This is a really lovely episode, where Agustina shares her two pregnancies and births, alongside her experiences as a Canadian living far away from her family. She opted for private obstetric care because she wanted extended follow-up care in the days after birth. She stayed really active in pregnancy, moved with the contractions and laboured relatively quickly, birthing both her babies with ease. Breastfeeding was a different story and if you’ve ever wondered exactly how profound and helpful a one-on-one session with a lactation consultant is, listen to Agustina’s experience - it speaks volumes!

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Hilary Walker documents people and places with an informal documentary style, capturing mood and authenticity. Once a month she shoots maternity, newborn and family mini sessions in her cosy bedroom style studio in Brunswick East at affordable rates. Sessions are 20 minutes and they are a breeze. The result is a collection of beautiful images capturing your family as they are in that moment. Hilary also offers shoots at home and around people’s neighbourhoods and she loves documenting families in their natural habitat. She’s really good at making people feel comfortable and bringing out the best in everyone. I should let you know that Hilary is my sister, so she’s paying me to say all this. But if you don’t believe me, you can take a look at her work at www.hilarywalker.com.au and let her pictures speak for themselves. I have been lucky to have Hilary photographing our family all through my kids lives, but I also choose to have her photograph me for my business too. Most of the images you see of me throughout ABS have been taken by Hilary. She shoots portraits, still life, product, interiors and architecture too. Check out her website and see how you could make use of her skills!

www.hilarywalker.com.au

She’s offering listeners 15% off for those that make a booking for a shoot at home before the 30th of November 2024, just use the code ABS15 at checkout.

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If you need to hear a positive NICU breastfeeding story, this is it! Sarah shares her experience with premature prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) and the NICU journey that followed the birth of her baby at 32 weeks. She started antenatal expressing in labour and continued hand-expressing in the days after before switching to a hospital-grade pump. She had plenty of milk, triple-fed and used a nipple-shield alongside navigating an oversupply (she could pump 400ml in a single session!). She saw a variety of lactation consultants in the first few months and emphasises how important it is to find the right person for you who also has the right level of expertise for your situation.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by Kiwi.co.

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KiwiCo Panda Crate products are not only safe and of high quality, but also age-appropriate and supportive of your baby’s growth. I’m a big fan of quality activities that create the opportunity for play-based learning and Kiwi Co delivers hands-on projects that get the whole family involved. Whether you have a brand-new baby or a trailblazing toddler, the Panda Crate is perfect for your little one’s developing brain. Unlock brain-building play with KiwiCo Panda Crate!

Get 20% off your first crate with code BIRTHSTORIES

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Welcome back to the show for Episode 500. This one's a little bit different.
I'm not interviewing anyone today, I thought I would instead recap the last few years and share with you a little bit more about the journey.

Whether you're here for the first time, or you've been here since the beginning over 7 years ago, thank you for listening. I look forward to continuing to bring you birth stories for another 7 years and beyond.

Want to celebrate with us?
Please leave the show a rating or review in your podcast app, it means so much to me.

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