Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the incredible Shanice

In this episode we chat all about

✔️discovering she had a uterine septum during laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis and getting that removed before trying to conceiving

✔️her husband working FIFO which made it hard to line up ovulation with his work schedule

✔️going down the path of obstetrician led care as Shanice felt this would be better due to her previous gynecological surgeries

✔️finding out at 19 weeks that her cervix was very short - getting a cervical stitch put in to help prevent premature birth

✔️lifestyle changes Shanice had to make after getting a cervical stitch to support her body through the pregnancy

✔️having her cervical stitch emergency removed at 35+4, a week before it was planned due to having signs of preterm labour

✔️having an extensive 2nd degree tear after birth

✔️finding it difficult in the early postpartum period to sit to feed baby Levi with her tears

✔️traveling around Australia when Levi was a newborn baby in their rooftop tent, the logistics of traveling with a baby and how they made it work

✔️

Follow Shanice on their epic adventures around Australia https://www.instagram.com/yondertravellers/

If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula

To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.

If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA

This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube

Follow me on social media for more content

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!

Alicia :)

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Rachel

In this episode we chat all about

✔️trying to conceive and knowing that something wasn’t right - going on letrozol for 6 cycles and only ovulating twice

✔️deciding to go on IVF and deciding between light and regular IVF

✔️collecting 22 eggs from her IVF cycle but having none fertilize due to egg-sp*rm interaction problem

✔️doing IVF rounds using ICSI fertilisation and oocyte activation which gave Rachel the most fertilised embryo

✔️after her last round of IVF and collection, Rachel felt the best she ever had and advocated for a fresh embryo transfer as she felt this was the right way to go

✔️conceiving after almost 18 months of waiting and over a year of going through IVF

✔️being accepted into MGP model of care, doing private hypnobirthing and breastfeeding classes as well as attending hospital birth classes to know the hospital’s policies and what to advocate against!

✔️Rachel felt that she couldn’t have an unmedicated birth as she had trouble to conceive and felt that birth would be difficult

✔️Rachel not believing she was in labour for 2 days when she had regular surges, she kept thinking “this is going to get worse, this may not even be labour!”

✔️not getting sleep for 3 days prior to birth as the surges were worse when Rachel laid down and then after a long prelabour, Rachel’s labour beginning

✔️Rachel being in disbelief after the birth that she had done it without pain relief as she thought the intensity of labour would get worse and there would be a pain where she would be asking for an epidural

✔️Finding great support in the Facebook group IVF Australia

IVF Support Group Australia - Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/105615329563232?locale=fr_FR

If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula

To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.

If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA

This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube

Follow me on social media for more content

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!

Alicia :)

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Ann, all the way from the USA who shares with us the story of her motherhood journey and in particular the birth and death and her baby Elijah who passed away at term due to a small placenta size. Since then, Ann has created an amazing organisation in the USA called measure the placenta, backed by research showing that the detection of small placentas through measuring the placenta during pregnancy could help prevent a large number of stillbirths.

In this episode we chat all about

✔️wanting to be a mum but also working her first 3 pregnancies around her PhD so that she could try and finish it

✔️having very heavy bleeding during her second pregnancy, being told it was likely an impeding miscarriage, despite seeing a heart beat on the ultrasound, but turned out to be a subchorionic haematoma and baby survived

✔️falling pregnant with her 4th baby (thinking this would be her last), everything going well until 39 weeks of pregnancy

✔️being in denial that Elijah could be dead even though Ann hadn’t felt movements for a very long time and Elijah was an active baby

✔️still being in denial during Elijah’s labour, trying to pretend that he would be born alive

✔️birthing her son Elijah, stillborn, and agreeing to do an autopsy and test on his placenta to find out the cause of his death

✔️meeting with the pathologist after reading the report of Elijah’s placenta analysis to find out why Elijah died and being dismissed or not being helped in finding the cause of her son’s death

✔️connecting with Dr Harvey Kliman so he could determine the cause of Elijah’s death, being that Elijah’s size was too big for his small placenta

✔️creating “Measure the placenta” an association trying to create change and get placenta measured in the prenatal period

✔️how measuring the estimated placental volume (EPV) could prevent full term stillbirth and why you should request it at your next ultrasound!

✔️pregnancy after her son’s Elijah’s stillbirth and how she navigated the “most stressful” time of her life

✔️having 63 prenatal appointments during her 5th pregnancy with her rainbow baby

Measure the placenta - https://www.measuretheplacenta.org/

https://www.instagram.com/measuretheplacenta/

If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula

To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast.

If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA

This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube

Follow me on social media for more content

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula

Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode!

Alicia :)