『No need for Prince Charming』のカバーアート

No need for Prince Charming

No need for Prince Charming

著者： Alisha Burns
無料で聴く

The podcast for all Australian women considering, creating or conquering life as a solo mum by choice (SMBC)Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
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  • S5:E20 - Emma & Franklin - One appointment changed everything

    S5:E20 - Emma & Franklin - One appointment changed everything
    2026/07/13
    One appointment changed everything Emma never romanticised motherhood. She spent her whole career caring for other people's children — as a live-in nanny, a live-out nanny, and eventually a kinder assistant — and somewhere along the way she started asking herself whether she'd regret not having a child of her own. The answer was yes. And that was enough. She didn't come to this with urgency or grief or a ticking clock. She came to it with clarity. When her best friend's AMH results came back unexpectedly, Emma went and got her own tested. Her level was 8, at 32. She booked an appointment with a fertility specialist — not sure yet whether she'd freeze her eggs or something more — and walked out of that appointment completely certain: she was going to do it now. She picked a donor in January 2024, on the first day she allowed herself to look. She found him almost immediately. She chose him on vibe — specifically, on the way he answered a question about how he felt about potentially having a biological child out there. His honesty about the nervousness of it was the thing that landed. One round of IVF, first transfer. Positive. Franklin arrived after an induction and one hour and fifteen minutes of active labour. He was at a wedding five days later. He is now 17 months old, obsessed with his shoes, and recently helped Emma unpack the dishwasher by putting a glass on the shelf at exactly the right height. This is a short, honest, uncomplicated story. Not every journey is long. Not every IVF cycle fails. Emma's wasn't, and hers is here to remind you that it can just work. In this episode: Growing up always around kids — nannying as a career and how it shaped, and complicated, her path to motherhood Why adoption or foster care was always in her thinking — and why the reality in Australia didn't match the idea The AMH test that lit the fuse — and the appointment that made the decision for her Deciding at 32 that she didn't want to wait for a relationship she wasn't sure was coming Choosing a donor almost immediately — and why his answer about nervous anticipation of future contact was the deciding factor IVF at City Fertility: smooth, straightforward, first transfer positive A quick induction and one hour fifteen minutes of active labour Coming home to a full house — her mum, her mum's partner, and a housemate — and how that helped and sometimes didn't Mixed feeding until 8 months — three methods running simultaneously because she couldn't choose Going to a wedding five days postpartum The work complications that caught her off guard — disability job restructured, shifts changed, financially in limbo at 17 months postpartum What surprised her most about having a baby after a career caring for other people's children The FOMO that disappeared, the priorities that shifted, and the softness that settled in Why she wants a second child — and what she'd do differently to prepare Key Takeaways One appointment can make the decision for you — go and get the information before you decide anything A low AMH at 32 doesn't mean this is impossible; it means start sooner rather than later You don't need a partner to take the next step. You just need to take the next step. Working with children professionally does not prepare you emotionally for your own — the connection is completely different Don't go back to work assuming everything will be the same — roles change, rosters change, hours change. Have a contingency in mind Mixed feeding is not failure. It is just one more decision with pros and cons and no clear winner, and you will get through it either way Solo motherhood doesn't have to be hard or long. It can just work. This episode is brought to you by City Fertility Exploring fertility treatment as a solo mum in Australia? City Fertility offers an exclusive 20% discount for No Need for Prince Charming listeners. Claim your discount here. Pregnant solo and looking for your village? The Bump Membership is a private WhatsApp community and fortnightly Zoom connection calls for solo mums-to-be across Australia and New Zealand. Join here.
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    1 時間 2 分
  • S5:E19 - Krisina, Otis & Ari

