Ireland's Birth Stories

In this episode I chat to Ivana who talks me through her pregnancy & the birth of her son. Ivana was in the care of the hospital for much of her pregnancy but decided much later to opt for a homebirth. She previously had surgery to remove part of her cervix but thankfully, all was well at the time of her pregnancy and her cervix had actually lengthened.Ivana's midwife made the decision to transfer her to hospital which she goes into in our chat. Her midwife stayed with her in the hospital...

In this episode I chat with Lucianne about the birth of her two little girls, Daisey & Poppy. Lucianne chose the Domino Scheme with her first pregnancy as she felt they supported her decision and interest in having a natural birth. She has nothing but positive things to say about the service and the women who helped her birth her little girl. She tells me how incredible she felt after giving birth but also, shocked. I will let her tell you why!Lucianne decided to have her second baby at home...

In this episode I chat to Jessica, we actually discovered we live within walking distance of one another which was lovely. Jessica chats me through her pregnancy & the birth of her son, Louie. She originally from Australia, as you will hear from her gorgeous accent and married an Irish man making the permanent move to Ireland in 2017. She attended hypnobirthing with @brenda_communitymidwife and found it to be so beneficial, arming her with the knowledge to make decisions she was comfortable...

In this weeks episode I chat to Siobhán who talks me through her experience with pregnancy and birth. She shared many up and downs including a diagnosis of HELLP syndrome, an emergency C-section, isolation and an a tough post partum journey. Siobhán also chats about her experience with miscarriage so openly which I know so many of you will relate to.We then dive into her third pregnancy which she struggled with, a contrast to her first. She really endured so much which you will hear...

In this episode I chat to Maria who talks through her two pregnancies and births. Maria enjoyed both pregnancies but suffered with cholestasis through her first pregnancy which meant she needed close monitoring. Her first birth wasn't necessarily what she had hoped for. Despite being disappointed that she had an induction and epidural she found found her outlook on birth was a lot more balanced. Her second little boy made a very swift arrival en-route to the hospital. She describes her...

*Trigger warning* This episode contains sensitive content surrounding loss which may not be suitable for you at this time.In this episode I speak to Sarah-Jane who chats to me about her journey with pregnancy, birth and unfortunately loss. During a routine scan Sarah-Jane and her husband received the devastating news that their little boy was incompatible with life. She brings us through how they navigated life throughout the weeks following Luke's diagnosis. Sarah-Jane also highlights that...

In this episode I chat to Ellen and she talks me through the birth of her little boy & girl. Ellen had a particularly long labour with her first baby leading her to believe her little girl would follow suit. This wasn't the case. Olivia made her way into the world very quickly. Ellen laboured in the water with her first birth and recalls how it aided her to relax along with the support of her amazing midwives. Ellen is now a Gentle Birth instructor after finding her passion in all things...

In this episode I chat to Jen about her three pregnancies & births. Jen decided to employ a doula on her first pregnancy and she proved to be an amazing support. She helped prepare them for the birth and held their space within the hospital allowing Jen to have that much needed quiet time to really tap into her final stages of labour. She was such an anchor throughout and importantly helped Jen & Mark process the birth which wasn't what they had expected or hoped for. She then chats to us...

In this episode I chat to Michelle and she talks me through her five pregnancies & births. Her first three babies were born in the US. She was pregnant at 16 with her first baby and very much felt unsupported in the hospital environment. She went on to have a free birth with her third child after an unwanted experience in the hospital with her second pregnancy. Michelle was supported by her close friend (doula - midwife in study) in the hours after her baby arrived. Michelle & her husband...

In this episode I chat to Tracey and she talks me through her two pregnancies and births. Tracey's first labour and birth was not what she expected and unfortunately she had a tough experience. The birth of her son Billy was aided with interventions which led to an extended stay in the hospital. .She availed of the birth reflection service which is offered by maternity hospitals as a means of understanding your birth. Tracey gives us an insight to the service and also what she & her husband...

