The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode I give you a step-by-step run through of what you need to think about, where to get a birth pool and how to make it run as smoothly as possible.

First Things First: Choose the Right Pool

Not all birth pools are created equal. Ideally, you want one that’s:

• Sturdy enough to lean on without collapsing.

• Deep enough so you can fully submerge your belly (think: shoulders and chest in too, if possible).

• Quick to inflate (preferably with an electric pump).

• Comfortable (some have cushioned floors and sides).

You can either hire a birth pool kit (which often comes with all the bits and bobs you’ll need), or buy one if you think you’ll want it for future births. Just check if your midwife or doula has recommendations, they’ve usually seen it all.

What You’ll Need (Besides the Pool)

Here’s the full kit:

• Electric air pump (don’t waste your breath—literally) 

• Tap hose (long enough to reach the pool from your nearest tap) 

• Tap connector (you might need an adapter depending on your taps) 

• Submersible pump (to empty the pool after the birth—trust me, you’ll want this) 

• Tarp or waterproof sheet (under the pool to protect your floors) 

• New hose (use a fresh, drinking-safe one to fill the pool—bacteria is a no thanks) 

• Thermometer (to check the water temp) 

• Sieve or small net (for scooping out anything floating around—yes, it’s normal) 

Optional but nice to have:

• Extra towels and mats (for getting in and out) 

• Fairy lights or candles (set the vibe) 

• A comfy chair or birth ball nearby (if you want a change of position) 

How to Fill the Pool

Simple steps:

1. Lay down your tarp. 

2. Inflate the pool using the electric pump (this should take 10–15 minutes). 

3. Attach the hose to your tap. (Use the hot and cold taps to get the right mix.) 

4. Start filling! It can take 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on your water pressure, so plan accordingly. 

Keep checking the water temp and top up with warm water if needed.

Emptying the Pool (aka, the Last Thing You’ll Feel Like Doing)

Post-birth, you’ll be blissed out with your baby, and the pool will be the last thing on your mind.  

Hopefully you have an amazing team who will be doing all of this for you (make sure you check with them and ask them what they usually do). 

That’s where the submersible pump comes in. Attach a hose, plug in the pump, and direct the water outside or down a drain.

Pro tip: Delegate this. Seriously. You’ve just given birth. Let someone else deal with the logistics.

Birth Pool Mindset:

Just remember, like all things in birth, the pool is a tool, not a plan. Maybe you’ll love it and want to stay in it the whole time. Maybe you’ll hop in for an hour and then move somewhere else. Maybe you’ll birth your baby into the water, or maybe not.

None of it means you’ve “failed”.Water is there to serve you, not the other way around.

If you would like support during your VBAC Homebirth, reach out to chat about the many ways I can support you to feel calm, confident and connected. 

Ashley x 

More from Ashley:

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Disclaimer: The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. The stories and opinions shared are personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. Every birth journey is unique, and we encourage you to research, trust your intuition, and consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

In this episode, you get just me, Ashley in a solo episode which was a bit fun as I haven’t done a solo episode all year!

We celebrate 5 years of The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast, some of my favourite episodes (and yes I may have a few too many favs!) be sure to check them out if you haven’t listened yet. 

We cover: 

• Top episodes:

• Hazel Keedle EP17

• Dr Sarah Buckley EP30

• Rachel Reed EP12

• Dr K EP165

• Emma 18 days ruptured waters, freebirth EP55

• Katy’s planned homebirth turned hospital birth and uterine rupture EP49

• EP2 Kamal’s accidental unassisted VBAC homebirth

• EP11 Working through fear with Ashley

We also chat about my experiences working with women in births as a birth doula and the magical experiences I’ve been witnessing, how I’m also supporting women with postpartum support at night (locally in Brisbane to Gold Coast) and how you can access my support click here. 

To celebrate 5 years of the podcast you can also access 25% off for the month of June, just contact me here to access that special pricing for this month only (you can book in July or August for the actual session). 

And much more!! 

Enjoy this podcast episode!

Ashley x

More from Ashley:

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Disclaimer: The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. The stories and opinions shared are personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. Every birth journey is unique, and we encourage you to research, trust your intuition, and consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

In this episode of VBAC Home Birth Stories, we’re diving into a topic that deserves real talk and respect—plus size pregnancy and birth. If you’ve ever been made to feel like your body is a medical condition rather than a life-giving force, this episode is for you.

