pm I asked Juz to call our midwife and she listened to me through a couple of surges, said I was coping well and wanted to know whether I needed her to which I replied ‘I don’t kn ow’ (because I STILL wasn’t sure whether this would just peter out, I didn’t want her driving all the way just for me to not be in labour!). Straight after speaking with her I decided I needed my doula there to watch our daughter, I needed Juz with me for every surge and if he wasn’t there I wasn’t coping so well, so I decided to text her…4 surges later and no text sent I asked Juz to call her and ‘please just get her here!’. At 2:45pm I told Juz I needed my midwife , I couldn’t feel bub move very often an d even though I intuitively felt everything was f ine I was still a bit concerned, t hough I’m not surprised with the lack of me feeling movements given my contractions were only a couple of minutes apart ; not much time to relax and feel a baby move! Regardl ess of whether she needed to come I also wanted to know whether I could get in the bath, thank goodness she said yes! This fit – ball – rocking business was starting to make me nauseous and I kept whimpering ‘I don’t want to vomit’ with each surge. So once I h ad the go ahead I started running the bath, and because it takes 20 minutes to fill up I decided I wasn’t waiting, I was getting in straight away and would just keep rocking and labouring in there with hot nappies instead of microwaveable heat packs. Now I think about it, I must ha ve looked pretty ridiculous in 1 cm of water rocking away in the bath, but even just having SOME water around me was helping me cope and get in the right mindset. I asked Juz to put some music on and I remember music playing for a couple of songs, but then it didn’t anymore and I honestly didn’t care, it wasn’t making the atmosphere any different for me anyway. This is where I lost all concept of time…I remember Juz coming in and saying Jacquie was here, then after another surge I saw her feet at the door and I thought (but didn’t say) ‘where’s Annalise?’ (her daughter) . S he sat on our toilet and watched me through a couple of surges after which she commented I was d oing really well and that I must be progressing well given how I was vocalising. I think she stayed for a few surges and rubbed my back, put hot packs on and gave me a cool washer with lavender for my forehead – this was way better than I expected, I normally don’t like the smell of lavender but it was awesome! I remember Willow coming and going, at one point she was whining and I lost it and said ‘GET HER OUT OF HERE!!’ (not my best mothering moment…), but I don’t know when that was in the scheme of things . I remember Jo arriving, seeing her calm smile and all of a sudden feeling a flood of relief – my birth team was here and that meant I was going to give birth soon!! Jo checked on bub and kept saying ‘that’ s one happy baby ’ each time which made me feel wonderfully reassured and calm. I remember my mum calling and me thinking that she’d clue on that I was in labour for sure and that I didn’t want her to because I didn’t want her to be worried about me, but Juz just said ‘Aimee’s in the bath’ and left it a t that, and she didn’t ring back (but boy was she surprised when I spoke with her the next morning!!). I kept having surges lying over the edge of the bath with my head on a pillow and heat packs on my lower belly and back, and they were OK, but for some r eason it felt like they weren’t going anywhere! I all of a sudden got frustrated and decided I was getting out of the bath because it was taking too long…I remember thinking that Jo was wondering what I was doing , but I just felt like I had to get out of t he bath at that point . I walked to the bedroom and asked for the blinds to be closed (they already were) and used the fit – ball again, rocking backwards and forwards with heat packs on my front and back which Juz and Jo kept warming in the microwave. I thi nk I spoke with Jo about being out of the bath, saying the surges were feeling like they were progressing more outside the bath, getting more intense, and she said something like ‘that probably means we should stay out of the bath for a while’. After a fe w more surges on the floor my knees were getting sore so I got up on the bed with the fit – ball and started rocking again with heat packs on my front and back. I’ve no idea how long I stayed like this, I was very much in my own little world and I remember n ot talking much during these surges. I also remember seeing Jo timing my surges with an app and thinking how funny it was that I’d downloaded the same app that morning! After a while longer like this I decided I needed the bath again, I think I went to the toilet first and then hopped back in and it was blissful! I kept going as I had before, head on the pillow resting between surges and then using heat packs during them which Juz, Jo and Jacquie were all helping me with. Willow came in to check on me a cou ple of times and Jacquie took some photos, and there were some weird conversations that I caught tid – bits of but can’t remember anything about now! Then all of a sudden having the contractions while sitting in the bath wasn’t working, I needed to stand! S o I’d float around between contractions, sometimes falling asleep which had me thinking ‘maybe I’m close to transition’ and then doubting myself and thinking ‘no, I have forever to go here , this isn’t nearly hard enough yet !’, and as the surge came I’d stand and hold a heat pack on my front, Juz would support me and hold a heat pack on my back. This continued for a while until I started needing to put one leg up on the edge of the bath – I remember that feeling much better. Then as I was having a surge I felt something drip out of my vagina and looked down and it was a bit of mucousy blood! Jacquie noticed it and told Jo, and she came and watched me through surges for a while, but this was one of the fears I’d broached just a week earlier with her (any bleeding scares me!). A few more surges and more blood kept coming, Jo kept checking bubs heart rate and all looked perfect, but she commented that it’d be helpful to know how far dilated I was to try and figure out where the blood might be coming from. I agreed to a vaginal exam which Jo did on the bed and she told me I was 8cm (What!?! No way!). I remember thinking that not being able to move during the surges was unbearable! How anyone could lie on their back throughout labour beats me, that was the worst! After that I got back in the bath and Jo said she’d be keeping a close watch on bubs heart rate given the bleeding (big reassurance for me anyway) , but to keep doing whatever I felt was right. I kept on as I had before, standing for the surge with one leg elevated and then laying down and falling asleep in between, but these surges were more intense. I randomly remember around this point that Juz organised for some pizza to be ordered (later I questioned what the pizza delivery person thought about my moaning away but my doula met them at the bottom of the driveway – clever!) . I remember Juz asked Jo what the time was and I said ‘NO, don’t say!’ and then said ‘hey, it’s dark, when did that happen?!’. I looked at the affirmations all around the room and the main one that kept standing out was one that said ‘surrender to the power of your body’ , and this really was all about surrender and just trusting in the process so far. I remember looking at Jo and pleadingly saying her name, I wanted her to give me a way to escape. I whimpered and told my birth team I wanted to go home to which Jacquie said something along the lines of ‘that’s the wonderful thing about homebirth, we’re already here’. I told everyone I needed an epidural and Jo told me she couldn’t give me one. I kept asking how many more surges were left and Jo said ‘just focus on this one, love, and so I kept repeating ‘just this one’ in my head with each surge, but I’m sure I asked another four or five times! Last of all I remember saying ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and Jo said something like ‘you don’t have any other option’ or ‘what’s the alternative’, and I was thinking (but not saying) ‘the alternative is that we go to hospital and pull this baby out !! ’. T hen all of a sudden , after only a few of these transitional thoughts, I remember thinking ‘hey, there’s pressure in my bum at the end of the surge’. I went with it for a few surges and noticed I was getting pushy towards the end of each one, but I was convinced this was just a weird baby – position thin g and that it’d go away soon enough…no way was I close to second stage! Then slowly the pushing urge took up the whole surge, not just the end, and I commented ‘I’m pushing’ (Jo had already noted this with Juz several surges prior). This was the most incredible feeling, it was totally overwhelming and surreal! I wasn’t pushing on purpose but my body was doing it for me, and it was seriously powerful! I was blown away by how with each surge the push would come, peak and go, and so too would the vocalising. There was a beautiful image I had on my affirmation board of a baby crowning that I kept visualising with each surge and I started getting really excited – maybe we’d be holding our baby soon! The pushing surge s kept coming and going, coming and going, and I wanted to know when it’d be over…these were incredible but intense, was it really going to end in a baby coming out of my vagina like I’d been dreaming of for so long? I remember saying ‘come ON baby, please just come out’ and also asking Jo ‘how much longer’ and her saying ‘I don’t know love , maybe see if you can feel anything’ . I reached up as far as I could into my vagina and felt nothing…I started wailing ‘there’s nothing there, it’s going to be FOREVER’, but Juz just squeezed my hand and said ‘it won’t be forever, you’re doing it, just focus on the next one’. It w as around this point that Jo recommended we fill the bath up a bit higher and with warmer water, and I noticed a thermometer had made its way in to the bath, which had me thinking that bub must be pretty close now! So the next one, and the next one, and the next one I focused on, and then I decided to check again and what do you know, there was something hard in my vagina!!! I got so excited, ‘I CAN FEEL THE HEAD’ I said, and then I demanded that Juz feel it too despite his reluctance. I was blown away thinking ‘how awesome is this!?!’ and with each surge I’d check where bub had gotten to and show Jo on my finger, usual ly with a big grin on my face because bub was progressively getting lower and lower. I noticed bub would move back up sometimes, and that really annoyed me, but then the next surge would come and it’d be even closer than before. When it got to 1 knuckle away I remember just sighing and grinning, and Jo said ‘wow, you’re so lucid!’ – I felt incredible and womanly, and despite being totally out of control, somehow I felt entirely powerful and capable. Then came a BIG surge, and bubs head started to crown – I could feel what I thought was w hat people described as the ring of fire, but it didn’t really feel like fire to me…just lots of stretchiness! Jo said to say ‘Hah, hah, hah’ and we said it together as bubs head moved further down. Jo checked on bub with the mirror and the doppler, all was going well, and then bubs head did crown and with it came a gush of blood. Despite Jo remaining really calm I could tell this wasn’t the norm, I started getting a little worried but then realised that my babies head was right there, I could see it, and whatever happened the only way it was coming was out of my vagina, so all I could really do is keep on working with my body for now. Jo tried to get the heart rate but it was behind my pubic bone, and while she kept reassuring me that this was probably why she couldn’t get it, she suggested I try to get the head out with the next surge. It felt like the next surge didn’t come for about 10 minutes…come on body, I want to meet my baby!! I gave a big (involuntary) push with the next surge and felt a rubbery feeling as the head moved through and down, and then I stared at my babies head – here’s my baby, half inside me and half out! This is crazy, wonderful and amazing! I rubbed the head full of hair and said ‘hi baby, hi’ and waited and waited for what felt like an eternity for the next surge. Jo still couldn’t get the heart rate but I told her not to worry, I could feel the baby moving, ‘the baby is pulsing’ I’d said…then the next surge came , out came the shoulders and the rest of bub and lo and behold bubs cord was around the neck – THAT’S what the pulsing had been! Jo and I scooped bub out of the water and I got to meet our baby for the first time! As I was picking bub up I realised there was a handful of something foreign there – a penis and testicles! We had a baby boy! But it didn’t matter enough to acknowledge just yet because bub was still coming into his body – he was a bit floppy and not breathing and so Jo kept asking that I rub him, but I think I was a bit too shocked to act at all the way I needed to and so Jo ended up giving him a good rub too. Willow was saying in the background ‘it’s a baby!!!’ and was trying to get into the action, and Jo had to say ‘just give us a chance to get him breathing…him or her’. In the end bub had some suction and that go t him into his body and screaming a hearty cry…and then I was just awestruck by how perfect and squishy and beautiful this little human was! Jacquie took some photos, Willow gave me a high 5, Juz stared at his perfect son (a boy, he was still reeling!)…it was seriously perfect. Some time after that I remember looking into the water and realising I could see my legs, but only just, and that that was usually the point at which women needed to get out of the bath to ensure there was no post – partum haemor rhage going on. So we got out of the bath and into the bed to feed bub and deliver the placenta which came 45 minutes later with no troubles, though the pressure in my back when delivering that was sick, I didn’t like that bit at all! Once the placenta was born we snuggled and sat in awe of the little miracle that had just occurred, and then we separated bub from his placenta via cord burning while Willow fell asleep watching very closely. Despite managing to burn the cord all the way through it didn’t seal up as well as we’d hoped and continued to bleed a little so we tied and cut it in the end, but there were no complaints from bub at all throughout the whole process. We weighed and measured bub, and I did a wee (my goodness, that was a relief!) and then we snuggled up in bed together, just the three of us as Willow had gone to sleep and been transferred into her bed earlier. All in all, we had the most blissful experience bringing our baby earth-side! I am so grateful for the opportunity to have a homebirth, particularly a HBAC after a placental abruption, and this birth was extremely healing and transformative for me. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the incredible support my birth team provided both during my pregnancy and birth, but especially since – they have been there every step of the way and I can’t thank them enough. Breastfeeding has actually been harder than the birth at this point (a tongue tie, damaged nipples, 4 bouts of mastitis, a galactocele and just a lot of pain really) and so we keep on persisting and trying, hopefully there will be a light at the end of the tunnel soon. Either way, we are blessed with a gorgeous baby boy who we are very much in love with! He is absolutely divine, the perfect fit for our family, and I couldn’t be happier! Willow adores her little brother , it’s so sweet watching them be together, they truly are such perfection! I’m in awe of what my husband and I achieved together, what we created, how we birthed, how we’re managing to parent two little beings – what an awesome team we are! Musings from the Aimee “I turned to my husband and he had tears in his eyes”.  “I was always very open with our daughter with all our pregnancies”. “My daughter said to me before our miscarriage ‘I don’t think this one wants to stay'”.  “Our daughter was really accepting of our losses, which helped me become more accepting”. “The baby doesn’t like tomatoes mummy!”.  “I feel amazing. This pregnancy, I don’t believe I am 40 weeks already, I feel comfortable and fine”. “Do you see that, ‘do you hear that noise mummy is making’? said our midwife, ‘she is working really hard to get her baby out'”.  “I felt so calm and centred and just kept going”. “In transition and wanting to go home my doula said to me, ‘Thats the beautiful thing about home-birth your already here’ “ “The whole reason I processed my first with the way I did and was not traumatised is because I had my midwife Jo by my side the whole time”. “Even if you are not going to have a homebirth, I feel its really important to find continuity of care in your journey”. Resources: Gentle Birth gentle Mothering  – http://sarahbuckley.com/gentle-birth-gentle-mothering Home Birth Access Sydney – https://homebirthsydney.org.au About Aimee Aimee is a mother, wife, university lecturer, eternal student and lover of all things birth, babies and breastfeeding! She lives with her husband and two beautiful children in the glorious Blue Mountains. While Aimee has completed a doctorate in plant physiology, since having babies she discovered her passion lies with birth, breastfeeding and parenting. Accordingly, she has begun training to become an ABA counsellor, has recently become the editor for Birthings magazine and often toys with the idea of becoming a doula – We’ll just see what life has in store!   The post E44 – Aimee Sing – Caesarean Placental Abruption & Home Birth HBAC – Cared & Supported appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

    Lets go on a journey here, this is a beautiful story of birth told from the words of a mother that has encompassed her work and life with the gifts that each child brought her. Meet Julia, specialist in the body from a background of anatomist to working now with women in pelvic mapping and Maya abdominal therapy. We head on an interesting journey here and learn extensively about what each birth can teach us and how we can embrace the journey and find ways to support others in our blooming mother path. Julia was an absolute delight to listen to, her voice resonated a divine message of wisdom and she spoke her stories thus to show the intrinsic and intuitive nature of us as human beings. Find a nice cuppa for this episode and snuggle into some wellness podcasting! We began with Julia’s interesting journey from starting Reiki as young teen and then transversing through her studies in human science. Fascinating how Julia describes listening to her callings in life. From here we talk about her mothering journey. As the modern (young) age of 24 Julia come into their pregnancy and her and her partner went along the path of the birth centre, the discussion leads into the space of the shut down process during this pregnancy and what that looked like for her. Julia felt in hindsight that she was not ready and fearful. Julia, working with this feeling found out that baby was in breech position, she had to leave the familiar and comfortable birth centre space and head into the hospital. Cesarian was booked and we walk through the process for Julia as a young woman experiencing baby coming through the veil, very quickly and very big to process. With Julia’s next birth, she had a university degree under her belt in human science, this young family spent allot of time travelling and adjusting to a new phase of their family life. We talk about the next birth being a planned C Section. This birth being a planned experience offered more of a leeway into the journey and offering insight where Julia was heading with her work and her own personal growth. So not long after this birth Julia conceived again. This pregnancy was a head down baby and Julia was looking at letting the baby decide on this birth. Her doctor was supportive, the hospital not so much and Julia talked about the fear processes that come to her during this time. Already she has a midwife that handpicked her wanting to support her at the birth in the hospital and helped Julia with the navigation of the system. We entered into the space that Julia went into feeling labour for the first time, the labour once she released her blockages went along very fast. We talked about Julia’s growth in her work (see the resources for great info) she come to the sense that there was strong messages to her to have a homebirth. Julia describes the birth as incredible, the midwife arrived at around 9cm, this was described as the most connected, empowered birth. Baby was born into the water. Julia describes baby as smiling when he come out. They had a lotus birth and describe the experience being home this time. Having your first baby births you into becoming a mother. From these inspiring journeys we talk in depth on how Julias work is reflected from these journeys. Julia is practicing Maya Abdominal Therapy and also Pelvic Mapping (see resources). This is where we deep dive into mensuration, body shame, pelvic mapping, exploring the womens mysteries. This is the essence of who Julia is today! Julia with Tammi Kent   From Julia “I know the very second that my body shut down and closed”. “New parents need more support”. “I always said that I will let the baby decide how to come”. “I felt really honoured as a woman during my birth”.  “It was such an empowering experience to vaginally birth after two C Sections”.  “There was points in my labour when I left my body”. “Birth is quite big for men to and I feel they need to have some support or processing after this experience.  “The difference with my births was my connection to my pelvic space and to my self “. “It was like all my work started to weave in at the same time but not to fast or to much thus my concentration was still on my children as well. “ “I heard my baby during labour saying just let go, just allow”. “I felt like I come back into my body”. Resources: NET (Neuro Emotional Technique – https://innovativemedicine.com/solutions/neuro-emotional-technique-net/ Tammi Lee Kent (pelvic work) –  http://www.wildfeminine.com Fiona Hallinan Pelvic Work – http://birthwork.com/about-us/  Mya Abdominal Therapy (Andrea Lopez  – http://www.moonsong.com.au Maya Abdominal Therapy (find a practitioner) – https://arvigotherapy.com Connect with Julia: Website: http://www.thenurturedwomb.com.au About Julia Since I was a young child, I have had a deep interest in the human body. I was exposed to vibrational medicine at a young age, and experienced its effects on the physical, emotional and spiritual planes. The power of healing by the laying on of hands had a huge impact on me as a teenager when I took a course in Reiki, which inspired a deep and ongoing interest in healing practices. Dr Rosita Arvigo in Belize I completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney, majoring in Anatomy and Physiology, and subsequently taught Anatomy to university students. This formal knowledge has provided me with a firm foundation and understanding of the physical body, while also underpinning my study of many aspects of healing. My passion for vibrational medicine led me to study the Australian Bush Flower Essences, and I am now an advanced practitioner. I love the support the Essences offer my clients. When I was introduced to The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy, I found all of my studies and interests incorporated in the one technique. I have experienced wonderful personal results by using this therapy, and I appreciate its powerful holistic approach. I am now a certified practitioner in the techniques, having travelled to Belize in Central America