Episodes
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In her midwife’s words “that was a textbook f***ing birth”. This is a powerful story from a courgeous, fearless Kiki who was exceptionally determined to have her HBACx2 (home birth after 2 c sections) and she did!
To put her story into perspective we hear about her first traumatic birth, a crash c section in an Australian hospital (skip this part if you don’t feel up to hearing anything traumatic), her following elective c-section and then why it felt so important to claim her power to achieve a homebirth.
We cover her hunt for a midwife, her realisation and then ability to say “No” and the resulting increasing pressure and challenges as a result of not fully complying. Kiki shares how the more research she did the more empowered she felt, this lead to increased confidence and trust in her body and baby.
There were some hard conversations with husband Adam about what she wanted to do, how she managed to get him on board and onto the same page. Then at 38 weeks something big happened where Kiki found herself without a midwife. But as one door shut on her a whole number of windows opened and here we find ourselves listening to Kiki talk about the most wonderful collective of wise women who gathered around and held her and I want you to hear what happens after that…
Spoiler alert she gets exactly the birth she wants…… This is an exceptionally epic, powerful, incredible, uplifting story. Truly a story for ALL mothers to hear whether you’re having your first baby or your last. A story of one mother standing up for not only herself but all women who also want a peaceful homebirth surrounded with love and support.
Resources mentioned in this episode
Carla Sargent: www.healingbirth.co.nz
Sara Wickham, Rachel Reed, Sarah J Buckley, The Maternity Services Consumer Council
https://maternity.org.nz/
Documentary: Born at Home
Documentary: Birthtime
If you'd like to learn the skills Kiki and Adam learnt in their hypnobirthing course, check out all your options at www.positivebirths.co.nz
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Two difficult births – one traumatic making Alisha feel that she didn’t want to do it again and the other a positive experience – we speak 6 weeks after August’s birth and she says she’d happily give birth again.
So what is the difference between a traumatic birth and a positive birth even when they are both difficult? This is what Alisha talks about.
She shares about the difference between obstetrician care and midwifery care and especially how the hospital midwife made her feel in her first birth vs how her midwife made her feel in her second birth.
We hear about her healing from her first birth, what Alisha did which includes an explanation of yoni mapping and subsequent release of trauma.
There was the diagnosis of an LGA baby – a big baby which changed her options of preferred birth place – providing an opportunity for more healing and releasing.
This episode almost serves as a fascinating insight to theway our brains perceive experiences, how we all have unique experiences, and most importantly that the way we feel has so much impact on our experience.
If you too would like to learn some tools and techniques to help you prepare for a positive birth, or, you have some trauma to release and you’d like to chat about how hypnotherapy can help with that, check out infoand resources on www.positivebirths.co.nz.You can also email Helen at [email protected] book in a 15 min free chat to discuss how you can best prepare for your birth journey.
Mentioned in the episode : Morgan Penn Somatic Sexologist: www.morganpenn.co.nz
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Missing episodes?
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To acknowledge Baby Loss Awareness week, Autumnshares her loss of her baby girl Hope at 21 weeks and 2 days just over a year ago.
She takes us through the long process that started around 16 weeks and led to the live birth of her baby weighing just 13 ounces / 368 grams.
Autumn explains how she feels about it a year later, her grief process, the emotions, the physicality of what was going on with her body and the support.
We hear about what has been helpful to receive from others and most beautifully Autumn shares with us all thethings she has learnt and incorporated into her life thanks to Hope.
The website Autumn mentions in this episode is
https://stillbirthday.com/
If you too have experienced a miscarriage, a loss, atraumatic event, and like support on your healing process, please feel free to reach out to me to find out more about how I work and what I do with traumainformed hypnotherapy techniques.
You can also find my free miscarriage healing relaxationtrack on www.positivebirths.co.nz/miscarriage-healing/
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To acknowledge Baby Loss Awareness week this episode is a chat with Arlene about her miscarriage at 10 weeks pregnant which occurred only 10 days prior to us talking.
Arlene graciously speaks of how she is feeling mentally,emotionally and physically at this point in time, her choice and conviction to stay away from any medical assistance and how she is already able to look at the miscarriage from a broader perspective, as she shares the silver linings of the magnificence of her body and what she’s gained from this experience.
Experienced with working with woman with trauma, Arlene shares her wisdom about the benefits of feeling feelings and moving through her emotions.
If you too have experienced a miscarriage, a loss, atraumatic event, and like support on your healing process, please feel free to reach out to me to find out more about how I work and what I do with traumainformed hypnotherapy techniques.
