In this deeply moving and multifaceted episode, we sit down with Jen to explore her extraordinary journey through six births and five miscarriages, with a diagnosis of hyperfertility. Jen shares openly and honestly about her experiences, the medical complexities and the fierce resilience that led to her reclaiming her birth and deeply trusting her intuition, shaping her motherhood story.

Jen leads us through her first two births, both vaginal births with doula support, and includes a run over of some of the complexities she experienced (retained placenta in her first birth and a snapped cord in her second). Jen then shares about her third birth where she experienced a shoulder dystocia - a complication that would weigh heavily on her decisions for her future pregnancy.

Following her shoulder dystocia experience and another experience of miscarriage, Jen conceived her next baby, a pregnancy involving more complexity with multiple bleeds, a subchorionic hematoma and lots of discussions around risk of shoulder dystocia for this baby's birth. Jen shares of her anxiety throughout this pregnancy and the eventual decision to agree to a planned caesarean birth, but her journey didn’t end there.

With her next pregnancy, Jen embarked on a path of deep research and self-advocacy, culminating in a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) that she describes as incredibly healing. She walks us through her path leading back to her intuition, her advocacy for herself and her babies and how she came to the decisions she did as she navigated a high risk pregnancy that she felt was anything but. Finally, Jen shares her final birth of her sixth baby, a planned homebirth supported by a privately practising midwife who trusted her intuition and listened to her every step of the way. Jen describes her decision to transfer to hospital, how she was supported through this and her journey from feeling that she failed at homebirth to recognising that this was a successful homebirth, despite the transfer.

Throughout it all, Jen’s story is one of profound loss, strength, and reclamation. She speaks candidly about her experiences with miscarriage, the complexities of hyperfertility, the trauma and triumphs of birth, and how she ultimately found her voice and autonomy as a mother.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this beautiful episode we get the opportunity to listen to Freyja's 2 incredible birth stories! Listen in to hear a beautiful recount and reflection around the births of her two gorgeous, big baby boys!

Her first birth was a difficult one, occurring amongst floods and during COVID and involving an induction due to insulin dependent gestational diabetes and suspected big baby. Ultimately Freyjas' first birth resulted in a caesarean due to 'failure to progress' at 7cm dilation. Freyja recounts her feelings surrounding her birth and all of the hardship in her community at the time of her birth due to surrounding flooding, as well as birthing in the time of COVID. She talked through the journey through processing her first birth experience and how she navigated working towards her next birth, a planned VBAC!

Freyja's next birth story is one of triumph, joy and empowerment, involving lots of self-advocacy, flexing her autonomy and pushing forward even when her birth team shifted and changed. Freyja vulnerably shares how she navigated discussions with doctors, balanced the risks of a VBAC with another suspected big baby and also advocated for herself both leading up to and during labour. She talks about the challenges and mindset shifts that led to her VBAC and discusses the importance of educating herself, building strong support systems, advocating for her birth choices and listening to other women' stories as a form of education and inspiration.

This episode is full of reflection and information, and Freyja's story is an inspiring reminder that every birth journey is unique and that, with the right support and mindset, women can reclaim control and autonomy over their birthing choices. We hope you love listening as much as we loved interviewing Freyja!

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this very special episode, we hear from our beloved co-host Aimee as she steps into the storyteller's seat to share the deeply personal journeys of her three births - a path woven with loss, healing, and profound transformation.

Aimee begins with the unexpected birth of her first baby, Willow - a planned homebirth that turned into an emergency caesarean at 36 weeks due to a placental abruption. She speaks candidly about the grief of losing her envisioned birth, the joy and relief of her daughter’s safe arrival, and her conviction to follow her intuition when hospital breastfeeding support fell short.

Her second birth was a redemptive and empowering homebirth after caesarean (HBAC) with her son Hamish, following multiple miscarriages and the emotional imprint of her first birth. Surrounded by a trusted team and held in safety, Aimee surrendered to the rhythm of labour and birthed her baby in a beautiful, supported water birth.

She then shares the story of her third baby, Evalie - a triumphant second HBAC. This birth unfolded during the still hours of a new moon, with her children present and her birth space lovingly prepared. Through the intensity of a long transition, emotional highs and lows, and a stubborn cervical lip, Aimee ultimately welcomed her daughter into her own hands in a euphoric, joy-filled moment.

With humour, honesty, and raw vulnerability, Aimee reflects on the mental load of labour, the importance of advocacy and support, and the transformational power of birthing on her own terms. This episode is a celebration of birth in all its forms - intense, ordinary, sacred, and wildly powerful.

We’re so honoured to share these stories from our co-host and friend. Aimee, thank you for your courage, your voice, and your unwavering belief in the power of birth.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.