In this episode, Georgia speaks with Emily, who shares her two contrasting birth stories with honesty, insight, and strength. Emily’s first birth, a planned hospital birth during COVID, took an unexpected turn following a gestational diabetes diagnosis, loss of continuity of care (MGP) in the last weeks of pregnancy, and a challenging, prodromal labour with posterior baby that ended in a caesarean section. She candidly reflects on the emotional aftermath and her path toward healing.

Determined to reclaim her birth experience, Emily shares the work she did—physically, emotionally, and mentally—to prepare for her VBAC. From deep internal bodywork to debriefing/counselling and mindset shifts, she details her transformative journey leading into her second birth: a powerful, supported VBAC that unfolded at home before transferring to hospital in the final hours. Despite facing hurdles once again, Emily emerged feeling elated, grounded, and strong. She shares her encouragement for building mental resilience, taking responsibility for your decisions and your feelings and making relevant powerful on your own journey to VBAC.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone planning a VBAC or seeking inspiration after a difficult birth. Emily’s story is filled with wisdom, vulnerability, and serves as a timely reminder to trust your body, your intuition, and your inner power.

BIO:

My name is Emily Martin. Mother to two little girls Torvi(4) and Luna (3). My husband is Brock. We live in the small outback town ofBroken Hill where I work part time as a cafe cook and manager and Brock is aheavy diesel mechanic and sheep farmer. In years without children Brock and Iwere busy, work addicted business owners. Now with children we much prefer a quiet life and spend much of our time on the family property with plans to make living on the land our life plan.

Emily shared some beautiful resources during the podcast episode including Core and floor restore Womb templeStephanie Elsum acupuncturist -vibrance mind and body port Macquarie Birth sisters port macquarie

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this heartfelt and deeply insightful episode, Laura shares the stories of her four very different births — unfolding under different models of care and each offering her profound lessons in motherhood, birth and self-trust.

Laura’s journey begins in the public hospital system, where despite a positive first birth experience with her son Harry, she reflects on the loss of her mother during this pivotal time and how little guidance she felt she had as a new parent throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Her second birth with Arthur ended in a caesarean that she still questions the necessity of. She reflects on the disconnect from her body during this experience and speaks of Arthur's postpartum period which brought unexpected challenges, including a long battle with oral and breast thrush which she conquered and continued to breastfeed throughout.

It was during her third pregnancy, in the midst of COVID and a chance encounter with a doula, that Laura found a path to empowered, supported birth. With her daughter Yasmine, she experienced a healing homebirth VBAC, surrounded by care providers who respected her body and her choices. Her fourth and final birth — a planned homebirth with her daughter Freya — was another transformative experience, this time with all three of her children present, a birth photographer and a doula, highlighting the beauty of including family and additional supports in the birthing space.

Laura speaks with honesty, wisdom, and reverence for her body’s journey — from navigating grief and fragmented care to discovering the power of continuity, community, and bodily autonomy. She reflects on tandem feeding, her husband's evolving role in the birth space and how these birth experiences shaped her parenting and worldview.

This is an episode rich with insights into informed decision-making, birth choices in Australia, breastfeeding difficulties and the value of trusting yourself through every stage of motherhood.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

Laura shares a resource, 'Beyond the sling' by Mayim Bialik, which can be found here.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.

In this moving episode, we follow Tina’s powerful VBAC journey — from becoming a young mum at 21 and experiencing a caesarean under general anaesthetic, to reclaiming her birthing power with the vaginal birth of her MCDA twins.

Tina opens up about the heartbreak of missing her son’s first moments, the emotional toll of separation and how that experience shaped her path to becoming a midwife. She takes us through her next pregnancy — the shock of conceiving twins, the challenges of preterm labour and navigating birth during the height of COVID.

Against the odds, Tina chose a VBAC, birthing her twins vaginally at 32 weeks. She shares the raw details and experiences — the mind game of having to push two babies out, the near en caul birth of her second twin, and the moment she met her daughters before they were taken to NICU. Tina’s story doesn’t end there! She also shares her deeply emotional NICU journey, her commitment to breastfeeding through enormous obstacles, and the deep empowerment she now carries as a mother and a midwife, influencing the way she can support other families on their own journeys.

This is a story of which explores advocacy and self-empowerment; a story of resilience, and triumph. We hope you love it as much as we loved sharing it!

BIO:

I am a mother of 3 - 10 year old Caleb and 3 year old twins Alyssa & Brielle. I live in Sydney with my partner Mitch. My first pregnancy was unplanned and I was terrified of birth and completely unaware of my ability to say no to certain things which ultimately led to a failed instrumental birth and cesarean under GA impacting our breastfeeding journey. After developing birth PTSD and doing lots of work to heal I felt a pull to go into midwifery to raise awareness and prevent birth trauma.7 years later I found myself pregnant after a couple of miscarriages and instantly messaged my private midwife friend with a homebirth in mind. Everything changed when I found out I was pregnant with high risk monochorionic-diamniotic twins. After many complications during the pregnancy such as short cervix, cervical cerclage, multiple preterm labour admissions during the height of covid I had the most healing VBAC with the absolute best team. I will always say it was one of the best days of my life!I always say that as a midwife I do not judge the decisions you make about your pregnancy, birth and postpartum period all that I care about is that you were presented with all the options available to you and you are aware that it is your body and your choice always.

Please join us on our journey to bringing you all kinds of VBAC stories from across the country from here on in by subscribing and following us on social media, @australianvbacstories on Instagram and Australian VBAC Stories on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love to rate or review, and tell your friends!

If you are feeling that you might benefit from mental health support after listening to our podcast, please reach out to one of the organisations below:

PANDA ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://panda.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gidget Foundation ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gidgetfoundation.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

COPE Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cope.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you've experienced mistreatment or disrespectful care in your pregnancy, birth or postpartum and are seeking advocacy support, please contact one of the following organisations:

Maternity Choices Australia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternitychoices.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Maternity Consumer Network ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you for tuning in to our podcast.