I share my personal experiences navigating the maternity system as a plus-size woman, from early pregnancy bias to the constant fear-mongering around birth choices. We also explore how plus-size women can reclaim their power, whether choosing a home birth or hospital birth, and what size-friendly care should actually look like.

If you’ve ever been told you can’t have a VBAC, must be induced, or will develop gestational diabetes simply because of your size—this episode will challenge everything you’ve been led to believe.

What We Cover in This Episode:

🔹 The Biases Plus Size Women Face in Pregnancy & Birth

• How plus-size women are treated in the hospital system (and what needs to change).

• The constant weight-based assumptions about fertility, pregnancy, and birth outcomes.

• Why BMI is an outdated and unreliable indicator of health.

• Myth #1: It’s harder to get pregnant if you’re in a bigger body.
  

• Myth #2: Plus-size women must be induced because of the risk of a “big baby.”
  

• Myth #3: You can’t have a home birth if you’re plus-size.

• Why hospitals use the “big baby” scare tactic to push unnecessary inductions and C-sections.
  

• Respectful, individualised care based on actual health markers—not weight.
  

• A provider who listens to your concerns instead of making assumptions.
  

• Informed consent over coercion—you deserve to make your own choices.
  

• How to find a provider who truly supports plus-size pregnancy (including home birth options!).
  

• Why some doctors assume plus-size women have GD before even testing.
  

• How some women are forced into unnecessary interventions based on weight alone.
  

• The importance of tracking actual health markers rather than relying on BMI.
  

• How to tell if your midwife, doula, or OB is truly size-inclusive.
  

• The red flags that a provider is not supportive of plus-size birth.
  

• Why plus-size women sometimes feel more comfortable with lived-experience providers.
  

• Why your body is NOT broken—regardless of what the system tells you.
  

• How judgment and bias impact care and what you can do about it.
  

• The power of plus-size birth advocates & community support.

🎧 Listen now for an empowering conversation that will shift your perspective on plus-size birth and give you the tools to advocate for yourself with confidence!

📖 Book: Plus Size Pregnancy by Dr. Sara Wickham 📱 Instagram: @ashleylwinning 👩‍👩‍👧 Community: Follow plus-size birth accounts & find size-friendly providers

💌 Share Your Story! If you’ve had an experience (good or bad) as a plus-size pregnant woman, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message on Instagram or via email!

Enjoy this podcast episode!

More from Ashley:

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Join our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ VBAC Homebirth Support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Group here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Disclaimer: The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. The stories and opinions shared are personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. Every birth journey is unique, and we encourage you to research, trust your intuition, and consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

The host and guests of this podcast are not liable for any outcomes resulting from the information shared. By listening, you acknowledge that you take full responsibility for your own health and birth choices.

In this episode, we get to hear from one of my gorgeous clients Sarah.  Sarah is a now mother of three boys.  She had her homebirth with her third baby after two c-sections, special scar and having planned homebirths for all three of her babies. 

It was such an honour to stand beside Sarah in her homebirth pregnancy and see her grow into the woman is she now today.   A women by her own words is someone who will speak up and share her wants and desires and not shrink away and hide. 

Sarah discovered during her pregnancy that she identified with being a highly sensitive person. She spent most of her life hiding her emotions and thinking that her thoughts and feelings were wrong.  When she turned up to one of my workshops while working with me she sprung to tears realising she had found out something magical and important about herself. 

She is a highly sensitive soul who deserves to be seen and shine in this world. 

Sarah tells her story of planning her first baby as a homebirth, in the third trimester she was sent to hospital for futher testing as some of the tests showed potential issues in her pregnancy. 

She always thought she was going to have her homebirth and was always led to believe that this would be the case even with the extra appointments with the hospital.  

She was shocked when she was told at one monitoring appointment that she must birth her baby tonight. 

Following a long induction process, her small baby wasn't responding well in birth and she was put under general and her baby was born. 

Her baby was born a small 2.2 kilos and diagnosed IURG (very skinny and small) - but healthy and able to go home the next day without intervention.

Not the birth Sarah thought she was going to have when planning a homebirth. 

