Welcome to cuppa with a doula, a podcast dedicated to sharing real stories on all things pregnancy, birth and parenting. Every week you will hear a mum or mum-to-be telling their story of pregnancy and parenting. Some stories are raw but all are real and told without any taboo. I'm your host Alicia, Exercise Physiologist and Doula. Through this podcast I hope to help you find information, reassurance and for you to feel like you are seen and heard. You are not alone so join in and enjoy the show!
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
#040 Rachel - PCOS, IVF, ICSI, fresh embryo transfer, MGP, long pre-labour, water birth, surprise gender
Saturday, November 9, 2024 • Duration 01:28:11
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Rachel
In this episode we chat all about
✔️trying to conceive and knowing that something wasn’t right - going on letrozol for 6 cycles and only ovulating twice
✔️deciding to go on IVF and deciding between light and regular IVF
✔️collecting 22 eggs from her IVF cycle but having none fertilize due to egg-sp*rm interaction problem
✔️doing IVF rounds using ICSI fertilisation and oocyte activation which gave Rachel the most fertilised embryo
✔️after her last round of IVF and collection, Rachel felt the best she ever had and advocated for a fresh embryo transfer as she felt this was the right way to go
✔️conceiving after almost 18 months of waiting and over a year of going through IVF
✔️being accepted into MGP model of care, doing private hypnobirthing and breastfeeding classes as well as attending hospital birth classes to know the hospital’s policies and what to advocate against!
✔️Rachel felt that she couldn’t have an unmedicated birth as she had trouble to conceive and felt that birth would be difficult
✔️Rachel not believing she was in labour for 2 days when she had regular surges, she kept thinking “this is going to get worse, this may not even be labour!”
✔️not getting sleep for 3 days prior to birth as the surges were worse when Rachel laid down and then after a long prelabour, Rachel’s labour beginning
✔️Rachel being in disbelief after the birth that she had done it without pain relief as she thought the intensity of labour would get worse and there would be a pain where she would be asking for an epidural
✔️Finding great support in the Facebook group IVF Australia
#033 Katherine - Doula, OB, 2x hospital births, calm birth, induction, Australian surrogate, home birth, milk donor
Sunday, April 7, 2024 • Duration 01:49:23
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the extremely funny Katherine, I had an absolute blast recording the 3 incredible births of Katherine, who gave birth to her 2 children and was a surrogate for a couple in Australia !
In this episode we chat all about
✔️having difficult access to birth education 14 years ago, but doing calm birth to help her prepare for a physiological birth
✔️birthing her son with the same obstetrician, being very obedient and accepting an induction of labour
✔️not feeling completely done with her family but her husband being totally done after having 2 kids
✔️diving into the world of surrogacy, telling her husband, who initially was against the idea
✔️drip feeding information about surrogacy to her husband who started to come around and accept the idea
✔️steps to become a surrogate, from finding intended parents to counseling with IVF clinic to independent counseling to legal documents to being approved by a surrogacy commission before being able to actually begin the IVF process
✔️finding her intended parents right before the global pandemic
✔️beginning the process of transferring an embryo as the intended parents had embryo frozen
✔️discussing birth choices with intended parents and during pre-counseling about how Katherine would like to birth as she has autonomy over her body
✔️how the pregnancy and birth unfolded, birthing at home with baby’s intended parents present and involved
✔️how Katherine breastfed surro baby for a bit while intended parents were around and then continued to express breastmilk and donated over 150L of milk to babies in need
✔️how Katherine’s journey as a surrogate, someone who has birthed at home and is a doula has educated her children around fertility and birth in a whole different way
Conversation #3 Alicia - the three pillars of physiological birth and what my cat giving birth taught me
Monday, April 1, 2024 • Duration 55:04
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation focused on the three pillars of birth, what they mean and how they apply to the environment in which you will be birthing. This is something I found I have mentioned in a few birth story but that I feel really needs its own episode to really discuss the depth of it, so here it is!