to undertake further study with Dr Rosita Arvigo. My passion for the deep and profound shifts that can occur when working with the pelvic area led me to study Holistic Pelvic Care™ with Tami Lynn Kent. This work resonates deeply with me. I love witnessing the feelings of joy and empowerment that women experience as they ‘come home’ to themselves and their creative centre. My intention is to offer transformational experience through raised awareness, loving attention and restoration of a woman’s life force. I call on my own life journey to inform my approach, offering women a loving and supportive environment to explore new possibilities for deep healing, restored vitality and a greater sense of purpose. As a mother of four beautiful children – three daughters and a son – I am constantly shown the importance of embracing my femininity. My children inspire me every day to stay grounded and model reconnection to my centre. SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave The post E43 – Womens Mysteries – Julia Rossmanith – Cesarians to VBAC-2 & HBAC – Pelvic Work & Trauma appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  Ever wonder how a birth worker with over 12 years of births experiences her first journey into motherhood? Sharing this episode with Jerusha Sutton Birth Photographer and birth worker has been an absolute oracle of wisdom! This is a first time mammas birth journey including a pregnancy of co-creating a documentary, Vipassana meditation at 30 weeks, pelvic mapping, homebirth preparation and a complete mammoth blessingway that had her labour started not long after! Jerusha interprets the whole experience so beautifully and I guarantee you will be floating after this story! If you are looking to enrich yourself with a positive birth story then this is it. This podcast understands the layers of pregnancy, birth and seeing how Jerusha’s journey in 2006 started her on a pathway to her heart centred birthwork. We begin the episode by setting the scene into the beauty of birth work. Jerusha began as a Doula after travelling the world and fulfilling her acting profession, however while having those moments contemplating on the hills of Europe she realised this was not fulfilling her. Jerusha attended a birth before she went overseas and this had resonated in her mind so much that she had to pursue this. She come back home and found the word ‘Doula’ 10 minutes later this changed the course of her life and a birthworker was born! Supporting women in birth Jerusha found to be just right for her, something about that connection to our linage perhaps! (Images to follow Tania Boyd) Jerusha talks about the first birth experience as a Doula, this experience she describes as big learning experience for a young Doula (we talk about he importance of a mentor). It was a big experience and this certainly gave her insight into her gifts. We talk about Jerusha’s next adventures when they all moved to London. Jerusha engaged very much in postnatal work whilst living in the UK, we talked about how much the demand is not available in Australia for postnatal work and how important this time period is. Jerusha’s describes that Australia may have the ‘get on with it’ attitude! (Images to follow Anna Todd Photography) So we get into the story of Jerusha’s transition from maiden to mother, she describes the pregnancy as just beautiful. Jerusha sourced her birth team and this also included the woman that initially invited Jerusha to her first ever birth! During her pregnancy Jerusha engaged in Vipassana at 30 weeks! This experience we talk in depth about especially how this can prepare you well and truly for labour. This birth prep is definitely no retreat as its hard work, yet as Jerusha describes it was for her a beautiful way to connect with baby, just think 10 days in silence with baby. Jerusha knew this would be incredibly uncomfortable and painful yet one of the most rewarding experiences to go though. Next we talk about Pelvic work in pregnancy and Jerusha talks about having a pregnancy session in Melbourne with vaginal exploration and mapping out the area. This is very interesting work and this work is factored of the great expertise of Jenny Blyth (see podcast episode 39). The birth experience started to happen in the thick of organising the yet to be releasedBirth Time documentary. Jerusha (as many first time mums) was convinced when the baby was going to come, after 42 weeks! So she organised her blessing way, engaged in the labour and birth conference and looked forward to knowing that there was at least a month to go. We discuss her blessing way and how this was a beautiful way to honour the linage of women in Jerusha’s life. Labour began at 38 weeks and they had to ship out her mum and dad who was visiting in the house and begin the process! We have a great insight into the process and how Jerusha was supported during this labour. There was a moment when it was time to get labour going and Jerusha talks about the shifts and changes in the labour. 40 minutes of the head crowning Rudi was born! We spoke about this experience in great detail and then importantly spoke about her partner Andy and how important this was to embrace him in the process. This was a supported and held experience where her partner amongst the large birth team made sure he felt his important role. So the last podcast of the Birth Time Docco trio Jerusha talks about her perspective on the documentary.  Check out Zoe Naylors show (episode 14) and Midwife Jo (episode 34). The docco trailer is going to be ready for the 2017 Homebirth Conference in Sydney NSW. This will be the pull to get funding to edit the film and get this out there to the community. Cant wait!! From Jerusha “I always had a deep interest in birth”. “Doing Vipassana at 30 weeks pregnant, was hard, yet such a beautiful way to connect with my baby”. “Andy my partner said after the birth course, ‘I feel like this has shifted from being your birth to our birth’”. “There is a whole world of knowledge there that women are onto and WE need to tap into”. “Even though I have seen 100’s of babies been born, I turned to my midwife Jo at one point in labour and said will it fit”!  “His head was out and then the world stopped”.  “When you realise Its just you in this moment, it was the most powerful moment of my life”.  “My partner looking at me in the birth pool commented. ‘You were everything you needed to be'”. “Im not there to replace your partner in birth, I am there to make sure your partner can be the best support person they can be”. “Even though I had an easy and beautiful experience, I still needed lots of care and nurturing after my birth”. “People that are going through a loss don’t need you to shy away from them and death, they need to show up”. INSIGHT INTO JERUSHA’S PHOTOGRAPHY Resources: Anna Todd Birth Photography – http://www.annatoddphotography.com/birth/ She Births Childbirth Course –  https://shebirths.com/about/ Fiona Hallinan Pelvic Work – http://birthwork.com/about-us/  Jane Hardwicke Collings (check out podcast episode 17) – http://www.moonsong.com.au HeartFelt Volunteer Photography for Loss and Ill Babies and Children – https://www.heartfelt.org.au Connect with Jerusha Sutton: Website: http://www.jerusha.com.au/doula-sydney/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JerushaDoulaPhotography  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerushasutton/ About Jerusha Hi. I’m Jerusha. A Sydney-based birth and postnatal doula and birth and family photographer. (I’m also an actor, but we can chat about that another time). Sounds like a lot? Yeah, I know. Sometimes it feels like a lot, but mostly it works together like an intricate web, connected and seamless. Relationships are my passion. I support, and document, relationships. The relationship between a mother and her child, a pregnant woman and her partner, a toddler and their new baby sibling and everything in between. I became a doulain 2006. Childbirth was something I had always been drawn to-I grew up surrounded by healthy attitudes towards birth, so I entered the birthing space with an open heart. From the first birth I attended, I have always picked up a camera to capture the transition from woman into mother, and a babe on its journey earth-side, such is my fascination and awe of this sacred event. The emotion, the strength, the vulnerability, the purity. Thus, to support, and document. To hold up a mirror to you and show you how strong you are, how delicious your family is, how the fleeting moments are as magical as the big ones. Me. What do I love? I love the first light of the day- an early walk or swim and coffee at the beach equals my morning perfection. Lucky for me, I get to do this often. I love long lunches with friends on our balcony… especially when they last well past sun down. I love a sunshiny wander through the streets of a cute town with my lover. Especially ones with yummy shops. I love evenings at my mum and dad’s dinner table, fuelled by too much good food and red wine. Heaven. I love trips back to London into the bosom of our hilarious friends; having loved ones on either side of the globe is both a heartache and a treat. Oh, and if you are wondering about my name, it’s pronounced just as it reads. It’s Hebrew- no heritage connection- my parents just loved it. Found it in a Julie Andrews film called Hawaii. My brother’s named Asko, but that’s another story… SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave The post E42-Jerusha Sutton #birthtime 12 Yrs of Doula / Birth Photographer Life – First Baby Homebirth Story appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  Sometimes we can recognise that one moment that shifted our whole being into what we never knew could exist, like something was waiting in that very second to serve you with one of the biggest awakenings in your life. How does that shape us?  Sunni Karll presented at one of those moments in my life, her book Sacred Birthing shifted myself from thought to process. It was gifted in the most amazing circumstances after an acupuncture session by a wise woman that cleared so many blockages and opened up possibilities and here was this book just waiting in her shelf for that someone to love, that someone was me! I was ripe and ready to put my deep calling of spiritual midwifery and serving women into practice, to truly explore one of the most transformative life events we can choose to encounter. Fast forward and here I am talking and having the deepest connection with this wise woman. YES you can alone make a difference and this episode, I guarantee, will sit with you. Sunni joins the show from California where she is basking in her recent and renewed Sacred Birthing 2E and also a new exciting book coming soon! So we begin to reflect with Sunni in her birth journeys in the early 70’s. Sunni had no idea that the birth trauma she herself went through was something that would ultimately play out in her first pregnancy. Her first baby was born with intervention and Sunni could not understand many things after this birth, she left this experience knowing that it could be better. We intertwine the conversation with her next pregnancy journey that was essentially a free birth at her home in the safety of the bathroom in the dark with her husband at the time sleeping downstairs. What shifted Sunni to want to birth at home, now remembering we are talking about the 70’s where information and resources was not so readily available. Sunni describes it as a reaction to the first birth, she tried to source midwives yet there was not any available. She birthed and describes the experience as feeling safe and the gift of a presence around her, everybody was asleep and the rain was pattering on the window frame. Her husband then come in right as baby come out, caught baby and gave her to Sunni! The first edition of her book was published in 2003 and we talk about her new book that was released in May 2017. Sunni talks about how consciousness has changed and uplifted thus the information in the first book is not new paradigm now. The second edition according to Sunni offers so much development in her following 14 years of birth work. We hear from Sunni about her next transition in life from mother to grandmother, she was at the birth for two of her grand babies thus far. Interestingly Sunni reflects on her emotions during this time. Excerpt from Sacred Birthing 1E – You can find these amazing images on the second edition to! From there we talk about Sunni’s journey through her teachings in the Steiner system then midwifery. We walk through her training in midwifery in Texas and how that shaped Sunni into her as she is today.  