Positive Birth Australia

On today’s episode I’m joined by Lauren, a doula and mother of six, who takes us through the births of all of her children - from three positive hospital births and a beautiful homebirth, to the birth of her identical twin boys.
After having four children close together, Lauren and her partner waited several years before deciding to have another baby. To their surprise, it was identical twins. Despite having already supported nine vaginal twin births as a doula, Lauren speaks honestly about the anxiety and physical intensity of carrying two babies, along with the additional monitoring that came with an MCDA twin pregnancy.

Although her plans for another homebirth had to shift, Lauren was able to keep the continuity of care she valued, with her private midwife helping create a supportive hospital birth team around her. At 37 weeks and six days, Lauren chose an induction and went on to birth both of her boys in the water, just six minutes apart - with Twin B being born en caul.
This is such an inspiring journey, and one very close to my heart as a twin mother.

In this episode we discuss:
Lauren’s journey through five births, from hospital birth to homebirth and twins
Discovering she was carrying identical MCDA twins
The anxiety and physical intensity of twin pregnancy
Why continuity of care became so important to Lauren
Creating a homebirth-like experience within a hospital setting
Choosing induction at 37 weeks and 6 days
Making informed decisions around monitoring, intervention and delayed cord clamping
Birthing both twins in the water, just six minutes apart
Twin B being born en caul and choosing a physiological third stage
Lauren’s biggest advice for twin mothers: choose your care team wisely

Resources + Mentions
Instagram: @lauren.may.doula
Lauren's Doula Support HERE.

Podcasts + Education
Birth Time Documentary
The Holistic Guide to Twin Pregnancy
Birthing Instincts Podcast
Dr Stu Fischbein

Care Providers + Support
Private Midwives
Jo Hunter @midwifejohunter
Janine O’Brien @janineatibirth
Obstetrician
Dr Marissa Martin
Doula
Samantha Gunn @samanthagunndoula

Connect
Follow Positive Birth Australia on Instagram: @positivebirthaustralia
Loved this episode? Please take a moment to leave a rating or review, and share it with a pregnant mama who would love to hear a positive and empowering birth story.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sacred Birth Affirmations Track
This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.
Positive Birth Australia

On today’s episode, Rachel shares the deeply personal four-year journey that led her to her beautiful daughter.
After experiencing her first miscarriage, Rachel received a message through a close friend that her baby would return, but that she needed to find herself first. That experience became the beginning of everything that followed.
Rachel takes us through the years of healing and transformation that came next. From leaving Sydney and starting again on the Gold Coast, to finding a new community and exploring a more holistic way of living, she became deeply committed to nurturing her body and mind.
Four years after their journey began, she naturally conceived her daughter in her forties.
When labour began at home, Rachel drew on everything she had learnt - using the tools, knowledge and trust she had built throughout pregnancy to fully surrender to the experience. Arriving at the hospital just ten minutes before her daughter was placed into her arms.
Resources + Mentions
Instagram:
@rachelchevell
Birth Support:
@itsannamurray
Hospital:
Tweed Valley Hospital
Share the episode
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or tag us on Instagram @positivebirthaustralia so more women can discover these important stories and feel supported in their own journey.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sacred Birth Affirmations Track
This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.
Positive Birth Australia

In this episode, I’m joined by Kristy, who shares three positive hospital birth stories, each one unfolding in a completely different way.

Her first birth began unexpectedly when her waters broke at 36 weeks and 3 days. Kristy was supported to trust that if her baby was coming, there was no need to interfere. It became a deeply empowering entrance into motherhood.

With her second baby, Kristy navigated low platelets, hospital policy, and the emotional weight of agreeing to an induction But with the support of her midwife who knew her deeply, honoured her fears, and protected her birth space, her induction became an example of how different birth can feel when intervention is used with patience and skill.

Kristy’s third pregnancy was the ultimate surprise, discovering she was already 20 weeks pregnant. This episode is a beautiful reminder of the power of continuity of care, the importance of feeling safe and known, and how every birth can bring its own lesson in trust.

Resources + Mentions
Instragram:
@kristyhaszard
Podcasts:
Australian Birth Stories
The Great Birth Rebellion
Instagram Accounts:
@badassmotherbirther
@evarosebirth
@coreandfloorrestore
Education + Bodywork
Spinning Babies
Hypnobirthing Australia
Fiona Hallinan - The Pelvic Space
Katharine Graves - KG Hypnobirthing

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or tag us on Instagram @positivebirthaustralia so more women can discover these important stories and feel supported in their own journey.