In this episode I chat about
✔️how the mothers and babies report 2021 reflects the current maternity system in Australia if birthing in a hospital
✔️why 97% of women in Australia birth in a hospital vs only 0.5% birth at home
✔️how women’s due date is probably leading to an increase in rates of induction in Australia
✔️women’s labour being observed and women being put on a clock as soon as they arrive to hospital
✔️the huge difference in the rates of instrumental deliveries amongst first time mums vs subsequent labouring mums
✔️how the rates of episiotomy for labour WITHOUT an instrumental delivery has increased in the last 17 years
✔️the three pillars of births: needing to feel safe, private and undisturbed during labour
✔️how to create a more safe environment when birthing in a hospital - starting by finding continuity of care either through MGP or student midwife or doula or student doula
✔️how to create an oxytocin rich environment when you are really accepting and surrendering to labour contractions
✔️why women find that labouring in the bathroom of the birth suite helped them to progress in their labour or “restart” their stalled labour
✔️how to have the set yourself up and your space to have the most physiological induction possible
✔️using the BRAIN accronym to make decisions
#032 Alyssa - thyroid condition, long conception, positive induction, water birth, precipitous births, 2x home births, surprise pregnancy
Sunday, March 24, 2024 • Duration 01:09:22
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation. Today I chat with Alyssa, a busy mum to 3 children
In this conversation we chat about
✔️having a long conception to conceive her first daughter due to an undiagnosed thyroid condition
✔️Having her waters break or leak around 37 weeks and having an ultrasound later in the pregnancy showing low fluid levels and a “small baby”
✔️agreeing to be induced due to low fluid levels and baby showing as being on the small side
✔️what the induction process was like for Alyssa and having a doctor encourage her to see how her body was responding to the induction before having the oxytocin drip put in
✔️receiving the syntocinon (synthetic oxytocin) injection to birth the placenta without consent being asked
✔️feeling very very sick throughout the whole of her pregnancies but managing it better which each pregnancy
✔️wanting to have a different model of care this time around and very much wanting continuity of care through a private midwife
✔️the vast difference of care between her first pregnancy with extra ultrasounds in a very medicalised environment compared to having a private midwife and just “chilling out” at home
✔️experiencing an asthma attack for the first time during her 2nd pregnancy, without having had a history of asthma
✔️how Alyssa involved her daughter into the pregnancy and birth of her baby brother and advice on what she would do differently
✔️finding out that she was unexpectedly pregnant, being shocked as Alyssa’s second baby wasn’t 1 year old yet and booking the same private midwife as for her 2nd straight away
✔️Alyssa breastfeeding her last baby until well past 2 years of age and enjoying this last journey
Cuppa with a pro #06 Sally - Maternity Choices Australia secretary “advocating for better choices for women in birth”
Sunday, March 17, 2024 • Duration 01:33:09
Hey hey,
Welcome back to another episode of Cuppa with a pro where I interview professionals that work within the pregnancy, birthing or parenting space to chat about their expertise.
In today’s episode, I am chatting with the Sally Cusack, secretary from Maternity Choices Australia (MCA). MCA advocates to improves women’s birthing options state wide. In today’s conversation we chat about the following
✔️how to make a complaint to the hospital if you have received a service you are not happy with or about the way you were treated in birth/postpartum
✔️why hospitals are usually unaware of the birth and postpartum experiences of women
✔️how to give feedback to your local maternity
✔️what the best birth finder and why it is helping to drive change in hospitals
✔️how best brith finder can help give hospital a REAL perspective on the reality of birth, especially when your nearest hospital is HOURS away from you…
✔️needing to realise that we are conditioned to be compliant with what professionals tell us and that we need to fight that to be able to advocate for our choices
✔️use the BRAIN acronym when seeking medical advice or when going through the hospital system - Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition and Nothing
✔️a disconnect during birth when birthing in a hospital - mum pushing a baby out and OB/midwife putting gloves on “hurry up” feeling
✔️needing to be feeling private, safe and unobserved during birth to favour the physiological unfolding of labour and maximise oxytocin release
✔️how the hospital’s environment lighting and overall feel can negatively impact your labour or cause labour to stall
Conversation #2 Alicia - the price of the hospital system failing women
Sunday, March 10, 2024 • Duration 44:00
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation. What I wanted to address today was something that I have seen around “the price of freebirth” piece written by the ABC and add more to the conversation as I feel some very important points were not discussed.
