Podcasts about caesarean

At the 58th Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) meeting in Montreal, TopMedTalk hosts Mike Grocott and Desiree Chappell interview Heather Nixon, SOAP immediate past president and Section Chief for Obstetric Anesthesiology; Section Chief for Simulation, Education, and Training Department of Anesthesiology University of Illinois, about SOAP's educational mission, governance, outreach, and special interest groups. Nixon describes her focus on intraoperative pain during caesarean delivery after a sentinel event and how listening to patient narratives, including The Retrievals (Season 2), highlighted issues such as dismissal of pain, communication failures, and cultural bias. She outlines SOAP's toolkit response and UIC system changes: intraoperative pain scoring every 15 minutes in Epic, empowerment to speak up, workflow education, and quicker conversion to general anesthesia to prevent prolonged severe pain, and notes SOAP's patient-facing Painless Push website. Link to the The Retrievals: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-retrievals/id1691599042

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is expected to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington this week as Senegal seeks a new IMF programme. Earlier, the government introduced measures aimed at easing the cost of living and reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on a new $2.2 billion, three-year lending programme to support economic and financial reforms. However, the deal still requires approval from the IMF Executive Board.Meanwhile, on the streets of Dakar, protesters are calling for lower prices on essential goods and services, including food, fuel, electricity and rent. We examine the impact of Senegal's hidden debt crisis of more than $11 billion on ordinary citizens, how the country reached this point and what plans are in place to address the challenges.And we hear from a Ugandan designer whose creativity captured global attention at the recently concluded Miss World pageant in Vietnam. Her striking design, worn by Miss World Uganda, brought to life the seven anatomical layers involved in a Caesarean section, earning international recognition and sparking conversations far beyond the world of fashion.Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Charles Gitonga Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru Senior Producer: Blessing Aderogba Editors: Daniel Dadzie and Maryam Abdalla