    S5:E19 - Krisina, Otis & Ari
    2026/07/06
    Two Kids, One Heart Condition, and No Regrets A brief note: this episode mentions a miscarriage between Kristina's two pregnancies. She shares it with grace and without distress, but we wanted you to know it's there. Kristina spent her 30s doing what she loved — living in different countries, working big marketing jobs, going out, seeing things. Children were always in the plan. A partner never quite materialised. And then her mum — a retired GP who had spent her career delivering babies — started dropping not-so-subtle hints every time she saw her. By 38, Kristina made the appointment. What followed was a journey that looked nothing like she imagined, partly because of the pandemic that landed in the middle of it, and partly because of the heart condition she had been managing for years — including an implanted defibrillator — that meant nobody quite knew how her body would handle a pregnancy. The answer, it turned out, was better than out of it. Kristina conceived on her first IVF transfer at City Fertility, in Melbourne, just as the borders closed. Her whole pregnancy was in lockdown. She worked from home, mostly unseen, growing a baby in an Art Deco apartment in Prahran while the world tried to work out what was happening. Otis arrived via planned caesarean at Epworth in June 2020 — small, at 2.1 kilos, and with talipes (clubfoot) that hadn't been picked up on any scan. What followed was five months of weekly leg casts, a small operation to release tendons, then months in boots and a bar — a mini snowboard contraption that kept his feet overcorrected while the bones formed. It was hard. He was, as Kristina puts it, a miserable baby. She moved her parents in and went on road trips whenever the lockdowns allowed. She went back for a second child when Otis was 20 months old. There was a miscarriage between them — the numbers weren't going up, and then suddenly they were, and then there was no heartbeat. She managed it medically and ended up in hospital. It was awful. Then she went back, transferred the next embryo, and got pregnant straight away. Seven months into that pregnancy, she packed up the apartment, flew to New Zealand with her mum and Otis, and had Ari via planned C-section at Nelson Public Hospital. This time, everything was fine. He slept. She called the midwife crying, convinced something was wrong. Otis is five. Ari is two and a half. Kristina is about to launch her own fashion brand from Nelson. She rides bikes and scooters to school with her boys every morning. She doesn't regret a single thing. In this episode: Growing up the eldest of four — always knowing she wanted to be a mother, even when she was busy living her best life in her 30s Her mum — a retired GP — planting the seed with increasing persistence, and why she's grateful for it The heart condition and implanted defibrillator that made her wonder whether her body could handle pregnancy — and why it turned out to be the wrong thing to worry about Deciding to keep her IUI cycles secret from almost everyone — and why she told everyone when she moved to IVF IVF at 38-39 at City Fertility: 8 eggs, 4 embryos, pregnant on the first transfer Getting the positive the day the COVID borders closed — her mum, her Canadian friend, and their bags packed A COVID pregnancy — working from home, nobody watching the bump grow, quietly grateful for the rest Otis arriving at 2.1 kilos with undetected talipes — the shock, the five months of weekly casts, the minor surgery, and the boots and bar he wore until he was four What it was really like — the misery, the pacing, the jiggling, the shushing, and the road trips in between lockdowns The miscarriage between her two pregnancies — what happened physically, the hospital trip that followed, and how she feels about it now Going back, transferring the next embryo, and getting pregnant straight away Moving to New Zealand at 7 months pregnant — what she'd do differently, and what she'd tell anyone considering the same move Ari's birth at Nelson Public Hospital — perfectly smooth, and a baby who slept so well she thought something was wrong Finding six solo mums in Nelson and building a community in a small town Leaving the corporate world, turning down a dream Auckland job, and launching her own fashion brand What surprised her most about doing this twice — and which stage she didn't expect to be the hardest Key Takeaways A pre-existing health condition doesn't mean solo motherhood isn't possible — it means you need the right team, honest conversations, and a specialist who will help you get there, not talk you out of it You never feel completely ready — at some point, you have to decide the process is more important than the feeling Telling people matters — the support you get back is almost always better than you expected Moving countries (or even cities) for support with a second child is not retreating — it's a practical, wise...
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    1 時間 8 分
  • S5:E18 - Lindsay & Aric