Sunni knew at 10 that she was going to be a midwife and we discuss all the things she had to do before coming midwife, past life therapist, teacher and then finally she was ready for Midwifery. Image supplied via Anna, Mother of 4. Check out Sunni’s article on Lotus birth We talked in detail about Sunni’s time in Hawaii, birth was an event for the community and how the whole event is based around a field of ‘trust’ no matter how many people are there. Sunni describes seeing parties where baby comes! We talked of the goddesses and gods in the culture and how that looked in relation to birth. sacredbirthing.com Sunni and I talk wisdom, midwifery, Doulas and HOW can we support each other. Lessons and gifts and some great advice for birth workers.  From Sunni “In my first book I talk about our firstborns as a sacrificial lamb, because we don’t know what we don’t know”. “Soul mates of the baby create the highest vibration to protect baby’s consciousness”. “We want the baby to be in a place of openness and trust”. “I was so in my uterus”. “The gift of this birth was that I felt a presence around me”. “Natural law is such a deep instilled knowing, this is what it takes to birth, death and conceive”.  “This present body in this present time is pretty damn amazing”.  “If you birth at the highest vibration all the energy is calmed”.  “Making sense of my birth is why I have stuck to everything Sacred Birthing is about”. “You’re standing at this birth and you feel it, you can never forget it, then you come back and do that for the next person”. “All of us all mothers all women have been midwives in the past, we have all held the space for birth and death”. “I think of a Doula as the way of the future, I love them, they can do so much more than midwives because so many of our hands are tied”. “Every mum deserves a mentor for her birth”. “What I would like to say to men is please go with your partner to her prenatal’s. If we want men to show up for the birth they need to take part in the whole story”. “Just love that baby, no matter what, love heals everything”. Resources: New book from Sunni Conceiving Souls of Magnificence – http://sacredbirthing.com Connect with Sunni Karll & Sacred Birthing: Website: http://sacredbirthing.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SacredBirthingwithSunniKarll/ About Sunni I doubt that I can say more than I have told you in the first chapter of Sacred Birthing, because it’s all about me!  Yet, if you haven’t read it, here’s my abbreviated blurb: I was born in Paris of American parents, and grew up in Maryland. I had a very difficult birth which spurred me into the field of birth for my whole life. At 10, I told my mom I was going to deliver babies when I grew up.  I came in with this understanding, for I had been a midwife many many lifetimes before. As excited as I was about that, I was to do other things first, in order to come to birth from a larger perspective.  I had a son, Bryce, in ’73, and a daughter Alec, in ’76, who initiated me into the whole spectrum of birth. I founded the Lancaster Waldorf School, in ’79, (that later moved and became the Susquehanna Waldorf School,) and taught Kindergarten for six years. This experience taught me all about the endless flow of creativity that comes from other places; it also reinforced my dream of midwifery, and gave me a overview of  children’s wounding, through a weekly practice  called the “Child Study.” After a divorce, I became a Past Life Therapist, (’87,) and was shown that every client of mine remembered their birth experience! As unexpected as this was, to them and to me, it was even more amazing that they all told me the same thing: that these protocols of ‘normal’ birth hurt. Knowing that I was headed into the field of midwifery, my ears perked up, and I knew that I would create something that didn’t hurt a newborn baby. I specialized as a Birth Therapist when I understood how healing it was for an adult to make their birth experience conscious. I finally became a midwife in ’92, being given the births at midwifery school that showed me wonderful ways to practice and why. Birth Trauma became a passion of mine. The inner work it required was the same inner work that was needed by pregnant parents. After doing that, I could move forward to finally become the midwife I knew I could be. In 1996, my birth assistant, David, and I wrote up all we had learned from our birth clients and it became Sacred Birthing Seminars that traveled the Northwest US and Canada to teach about SoftBirth for babies. As that was put to rest, it was rolled into the Sacred Birthing Insights and this book that took 7 years to write. It was published in 2003. I founded Sacred Birthing Foundation in 2001, and gave The Sacred Vision, (2005,) a workshop for midwives and Doulas, on Maui, Hawaii. A wonderful international group of Birth Keepers gathered and later created the Guiding Circle, (Board of Directors) of Sacred Birthing.  Kauai became its home because of a call from the whales, and the Sacred Birthing educational center  was born: conception, pregnancy, birth classes and workshops came about: from Infant Massage, to Preconception classes, to Heal Your Own Birth weekend workshops, to Parent’s Birth Classes and Sacred Birthing Community Doula Training, and a Birth Symposium. It was a vital inspiring time with many aligned hands and hearts. Times shift and I chose to write a dissertation on Lovemaking and Conception, my next book, and in 2015, graduated as a Doctor of Divinity.  And when that was complete, the Second Edition of Sacred Birthing, Birthing A New Humanity, received my attention and is just out, May 1, 2017. There you have it! The post E41-Elder Wisdom – Sunni Karll – Important Conversation on Birth Consciousness – Sacred Birthing appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  Doula’s they are becoming more and more well known in the realm of maternity care. I had no idea what a Doula was until I was pregnant with my first child in 2010, and I thought I was rather aware! So now that I am one, I just love them, and in particular one very well loved Doula Angela Gallo. Why? How can we not feel drawn to the radiant energy that Angela throws out, her life experiences have brought her to this work, to serve, to advocate and to honour a woman in this life changing journey. This podcast, we both delve right into the journey of Angela, we talk about her life changing births, how she navigated her experiences what lessons come from this, we talk birth workers, midwifery, photography, Mexico and more! Climb aboard for this inspiring episode and see the story behind the woman that is extending her self to change the way we perceive and act upon brith and maternity care. So we begin this episode with Angela’s first pregnancy, this is where it all began. Angela was then, a self described fiercely independent and mobile creature and could not see how children could fit into that… So this is where most of us can agree, pregnancy forces us to re-evaluate and change so many things about our life, perceptions and how we truly see the world we know it. Rebirth some call it! Angela talks about the pregnancy and how she was so fascinated with each and every day she describes feeling connected and so humbled by the process that her body was going through. Now at this time Angela’s husband was flying in and out from work, this is where the concept of a Doula was discovered as Angela was away from family. Her Doula was a lifeline and provided her with confidence, resources and all that she needed to have this good outlook into the approaching birth. So 40+5 Angela went into labour, the labour was 45 hours, long and stretching the challenges of the transition from maiden to motherhood. Angela describes feeling supported, even though the birth was (in her thoughts) intensely medicalised. Yet at the 35 hour mark the epidural bought much relief to her  and some needed rest. After 3 hours of pushing, Angela describes the sensation of the shell of the past leave her as her daughter Ruby was born. This birth really shaped the word Doula in Angela’s mind, things were happening, she was pushed to the physical limits and found this so profound, that she knew that this was the path to help women achieve these experiences, fill the gaps and explore the full spectrum of Doula work. We talk about Angela’s first experience as a Doula, with a young baby, we look how Angela felt after her training and how she spent the following years planning and seeing how it all works for her. These years were difficult. From there we talk about the life of a Doula and the toll it can take on the relationship front. We both concur how this has come up in both our lives, both seeking the support for Doulas in the family and community networks. I mean with many things it looks so much different when we are supported. This a great piece of the interview where we really extract the essential needs to support birth workers together. Meaning, we are all essentially in this together and Angela’s work is a credit to that. We hop into the next pregnancy. Angela describes feeling wild! The due date was the same as her daughter Ruby. Yet at the scan they discovered it was a non-viable pregnancy, Not long after this Angela become pregnant again with Oden. This again was not far off Ruby’s birthday. Angela describes organising her birth team and we head into the birth at 41 weeks. The birth took some twists and turns with the birth pool blowing up and ambulance arriving when Angela wanted perhaps for it to not come. The ambulance unfortunately brought upon intrusive energy. Angela talks about her humorous trip in the ambulance where the labour completely stalled by Angela’s will, she said she will be dammed if she was going to have the baby in the Ambulance! Shop shut! Once they arrived at the hospital Angela knew some of the midwives and felt reassured, she basically jumped on the bed and Oden was born! Angela again loved this birth experience. This pushed her harder to her work! Lacey Barratt Photography From here the conversation leads into the all important postpartum period and how Angela’s work is very much aligned with supporting this time. Angela and I talk about mothering, and how the impact of our perceptions of what it means to ‘mother’ I talked about my transition from maiden to motherhood and how I am still learning to ‘mother’ we both concurred that we both feel better as people and mothers when we are working on our selves as people and achieving our loving intentions in life. We finish up the podcast talking about Angela’s time in Mexico and the state of the maternity system there, this also leads us into the much needed conversations around maternity system in Australia and how we can come together as birth workers to create a more supportive environment for the all important pregnant mother’s. From Angela “When I first become pregnant there was a deep curiosity, interest and instinct that I never knew existed… It bubbled right to the surface”. “I was just so humbled and fascinated at what was happening in my body”. “After 45 hours of labour I well and truely felt like the phoenix rising from the ashes!” “I felt so powerful and capable after birth, I felt like I could do anything. Imagine if every women on this planet left her birth experience feeling that motivated, empowered, strong, capable and confident. Imagine what that would do to societal structure and  how this would ripple out to the rest of the world”. “Supported birth workers make better birth workers, better birth workers get better outcomes and experiences for the families they serve”. “One of the biggest reasons that I didn’t free birth was my fear of  my birth team being reprimanded, for birthing the way I wanted to birth”.  “I want to be a stellar person, that will make me a stellar Mum!”.  “Hopefully what I am doing will inspire my kids in a full authentic way to birth the way they want to”.  “It’s a very big illusion that we have childbirth choices in Australia”. “There is sometimes so much noise surrounding birth”. “What can I do to make sure that my children, if they do decide to have children, will be 100% supported, loved and respected”. SPECIAL INSIGHT AT ANGELA’S CREATIVITY IN BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY    Resources: Blissful Herbs – Julie Bell – http://melbournedoula.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/melbourne-doula-boutique.html Lacey Barratt Photography – https://laceybarratt.com.au Alison Bastain – http://www.flowersociety.org/alison-bastien.html Looking for a Doula in the Melbourne / Mornington Peninsula? –  http://angelagallo.com Birth workers support – http://angelagallo.com/heart-hustle/ Connect with Angela and BirthNerds: Website: http://angelagallo.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wombwarrior Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelawombwarrior/ About Angela My name is Angela Gallo and I am a Doula & Birth Photographer working out of Melbourne, Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula at large. Expecting a baby, feeling overwhelmed, and don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are bored or unnecessarily terrified from all of the grainy 80’s sex ed videos you’ve been forced to watch for information on birth? Need your own personal cheerleader to remind you of your super-woman-badass-birth-warrior skills? Are you looking for some real, honest, consistent, tough love to get you though one contraction at a time? Need the joy & clarity injected back into your birth story? Want a passionate, creative photographer to capture some your life’s rarest moments, on camera? Don’t fret, babe. You’ve got this. And I am right behind you. You’re in the right place.   SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post E40 – Womb Warrior Angela Gallo – Diving Deep into Lessons from Birth and Doula Life appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  The body moves when we birth inside and out we are dancing to the beat of the earth the woman roars and we become mother. After this interview with the amazing Talulah from Making Sacred, I felt all my senses heightened, I felt in awe of this journey and a closeness to all mothers, women, in what ever form. These four birth stories will truely take you on the road of transformation. Finding out how important we are in this process is crucial and Talulah shows us in each of her journeys, that, no matter what, support, care and love to the birthing mother is vital for us to grow. This podcast dives deeply into the cosmic womens mysteries and each with its own lesson that you will be sure to see the gifts that birth can bring. Look at the name Talulah and it signifies water. Look at Talulah near water and you will see why! Talulah and I connected via the Eight Seasons Journey with the School of Shamanic Womancraft. She is guiding our group in all the relevant womens mysteries, collectively together we are supporting and nurturing our truths. There is no wonder that I wanted to share her journeys, for as the podcast revels itself so will Talulah. We begin with her first birth journey with her now 14 year old boy Taj. Talulah talks about her family dynamic of a linage of shame for having babies out of wedlock, a pattern that brought a interesting outlook for Talulah growing up. Turns out she found out she was pregnant just days after she was engaged! How the healing path works! Talulah and her partner were after a home birth yet could not afford this at the time. They booked into the birth centre. Labour progressed and started and the journey progressed, they headed to the birth centre and it was closed! So they got admitted to the labour ward and after a internal examination they found an anterior lip. And as you can image this can go either one way or another depending on many things. Talulah was advised not to push for two hours and she describes this as a tough time as all she wanted to to was push, once she was given the green light she pushed out baby Taj in 15 minutes! After this they noticed tachycardia Taj ended up in NICU for four days. Talulah talks in the podcast about how the stay was and what her reflections and lesson were from this birth. After this birth Talulah just felt that ever needs a trained birth attendant at their birth. So she went on to do her Doula training while she was pregnancy with her second baby. At this time home birth opened up to her and they were ready, however during her doula training lots of fears come up she learned allot during the training yet realised that all the information made her realise what could go wrong. She held this information in for a long time and it all come out at 41 weeks which was a big release! Lessons here that pregnancy will bring many things up for us – talk it out! Talulah went into labour at 42 weeks and baby was born well into water 4 hours later. With breathing difficulties after the birth they decided to go to the hospital after baby was struggling with breathing and turned blue. They ended up having another NICU stay with baby Eden, he recovered well with no real explanation as why. We talk about the staff that because she was a hospital transfer from home birth she was not supported and lots of questions were raised about her birth choices. All in all Talulah felt fortunate that they had access to the hospital and things worked out the way they did. We talk here about Talulah’s Doula work and birth hypnosis. Mixing up with her life as a Ballet teacher, Talulah talks about the first time she worked as a Doula, I feel many of us Doulas can relate to the way she described the feeling of trying to just be present. So third birth Talulah was deliberating over birth options and where she felt most safe to do this. With her involvement with the homebirth community and Doula work she knew that she wanted to be at home. Yet there was some discussion about being at the birth centre after the last two experiences, however there was the risk again of the birth centre being closed. Fortunately they got into a home birth program with the hospital and they were delighted that they could have this support. They were delighted to find out they had a girl this time! Especially for a ballet mother! At 37 weeks they discovered that baby was breech, this caused a little stress, especially regarding the home birth, Talulah had a ECV done and this turned out to be successful. 42 weeks rolled around again and Talulah went into labour that night, one hour later baby Nina was born in what Talulah describes as feet stretched out and kicking her self out in a grand allegro! After this Talulah undertook her important work with the School of Shamanic Womancraft. She become pregnant again during her journey with the school, lots of things come up during this time including a vision quest where Talulah describes being solo for 3 days and 3 nights in the Australian bush. Talulah was eight months pregnant during this quest and she describes this as an opening experience. The birth was a posterior labour and Talulah talks about how this labour varied very differently from the others. She wanted and got a longer time birthing allowing the space to feel into the labour. Willow was born in the water at home and everything worked out beautifully, and Talulah explains the feelings of posterior and prodromal labour. Connecting and trusting in baby’s journey as well as Talulah’s. From Talulah “I learned from my first birth that I was incredibly strong”. “You got the birth your wanted and he got the care he needed”. “I felt peace and balance after the birth of my fourth daughter, family was complete.” “I dance every day, its been my practice every day for most of my life”. “Everyone is a student, Everyone is a teacher”. “Dance is where I can play with my kids”.  Resources: Check out Talulah and her tribe dancing on Instagram at the end of this post!  Home Birth Conference Australia – http://homebirthaustralia.org/06/07/2016/2016-sydney-homebirth-conference School of Shamanic Womancraft – http://schoolofshamanicwomancraft.com/about-the-school/ Blessingway Guide and other E-Books from Making Sacred – http://makingsacred.com/product-category/shop/ Connect with Talulah and Making Sacred: Website: http://makingsacred.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makingsacred/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingsacred/ About Talulah As a Mama of four beautiful children I am always learning, seeking and discovering ways to enrich our lives. I hold all sorts of roles in life- Doula, Childbirth Educator and Womens Mysteries Teacher, which covers Medicine Drum making, Teacher and Dreamer at the School of Shamanic Womancraft, Moon Circle workshops for Mothers and Maidens, Moon Circle for Women, and Songs of Sacred Circle. Also being a Women’s Mysteries Teacher is about honouring Women at all their altars of transformation- birth, menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and death. My passion for birth began with the birth of my first baby, it was an amazing experience and I wanted to learn all I could. That led me to the School of Shamanic Womancraft where I went deep sea diving into who I was and why I was here.. the Mermaid journey continues. We are an urban living family from Sydney, Australia, though our house looks over national park and we have many wild bird and animal visitors every day. Our children attend Steiner school, so they too are immersed in nature in the bushland of Sydney’s North Shore. We hope one day to go coastal bush.. until then we are very blessed with our home and school life. Sydney is not your average city, we are surrounded with sea and bushland, especially here in the north. This blog is a space for me to share information, workshops, stories, beauty and resources with women, friends and anyone seeking a sacred life! SaveSave The post E39 – Making Sacred-Transversing Through the Dance of Birth-4 Birth Stories-Hospital Home & NICU appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  Ever wondered what happens in the mind of a psychologist while giving birth? I do! You gotta love the mind in birth. This show delves into an induction process with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes with a real positive outlook on this birth. How would you feel when facing this? This show we are joined with Dr. Erin Bowe, even better Erin is also a Hypnobirthing practitioner! Lots of developments and changes in this story. Also hear how Erin helped integrate her dogs with a new baby in the house. This episode is great insight into parenting, Hypnobirthing, emotional birth language and how you can better frame a process such as induction. Erin wanted to really share this story to inspire others that you can do it! We had a lot of laughter in this episode and Erin begins to show us some background into her growth as a Psychologist. Erin talks about her early miscarriage and how they managed to become pregnant quite soon after. Erin knew the feeling that this was right and things were going so well with the pregnancy until she rocked up for the GD test, the diagnosis was positive. Erin offers some good insight into the reactions from her surrounding community on gestational diabetes and what a body should look like. Erin got a little peeved with this so she actually went and wrote an article (see resources)! Great vent! So heading into the last past of the pregnancy, things were travelling well and Erin was testing daily with the diagnosis. Not so much emphasis was placed on this which helped Erin enjoy the pregnancy. So close to the 41 week mark an induction was booked, with all the intention that Erin would birth well before then. The day rolls around and things had to shift, acceptance of this had to be made. Erin really found some strategies to relax into this process and start to look forward to the induction. The path of least resistance was chosen. Now before this Erin was interested in the Hypnobirthing method, so instead of just doing the course she decided to go the whole way and train as a practitioner! Erin got so into this training she really felt that if she did not have this during the induction it may have looked a whole lot different. So the morning of induction Erin was up at 5am. And this is what she remembers to pull her into a great headspace. The sky was pink, rose candy pink as Erin describes and with this Erin said ‘today is the day that I am going to meet my little girl’. She was excited, and this set the outlook going in for the induction process. So the induction process began and things were progressing well and Erin felt supported by the midwives. 