When Courtney thought her family was complete with two beautiful children, she was finally ready to focus on herself. After her doctor found pre-cancerous cervical cells following her first birth, she'd been advised to have a completion hysterectomy once her family was finished—and at 38, with a four-year-old and almost two-year-old, that time had finally come. Her hysterectomy was booked for March of that year.

But in February, just weeks before her scheduled surgery, Courtney discovered she was pregnant with her third child. The culprit? Her two-year-old daughter Margo, who had been secretly chewing on condoms thinking they were chocolates, making tiny holes that rendered them useless.

In today's candid episode, Courtney vulnerably shares her initial shock upon discovering the pregnancy, her fear about making the "wrong" decision, and how seeing her baby healthy at 17 weeks felt like a sign. She reflects on navigating a high-risk pregnancy with a shortened cervix, enduring three weeks of prodromal labour, and the dramatic 12-minute birth that caught everyone off guard—including herself.

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CREDITS:

Host: Ksenija Lukich

Birth Story: Courtney Ayre 

Producers: Ksenija Lukich & Ella Maitland

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

When Courtney thought her family was complete with two beautiful children, she was finally ready to focus on herself. After her doctor found pre-cancerous cervical cells following her first birth, she'd been advised to have a completion hysterectomy once her family was finished&mdash;and at 38, with a four-year-old and almost two-year-old, that time had finally come. Her hysterectomy was booked for March of that year.
But in February, just weeks before her scheduled surgery, Courtney discovered she was pregnant with her third child. The culprit? Her two-year-old daughter Margo, who had been secretly chewing on condoms thinking they were chocolates, making tiny holes that rendered them useless.
In today's candid episode, Courtney vulnerably shares her initial shock upon discovering the pregnancy, her fear about making the "wrong" decision, and how seeing her baby healthy at 17 weeks felt like a sign. She reflects on navigating a high-risk pregnancy with a shortened cervix, enduring three weeks of prodromal labour, and the dramatic 12-minute birth that caught everyone off guard&mdash;including herself.
THE END BITS: <a href="https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=quicky&amp;utm_content=mm-birthday&amp;code=TQBIRTHDAY" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source%3Dshownotes%26utm_medium%3Dpodcast%26utm_campaign%3Dquicky%26utm_content%3Dmm-birthday%26code%3DTQBIRTHDAY&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742335785488000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1QmYCj2XoKZIak4TzggWhi">Support independent women's media </a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofabirthbymamamia?igsh=MnZrbXJ3ZzRvbTht" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/diaryofabirthbymamamia?igsh%3DMnZrbXJ3ZzRvbTht&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742335785488000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2KGvsMl7W7r4A-48yR2a-G">Follow Diary Of A Birth on Instagram</a>
<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/diary-of-a-birth/">Listen to more Diary Of A Birth here</a>
CREDITS:
Host:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ksenijalukich?igsh=MWszeGl2ejczeTl6NA==" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/ksenijalukich?igsh%3DMWszeGl2ejczeTl6NA%3D%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742335785489000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2QQwe_vOXF_jQCq51Q6RdT">&nbsp;Ksenija Lukich</a>
Birth Story: Courtney Ayre&nbsp;
Producers:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ksenijalukich?igsh=MWszeGl2ejczeTl6NA==" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/ksenijalukich?igsh%3DMWszeGl2ejczeTl6NA%3D%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1742335785489000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2QQwe_vOXF_jQCq51Q6RdT">Ksenija Lukich</a> &amp; Ella Maitland
Audio Producer: Tina Matolov
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Jessie Stephens is terrified of birth, but one day she’d like to have a baby. That’s why she’s hosting The Delivery Room. Over eight weeks join Jessie as she speaks to eight different women about eight very different births. Will her new friends make her more comfortable with the experience? Or will this experiment have the opposite effect?

Jessie Stephens is terrified of birth, but one day she&rsquo;d like to have a baby. That&rsquo;s why she&rsquo;s hosting The Delivery Room. Over eight weeks join Jessie as she speaks to eight different women about eight very different births. Will her new friends make her more comfortable with the experience? Or will this experiment have the opposite effect?

The Delivery Room

SUMMER LISTENING: From Hysterectomy to Maternity Ward: The Pregnancy Nobody Planned

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/cf2996fc-16a0-414a-af41-b3a7017b44a0/transcript