In this episode I chat about
✔️why freebirth isn’t on the rise but rather we are able to share it more easily and freely these days
✔️looking into stats from the most recent Australia mother and babies’s report and how they are reflecting the current hospital system failing women
✔️the hospital has its own interest at heart and has put in place policies and procedures to avoid being liable of being sued
✔️women in the early 1900’s birthing at home as hospital was ONLY for sick people
✔️trying to find alternate birthing options for women who don’t want to birth in an unfamiliar environment with rigid protocols and guidelines
✔️women’s options if they don’t want to birth in a hospital: home birth, publicly funded home birth program or freebirth
✔️lack of access to midwifery related care when living rurally or remotely (i.e. no private midwife available, maternity ward of hospital closed)
✔️is there a deeper agenda for the release of the article? Is there a wish for the doula industry to be regulated?
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
#031 Brittany PT2 - the difficult road from wanting a home birth to freebirthing remotely. An empowering dive into the reality of freebirth
Sunday, March 3, 2024 • Duration 02:00:14
Thanks for tuning into part 2 of the amazing conversation I had with Brittany. After taking us through her first 2 birth, one heavily medicalised and one where she almost accidentally birthed her baby at home, Brittany reflected and decided to take a different path for the birth of her third son
In this episode we chat all about
✔️how Brittany’s second birth and postpartum influenced her to do differently this time
✔️finding out that her GP who doesn’t support home births, used to be an obstetrician but had to stop practicing because he had multiple lawsuits against him for malpractice !
✔️chatting with a friend who was having a freebirth really opening Brittany’s eyes to the possibility of free birthing at home
✔️planning a home birth with a private midwife, 10 hours from home as Brittany lived very remotely, feeling happy and supported in her decision and excited to give birth with her private midwife
✔️realising that the home birth she had planned probably wouldn’t work due to the logistics of her husband not being able to take a whole month off work, not knowing when baby will arrive
✔️feeling uncomfortable with the idea of a freebirthing even though her husband was supportive and a friend had given her resources
✔️carefully studying potential risk factors for neonatal death
✔️Brittany becoming an expert on her own body and starting to trust herself and her sensations. Also reading a first responder handbook got Brittany going “oh is that it? It’s pretty straightforward!”
✔️A few days before labour beginning, Brittany’s doula drove through flood water for 15+ hours to get to her so she could be present for the birth
✔️Receiving an unexpected phone call from the GP that Brittany had seen, advising her that she didn’t support home birth and wasn’t comfortable with her choice to birth at home without medical help
#030 Brittany PT1 - “being a good girl”, OB, son wounded from ventouse, MGP, precipitous labour, student midwife, special care nursery
Sunday, February 25, 2024 • Duration 01:46:49
Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Brittany who, at the time of the recording was living on a remote cattle station and is now traveling around Australia in their camper trailer with her husband and three beautiful boys.