10am and Erin was already to go inward and change her breathing. The support from her husband was all that essential spectrum that Erin needed, the familiarity was such a comfort to Erin especially when she suspected that she was heading into transition. Things moved fast and well and Erin can credit the Hypnobirthing in these stages. She describes her self as being rather quiet. Then during the stage of pushing baby Erin becomes vocal and identifies with her voice during this. Silly songs come to Erin and we have a good laugh at the timing of Johnny Cash ‘Ring of fire’! Baby was born not long after, with a few manurers with a nuchal hand she come into Erin’s arms and Erin’s first words to baby were ‘happy birthday’ she then went to thank everyone in the room for coming! We talk postpartum here and how things shaped for Erin in the intermediate time following birth. We have the important talk on Erin’s work and focus on birth trauma, this is a great discussion into how we can better support women physiologically and emotionally. From Erin “It’s amazing what works out in life when you are hopeful and positive”. “The transformative part of becoming a mother is that you learn how to better stand up for yourself”. “It’s a snapshot of your life for nine months, then you give birth.” “These are skills that we pass to each generation so that they can see birth as a normal process”. “I hope that future generations don’t have this anxiety around birth”. “With the birth language based around failure, it is understandable why there is allot of missed support”. “It has to be about what that women is experiencing and what she has to express”. Resources: Erins Article on perceptions on size of baby and gestational diabetes – http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/birth/stages-of-labour/the-truth-about-birthing-a-big-baby-20150619-ghs8j1 Hypnobirthing – https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au Can you reverse a positive group strep B result without antibiotics? –http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/can-you-reverse-a-positive-group-strep-b-result-without-antibiotics-20150813-40ym9 More articles from Erin – https://www.doctorerin.com.au/writing-media/ Book – Tell your dog you are pregnant – https://www.bookdepository.com/Tell-Your-Dog-Youre-Pregnant-Lewis-Kirkham/9780987053060 Connect with Dr. Erin Bowe: Website: www.doctorerin.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/doctorerinpsych/ Instagram: @doctorerinbowehypnobirthing   About Erin Hi, I’m Dr Erin Bowe. I’m a Clinical/Perinatal Psychologist, freelance writer, and general birth nerd living in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria. I am a Mum to one happy little Hypnobub, and have another on the way, so I’m chronically sleep deprived, but I shuffle my work time between pregnancy and general counselling, birth trauma debriefing, psychologist supervision, and teaching Hypnobirthing Australia classes. As a freelance writer, I write about pregnancy, parenting, child/adolescent mental health, relationships and women’s health. I also provide expert comment for media articles. I have over 10 years experience working in private practice assisting women and families with perinatal support before and during pregnancy, and even postpartum with parent coaching and child/adolescent mental health. I love helping women with the general guilt-fest that is mothering. I’ve always enjoyed variety in work, and my logo, a hydrangea was designed to reflect this. The flower  symbolises heartfelt emotions. It can be used to express gratitude for being understood. Whether it’s psychology work, teaching hypnobirthing, mentoring students or writing, I bring passion to what I do. When something is a passion, I think we tend to filter the way in which we see the world through that passion. I had this confirmed only recently when one of my friends posted an article on Facebook that peaked my interest. The title was something like ‘Gas or Induction – which method is best?’. Being a single, hipster guy in his 50s, I was initially a little surprised he’d posted an article about birth, but I was intrigued. See, I’d just automatically assumed it was about birth and not cook-tops…oops. I grew up on the apple isle in a city (yes, technically Devonport is a city) once described by Lonely Planet as a “sedentary, mildly menacing place”. I then moved to Hobart for university where I managed to live in not just one, but two houses where a murder-suicide was committed. I finally made the decision to move from St Kilda to the country when I came home one day, exhausted and suffering with morning sickness to find not just one but five men urinating on my front gate! Sadly, I can only speak one language but convince myself I can actually speak two, because I don’t need the subtitles on for Ken Loach movies. I grew up playing English interpreter for Glaswegian parents, but I cannot roll my ‘R’s. My experience in psychology is pretty wide ranging. I’ve worked with people as young as 9 months and as old as 90 years. There have been mums, murderers, Olympic athletes, chess champions, sex workers, and CEOs. I believe that everyone has a story, and am always interested in listening to yours.   SaveSave The post E38 – A Psychologist’s Birth Story – Induction Gestational Diabetes Positive Hypnobirth Story appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

  Ever wondered what happens in the mind of a phycologist while giving birth? I do! You gotta love the mind in birth. This show delves into an induction process with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes with a real positive outlook on this birth. How would you feel when facing this? This show we are joined with Dr. Erin Bowe, even better Erin is also a Hypnobirthing practitioner! Lots of developments and changes in this story. Also hear how Erin helped integrate her dogs with a new baby in the house. This episode is great insight into parenting, Hypnobirthing, emotional birth language and how you can better frame a process such as induction. Erin wanted to really share this story to inspire others that you can do it! We had a lot of laughter in this episode and Erin begins to show us some background into her growth as a phycologist. Erin talks about her early miscarriage and how they managed to become pregnant quite soon after. Erin knew the feeling that this was right and things were going so well with the pregnancy until she rocked up for the GD test, the diagnosis was positive. Erin offers some good insight into the reactions from her surrounding community on gestational diabetes and what a body should look like. Erin got a little peeved with this so she actually went and wrote an article (see resources)! Great vent! So heading into the last past of the pregnancy, things were travelling well and Erin was testing daily with the diagnosis. Not so much emphasis was placed on this which helped Erin enjoy the pregnancy. So close to the 41 week mark an induction was booked, with all the intention that Erin would birth well before then. The day rolls around and things had to shift, acceptance of this had to be made. Erin really found some strategies to relax into this process and start to look forward to the induction. The path of least resistance was chosen. Now before this Erin was interested in the Hypnobirthing method, so instead of just doing the course she decided to go the whole way and train as a practitioner! Erin got so into this training she really felt that if she did not have this during the induction it may have looked a whole lot different. So the morning of induction Erin was up at 5am. And this is what she remembers to pull her into a great headspace. The sky was pink, rose candy pink as Erin describes and with this Erin said ‘today is the day that I am going to meet my little girl’. She was excited, and this set the outlook going in for the induction process. So the induction process began and things were progressing well and Erin felt supported by the midwives. 10am and Erin was already to go inward and change her breathing. The support from her husband was all that essential spectrum that Erin needed, the familiarity was such a comfort to Erin especially when she suspected that she was heading into transition. Things moved fast and well and Erin can credit the Hypnobirthing in these stages. She describes her self as being rather quiet. Then during the stage of pushing baby Erin becomes vocal and identifies with her voice during this. Silly songs come to Erin and we have a good laugh at the timing of Johnny Cash ‘Ring of fire’! Baby was born not long after, with a few manurers with a nuchal hand she come into Erin’s arms and Erin’s first words to baby were ‘happy birthday’ she then went to thank everyone in the room for coming! We talk postpartum here and how things shaped for Erin in the intermediate time following birth. We have the important talk on Erin’s work and focus on birth trauma, this is a great discussion into how we can better support women physiologically and emotionally. From Erin “It’s amazing what works out in life when you are hopeful and positive”. “The transformative part of becoming a mother is that you learn how to better stand up for yourself”. “It’s a snapshot of your life for nine months, then you give birth.” “These are skills that we pass to each generation so that they can see birth as a normal process”. “I hope that future generations don’t have this anxiety around birth”. “With the birth language based around failure, it is understandable why there is allot of missed support”. “It has to be about what that women is experiencing and what she has to express”. Resources: Erins Article on perceptions on size of baby and gestational diabetes – http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/birth/stages-of-labour/the-truth-about-birthing-a-big-baby-20150619-ghs8j1 Hypnobirthing – https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au Can you reverse a positive group strep B result without antibiotics? –http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/can-you-reverse-a-positive-group-strep-b-result-without-antibiotics-20150813-40ym9 More articles from Erin – https://www.doctorerin.com.au/writing-media/ Book – Tell your dog you are pregnant – https://www.bookdepository.com/Tell-Your-Dog-Youre-Pregnant-Lewis-Kirkham/9780987053060 Connect with Dr. Erin Bowe: Website: www.doctorerin.