You can also find my free miscarriage healing relaxationtrack on www.positivebirths.co.nz/miscarriage-healing/
Mentioned in this episode is the valuable resources from www.miscarriagematters.org.nz
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To mark Baby Loss Awareness week in this episode we chat to Eliza about her miscarriage early on in her first pregnancy on Christmas Day 2023.
She shares with us all that was going on at that busy time – being away, surrounded by family, having overseas visitors all the while navigating the heartbreak of losing this baby.
There are many layers to her experience, and in her own words “it just gets juicier” as we hear about her month long ordeal. Eliza has many different interactions with medical professionals, and shares the particularly insensitive comment from a supposed friend.
While an episode like this is not sought out as “entertainment”, Eliza is an exceptionally good storyteller, and it’s quite the tale to hear - you’ll be richer and wiser for having listened.
If you too have experienced a miscarriage, a loss, a traumatic event, and like support on your healing process, please feel free to reach out to me to find out more about how I work and what I do with trauma informed hypnotherapy techniques.
You can also find my free miscarriage healing relaxation track on www.positivebirths.co.nz/miscarriage-healing/
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Another fast 1st birth story. Aime was expecting a long drawn out labour with plenty of time to get sorted, pack things and relax into her early labour.
Nature had other plans and she discovered she was completely capable of birthing naturally and smoothly.
Coming from South Africa with a culture of C Section being a very normal way to birth, Amie tells us how she was very happy to have a c section at week 41 as opposed to induction and you’ll hear us talk about why that probably is - but Oscar and her body were having none of that. In a 3 hour established labour they only just made it to the birth centre in time for baby to be born en caul (still in the amniotic sac) in the water!
Aime talks about how she could just let her body do what it needed to do through the process of getting baby down through the birth path, how Lewis was her rock and how what the sonographer said to her at her 20 week scan could have thrown her off path – but didn’t – but it wasn’t even correct anyway.
Welcome to another positive birth story, if you too would like to prepare mentally and emotionally, have tools to use, to release your fears check out all the options at www.positivebirths.co.nz
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A fast, intense first labour, holding baby in under 4 hours, Ashleigh shares with us her incredible experience and says "I want to relive it everyday."
We chat when baby Adaline is only 2 weeks old so this is a super fresh, super lovely story of a mum who was able to cope beautifully during a very different type of birth she had imagined.
Luckily Ashleigh had practised all her hypnobirthing breathing techniques - she had spent her pregnancy listening to the stories on this podcast but at 40+2 realised she really needed to know more about HOW to use breathing and relaxation. She jumped onto the Short & Sweet Online Positive Births hypnobirthing course, binged watched it and had nailed it by the afternoon.
Two days later she was holding her baby girl with an amazing story to share.
You too can get hold of a Positive Births online recorded course at www.positivebirths.co.nz
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If you’re looking for a story from a mum navigating Gestational Diabetes this is a story for you.
While Gestational Diabetes was a part of Francie’s family history it was still as shock to receive the diagnosis, so Francie talks about her experience of how it impacted her life in pregnancy and ultimately shaped her birth story.
Francie had experience with hypnotherapy so naturally she knew the hypnobirthing techniques made total sense to her and she knew it was important to practise the tools. She shares about finding opportunites to use the practise in her pregnancy and how she was able to benefit from and make the most of an unexpected visit to the hospital at 38 weeks.
Induction was a choice she was happy with just after 40 weeks – you’ll hear how we mention a particular past episode on the podcast that was most inspiring for Francie (details are below).
Francie shares the important message around language having a huge impact on your body and being confident and accepting of whatever happened in her journey.
If you too would like to learn specific tools and techniques beneficial for your pregnancy, birth (and life beyond too) check out the resources and range of course options at www.positivebirths.co.nz
Podcast episode mentioned : Jess’ experience of PUPPS, positive induction and hospital birth to Will.
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How do you process a birth that didn’t initially feel “positive”?
As Sophie shares, the theme of her story is about releasing control and the idea of perfection.
8 weeks after giving birth Sophie reflects on her long listof things that she is very proud of about how she worked through her birth. We discuss that the traumatic part of her birth was a part that she really had no controlover (large baby’s head positioning, episotomy, kiwicup delivery, 3rd degree tear and having to wait 11 hours to get into theatre for suturing)
She was proud of declining extra scans, declining induction, asking for more time, going into labour naturally and labouring at home and birthing a 4.6kg, 10lbs 3 baby amongst other things.
