Pregnancy, Birth And Beyond

In this episode of Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond, Annalee Atia speaks with Dr Rachel Reed about the history and her story of midwifery and its evolution to the modern day midwife, UK & Australian differences in practice and care both in Midwifery and maternity care and the call for midwives to reclaim their expertise and rights of protection. “Instead of locating all of the risks in the women and all our job is to identify how wrong her body is and to fix it, how about looking at what we’re doing and how that may or may not influence how her body functions and her experience of birth.”Dr Rachel Reed is a midwife, academic, author, and international speaker who focuses on childbirth physiology, midwifery practice, and women’s rights (and rites). She has provided midwifery care for many women and has attended births in a wide range of settings and circumstances. Rachel is the author of the award-winning blog MidwifeThinking and the co-host of The Midwives' Cauldron podcast. She has published widely in journ

Nidala Barker is Djugan woman from the Kimberley in Western Australia. She is a musician, storyteller, environmental activist, social justice warrior, and all around an insightful and deep feeling and thinking woman. In this episode, Nidala speaks to Indigenous ways of learning, of time and space and ways of connection, and the importance representation. We speak about the importance of truth telling in Australia’s history and education, and the responsibility we all have on these lands to connect to country and each other. Nidala guides us through the ways she imagines moving towards reconciliation, healing and collaborative communities can happen.

In this episode, Oni Blecher plays a recording of Gaby Tudor interviewing Mayan Midwives from Guatemala. We are so happy to respectfully share their Indigenous wisdom with you in this special edition podcast with PBB foreign correspondent Gaby. Here is a note from Gaby about her experience with Doña Dominga and Mariu Gobbato:"My journey to Lake Atitlan began in Australia with my desire to learn more about practices that heal your womb. I had heard about womb massage in post-partum while working as doula and was interested in this work. This led me to an internet search of Mayan abdominal massage in Guatemala, which led me to Mariu’s course in Lake Atitlan.Arriving to the high lake surrounded by volcanoes, I wasn’t sure what I completely expected from the Mayan abdominal course. My rational mind led me to believe that I would learn a marketable skill that I could use to deepen my practice with women. It wasn’t until the candles were lit in the Mayan cross; which give thanks to each type of corn, as well as the

During this episode, Oni Blecher speaks to Sarah Blandiargo about her nineteen-year career in childcare and nannying. Sarah runs Move Make classes, where she combines her heart-based kids yoga classes with meditation and creative craft and play. Since COVID, Sarah has also started her Move Make classes over Zoom, Australia wide. Sarah is inspired by and has researched child psychologists and pioneers in aspects of how we see minding, communicating, and interacting with children; including Magda Gerba and Janet Lansbury. In this episode, we cover so many interesting topics including Sarah’s own wealth of experience as a nanny, how we value and respect childcare socially, how that can shift individually and collectively, and new ways of looking forward to shifts in holistic childcare. Enjoy this conversation.

Obstetricians and Normal Childbirth.Normalising a deviation from normal, in any field, directs the baseline off track, misleads us as to what normal is and sets us on a course that becomes very difficult to correct the further down the track we go. When we normalise trauma, we no longer see it. When we normalise bad behaviour, it becomes less apparent and when we normalise a deviation from normal physiology it confuses everyone involved. So what happens when we normalise deviating from normal physiology? When practices such as routine episiotomy (or when the vulva leading to the vaginal passageway is cut open because of a belief that that the tissues cannot or will not expand by themselves), routine induction of labour (thats when a person giving birth, overwhelmingly women, are told that their bodies will be better off being forced to go into labour rather than initiating the process of physiological labour itself), when in Australia one third of babies are born through major abdominal surgery and in some h

In this episode, Oni speaks to Laura Latina. Laura is a midwife originally from Italy. She graduated as a Midwife in 2008. Her curiosity and inspiration for the world took her to travel around the world to meet many women and know different cultures. Laura spent a few years in Africa working as a midwife in birth centres or villages and then went on to graduate with a Master Degree in London in Reproductive Health in 2014 while she was working as a caseloading midwife for 4 years. In 2015 she went to Afghanistan to work as midwifery manager for a hospital providing care for 20.000 women a year. In 2016, she moved to Sydney where she started work as women's health advisor for the NGO - Medecins sans frontieres/doctors without borders. Laura aims to give technical support to maternity hospitals and to improve midwifery care. She is passionate about supporting women in their journeys as women, to assist them in learning more and learning what is important to them. "Everyone is unique and I am fascinated by what

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks to Madi Luschwitz about her triplet pregnancy, birth, and postnatal period. Madi, an artist, and her partner Nic, a movement and life coach based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, got quite the surprise when finding out that their first pregnancy was triplets ! Young and healthy, Madi and Nic expected to conceive their first baby. They conceived more than they expected and now have three 1-year-old boys; Woody, River, and Tiger. Madi explores her journey as a mother in this beautiful and raw interview and we are lucky enough to hear her birth story. Madi talks about choosing her maternity health provider/s and the multi-layered experience of navigating a first pregnancy carrying triplets. Enjoy this conversation.

Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020 runs from 7-13th September. Throughout the week, tune in to insightful, thought-provoking and deeply honouring stories and discussions with people who have experienced birth trauma, clinicians and researchers in this area and maternity advocates working to change the system. In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with founder of Birthing Dads founder Steven Kennedy. After a traumatic birth experience and subsequent postpartum depression, Steven explored and investigated his own experience and the wider culture's attitudes toward fathers and birth partners within the pregnancy, birth and postpartum realms. Through his journey proessing his own trauma, Steven now seeks to support men, birth partners and birth support in educating and preparing themselves for pregnancy, birth and beyond ! In this interview, Steven shares personally from his experience and speaks about the more vulnerable and tender times during his early parenting journey. Steven also shares his visions for the fut

Maternal Mental Health Matters talks Birth Trauma with mother of two Kristyn Begnall. DEAR LISTENER, PROCEED WITH CAUTION (TRAUMA TRIGGER WARNING): in this episode we speak with Australian mother of two Kristyn about her traumatic birthing experience. The content may be upsetting for some - please proceed with caution. Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020 runs from 7-13th September. Throughout the week, tune in to insightful, thought-provoking and deeply honouring stories and discussions with people who have experienced birth trauma, clinicians and researchers in this area and maternity advocates working to change the system.If you or anyone you know needs or wants support you can connect with these resources:www.birthtalk.orgwww.panda.org.auhttps://headtohealth.gov.auLifeline (crisis support) 13 11 14Original score 'Opening' by Romy Agam Rom from her album of the same title.Produced, edited and presented by Annalee AtiaPregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at Cavanbah or Byron Bay and

Maternal Mental Health Matters talks Birth Trauma with Dr Sarah Buckley.Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020 runs from 7-13th September. Throughout the week, tune in to insightful, thought-provoking and deeply honouring stories and discussions with people who have experienced birth trauma, clinicians and researchers in this area and maternity advocates working to change the system.Sally speaks with Dr Sarah Buckley about the hormones of birth and how we can maximise them for the most efficient (and maybe even enjoyable) birth. The key to this is to feel private, safe and unobserved, then we instinctively release the right cocktail hormones at the right time.Dr Sarah Buckley on the hormones of birth. Dr Buckley is a GP/family physician with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning. She is the mother of four home-born children, and is also a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland,, where her research is focused on oxytocin and the autonomic nervous system in labour and birth, and the impacts of

This week is Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020, where we are working with other maternity health advocacy groups to raise awareness around traumatic birth and the wider implications for inadequate care throughout the pregnancy, birth and postnatal periods of life. Here, Oni Blecher speaks to Rhea Dempsey; esteemed and highly sought after childbirth educator, counsellor, speaker, author and birth attendant with experience at over one thousand births. She is respected, both in Australia and internationally, as an insightful thinker and presenter on the topic of working with pain- both physical and psychological- in childbirth, and the implications of this for normal physiological birth and postnatal wellbeing. Here, Rhea explores, within the context of her work, how we can move forward in a culture that normalises traumatic birth.

Maternal Mental Health Matters talks Birth Trauma with Professor Jenny Gamble. Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020 runs from 7-13th September. Throughout the week, tune in to insightful, thought-provoking and deeply honouring stories and discussions with people who have experienced birth trauma, clinicians and researchers in this area and maternity advocates working to change the system.Professor Jenny Gamble is Head of Midwifery at Griffith University (Australia) and Director of the Transforming Maternity Care Collaborative. She speaks to the coontributing factors to psychological trauma in childbirth, women and birthing pooled reporting that their birth was traumatic and the development of trauma symptoms. Professor Gamble also looks at helpful early responses and supportive preventive practices.Transforming Maternity Care Collaborative:https://www.transformingmaternity.org.auProduced, edited and presented by Annalee AtiaPregnancy, Birth and Beyond comes to you from Bundjalung Country at Cavanbah or Byron Bay

We're discussing working through big feelings surrounding racism and discrimination, being a woman and the power we have in our hands in this moment, being with what is, not what should be.Vanessa Alexandra Wood a local to the Northern Rivers, born to a Peruvian Mother and Argentine Father on the border of NSW & VIC in Albury/Wodonga. As a child and young woman growing up in a predominantly white Australian culture Vanessa experiences various forms of discrimination and racism and holds these experiences tight to herself, often locked away. As an adult, mother and practitioner she revisits these big feelings and gives them room, air and space to be felt, honoured and when needed, worked through. Vanessa is the mother of two creative and beautiful young boys and life partner to Chris. Ten years a Naturopath, Vanessa now cooks and nourishes residents in rehabilitation and recovery from addiction and mental health conditions. Vanessa’s connection to Pachamama has always been the pillar in her life and the g