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/doctorerinpsych/ Instagram: @doctorerinbowehypnobirthing   About Erin Hi, I’m Dr Erin Bowe. I’m a Clinical/Perinatal Psychologist, freelance writer, and general birth nerd living in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria. I am a Mum to one happy little Hypnobub, and have another on the way, so I’m chronically sleep deprived, but I shuffle my work time between pregnancy and general counselling, birth trauma debriefing, psychologist supervision, and teaching Hypnobirthing Australia classes. As a freelance writer, I write about pregnancy, parenting, child/adolescent mental health, relationships and women’s health. I also provide expert comment for media articles. I have over 10 years experience working in private practice assisting women and families with perinatal support before and during pregnancy, and even postpartum with parent coaching and child/adolescent mental health. I love helping women with the general guilt-fest that is mothering. I’ve always enjoyed variety in work, and my logo, a hydrangea was designed to reflect this. The flower  symbolises heartfelt emotions. It can be used to express gratitude for being understood. Whether it’s psychology work, teaching hypnobirthing, mentoring students or writing, I bring passion to what I do. When something is a passion, I think we tend to filter the way in which we see the world through that passion. I had this confirmed only recently when one of my friends posted an article on Facebook that peaked my interest. The title was something like ‘Gas or Induction – which method is best?’. Being a single, hipster guy in his 50s, I was initially a little surprised he’d posted an article about birth, but I was intrigued. See, I’d just automatically assumed it was about birth and not cook-tops…oops. I grew up on the apple isle in a city (yes, technically Devonport is a city) once described by Lonely Planet as a “sedentary, mildly menacing place”. I then moved to Hobart for university where I managed to live in not just one, but two houses where a murder-suicide was committed. I finally made the decision to move from St Kilda to the country when I came home one day, exhausted and suffering with morning sickness to find not just one but five men urinating on my front gate! Sadly, I can only speak one language but convince myself I can actually speak two, because I don’t need the subtitles on for Ken Loach movies. I grew up playing English interpreter for Glaswegian parents, but I cannot roll my ‘R’s. My experience in psychology is pretty wide ranging. I’ve worked with people as young as 9 months and as old as 90 years. There have been mums, murderers, Olympic athletes, chess champions, sex workers, and CEOs. I believe that everyone has a story, and am always interested in listening to yours.   The post E38 – A Physiologist’s Birth Story – Induction Gestational Diabetes Positive Hypnobirth Story appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

When we look at serving women in the sense of a traditional midwife what do we see? Our modern version of a midwife is perhaps rather distanced from the true ‘with woman’ perspective. Traditionally ‘call the midwife’ was in that literal sense; birth, death and in between, the midwife the red tent, the with woman and the feminine. This podcast I am so delighted to talk with this amazing woman Jenny Blyth. Jenny is a co-founder of Birth work, Author and producer of some amazing materials covering all things maternity care. Jenny talks about her 40 years experience and how by picking up a copy of Spiritual Midwifery in 1980 may have changed her life. Jenny begins her story by talking about the pregnancy and birth of her first daughter some 37 years ago, as you can imagine things were very different back then. Jenny saw home birth as a very new concept in the Sunshine Coast Area of Australia, yet she knew that she wanted something more than the norm. The first appointment she had with her doctor was completely supported by her doctor showing empathy in the fact that she wanted to birth at home. Jenny also found a copy of Ina May Gaskin’s book Spiritual Midwifery. This book was only in publication for a few years, was fresh off the shelf and Jenny found this may have paved the way to where she is today. So Jenny planned home birth, they planned this at her mothers place that had a phone and was closer to the hospital. However, things eventuated in a different light, baby become before they expected and they were not at her mothers place so they drove straight to the hospital and had baby with 2 hours. Now think of birth in the 80’s you usually stayed at the hospital for at least a week. However Jenny was home within a few hours. They felt safe and comfortable to go home. Really interesting to hear this journey for her first birth. We talked about death and birth and the creations of the altered states around these. Deep connections, with baby is profound and this travels to the realm of death to. Supported and allowed to this space to really feel into these altered biological states. Next pregnancy for Jenny saw her learning massage and body manipulation training. She was finding that around the community there was not much acknowledgement and support around the body experience and the amazing nature of what birth could bring. With out trying to throw her own experience into this Jenny talked to many women. Jenny witnessed her first birth as an assistant with her friend and how this extended into her next birth journey. This birth had a lot of masculine energy with 3 men present. Jenny describes this as being comfortable with this and it was a wonderful experience. We talk about Jenny’s journey apprenticing with a home birth midwifes around the mid to late 80’s. Jenny was learning skills from this midwife that she could use to better prepare women in their pregnancy journeys. Third baby saw another birth at home and this time Jenny felt very fine for it to be just the children and her partner and she was completely OK with this. Her five year old daughter at the time held the torch for Jenny while she birthed, having siblings at the birth was well remembered by Jenny as a profound experience. We talk about her daughter now with her own children and how being a part of ‘normal birth’ how this shaped her perceptions into her own birth journeys. Jenny talks about the deep emotional impact of seeing her daughter grow her baby in her womb and being present at her birth. We talk then about Jenny’s birth projects books and film Birthwork, Down to Earth Birth Book, The Big Stretch and A World of Birth workers. Birthwork was the first publication that was really about all the experiences that Jenny encountered that we may not seem to be talking about. These projects were essentially a download of Jenny’s work and experience. She self published and found it was an easier process in regards to editing. We finish up the episode dipping into Jenny’s wisdom and experience on birth. All goodness that has gone into her wisdom over the past near 40 years!     From Jenny “When you feel really blessed and fortunate in life, there is a real capacity to want to give back to others”. “This will be the most intensely uncomfortable body experience that you ever have in your life”. “Intense body experience then WOW!”. “Birth opens your energy field to understand what it is to be human”. “Seeing my daughter growing her belly and becoming a mother her self.” “I don’t have anger towards the system, its just something that has evolved”. Resources: World Birth Hub – Stream Jenny’s DVD and Networking – http://worldbirthhub.com Birthwork & Down to Earth Books – http://birthwork.com/birthwork-shop/ Dianna Paul Movies and Resources – http://www.lovedelivers.org Connect with Jenny: Website: http://birthwork.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birthwork-214774115231058/ About Jenny I’ve been working with natural birth for over 30 years, supporting women through pregnancy, birth and early parenting in SE Queensland, Australia. I am endlessly inspired by the mothers and families I serve; by ongoing interest in bodywork and touch; by Buddhist philosophy and psychology; and by the fact of our precious existence on our precious planet. In 1994 I initiated the annual Women’s Dreaming Camp – designed to cultivate joy and self-expression through combining eco and adventure therapy with performance and creative art. It has been running now for 18 years. For the last 10 years I have presented Birthwork Workshops. These wisdom-in-action workshops explore the many facets of working with birth. They also promote the reality of peaceful and compassionate birth through growing self-awareness & skills. They are open to midwives, doulas, parents-to-be, and bodyworkers – in fact anybody! I also run Birthwork Workshops with the wonderful Fiona Hallinan. Together we facilitate the experiential Parts 1 & 2 – Creative Ways of Making Space for the Baby. We love teaching together, and we enjoy the immensely rewarding dynamic created by having a mix of professionals and parents and support people – interacting, touching, and communicating with each other. We are also excited to be passing on what has been invaluable to us. With filmmaker Alieta Belle, I have co-created 2 films about natural birth called The Big Stretch and The Big Stretch Sequel. My two books Birthwork and The Down to Earth Birth Book came about because when I’m not driving about the countryside, I live a quiet life in the bush. And I also happen to be methodical. Both these conditions are conducive to picking away at projects uninterrupted. My life partner Warren and I now have 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post E37-Birthwork Jenny Blyth’s Journeys-Birth in the 80’s Liberated Hospital and Home Births appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

I truly know there is no coincides in life, there is a sure reason that I have another story back to back to show how variable our estimated due dates really are. If you have not listened to episode 35, then go check it out after this amazing story. I love sharing these journeys where a family have taken responsibility of their decisions, are supported around that, listened within and birthed their baby at 42.5 weeks. Even better this story is a first time mother, and, typically its the first time mothers that will fall into the anxious time after 40 weeks, especially when that word inductions comes to play. This story is a lovely, sweet gentle birth journey very inspiring for first time mothers! Kristen is also a mental health worker, focusing her work on sexual trauma, we have a conversation at the end here on the correlations of abuse and trauma and pregnancy and birth. We begin this story with the family dynamics. Kristin is still in her baby bubble, with Harvey being only 6 weeks at the time of recording. They had a long journey into trying to conceive, after seeing fertility specialist and having a range of tests they found out they were pregnant! We talked here about how they may have been trying to much and were not enjoying the process, so they took a different approach and begin to book trips away and bam  enter baby! Kristen’s pregnancy went relatively well, she found a great relationship with her midwife. She and her partner Mitch attended a calm birth course, they found this to be exceptional in embracing pregnancy and especially for her partner Mitch to understand the process. We talked about what it looks like to choose home birth as first time parents, discussing Mitch’s  and Kristen’s experience of birth prior to becoming pregnant. Kristen described all the hesitations they had, how they researched and come to the place of being confident that it was their decision. So they felt confident in their process. Supported by her Husband So 40 weeks rolled over, Kristen was feeling rather good. Apart from the phone calls and messages asking if the ‘baby has come yet’ , she was going about her day as normal as you could. She was well nested with the bits and bobs you can do for a home birth preparation.  