Our conversation is part of Sophie’s processing of herbirth. She explains about the other very helpful things she did after Leo was born to help her come to terms with the difficult aspects of her birth and how she has now reframed her experience to focus on what did go well.
A very helpful episode for others who may want to learn about how to go about processing and understanding their birth journey too.
To learn more about the tools Sophie used to prepare for birth head to www.positivebirths.co.nz
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“The most positive thing is how in tune I am with my bodyand how it didn't just stop at birth. It's now, it's a lifelong thing.”
Alex’s story is the epitome of the transformation that ispossible at this stage of life.
Dealing (or rather, not dealing) with grief through her firstpregnancy, Alex had a difficult birth and postpartum with Lucy, and once pregnant again decided she needed to have a different experience.
She worked through her challenges with help and support and within a few months became a changed woman – empowered, educated and confident abouther body’s ability to birth.
She sidestepped the system when they told her that babycould be “big”, she sought the help of a doula and ended up with the best possible outcome - a home VBAC.
The newly regained trust in her body is overflowing into her relationship with baby and as she beautifully wrote in an email shortly after baby Nellie arrived: “ I am in awe of what I was capable of - we are all capable, given the tools and support.”
If you too have trauma / grief / anxiety / negative emotions you’d like to work through for the preparation for your next birth, please reach out to find outmore. As a certified hypnotherapist I help mothers to move through these emotions to feel calm, confident and empowered (like Alex) for their next birth.Send me an email [email protected]Alex mentions in this episode the support from @kristinwhite.birtheducatorand @springwithsarah
To find out more about the range of course and supportoptions see www.positivebirths.co.nz
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Amelia had never felt anxious before, but when it came tothinking about birth – anxiety was really triggered. She’d heard her mum’s 3 traumatic inductions and needed to overcome fear and change her mindset – whichis what she did.
Hear how hypnobirthing changed her pregnancy, helped her to find a new midwife at 36 weeks and how it stopped her spiraling when at 41 weeks baby growth dropped significantly which meant everything needed tochange.
Amelia talks us through her induction process, and how nothing played out the way she thought it might for her whole journey.
But she remembers it “being such a positive experience, it was euphoric, I loved it, like the pushing, everything, I loved.”
This is a positive induction story and is a great episode ifyou too might find everything changing for you, or if you’re fearful and wonder if you can overcome birth anxiety.
If you too would like to learn tools to feel calm, confidentand empowered for your birth check out www.positivebirths.co.nz
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Grace was excited about birth, she saw it as a challenge, an initiation. Jack was impressed to see Grace in her element and so confident.
You'll hear what Grace and Jack's initial thought of homebirth was and how that has changed.
Grace had a great mindset, unlike many mums she was hoping to be overdue as they wanted to finish renovations on their home. This resulted in a last minute pool set up and birth altar creation in labour.
Grace shares about power of the affirmations which she hadn’t really gelled with much in her pregnancy but she talks about how incredibly helpful they were for her when the right phrases popped into her mind at the right time.
All in all a very positive, inspiring home birth to a first baby.
If you too would like to learn skills and techniques forbirth check out www.positivebirths.co.nz.
For the month of September 2024 you can get access to a massive $50 off the online recorded Birth with Calm and Confidence course.Email [email protected] for the discount code, or follow @positive_births_nz
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Ngareka was looking for a different way to birth her second baby after having what felt like a traumatic and stressful first birth.
We briefly chat around the details of first baby Kade's arrival before moving through the pregnancy, labour and waterbirth of Reeve.
Through her pregnancy she had many growth scans to check on baby because she was "measuring small". Scans indicated he would be small and she was concerned about being induced for this reason. But - spoiler alertit turns out he arrived at 8 pounds 4 oz (not so not small at all).
Ngareka is able to enjoy a natural labour and birth tobaby Reeve, she talks about this fast birth, the 3rd degree tear, how she managed so well through that using her breathwork.
In short she listened to her body trusted her instincts and was able to breath through everything.
If you too would like either one on one support, a group course, or to learn more about how to prepare for a positive birth using practical tools and techniques, head to www.positivebirths.co.nz
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How does your baby measuring "big" affect your ability to move through the labour and birth process?
In this episode we hear Maree, Maddie and Chantelle's different experiences.
Maree was told that she had a 10% chance of birthing naturally - and she DID, quickly and smoothly to 11 lbs 4 oz (5.1kg) Lily.
Maddie was told she had to have a C Section, but chose induction instead and shares her experience of a positive birth to 10 lbs 5 oz (4.8kgs) Izak.
