Ireland's Birth Stories

In this weeks episode I share my chat with Jennifer who talks me through her one pregnancy and the birth of her son Jimmy. Jen was induced at 37 weeks  as they suspected her son was measuring small. Jena water were artificially broken by a midwife, it was then discovered she has chord prolapses. Within moments Jen was on all fours being whisked to theatre for an emergency caesarean birth. Jen woke up soon after feeling her stomach and realising quickly her boy was born. It all happened so quickly, far too quick to process.Jen and her son spent some time in hospital recovering but thankfully both made a full recovery. Jen shares so much more in her story from leaving the hospital without her baby for the first time to processing her experience.Jen recently qualified as a hypnobirthing instructor and is about to embark on her teaching journey. Thanks @dublin_does_hypnobirthing for sharing your story 

 

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In this weeks episode I share my chat with Aisling (@mellow_mindfulness) who talks me through her one pregnancy and the birth of her daughter Olivia. Within this episode you will hear such amazing examples of midwife care. One midwife in particular stood out, she ensured Aisling was cared for when she wasn’t receiving the attention she needed.Olivia’s birth was such a positive experience and as a someone who meditates Aisling definitely tapped into hypnobirthing tools to help her through labour. Something this amazing midwife did has stayed with me. She knew Aisling is close to her mother who lives in Ireland and couldn’t be present due to Covid. The midwife lifted up her mask momentarily, hugged Aisling and said “This is from your mother!” Goosebumps even writing this.

 

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In this weeks episode I share my chat with Kathleen who talks me through her two pregnancies and births. After Kathleen underwent cancer treatment she feared her fertility would be impacted but thankfully she concieved her little boy quite quickly. An uneventful pregnancy took a drastic turn of events as she was diagnosed with Pre-eclampsia. Her little boy was born via Caesarean birth at just 30 weeks weighing under 2kg. Kathleen went on to conceive again and spent a lot of time researching the possibility of pre-eclampsia second time round. She decided the best decision for her and baby was to opt for a Caesarean birth as she noticed returning symptoms such as a severe headache in the very late stages of her pregnancy. She wanted her baby in her arms and she got just that, her little girl!A story many of our premie parents will relate to. Kathleen later mentioned the @irish_neonatal_health_alliance were a huge support to her as a mother to a premie baby.

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In this weeks episode I share my chat with Jennifer who talks me through her two pregnancies and three births. Jennifers experiences were so different, she felt fearful and a complete lack of control throughout her first labour. In her words she felt  defeated after birthing her little girl which is a feeling she carried throughout her transition into early motherhood. Jennifer then shares the moment she discovered she was expecting twins, the shock but also her decision to educate herself as much as possible. She truly gave everything to ensuring she was ready for whatever outcome lay ahead. She birthed her boys vaginally and unmedicated, an incredible birth story! I love Jennifer honesty in this episode. Also, just to mention Finding Charlies Voice which I have linked belowhttps://www.instagram.com/finding_charlies_voice/?hl=en  https://www.kiwico.com/panda - Code IREBIRTH to avail of 30% off your first order

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This week I’m sharing my chat with Tjarda who talks me through her journey to motherhood from discovering she was pregnant at 19 to having the most incredible support bringing each of her babes into the world. Tjardas experience in the hospital gave me goosebumps. She was surrounded by women who showed her respect, compassion and love. Her experience with birth the second time around was similar, nothing by support from everyone she was surrounded by.On both occasions she stayed in her postpartum room as much as possible for those 40 days allowing her body to heal and deepen that connection with baby. Again she was supported by her family and community to enable this.A really beautiful episode, I said very little just listened intently. No doubt you will too!

 

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In this next episode I share my chat with Brenda who talks me through her two birth experiences and one early pregnancy loss. Brenda’s perspective as someone who is hard of hearing is an important listen. She talks me through suffering from what she calls “deaf anxiety” worrying that she will miss her name being called at appointments, can she lip read or can she understand everything she has been told. For this reason along with others she opted for homebirths with both of her babes. She received incredible support from her homebirth midwife when she was transferred to hospital on her first baby but unfortunately due to restrictions the same midwife couldn’t be present when she was transferred with her second. Her husband was by her side through each labour and birth. She shares so much more in this episode too including her breastfeeding journey and suffering early pregnancy loss. Months ago I tried to transcribe all past episodes to ensure the deaf community could enjoy each of your stories, this episode has lit a fire under me. Brenda’s story will also be available in text on the website as will every future episode.Support the podcast

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In this weeks episode I share my chat with Sinead, this is a long episode but I found it hard to edit any of our chat as I felt each stage of her journey to motherhood was so important to hear. She was diagnosed with endometriosis after years of excruciating periods and uncomfortable situations. When the time felt right, Sinead along with the support of her fertility doctor discovered she was pregnant. Many highs and lows were to follow!Her labour and birth story is certainly not linear. She met some incredibly support people who she remembers fondly and most definitely aided in helping her through a particularly difficult experience. Unfortunately she encountered others that are etched in her memory for the wrong reasons.This episode is hard to listen to in places but there is also lots of laughter in there too.

 

Restorative Birth Services Maria Saunders

 

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In this next episode I share my chat with Yasmine who talks me through her two very different birth experiences. Yasmines experience in hospital birthing her little girl wasn’t one where she felt very supported for various reasons. Her little girl arrived into the world making her presence known with her cry but Yasmine didn’t feel that immediate rush of love. She was exhausted, unsure as to what just happened and needed some tlc which she received when they returned to the comfort of their own bed. 18 months later Yasmine felt she was ready to add to their family once again. She talks me through her decision to have a homebirth and the reason they rented an Airbnb to ensure this was a possibility. For Yasmine, this birth was a healing experience and she shares moments such as feeling her cervix open which I will never tire of hearing.

 

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In this next episode I chat to Mairead who talks me through her two pregnancies and homebirths. She chats about sickness in early pregnancy, diagnosis of a haematoma and thankfully the ok for her homebirth at 32 weeks.She shares the moments her daughter was born after a short labour and her fierce first latch that she remembers vividly. We then chat about her second pregnancy which was similar to her first in terms on sickness in the early months. Mairead once again decided to have her baby at home and talks me through her sons birth. She suffered a prolapse after her first baby which caused her distress. Mairead said something which I think is so true “Prolapse isn’t just of the body, it’s prolapse of the mind too”!

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You previously asked for episodes that focus on the postpartum period of a woman’s life and this episode is just that. Sinead previously shared her five pregnancies, four births, early pregnancy loss and her experience with sepsis in EP68 Listen here!. This time we chat about life after each baby especially the expectation we have before our first born comes into the world. Sinead shares how she coped each day, accepting that some days (most) you just do what you need whatever is necessary in order to get through the haze. She also shares how she felt retuning to work in the early days versus her decision to utilise childcare after her fourth baby to really lean into that fourth trimester.If you would like to hear more episodes like this bonus chat please get in touch and let me know. Our Monday birth stories are a permanent fixture but I would love to hear your feedback on this one.

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