In this episode I chat to Michelle who talks me through her two pregnancies & births. Michelle is mum to three kids as she found out she was expecting twins on her second pregnancy. She chats to me about her first pregnancy and how she felt throughout her postpartum weeks & months. She then chats about the moment they received the news they were expecting twins and describes her immediate feelings. The level of care she received throughout her pregnancy was second to non with a huge amount...

In this episode I chat to Ali who talks me through the births of her four kids, Georgia, Ted, Lenny & Bruce. Ali's first experience with birth was tough with a difficult few weeks recovery. She discusses the importance of being honest with women about what to expect in the pregnancy and also what our bodies go through in those few weeks after baby arrives. She then talks us through the shock of discovering they were pregnancy with triplet boys after suffering a miscarriage just months prior....

In the next episode I chat to Rana who talks me through her 3 pregnancies & births Rana gave birth to her first son in Turkey where the culture is C-section strong which wasn't necessarily her preference. Men aren't allowed into the hospital so she laboured and birthed alone after chosing to go with an epidural which failed to take. Unfortunately, this was the case on her second labour too. .Rana felt her level of knowledge and preparation wasn't where it needed to be in order to achieve the...

In this episode I chat to Clare about her pregnancy and the birth of her little boy, Teddy. As a midwife, Clare understood the importance of preparing for her birth so took various classes to ensure she was ready for what lay ahead. Unfortunately her labour was tough and a difficult birth followed. Clare also talks about her breastfeeding journey and struggles and how she decided to re-lactate with success. Although Clare's story is tough to listen to at times, it's still so evident that...

In this next episode I chat to Steph about her journey with IVF both in Ireland & abroad. Steph endured 5 rounds of treatment before a successful pregnancy which thankfully brought her beautiful daughter Sophie into this world. Steph suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum but saw her sickness as a sign that all was well with baby which shows a completely different perspective. During Steph's pregnancy she practiced hypnobirthing which contributed to her strong yet calm mindset through labour &...

In this weeks episode I chat to Emma and her husband Mikey. They talk me through Emmas two pregnancies and births. Emma initially wanted a homebirth on her first pregnancy but the location was unsuitable as they were in the process of building their home. They talk me through Emmas experience with an induction and her hospital birth. Emmas refers to one of her midwives and an "angel", I love how she connected with her immediately. On Emmas second pregnancy she knew homebirth was the route...

In this episode I chat to Ciara about her four pregnancies & births. Ciara had three hospital births and chose to birth her last little girl at home in a birth pool. Ciara & here husband lived in Russia throughout her second and third pregnancy but decided to travel home on both occasions to birth her babies in Ireland. Ciara was determined to have a natural birth on Hannah and prepared as much as possible to allow this to happen. Not only did she train to ensure she was physically strong...

In this week episode Katie talks us through the pregnancies & births of her four gorgeous kids. Although Katie had various interventions throughout her labours and birth she stills sees her experiences in such a positive light which is fantastic. She also discusses miscarriage which she was unfortunate to suffer on more than one occasion. Katie is a PHN and a paediatric nurse and also run her private lactation consultancy clinic so has lots of experience with new mums and their postpartum...

In this episode I chat to Kitty who talks me through her pregnancy and the birth of her son Atticus. Kitty is a doula, nurse, lactation consultant and hypnobirthing practitioner amongst other things. It great to get the perspective from a women in the industry of expecting mums, postpartum care and breastfeeding. Kitty had planned for a homebirth but was transferred to a hospital for the final stages of her labour. Despite the change in plan she adjusts incredibly well and uses her...

Gill talks us through her pregnancy & the birth of her little man Oisin. She had regular appointments throughout her pregnancy as she also attended a private OBGYN therefore had checkups bi-monthly. She was full term in the middle of the horrendous snow in 2018 which stopped most of us in our tracks. Gill opted for an epidural after being induced due to her waters breaking over 24 hours prior. She recalls her labour but also the moments following Oisins arrival which gave me goosebumps to...