Chantelle shares her experience of the shock at 40 weeks of discovering her 2nd baby was much larger than her first and how this affected her mindset and her decisions, although she had a very fast and smooth birth to her 10 lbs 14 oz (4.6kg) baby.
If you too have a baby that's measuring "big" these stories can be inspiring for you. If you carrying any fear about this situation please feel free to reach out for support to release this using hypnotherapy techniques to help you feel calm, confident and empowered for your birth.www.positivebirths.co.nz or email [email protected]
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Weighing in at 10 lbs 13 (4.5kgs) and 11 lbs 5 (5.3kgs) Katy's boys were accurately predicted to be "big" in her pregnancy ultrasounds.
The predictions affected Katy's ability to have a homebirth and with her first baby Olly, the hospital experience was one of interference, intervention and lack of support despite Katy's mental and physical strength.
She shares with us how she navigated her second pregnancy and even with the diagnosis of gestational diabetes avoided intervention to achieve a calm, empowered and positive birth to James, thanks to her determination and belief in her body.
This is a great episode for any mothers of predicted "big" babies to listen to, to hear Katy's challenges and achievements.
If you too would like to learn more tools to feel empowered and confident check out a range of resources at www.positivebirths.co.nz
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Join us for the first of our special feature of "big baby" stories. These are positive birth stories from mums who've been told their baby is "big".
In this episode we talk to Janelle about her two births to Eli and Cooper. Eli arrived at hospital born at 10 pounds (5kgs) - with both hands on his face; and Cooper was born at home weighing 9 pounds 6. (4.3kg)
Janelle talks us through her thoughts and feelings through her pregnancies, her decision making processes and how the births played out for her.
If you'd like to learn tools and techniques to support your positive birth prep check out all the info at www.positivebirths.co.nz
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Here we have a story of a smooth, uncomplicated pregnancy, birth and postpartum in Jess' birth to Daisy.
Daisy arrived on her due date no less, at home in the water where Jess was totally prepared to really go with the flow.
She trusted her body, she’d birthed before and if you haven’t already heard her first story you can scroll all theway back Jess' euphoric birthcentre birth to Indi.
Sit back and enjoy Jess share with us her "ultimate, dream birth."
If you too would like to prepare for a positive birth head to www.positivebirths.co.nz for all your options - live online courses, recorded online courses and personal one-on-one support.
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At 35 weeks Alicia discovered her baby was breech and this significantly changed her birth journey.
She shares with us her thoughts and feelings and how she navigated what came next. Alicia shares her difficult decision to have an ECV and how that procedure was for her.
When baby didn't turn Alicia needed to face more challenges and I love how she takes control of the few things she had control of - including standing her ground with the elective c-section date.And the ultimate result was of her baby choosing her birthday as Alicia went into labour prior to the c section date.
You'll hear about her amazing magical moments in the lead up to and during her birth which make this a very positive birth story.
To learn more about tools and techniques you can use in any and every type of birth, head to www.positivebirths.co.nz.
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For our 100th episode we chat to my daughter Jess about her two births.
Please note this episode comes with a trigger warning as we discuss baby loss.
In 2021 at her 20 week scan it was discovered their baby boy had a rare condition called HLHS where the left side of the heart didn't form.
We chat about this experience, her positive birth (with induction at 39 weeks) and how the next 17 days of Kyson's life unfolded. While this is a tough topic, we discuss the circle of life and death matter of factly with the belief that it all played out as it was meant to be.
From there we move into Jess' second pregnancy, the fears and concerns and the the arrival of Arlee, a smooth waterbirth.
You'll hear about our different memories of the same events, our different perspectives and my thoughts of how it was to be a birth support person in those two different birth situations.
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A straight forward smooth homebirth for a first baby – it doesn’t get any better.Raewyn shares with us the fact that she had started out in her pregnancy scared of birth, joined the hypnobirthing course and then did a 180 degree turn in terms of her mindset Having initially planned a hospital birth she later felt confident to proceed with a home birth option.
The biggest message in this episode is the power of being open minded, Raewyn was essentially happy with going with the flow without being attached to a particular outcome.
She was open to her birth going down any pathway. But it ended up just how she really wanted it to be after finally going into labour 10 days past her due date.
You’ll hear about how quickly her cervix went from hard to ready and we chat about Rhesus Negative, her very special blood type and the precautions she needed to take through pregnancy and birth.
Settle in for a smooth and no twists, no curve balls story – proving that sometimes everything can go just right.
If you too would like a 180degree mindset shift or would like to learn skills for pregnancy, birth and for life moving forward you can find a range of course options at www.positivebirths.co.nz.
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