In this episode I chat with Freya, a paediatric doctor from Melbourne, about her pregnancy and premature vaginal birth of her daughter Goldie. Freya's journey to motherhood came with more challenges than most; she battled severe hyperemesis gravidarum for her entire pregnancy, was involved in a serious car accident at 34 weeks, and went into spontaneous labour at just 35 weeks. Her professional background in paediatrics influenced many of her fears around childbirth, yet she still managed to find a positive, empowering birth experience. Freya also speaks candidly about the guilt and shame that so often accompanies pregnancy sickness, the emotional complexity of a NICU-adjacent birth, and a gruelling three-month breastfeeding journey.

Today's episode is brought to you by Nutra Naturals. 
Made from Australian grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken bones, Nutra Naturals' award-winning bone broths are slowly cooked and concentrated into either a rich paste or convenient powder. So you get the rich flavour and naturally occurring collagen protein you'd expect from a traditional homemade bone broth - without spending hours in the kitchen. 

Plus there’s added Zinc and B Vitamins too! No preservatives, no fillers, no nasties. Just clean wholefood ingredients that make healthy eating feel effortless. And that is really what we are all after isn't it.

The range starts from $34.95 and you can shop online at nutranaturals.com.au. Use the code AUSBIRTHSTORIES at checkout to get 20% off. 

But be quick, this offer is only available until the 18th of September 2026 and cannot be used on bundles or with any other offer.

In this episode I chat with Freya, a paediatric doctor from Melbourne, about her pregnancy and premature vaginal birth of her daughter Goldie. Freya's journey to motherhood came with more challenges than most; she battled severe hyperemesis gravidarum for her entire pregnancy, was involved in a serious car accident at 34 weeks, and went into spontaneous labour at just 35 weeks. Her professional background in paediatrics influenced many of her fears around childbirth, yet she still managed to find a positive, empowering birth experience. Freya also speaks candidly about the guilt and shame that so often accompanies pregnancy sickness, the emotional complexity of a NICU-adjacent birth, and a gruelling three-month breastfeeding journey.
Today's episode is brought to you by <a href="https://nutraorganics.com.au/collections/broths?perPage=14">Nutra Naturals</a>. Made from Australian grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken bones, Nutra Naturals' award-winning bone broths are slowly cooked and concentrated into either a rich paste or convenient powder. So you get the rich flavour and naturally occurring collagen protein you'd expect from a traditional homemade bone broth - without spending hours in the kitchen. Plus there&rsquo;s added Zinc and B Vitamins too! No preservatives, no fillers, no nasties. Just clean wholefood ingredients that make healthy eating feel effortless. And that is really what we are all after isn't it.
The range starts from $34.95 and you can shop online at <a href="https://nutraorganics.com.au/collections/broths?perPage=14">nutranaturals.com.au</a>. Use the code AUSBIRTHSTORIES at checkout to get 20% off. But be quick, this offer is only available until the 18th of September 2026 and cannot be used on bundles or with any other offer.

A Podcast of Mothers' stories of childbirth. Weekly interviews with mothers giving their first hand accounts of child birth in Australia. Designed to help educate and inform first time pregnant women, parents wanting to have better subsequent births and birth enthusiasts who love to hear and tell birth stories. An entertaining and heartfelt resource for pregnancy, labour and delivery and postpartum.