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft is a Bundjalung woman and elder, an acclaimed artist and mother to three children, Jack, Ella and Rubyrose. In this episode, Bronwyn shares her experiences giving birth at home in the 1980’s with her oldest two children, and her third vaginal birth at a birth centre at 42 years.Bronwyn’s story dives into the way that she found and embodied the strength and courage to birth in the way that was right for her, and speaks to the importance of women reclaiming our sovereignty over our bodies and births for the betterment of society at large.A powerful storyteller and courageous woman, Bronwyn’s words are medicine to those seeking to find, as Bronwyn puts it, the most courageous person inside ourselves, to help us birth the way we envision it.Bronwyn has also written and/ or illustrated over 41 children’s books. Those listening in NSW who have given birth recently might recognise Bronwyn’s books ABC and 123 which NSW hospitals give to new mums and bubs to take home. We’re so grateful to Bronwyn

Hazel Keedle is a midwifery researcher and lecturer at Western Sydney University and a PhD candidate. Hazel has worked in midwifery group practices, an aboriginal medical service, a variety of hospital settings and as a privately practising midwife in both city and regional locations.  Hazels passion for VBAC followed her own experience of having a VBAC with her daughter in 2008 and since then has published research on women's experience of having a homebirth after caesarean and on her PhD work exploring women’s experiences of planning a VBAC in Australia.Links discussed during this podcast:1. VBAC Matters page (lots of info & videos): https://www.facebook.com/VBACmatters2. Hazel's Research, Women’s experiences of planning a vaginal birth after caesarean in different models of maternity care in Australia: https://bit.ly/3aB353jHazel is also involved in a new survey exploring the experiences of Australian childbearing women in relation to the COVID19 pandemic, you can take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with 'Get Promoted Life'; a high level performance and life coach, specialising in optimising the relationship with self and others. This includes effective communication and how to connect more thoroughly and respectfully with self and others. She works with people of all ages but has a special ability and affinity with working with children, allowing and encouraging various ways of communication. During this conversation, we cover many topics, but most importantly how parents can help support their children in connecting with themselves and communicating their needs and desires effectively. We also speak about how parents can support their own learning experiences communicating with their children and the web-like symbiosis of families. Enjoy this conversation.

What does it mean to have an embodied pregnancy and birth experience? How can we tap into, and move forward, from our inner knowing? And how can we reclaim the sacredness of birth?In this episode of Pregnancy Birth and Beyond, Kirilly Dawn speaks with Maha Al Musa - internationally acclaimed independant childbirth educator and fierce advocate for centering the sacredness of birth in maternity care.Maha is a mother of three children, and is the founder of EmbodyBirth, and author of 'Dance of the Womb: The Essential Guide to Belly Dance for Pregnancy and Birth'. She birthed her third child, daughter Aminah in a home water lotus birth, at 46 years old, and breastfed her until she self weened at 8.5 years, when Maha was 54.5 years old. As such, Maha is an advocate for extended breastfeeding, home birth, and women being the authorities and experts in what is right for them and their babies.You can find out more about Maha at www.mahaalmusa.com or Instagram @maha_al_musaThe EmbodyBirth program: https://sales.mahaal

Sally speaks with Paulette Bray-Narai, a certified Nonviolent Communication (NVC) instructor about how we can reframe the challenges we find in life through the practice of NVC.NVC was developed by Dr Marshall Rosenberg in the US in the 1960's and has been used since that time to bring groups with vastly opposing views together to form peaceful agreements. The NVC process has 4 main steps:1. When faced with a situation, observe what is happening objectively.2. Sense your feelings in response to the situation.3. Connect your feelings with a need.4. Make a request (of yourself or the other person), without having attachment to your particular request.This process is described in full in Dr Rosenberg's book "Non-Violent Communication".In this podcast we examine some common statements that can lead to disagreement, and then reframe these statements using NVC. Through this process we come to see how judgements in the use of certain words close down curiosity and open-minded discussion, and how by contrast the NV

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Sali McIntyre. Sali is an Australian midwife, antenatal educator at Tweed hospital, Arvigo practitioner and teacher, and mother of four adult children, all born at home. Sali founded and runs 'Heart and Soul of Wellness', a wellness centre in Murwillumbah and has just released her first book; a comprehensive guide and to and history of Yoni or vaginal steaming. Oni and Sali had this conversation during the first COVID lockdown in NSW. Since then, her book, 'Womb Medicine, The Art of Yoni Steaming for Women’s Health' has been released. Sali is an elder woman, passionate about re earthing feminine ancient wisdom and integrating it into our society and through attitudes toward motherhood and womanhood. Enjoy this conversation and find out more of Sali and her offerings through heartandsoulofwellness.com.au

Today on the show we are speaking with Dr Belinda Barnett. Dr Barnett is a maternal health researcher, psychologist and community advocate for the protection of mothers’ human rights.Belinda recently completed a PhD at the University of Queensland, her thesis titled “Becoming a mother and mattering in early 21st century Australia”.Confired on March 27th, 'Becoming a mother and mattering in early 21st century Australia: An exploration of women's perinatal transitions and equity in wellbeing' looks at the value of mothers in our society. We discussed her personal and professional experiences that led her her current work, her research and a recent submissions to the QLD human rights commission. Information mentioned in this podcast:1. Application of the Human Rights Act of Queensland to the provision of public maternity services in Queensland Policy brief for the Queensland Human Rights Commission2. Maternal health brief for meetings with Queensland Health Minister, Queensland Shadow Health Minister, State Mem