Her next baby she planned another homebirth with the same midwife and had decided that if she was to transfer to hospital for any reason she wanted to have a C-section so she wouldn't find herself in another emergency situation and being put under general. 

After labouring at home for a while and going from 7cm to 5cms her midwife recommended that she transfer into hospital. Sarah was beside herself as she realised her homebirth dreams were not going to become a reality.  

In surgery her babies shoulders nipped her womb causing a special scar,losing 1.2L of blood and leaving Sarah in surgery for 3 hours.  It wasn't the c-section birth she thought she would be getting. 

Her baby was born a healthy 2.9 kilos

Baby number three she knew she wanted a homebirth and VBAC but wasn't sure why and had uncertainty around trying again for a homebirth when it hadn't worked out for her the first two times. 

Friends and family kept saying they supported her, but to be "safe" and so she felt unsupported and alone in her journey. 

After a debrief with her midwife and getting her support she had feelings of resentfulness and disconnection from her midwife. Feeling robbed of her last homebirth and unsure of what went wrong and how she could finally achieve her homebirth. 

Sarah started working with me and spent six months unpacking her birth stories, fears and as she puts it "doing the work" on her mindset to really get her to commit and allow herself believe that she could birth her baby vaginally at home. 

And of course goes on to have her homebirth in Sarah style and being true to how she felt she let it all out.  Raw and honest. 

Her baby was born healthy and 3.16 kilos. 

This is an amazing story of how one woman found her voice. 

In this episode, I take you on a bit of a journey to hear more about what working with me can look like. 

I'm sorry the audio isn't the best, it was accidentally recorded on my web camera instead of my microphone!  

Many women reach out to me after their birth and thank me for this podcast and any support I have given through pregnancy. 

Lately, some of my clients have reached out with so much love thanking me for the support and guidance I offered them through one on one sessions, even if it was just the one session they seem to have left a mark that really helped them feel positive and capable of having their VBAC Homebirth. 

It breaks my heart when women reach out anxious and afraid. Being fear mongered often by the system, people around them, or stories repeating in their minds. 

My wish is that all women receive the support and guidance they need during this sacred and important time.  So that they can go on and birth in power and from a space of knowing their choices and options and knowing they are not alone.  That someone is here to support & guide them when they need it. 

I've decided to pull back the curtain and walk you through the support and services that I offer so you never feel alone in this journey and know how I can support you if you feel you would like my support. 

How I can support you:
* Birth planning
* Postpartum Planning
* To trust in your ability to homebirth vaginally
* To talk through fears and mindset challenges (like uterine rupture or not being able to handle the pain)
* Holding space for you in a safe space
* Answer birth knowledge questions
* To celebrate your journey and make it that little bit more special

If you have any questions reach out either through Insta or email.  

You can book in a 15 - Minute Call with me here - 

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Listen to this episode now!

Ashley x

MORE FROM ASHLEY:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Join our VBAC Homebirth Support Group here 

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Pippa from Fantastic Futures about Birth Trauma. 

We discussed:

What is birth trauma?

How women can experience it?

How many women experience it? 

How trauma impacts the body

What happens when we don’t deal with it

What happens when we do?

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Ashley x

RESOURCES:

Panda is a great free resource to get you started if you feel you may have birth trauma or PND

https://panda.org.au/articles/childbirth-trauma-and-recovery/

More about Pippa:

When my first birth went pear-shaped, I entered the world of birth and became a doula. During those nearly two decades as a birth doula, I have also taught doula skills, been a post-partum doula, taught mothercraft skills, run support groups for women who have experienced birth trauma, delivered childbirth education, encapsulated placentas, and provided 1 on 1 support to women in my role as a birth trauma specialist. I was blessed to have 4 daughters, and it is for them also that I continue to advocate and support women and families around the time of birth. 

My desire to support and assist women inspired me to lead a team of consumers to deliver a birth centre to Townsville some 14 years ago. I am passionate about teaching women how to create a community as mothers, supporting each other. I can often be found with several weeks of food on the doorstep of a family with a newborn, ready to fold clothes and help in any way I can. I feel very privileged to have found a modality that helps people effectively, efficiently and safely take the pain out of the past and move them into their fantastic future.