In this episode we chat all about
✔️sharing the fertility load with the partner and not it only being the responsibility of the women
✔️choosing to have an OB for her first birth only because she thought “well I’m paying for private health insurance, I might as well hire a specialist”
✔️finding out her first baby only had a 2 cord vessels and seeing her OB appointments very frequently
✔️”doing the good girl thing” as Brittany puts it and going to hospital as soon as her waters broke, leading to labouring alone on the ward
✔️Brittany putting all her trust into her OB, thinking she had her best interest at heart during the pregnancy and delivery of her baby
✔️her son being born with a wound on his scalp due to the use of ventouse and the suction it had created
✔️seeing in hindsight that Brittany was actually saying to the OB and midwives what was happening - she was having back pain, had a cervical leap, couldn’t lay on the bed, but wasn’t listened to
✔️Brittany taking radical responsibility for her lack of knowledge and preparation into labour and accepting that the way her first labour unfolded was due to handing over her power to the hospital staff
✔️contemplating not having anymore children after her first due to everything she went through
✔️wanting to be the “dream patient”, wanting her midwife to approve of her
✔️beginning labour at 38+3, like with her first son, not wanting to rush to hospital, laboring at home, and labour going from very manageable to hitting transition and pushing while walking from bathroom to bedroom
Cuppa with a doula conversation #1 Brittany - Learning to unlearn - What do freebirthing and homeschooling have in common?
Sunday, February 18, 2024 • Duration 40:34
In today’s episode I am bringing you a very special guest, Brittany, who at the time of the recording was living on a cattle station with her husband and 3 boys and is now traveling full-time around Australia in their camper trailer
I had some technical issues during the edit of this episode, it was actually edited twice because it didn't save properly and once I reedited it, it wouldn't export as a video so unfortunately, this one will be an audio only episode, sorry about that..
Before we dived into Brittany’s epic three birth stories, we had a really deep conversation around birth and the birth portal and conditioning that has happened in our life, here is what we chat about
✔️how Brittany came to the decision to homeschool her 2 older boys and why it works well for her family
✔️the conditioning that we had since our young years, believing that we need an institution or someone to validate us, from school years all the way to anything related to our health or pregnancy
✔️Brittany’s vision of what advocacy in the hospital system looks like for her, especially as a first time mum
✔️How Brittany’s views of pregnancy and birth evolved from her first to third pregnancy and why she ended up free birthing her third son
✔️the fact that mums or birth partner’s role shouldn’t have to advocate for their rights during labour and should just be immersed in the portal of labour
✔️the difference between the logical and mammalian brain and how different “being safe” can be
Find my FREE Youtube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” To help you navigate the system and learn about the different models of care available, what normal means, what consent is, questions to ask your health care provider and so much more, you can find it on my channel @Cuppawithadoula or via this link
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
✔️Alyssa’s postpartum advice to tune out the noise and parent your baby the way that feels right for you, rather than the way that others want you to do it
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
✔️What medical negligence is and the fact that a woman is her own sovereign body and can make decision against medical advice even if they result in the harm of her unborn baby
✔️Brittany being at peace during her birth, ticking things in her head, reassuring her that everything was fine
✔️Baby boy being born calmly in the birth pool, caught by Brittany, being totally fine after a one hour labour!
✔️Brittany’s placenta not coming out for a little bit despite trying feeding, sitting on the toilet, tincture release and gentle traction until her doula gave her a homeopathic pill which peeled off the placenta straight away!
✔️Having a cord burning ceremony
✔️Reflecting on how her freebirth went and feeling saddened by the fact that she didn’t experience that for her first two births
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
✔️not having time to process what was happening as Brittany’s labour was so quick
✔️Brittany pushing at home while husband is scrambling all their stuff an trying to get her in the car, Brittany holding back and just wanting to push this baby out but husband wanted to make it to hospital
✔️giving birth 1 MINUTE after arriving to hospital, being in shock due to all the adrenaline that had been rushing
✔️Brittany’s birth wishes not respected due to all the staff in delivery room panicking
✔️Brittany going to the postpartum ward without her baby who had to go to special care nursery and be put on oxygen, experiencing going to the ward without her baby for the second time
✔️taking the time to reflect on her birth experience and finding that the fact that she had a village during her postpartum positively influenced the way she saw her birth even though she felt a bit “ripped off” that things didn’t go according to what she wanted
If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.
If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA
This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!
Alicia :)
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Cuppa with a doula, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
