23 | Rachael - Home Birth Transfer & Induction in Australia, Moving Countries during Pregnancy & Birthing during COVID-19 in New Zealand

‘I was watching myself from above and just kind of observing the sensations instead of feeling it as pain’

‘The things that I have control over are my breathing, my affirmations & my visualisations and also my movement’

In this episode we hear Rachael sharing the births of her two little ones; her daughter was born in Melbourne, Australia and her son was born in her home country of New Zealand. Rachael shares her experiences going through pregnancy, birth and postpartum in two different countries, and how it was going through pregnancy and deciding to move countries during a pandemic. We talk about how birth never ends up being exactly as we planned, and Rachael shares her experience of losing control over some things she really wanted for her births and how she managed to turn inward and really listen in and focus on the things she still had control over to birth both her babies the way she wanted. Listen in for two birth stories really beautifully and joyfully shared with lots of truly valuable insights on how we can actually take control over our births with the right mindset and preparations.

Rachael really recommends reading Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth, watching The Face of Birth documentary and reading Birth with Confidence by Rhea Dempsey, especially if you are going through pregnancy and birth in Australia. Rachael also recommends listening to lots of birth stories from other women to hear different kinds of experiences. The Birth Hour is another wonderful birth story podcast where you can find lots of different stories.

If you'd like to reach out to Rachael, just send me an email at: the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.

Visit The 9 Months Podcast website for more information or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.

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*The stories on this podcast are personal experiences and should never be interpreted as medical advice. Always seek out a birth professionals expertise before making any medical decisions. The 9 Months Podcast is in no way advocating for a specific kind of birth, but on the contrary, we believe that all births are beautiful, just as they are.