Mentioned in this episode:
Esfera Designs Wellness (Birth) Ball
Create a calm, supportive space during pregnancy and postpartum with Esfera Designs. Use code: PBA20 for $20 off your order.
Esfera Designs
Sacred Birth Affirmations Track
This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.
Positive Birth Australia

This week on the show I’m joined by Shari from Belly2Birth, a birth educator of over 13 years and now trauma-informed coach whose work has evolved into supporting women through the deeper emotional layers of birth and beyond.
In this conversation, we move into something that isn’t spoken about enough… the reality that more than 1 in 3 women walk away from birth carrying trauma. Today we explore how these experiences can stay with us long after birth… shaping the way we feel, respond, and move through motherhood.
This is a powerful conversation that brings birth trauma into the light… highlighting the depth of impact these experiences can have on a woman’s body, mind, and sense of self… and how important it is to have the space, support, and tools to process and release them as part of this rite of passage.
In this episode, we cover:
The reality of birth trauma… and why it’s more common than we think
How trauma can form through how a woman feels in her birth
Shari’s personal experience and what shaped her work
Why women can feel unheard or disconnected within the system
The fawning response… and why many don’t speak up in the moment
How trauma can show up later… often when something triggers it
Why these experiences are held in the body
The difference between reflecting on birth and actually processing it
How past patterns and the subconscious can influence birth
What it looks like to process, release, and move forward

Show Notes:
Instagram: @belly2birth
Website: www.belly2birth.com
Listen to Shari's birth stories HERE.
Free Birth Debrief:
Shari offers free 1:1 birth debrief sessions - you can reach out to her via Instagram to book and check availability.
Use code POSITIVEBIRTH10 for 10% off all Shari's programs.
Mentioned in this episode:
Sacred Birth Affirmations Track
This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.
Positive Birth Australia
Esfera Designs Wellness (Birth) Ball
Create a calm, supportive space during pregnancy and postpartum with Esfera Designs. Use code: PBA20 for $20 off your order.
Esfera Designs

This week on the show I’m joined by Jaylene, a Canadian-born mother now living in New Zealand, whose journey into motherhood carries deep threads of grief, healing, intuition and trust.
Long before conception, Jaylene was navigating the devastating loss of her younger brother… a grief that reshaped her sense of timing, readiness.. It wasn’t until years later, after consciously creating space to reconnect with herself, that she stepped into pregnancy with intention and openness.
Throughout her pregnancy, Jaylene followed what felt aligned for her… immersing herself in positive birth stories, and trusting her body, which ultimately led her to choose to birth at home. However, when she discovered her baby was breech, she was met with resistance and had to deeply advocate for her choices, educating herself and standing firmly in what she knew to be right for her and her baby.
What unfolds is an extraordinary birth story… a fast, instinctive, under four-hour labour at home, where her son was born breech, in his own time and in his own way… on a date that carries profound meaning for her family.

Jaylene’s story is a powerful reflection of surrender, sovereignty, and trusting both the seen and unseen elements of birth.

In This Episode We Cover
Navigating deep grief before stepping into motherhood
Creating intentional space before conception
Pregnancy as a time of healing, reflection, and transition
Choosing a planned home birth in New Zealand
Discovering baby was breech and exploring options
Advocating for a breech vaginal birth outside standard recommendations
Preparing mentally, emotionally, and physically for birth
A fast and instinctive 3 hour 45 minute labour
Physiological breech birth at home with midwife support
Baby born on her late brother’s birthday

Resources + Mentions
Books
Hypnobirthing – Siobhan Miller
Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage – Rachel Reed
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth – Ina May Gaskin

Education
Breech Without Borders
Spinning Babies

Share The Episode
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or tag us on Instagram @positivebirthaustralia so more women can discover these stories and feel supported in their own journey.
Mentioned in this episode:
Esfera Designs Wellness (Birth) Ball
Create a calm, supportive space during pregnancy and postpartum with Esfera Designs. Use code: PBA20 for $20 off your order.
Esfera Designs
Sacred Birth Affirmations Track
This gentle affirmation track was created to help you feel safe, confident, and connected in pregnancy and birth. Perfect for daily mindset work or to play during labour.
Positive Birth Australia