This episode discusses birth trauma, a non-consented vaginal examination, neonatal resuscitation, and postpartum psychological therapy. Listener discretion advised.

This week we're joined by Hayley - a midwife, wife, and mum of two who shares two profoundly different birth experiences from a truly unique vantage point: as both the woman giving birth and a clinician who understands exactly what's supposed to happen in that room.

Hayley takes us through the birth of her first daughter, Adeline, a labour that started smoothly before her epidural catheter dislodged during transition, leaving her in unmanaged pain during one of birth's most intense phases.

She shares the moment a doctor continued a vaginal examination despite Hayley repeatedly asking her to stop, and the deep sense of violation and dissociation that followed - plus the difficult, drawn-out process of getting a genuine debrief and accountability from her care team afterwards.

She then shares the story of her second daughter, Elsie, a carefully chosen home birth guided by trusted midwives, a shoulder dystocia managed calmly at home, and a birth she describes as redemptive, though not without its own challenges.

This is an honest, deeply informed conversation about informed consent, birth trauma, advocacy (even when the people involved are your colleagues), and what true accountability in maternity care should look like.

In this episode:

• Falling pregnant quickly, twice, despite expecting a longer journey
• Choosing MGP care for her first birth as a midwife herself
• A fast-progressing first labour and a home stretch that changed everything
• An epidural catheter dislodging during transition
• A non-consented vaginal exam and the moment trust was lost
• Her baby needing respiratory support after birth
• The long road to processing birth trauma, therapy, and EMDR
• Organising a formal debrief with her own colleagues
• Choosing a home birth for baby two after a traumatic first experience
• A shoulder dystocia managed calmly at home
• What she hopes her daughters take from their birth stories

Want more?

You can find episode photos over at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠

You can find me at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠

You can find Hayley at:

https://www.instagram.com/hayleyclack_/

Midwives in this episode:

You can find Jacinta at:

https://www.instagram.com/intuitive_birth_collective

https://www.intuitivebirthcollective.com/

Download her free labour toolkit here:

https://intuitivebirthcollective.mykajabi.com/thelabourtoolkit?utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3_a1denni6i48x9b

You can find Taan at:

https://www.instagram.com/taanmw/

This week we're joined by Renea, a mum of three based in Queensland, who takes us through an incredible evolution across three completely different birth experiences.

Renea's first birth took place during COVID lockdowns, with fragmented antenatal care, an induction that spiralled into two Code Pink emergencies, an episiotomy and forceps delivery without consent, and a postpartum haemorrhage.

This was followed by an isolating, under-supported hospital stay with an underweight newborn on a gruelling feeding schedule.

For her second birth, Renea sought out continuity of care, private education, and ultimately hired the doula who would become one of her most trusted birth supports.

She shares how informed consent, a calmer environment, and a supportive midwife transformed the experience into one she describes as healing and empowering.

By her third pregnancy, Renea had made the decision to birth at home. She walks us through six weeks of false labour, a birth guided almost entirely by her own instincts, and the powerful, "sacred" experience of birthing her son on her own terms, surrounded by private midwives, her doula, and her family.

This is a moving conversation about advocacy, informed consent, the impact of continuity of care, and what it really means to reclaim your birth story.

In this episode:

• Falling pregnant amid the uncertainty of early COVID lockdowns
• Fragmented care and a chaotic, conflicting induction process
• Two Code Pink emergencies, forceps delivery, and an unconsented episiotomy
• Postpartum haemorrhage and an isolating hospital stay
• Choosing continuity of care and hiring a doula for birth two
• A calm, empowering hospital birth with the MGP model
• Deciding to have a home birth for baby three
• Six weeks of false labour and trusting her body's instincts
• A powerful unassisted-feeling home birth, caught in a towel
• What empowerment in motherhood means after three transformative births

Want more?

You can find episode photos over at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠

You can find me at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠

You can find Renea at:

https://www.instagram.com/reneacurrie_/

Midwives in this episode:

You can find Jacinta at:

https://www.instagram.com/intuitive_birth_collective

https://www.intuitivebirthcollective.com/

Download her free labour toolkit here:

https://intuitivebirthcollective.mykajabi.com/thelabourtoolkit?utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3_a1denni6i48x9b

You can find Taan at:

https://www.instagram.com/taanmw/

This week we sit down with Mardie, a stay-at-home mum of three living on a farm in country Victoria, to hear the story of her three very different births.

Mardie takes us through the birth of her son Harrison, a smooth labour and delivery that turned into a medical emergency when her uterus inverted following the birth, leading to major blood loss, emergency surgery, and a night in ICU separated from her newborn.

She shares what it was like to have that first-time-mum experience turn so unexpectedly, and how long it really took to process what happened.

Mardie then shares how that experience shaped her decisions for her second and third births — both planned caesareans, both calm, and both revealing the same unexplained issue with her placenta.

She talks candidly about hyperemesis (severe pregnancy sickness) across all three pregnancies, breastfeeding challenges with inverted nipples, and the postpartum support that got her through.

This is a warm, honest conversation about trusting your body, the power of community support after birth, and what empowerment in motherhood really looks like once you're on the other side of it.

In this episode:

• Falling pregnant with Harrison after 12 months of trying
• Severe pregnancy sickness (hyperemesis) across all three pregnancies
• A smooth labour that turned into a uterine inversion emergency
• Major blood loss, emergency surgery, and a night in ICU
• Why they chose planned caesareans for births two and three
• The unexplained "stuck placenta" pattern across all three births
• Breastfeeding struggles with inverted nipples and pumping
• The value of practical postpartum support
• Advice for expecting and postpartum mums
• What empowerment in motherhood means after three very different births

Want more?

You can find episode photos over at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearemotherspod/⁠

You can find me at:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/iamsarahcusack/⁠

You can find Mardie at:

https://www.instagram.com/mardiekrause/