So 41 weeks arrived and the questions started coming to Kristen about what she is going to do being so far over already. This changed allot for her and started to really go inward away from the people that were asking and giving out pressure. Kristen talks about the difficulty of wanting to sit with her instincts yet having the anxiety creeping in of other people around her, she stopped going for walks and responding to many people. So 42 weeks! Kristen talks about her mother going into labour at 42 weeks. Kristen went for a scan at the 42 week mark and every thing was looking AYE OK. Kristen describes walking out of the scan feeling the same elation as when they found out they were pregnant, she felt relief. Convinced that she was going to have her baby before easter she spent some time talking with the midwife again about what things would look like at 43 weeks. They made a plan, after 43 weeks Kristen will book in for induction. She got home that day and got right into the things that she never said she would do, Kristen was ready to try and get things moving at 42.5 weeks,  she was home bouncing on an exercise ball, drinking raspberry leaf tea, eating pineapple and cooking a hot curry! That evening she woke with dull pains, the excitement hit and she knew that this was now happening. She could not sleep so sat up all night and by the morning things fizzled out. They took a beautiful walk in the village that morning and described this as a great experience for them both. They come home and things picked up again, she tired to sleep, yet ended up having a nice day pottering, eating, just being. Things got stronger and by 3pm in the afternoon they phoned the midwife and run a bath. Got more regular and more intense and Kristen describes the feeling of getting into that magic water! She relaxed into the bath and used her breathing exercises and tired to keep the visualisations to. One of the strongest images that Kristen saw was her being underneath a wave and then diving under, holding onto the sand and the wave coming over her. Around 7pm Kristen reflects that she must of been approaching transition as she vomited, she describes being excited about this! Kristen found when she hopped out of the water things become more effective for her. Pushing for a bout an hour Kristen pushed her baby out and describes this as such a timeless experience. So 20 hours later Harvey was born and they were all laying there on the bed in love! We talked postpartum and the journey after the birth for them both. There was some complications that we talked about being prolapse and talked about how they are managing this with the support around them. Little Harvey – 6 weeks       We finish the conversation by talking about Kristen’s work specialising in sexual assault. She works in private practice and we talk about how sexual assault can be re-triggered during birth. We talk about awareness around this and how we need to find ways to support women that may have difficulty in the changes of the body and the sensations. From Kristen “You can’t control anything, you just have to wait”. “Birth is a very normal process”. “This is intense, but I can do anything”. “Its about women finding they have a voice and how to use that”. “My lesson is to trust instinct, then find the research to back that”. “I Trust what I know, then educate myself”. Resources: Calmbirth – Great for partners to – https://calmbirth.com.au Ina May’s – A Guide to Childbirth – https://www.amazon.com/Ina-Mays-Guide-Childbirth-Gaskin/dp/0553381156 http://www.homebirth.org.uk/overdue.htm Article – Gail Hart – A Timely Birth – https://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/timely.asp Connect with Kristen: Website: http://www.kristencampbell.com.au   SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave The post E36 – More on EDD Listening to Instinct – 42.5 Week Home Birth Story First Baby appeared first on The Circle of Birth.

How do we all approach our EDD, I am sure most of us coming on and past this time find the upwelling of anxiety, talk of inductions, cesarian sections and missed out opportunities for home birth. Also the feeling of being ‘over it’ is common, first time mothers may find this unbearable and then all of a sudden you can slip into to major worry. Step in Jessica! This episode is so so inspiring! Have a look at what the 40 to 44 weeks look like, see how Jessica truly went within and used the guidance from her midwife and hospital staff to make sure she and baby were on common agreement that the time will come. First we talk about Jessica’s first birth experience, talks about a very intense induction experience that was 10 days after her due date. Jessica after this birth went through postnatal depression and also took her at least 6 months to bond with her first born. This experience guided Jessica into more birth options heading towards her next pregnancy. Jessica decided that home birth would be the best option for her and the family so with her next baby she birthed at home at 41 weeks. Her next birth saw a 1.5 hour labour at home at 42 weeks. Can you see something forming here? Jessica in the first trimester went through some horrific morning sickness and was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravardium not much worked, she had to basically ride it out, Jessica described loosing 9 kg in the first trimester. Jessica at 32 weeks had a lovely blessing way which was all about the mother and nurturing her into her pregnancy journey and into her birth. She had some really cool things done for her including beads, affirmations and massage and collective wisdom of wise women! 40 weeks arrived and so did the school holidays, Jessica somewhat knew that she was not going into birth anytime soon, and the school holidays was a very inward time, especially for the randoms that love to ask when the baby is coming. So 42 weeks come also and Jessica was still very much in the ready when you are time, walks on the beach and constant chat with her ‘belly dweller’. 43 weeks and Jessica suddenly woke with a few ‘why’s’ – Why am I still pregnant, Im still trusting but this is no good! Jessica was feeling massive, bladder was aching and she was ready to have a few ‘tanty’s’! . Jessica describes it the more you remove the attachment of my fault, my body does not work etc etc the gentler the experience can be on your body. Jessica had a biophysical profile done during this time, this was suggested by her midwife, the results were great. No signs of distress, no loss of fluid. Jessica decided to get a photo printed and put this on the side of the birth pool. She consented to a stretch and sweep coming onto the 44 week mark. This increased the Braxton hick type contractions for a brief amount of time, however was not really bringing anything on. She was visiting the chiropractor every second day and she found that there was this point at 44 weeks that she was really over it all and decided that she needed to ‘Just be with it’. Jessica woke in the morning at 44 weeks, she had a rock hard belly and was really now over being pregnant! She had this day where her partner went grocery shopping with the kids, she met a friend and had a good little cry about everything that was coming up. After this she felt very calm and ready to birth her baby, sounds like a big release happened. On the way home her midwife phoned and told her the hospital would not give her a elective cesarian and they wanted her to come in and have an induction with her waters being broken, now if you can remember this is birth trauma about to be triggered. Jessica decided this was not safe for her. So enter the midwife with what could be one last draw card Clary Sage oil. The midwife arrived that afternoon and rubbed a considerable amount of the clary sage. Seven minutes later Jessica got her first surge! And not long after a few surges Jessica did her first vomit, this Jessica describes at cathartic, she knows when this happens that her babies are not long off! Her husband shot up and was quick to prepare for the impending birth. She laboured well in the bedroom with the her 2 year old daughter, in which Jessica enjoyed having around. Jessica was so happy that she was in labour that she really did not care about many minor details, like taking her pants off! Things were looking productive and even though it was very intense from the moment that the midwife placed the clary sage oil over Jessica, this was looking and feeling good. After hopping in the pool, Jessica knew that soon it was time to start pushing. After her comments ‘I need to poo’ she could feel her baby moving down and she could feel a bubble where her baby was still in the sac, this was such an amazing feeling for Jessica. The head was born and the waters broke simultaneously. And this is the best part of listening to this story as you really cant describe this in words! Baby had vernix and no meconium, Jessica was in euphoria, high as a kite and in complete awe. She hopped out of the pool to birth the placenta, and baby was becoming pink and beautiful. And then they looked and found they just had another girl! Placenta was born and it was in great condition, no calcification. So the labour in total was 2.5 hours. Not that quick according to Jess! So they all snuggled into bed. Whats Jessica’s theory? I was so curious to ask her… Have a listen, yet basically we are all unique right? Yes, we are all different and so our are pregnancies and birth. From Jessica “When it come to my first birth a felt like a piece of meat” . “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. “I just had to be with it”. “This is my body and my choice and I am ok with that”. “She was born at 1 day shy of 44 weeks, against so many odds – covered in vernix, with clear waters. She was born at home surrounded by all the people that loved her the most”. “My baby clearly knew all along the exact perfect moment to be born”. “It just goes to show that we as humans never stop learning, ever, and so often the best lessons are hidden in places that we are often too fearful or busy or hesitant to explore”. “Our instinct is to shove away discomfort, however it with be with it thats when we can learn the real lessons and experience”. “In our pregnancies there is not one size fits all. Its all different and its all unique “. Resources: Jessica’s blog on the 44 week pregnancy’ – http://girltribe.net/index.php/2016/02/05/nells-emergence-a-birth-story-after-a-44-week-long-pregnancy/ Home Birth Qld – http://www.homebirth.org.au Jessica’s article on Kid Spot – Shout out to all women who loved their births – http://www.kidspot.com.au/birth/labour/real-life/a-shout-out-to-all-the-women-who-loved-their-births Connect with Jessica: Website: http://girltribe.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirltribe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girl.tribe/ Hello! I’m Jessica. I’m the passionate, honest Writer and Owner of GirlTribe. I live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast with my wonderful husband and our four spirited daughters. Two of our daughters have autism (ASD) along with my husband and two of our daughters don’t. They’re all wonderful. Together we are raising strong daughters who we encourage to question the status quo and challenge gender stereotypes. We want our girls to be bold in their rhythm and embrace difference and neuro-diversity. I really enjoy eating cornchips, fitting in yoga where I can, cooking delicious curries and getting beach therapy whenever I can. I hate coriander and general ignorance. The post E35 Cracking the EDD Myth Home Birth at 44 Weeks Inspiring Story From GirlTribe Writer Jessica appeared first on The Circle of Birth.