    S5:E18 - Lindsay & Aric
    2026/06/29
    First Try, Water Birth & Teaching Full Time Lindsay is the kind of person who, when she decides something is happening, makes it happen. She promised herself at 27 — the day she left her marriage — that not having a partner would never mean not having a child. She promised herself again at 30, moving to Scotland on her own without knowing a single person. And she promised herself at 35 that if she was still single, she would make it happen that year. She was. She did. One round of IVF at Melbourne IVF. Nineteen eggs retrieved. Six embryos. A frozen transfer in December, just before her 36th birthday. A positive result over Christmas. A water birth with a doula at 37 weeks and two days — the day after her last day of work, standing in the rain doing tram duty. Aric is now eight months old. She's back teaching full time. She's planning to donate her eggs. Lindsay is a maths and science teacher at an independent school in Melbourne. She navigated her entire IVF journey secretly, before the pregnancy was announced, managing scans and blood tests around the school day. She came back to work at five months and has spent term one figuring out what it actually means to be a full-time teacher and a full-time solo mum simultaneously — including more sick days than she's had in six years, a daycare she describes as phenomenal, and a WhatsApp group of five women from the Preparing for Solo Motherhood course who all had babies in the same year and are now, she says, the best thing in her life besides Aric. This is a story for anyone who's been putting it off, thinks their journey will be long, or isn't sure how it's going to work with their job. Lindsay's answer to all of it is the same: you decide, and then you make it work. In this episode: Leaving her marriage at 27 and her mum's advice that changed everything Living and working in Scotland at 30, dating with the FYI conversation, and the decision point at 35 The public fertility waitlist in Victoria — what it is, how long it takes, and why she's glad she explored private options at the same time IVF at Melbourne IVF: choosing a donor, genetic carrier testing, and the last-minute transfer of funds before getting on a plane to Scotland Nineteen eggs, six embryos, an OHSS risk, and a frozen transfer just before the Christmas clinic shutdown Managing IVF secretly as a teacher — early morning appointments, removing clinic letterheads from medical certificates, and keeping a tight circle of support The embryo transfer day — emotionally the hardest part of the journey, and the Facebook community moment that changed everything A straightforward pregnancy, no complications beyond pelvic pain, and morning sickness managed with medication Working to 37.5 weeks pregnant, tram duty in the rain on her last Friday, and Aric arriving the next day Choosing a doula as a solo mum — why it was a deliberate, empowering choice, and how it shaped her birth A water birth with minimal intervention, just happy gas, and what she describes as one of the most magical things she's ever done Negotiating maternity leave in an independent school — EBAs, school holiday pay, the conversation she had to have with her principal, and going back to work at five months A phenomenal community daycare, full time from five months, and navigating the first term back The Preparing for Solo Motherhood course WhatsApp group — five women, five babies, late-night chats, Sunday check-ins, and a care package sent to a hospital in Sydney Why she plans to donate her eggs — and the take-a-penny-leave-a-penny philosophy behind itKey Takeaways Key Takeaways The Victorian public fertility waitlist is worth joining even if private is your plan — people drop off ahead of you and circumstances change If you're a teacher, ask your clinic for first appointments of the day — most fertility clinics accommodate this, and it's worth asking upfront Tell your employer just enough to get the support you need — but ask about EBAs and maternity leave entitlements early, because independent schools operate differently to government schools A doula is one of the most practical choices a solo mum can make for birth — she is your advocate, she knows your plan, and she doesn't count toward your support person limit The course WhatsApp group is not a nice-to-have — it's one of the most important villages you can build before the baby arrives You don't need a partner to have a rich support network — you need the right community IVF as a solo mum by choice is empowering, not a last resort. The way we talk about it is different — and that mattersYou owe your fertility clinic no loyalty if it's not the right fit — changing clinics can change everything This episode is brought to you by City Fertility Exploring fertility treatment as a solo mum in Australia? City Fertility offers an exclusive 20% discount for No Need for Prince Charming listeners. Claim your discount here. ...
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    1 時間 13 分
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