Cassie is a Mum of 3. She has traversed the landscape of rural birthing through her three different births. Cassie has navigated the change from relying on the hospital system to taking back her power and choosing a healing home birth. Working with Claire from ‘Your Birth Midwifery’. Cassie is now a birth keeper, post partum doula, and breast feeding doula also offering virtual support. She runs a regular birth circle where women can connect regardless of the distance that separates us, across this rural landscape. Women are invited to sit in virtual circle, here in they gather to hold space a ..read more

Today’s episode is with Tarra from Macedon Ranges in rural Victoria. Tarra has two children. She birthed in both a CBD hospital and a small regional hospital. Tarra was a nurse and also studying to be a midwife. She shares that originally, she wanted to be in a bigger metro hospital in case something did go wrong. This hospital did offer an MGP program and Tarra determinedly found a way into the program in order to experience continuity of care. She had visions of a waterbirth but her labour and birth experience moved quite differently. Tarra shares her difficult first labour. She spoke as a s ..read more

Today’s episode is with Ellesha from Euroa in Victoria. She is a mum of two and in today’s episode shares her two quite different births and how she moved through her second pregnancy to create the empowering birth she wanted. Ellesha shares the wisdoms she has gained along her journey, the positive impact of hypnobirthing and some wonderful resources – that can be accessed online/through apps – that others can put into place/practice too to help them on their own birthing journey. Her first son was born via caesarean after complications. This was a shock for Ellesha, as she was suddenly movin ..read more

Prior to moving to a rural bushland area, outside of Braidwood, Erin lived in Canberra. Her first baby was born in Canberra, at the hospital. She shares her journey moving through the system during this first pregnancy and how this experience and her transition to rural life contributed to her decision to pursue homebirth for her future rural births. In her first pregnancy Erin did the Calmbirth course. She held a belief that reducing fear was an important thing for birthing women, based on pre-pregnancy engagement with Ina Mae through her TED talk ‘Reducing fear of birth in U.S. culture: Ina ..read more

Rhiannon Finger is a mum of four. She lives on a cattle property in Clermont, Central Queensland. Rhiannon’s birth expectations changed rapidly in her first pregnancy when she unexpectedly went in to labour at 24 weeks. She shares how she moved through different providers, quickly realising that this was labour and that transfer was necessary. Being in Central Queensland, she required remote transfer and was flown to an out of area, high risk unit with NICU support for an emergency caesarean. Her son was born. He stayed in hospital for 99 days, in the care of the NICU nursing team. Fortunately ..read more

Rebecca Barry is a mum of two. She lives on a property in South Australia, close to the Victorian boarder. Rebecca’s journey towards her first birth changed trajectory when she received high blood pressure results and was diagnosed with preeclampsia. She had to shift her plan and go into hospital earlier than expected. She underwent additional monitoring and had an extended prenatal hospital stay. She had to change hospitals, moving from her private unit and the care of her private obstetrician to a different hospital. Her known care providers were not able to transfer with her and so early in ..read more

This is part 2 of Rhia’s story. Part one can be heard in episode 26, wherein Rhia shares her journey to conception and through prenatal care. Rhia is a mother, photographer, wife and powerhouse self advocate. We heard part of Rhia’s story in episode 17 when I interviewed Rhia’s wife Claire about her work as a rural homebirth midwife but first heard from Rhia herself in part 1 - episode 26. Rhia epitomised strength. She shared how she maintained her strength through an assisted conception journey and through meeting with the restrictions placed upon birthing people in institutionalised birthing ..read more

Raine is from a rural/remote property outside of Katherine in the Northern Territory. She has been on a long pre-conception journey, navigating the world of fertility treatments and IVF specialists for many years. She is now in the third trimester of her pregnancy, having relocated to birth, and is expecting to give birth any day/week now. In this interview she shares her heartaches and the mental load she carried on this journey. She goes into detail about treatments and the different tests she has had. Raine shares how she has transitioned practitioners moving from Darwin to the Gold Coast ..read more

Sarah is from Bowraville in NSW, on the mid north coast. She gave birth around three years ago. While she was ‘growing up’ Sarah hadn’t ever really considered how she would birth because she didn’t think she would have children. However, since becoming a mum Sarah is now thoroughly involved in the world of birth through her work as a birth photographer and the production of the first Nambucca Valley and surround ‘Pregnancy to Toddlerhood’ guide. During her pregnancy Sarah checked into Macksville maternity at around 20 weeks gestation. This small hospital and their personable staff appealed to ..read more

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