Ireland's Birth Stories

This week, I share my chat with Lisa, who talks me through the past nine years of her life. Together with her husband, she faced years of fertility struggles enduring IVF, tests, appointments, surgery and the heartbreak of negative tests, month after month, year after year.Eventually, they received the long-awaited positive result, which thankfully led to a healthy, full-term pregnancy. However, when Lisa was 27 weeks pregnant, her family received devastating news her mum had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.We talk about grief, navigating motherhood through loss, continuing on the path of growing her family. Lisa went on to conceive again but sadly experienced a missed miscarriage. In her third and most recent pregnancy, she welcomed her baby just shy of 35 weeks via emergency c-section due to placenta abruption. I’m so grateful to Lisa for sharing so openly and honestly about her journey.Thank you, Lisa.

This week, I chat with Susan, who takes us through her five pregnancies and births.She looks back on each experience fondly, reflecting on the kindness and support she received along the way. Tragically, five months after the birth of her first baby, Gillian, Susan faced the loss of her daughter. We chat through how few services were available to help mothers begin to process such profound grief.We then move on to discuss her subsequent births, how she managed life with a growing young family, and the role of community support then versus now.Very grateful to Susan for sharing her stories with me.

I love this episode. Becky revisits each of her three, very different birth stories. Her first birth was an induction at 41+ weeks, second birth just shy of 37 weeks and her third experience an unplanned homebirth. Her outlook throughout each of her experiences is so amazing. She remained incredibly positive and she got to experience that rush of oxytocin on each occasion too which is what we wish for every woman. At 24 weeks pregnant with her third baby Becky experienced symptoms relating to cholestasis. She was later diagnosed which meant lots of blood tests, lots of hospital visits and even more uncertainty. Again, Becky seemed to go with the flow but still very much keeping in mind her desires birth plan if all was well. Becky welcomed her third child at home with the support of her husband. Baby was coming and there was absolutely no waiting around. I love this part of her story, I know you will too. Thanks so much @beckynidhuill 

This week I share my chat with Ellen who shared her first two birth stories back in Sept 2020 and now revisits the birth of her third child last year. Since we spoke back in 2020 Ellen has qualified as a postpartum doula which gave her all the tools she needed in preparation for her third labour and birth. She shares her reasons behind opting for a homenirth, preparation and the moment she caught her baby. When we first spoke back in 2020, Ellen was open about breastfeeding grief and the weight that carried. Eleven months in and Ellen is still enjoying breastfeeding her baby boy so this time around her experience has been very different. Thanks Ellen

This week I share my chat with Danielle who talks me through her four pregnancies and births. Danielle revisits processing an unplanned pregnancy, the changes that brought to her life and discovering her baby had a rare genetic condition at 4 months old. We chat through each of her four births, two tough experiences both with epidurals followed by two really positive, healing, unmedicated births. There is so much in this episode from navigating unplanned pregnancies at two very different stages of life, balancing pregnancy, work, family, life and feeling the powers of that healing birth. Thanks DanielleSupport the podcastBuy Me A CoffeePatreonInstagram Give A Little Grub

This week I share the first birth story under the new title "Birth Back Then". Mairead revisits each of her three miscarriages followed by her two birth stories. Mairead worked as a nurse all her life so gives us an insight into what that looked like along with how life looked in the 1980's as a working women trying to build her family. She gave birth to her first son unmedicated with the support of her husband within the hospital setting. We then move onto her second birth story which was very different. She was blighted with constant sickness and crippling pain. It was discovered at 26 weeks gestation that Mairead infact had a huge cyst along with other diagnosis and underwent emergency surgery.Mairead then takes us through life post surgery and the remainder of her pregnancy. It's so hard to her how after such a short space of time her life returned to "normal", working for as long as she could until she went into labour while still very much feeling the impact of her surgery.Mairead's story is precisely why I decided to make this addition to the podcast and open the space up for women to share their historical births.Thank you so much MaireadThis episode is brought to you by Mother DragonW: www.motherdragon.ieE: hello@motherdragon.ieInstagram: @motherdragonireland  TikTok: @motherdragon.ie Pinterest: @MotherDragonIreland WhatsApp: Mother Dragon

This week I share my chat with Sarah who talks me through her decision to create a family on her own, two pregnancies and two very different birth stories. Sarah chats briefly on her decision to start her family solo with the help of a donor and the realisation after seeing that positive test. We then chat through her first pregnancy which was blighted with anxiety due to a number of factors. The days leading up to her daughter's birth were not conducive with the labour Sarah wished for. We then revisit Emily's birth and the months that followed. Second time round looked very different, although Sarah didn't give birth at home which she hoped for, she did receive the care and attention of some amazing midwives. She experienced that rush of love as her boy came into the world.Thanks Sarah This episode is brought to you by Mother DragonW: www.motherdragon.ieE: hello@motherdragon.ieInstagram: @motherdragonireland  TikTok: @motherdragon.ie Pinterest: @MotherDragonIreland WhatsApp: Mother Dragon

This week I share my chat with Julie who talks me through her second birth story, the birth of Billy. We spoke last year revisiting the birth of her first son but this story is thankfully very different. Julie expected a long labour similar to her first experience but Billy had very different plans. Julie was surrounded by supportive midwives who were rooting for her to continue on the path she was on to a completely unmedicated birth. A gorgeous positive birth story. Below I have included by first chat with hJulie which is almost a year to the day.....I promised that wasn't planned!Thanks JulieEP140 JulieThis episode is brought to you by Mother DragonW: www.motherdragon.ieE: hello@motherdragon.ieInstagram: @motherdragonireland  TikTok: @motherdragon.ie Pinterest: @MotherDragonIreland WhatsApp: Mother Dragon

This week I share part 2 of my chat with Amber who talks continues to talk me through her experience with postpartum psychosis along with her second pregnancy and planned induction. Amber goes into further detail around the weeks following the birth of Billy. She shares how PPP looked for her from hallucinations to the impact it had on her senses. We then talks through her second birth story, her decision to have a planned induction and the birth of her daughter Polly.Amber has shared so much with us which I know is greatly appreciated. I hope the experiences she has shared can provide comfort to you or others around you and also to just share life after PPP. It does exist xThis episode is brought to you by Mother DragonW: www.motherdragon.ieE: hello@motherdragon.ieInstagram: @motherdragonireland  TikTok: @motherdragon.ie Pinterest: @MotherDragonIreland WhatsApp: Mother Dragon