You can connect with Pippa here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fantasticfuturesaustralia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fantasticfuturesbirth_beyond/

Website: www.fantasticfuture.com.au

MORE FROM ASHLEY:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Join our VBAC Homebirth Support Group here 

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x

In this episode, we take a deep dive into birth debriefing. 

I share what birth debriefing is and how it can benefit to have a birth debrief after a birth that didn't go to plan or you have some questions or uneasy thoughts around. 

When should you consider birth debriefing?

Whenever you feel like you need one, you are worried about a future birth, unsure if you will have future children because you feel stuck or scared after a previous birth, you want to process or unpack your birth or just feeling like you want to share it out loud with someone in a safe space.

A Birth Debrief Session will give you the opportunity to:

1. Share your birth out loud
2. Process your birth
3. Share your birth story in a safe environment and container
4. Be heard, seen, and validated without judgment
5. Ask questions
6. Begin to understand your birth & find clarity
7. Start taking steps towards a future birth

How Mothers have felt after a session:

Mothers have shared feeling calm, more positive, relieved, supported, heard and ready to have a future baby after these sessions.

You can book a birth debrief session with me here. 

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Listen to this episode now!

Ashley x

MORE FROM ASHLEY:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Join our VBAC Homebirth Support Group here 

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x

In this episode, I get to talking about what to do when your birth doesn't go to plan. 

We all hope and dream of a positive birth experience or our dream homebirth.  We see so many glamourous and inspiring homebirths on Instagram and social media and dream of the day we will catch our baby and hold her in our arms and feel a sense of joy for achieving our VBAC and birthing our baby at home. 

Sometimes our births do not end up the way we hoped or dreamed and I'm going to talk about some of the ways you can prepare yourself a little better for this outcome and what are some things to consider. 

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Listen to this episode now!

Ashley x

MORE FROM ASHLEY:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Join our VBAC Homebirth Support Group here 

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x

Let's talk about the idea of this "perfect birth".

I've had a couple of clients tell me after they have birthed- that perfect birth isn't real. So I thought it would be good to explore in a podcast episode with you.

Perfect birth isn't achievable.  They mentioned that the birth culture, especially natural birth and homebirth groups and movements/ books glorify or portray that there is some amazing thing that happens after you give birth at home.

We hear in the books and podcasts the stats about more bonding, quicker bonding, lower chance of traumatic birth, and natural birth hormones but sometimes we can get this idea in our head that we have to have a perfect birth experience to have those things, or if we do have the perfect birth that we will get those things.

That doesn't mean those things will definitely happen for you though.  It's important to have realistic expectations of your birth experience.

Talk about birth photographs and how we look at those pictures and we make a story with them.  Or we are reading the doula/ midwife or birth person's story at that time.  Sometimes we take our version and create something totally different.

I want my listeners to have hope for the most magical and positive birth experience.  At the same time, I want you to set reasonable expectations for yourself and understand that birth can be positive and a wonderful experience regardless of the experience.

Striving for perfectionism is a sure way to strive for disappointment and a broken heart.

Listen to this episode now!

Ashley x 

MORE FROM ASHLEY:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Join our VBAC Homebirth Support Group here 

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x

In this episode, I have a chat with my dear friend Janet Purcell from Birthplace.

Janet is a mother of two, Doula, RN and self-confessed birth nerd (she loooveees all things birth). 

And let me mention this powerhouse woman birthed an almost 5-kilo baby out of her vagina without any assistance!! (go mama). 

We talk about birth comforts in this episode and how you can make your homebirth space more comfortable (including pain management which we reframe into a more positive view). 

Here are some of the comfort measures we talk about in more detail:

Acupuncture

Acupressure

Aromatherapy

Tens machine

Exercise ball

Movement

Rebozo

Water emersion/ shower

Heat pack

Food + drink

Reassurance

Affirmations/ music

Distraction 

Birth comb

You can find Janet on Instagram here - 

And check out the many goodies talked about in this episode and more in this blog here - 

Did you enjoy this episode? Leave me a rating.

Have a topic you want me to cover? Email me and let me know!!

Enjoy this episode!

Ashley x

More from Ashley:

Get access to this free Homebirth Workshop here!

Find out more on how I can support you + you can have me as your guide + biggest supporter - Click here!

Insta: @ashleylwinning
Email: hello@themotherhoodcircle.com.au

Ashley x