In this episode of Australian VBAC Stories, Emma shares the stories of her three very different births: from a surprise first pregnancy at 23, through a difficult first birth and postpartum experience, a positive elective repeat caesarean section for her second birth, to finally the vaginal birth after two caesareans that completely changed how she saw herself and what was possible.When Emma became pregnant with her third baby, she initially assumed another caesarean was simply what happened next. But after considering a maternal assisted caesarean and finding the obstetrician who offered it was not available for her birth, she began to wonder: what other options were there? One early appointment with an obstetrician left her feeling dismissed and deeply discouraged, but Emma kept looking, eventually finding a supportive care provider and throwing herself into preparing for every possible outcome.Her third birth became the birth she had hoped for, but getting there wasn't about believing everything would go perfectly. Emma talks honestly about the fear, the preparation, the hundreds of birth stories she listened to, the role of her husband and doula, and learning to trust herself and her body. She also shares the realities of her postpartum experience, including breastfeeding struggles and having a very unsettled baby, even after an ideal birth. This is a story about how much can change when you have the right support, access to good information, and the opportunity to make your own decisions, and about discovering that you're capable of far more than you once thought.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 today's episode, we welcome Rose, whose journey through birth and motherhood has taken her from an unexpected caesarean and traumatic separation from her first baby to a deeply empowering homebirth after caesarean.This conversation actually began as an interview for The Motherwhelm podcast, where Rose and Bronwyn sat down to talk about her broader experience of motherhood. But as our conversation unfolded and I heard her birth stories, I knew there was so much here that the Australian VBAC Stories community would connect with and gain insight from too. With Rose's permission, we're sharing this part of her story with you here.Rose's first pregnancy took an unexpected turn when her waters broke at 35 weeks with her baby persistently breech. After labouring overnight and an unsuccessful attempt to turn her baby, Rose ultimately made the decision to have a caesarean. While she felt at peace with the caesarean itself, what happened around her birth - particularly feeling unheard during her care and being separated from her baby for around four hours after birth - had a profound impact on her.In the months that followed, Rose struggled with birth trauma, postpartum depression and a devastating sense of disconnection from her baby. With support from Gidget House and a psychologist specialising in attachment and bonding, she began rebuilding trust in herself, her intuition and her identity as a mother.Rose later experienced a missed miscarriage followed by weeks of haemorrhaging and repeated hospital presentations, an experience that left another layer of trauma to work through before becoming pregnant again.Rose knew from the beginning that she wanted to pursue a VBAC for her next birth. She chose a private homebirth midwife and doula and spent her pregnancy preparing both physically and emotionally, working on positioning, connection with her baby, meditation, visualisation and, importantly, preparing her partner to support and advocate for her.For Rose, the difference between her two births extended far beyond achieving a VBAC. After feeling that her confidence and intuition had been stripped away during her first experience, her HBAC gave her a profound sense of trust in herself as both a birthing woman and a mother. Whether you're preparing for a VBAC or HBAC, processing a difficult birth or pregnancy loss, or thinking about how to build a birth team that makes you feel safe and supported, Rose's story is a powerful reminder that birth preparation isn't simply about achieving a particular outcome - it's also about building trust, support and confidence in yourself.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 today's episode, we welcome Ange who, as a homebirth midwife, had dreamed of birthing at home since she was a 21-year-old midwifery student. Ten years later, that dream was finally within reach, until she experienced unexpected transfer and emergency caesarean for fetal distress.In this deeply moving episode, Ange shares how her first birth challenged not only her expectations but also her identity as a midwife. Although she knew her caesarean was necessary, the grief, triggers and disconnect from her body that followed led her on a profound healing journey.Working in home birth and private practice during her second pregnancy, Ange was surrounded by physiological birth while doing the personal work needed to prepare for her own. Through birth debriefing, psychology, somatic therapies and deep self-reflection, she found peace with her first birth and built trust in herself, without placing the weight of healing solely on her next birth.Ange takes us through her remarkable HBAC, a long and unpredictable labour that tested her patience, resilience and instincts. Supported by a trusted birth team and grounded in the work she'd done before labour began, she welcomed her son at home in an experience that was empowering not because it was easy, but because she felt deeply supported every step of the way.Together, we explore how birth experiences shape us, the importance of processing difficult births, and why birthplace, continuity of care and a supportive birth team matter so much.Whether you're planning a VBAC, recovering from a difficult birth, or simply passionate about evidence-based, woman-centred maternity care, Ange's story is a beautiful reminder that while we can't always control how birth unfolds, we can be profoundly changed by how we're cared for through it.You can find Ange at @hermidwife on Instagram. Ange also wishes to thank the following practitioners and professionals who helped her on her journey:Acuneedling @heldbyjessIntuitive massage Kayla from @thebalanceprojectauCraniosacral therapy @kirstie.smith.midwifePrivate midwives @soulmidwifesydney @kirstie.smith.midwife Birth photographers @annatodd_photography @intemporelle_x 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 today's episode of The Mums' Group... Influencer Tully Smyth has opened up about the underlying sense of shame she felt for having an elective Caesarean. Initially, when the former Big Brother housemate gave birth to her first child, Elke, at the end of June, she said she wouldn’t be sharing her birth story. However, a few weeks later, she generously opened up about her birth in a Substack article called ‘The C-Section Complex’. Plus, LeBron James has been labelled 'disrespectful' after claiming he couldn’t date a stay at home mum. In a now resurfaced podcast clip, the basketballer said he could not come home and see his wife just chilling on the couch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we hear from Emma, whose first birth began unexpectedly when her waters broke at just 35 weeks. Living with a rare uterine anomaly (uterus didelphys), a breech baby, and gestational diabetes, she found herself navigating a rapidly unfolding labour alongside a healthcare team that left her feeling unheard at one of the most vulnerable moments of her life.Despite repeatedly asking questions and trying to understand her options, Emma's concerns were dismissed as her labour intensified. What followed was an emergency caesarean under general anaesthetic after her baby's foot prolapsed, and the beginning of a difficult postpartum journey with a premature baby in special care.When Emma became pregnant again, she knew she couldn't simply move forward without first processing what had happened. Supported by the student midwife who had stood beside her during her first birth (then a fully qualified midwife) she slowly rebuilt her confidence, worked through the anxiety of another pregnancy, and prepared for a hospital VBAC.Emma shares the impact of feeling dismissed during labour, the importance of compassionate continuity of care, living with a double uterus, navigating pregnancy after birth trauma, and the journey towards trusting herself again.This is a powerful conversation about advocacy, healing, and discovering that a difficult first birth doesn't have to define every birth that follows.We hope you enjoy it!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 episode we hear from Maddi who shares her incredible journey through three very different births and the lessons she learned along the way.After a positive first birth in hospital where Maddi used hypnobirthing and had a vaginal birth, she planned a homebirth with a privately practising midwife for her second. Her pregnancy took an unexpected turn when Maddi was diagnosed with placenta previa leading to a caesarean birth, though Maddi shares her experiences of waiting for her son to choose his own birth day. For her third birth she again planned a homebirth with a privately practising midwife, spent time educating herself and rebuilding confidence in her body's ability to birth.What followed was an unforgettable VBAC journey filled with intuition, trust, advocacy, and a few unexpected twists. Maddi reflects on navigating the stigma surrounding VBAC, the importance of evidence-based support, and how continuity of care helped her make informed decisions throughout pregnancy and birth.This conversation is a powerful reminder that every birth story is unique, that informed choice matters, and that trusting yourself can be one of the most valuable tools in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

In this episode of Australian VBAC Stories, we are joined by Rena, a mother of two from East Gippsland, Victoria.After a traumatic induction, emergency caesarean birth, severe postpartum infection, and postnatal depression with her first daughter, Rena knew she wanted a different experience for her next birth.In this episode, she shares her journey towards a planned VBAC, including years of research, choosing continuity of care with a private midwife, navigating hospital policies, and learning how to advocate for herself when faced with resistance during labour.Rena's story is one of resilience, determination, and discovering the power of her own voice. Her VBAC wasn't just a different birth experience, it was a transformative experience that left her feeling stronger, more confident, and deeply trusting of herself.Rena lives in East Gippsland with her husband Kyle and their daughters, Vana and Freya, where they are building an off-grid home and creating a simple, grounded life together.A special thank you from Rena to her midwife Megan from The Village Way Gippsland, whose calm presence, knowledge, and trust in birth helped her feel truly seen, heard, and supported throughout her journey. And to her husband Kyle, whose unwavering support and belief in her never faltered.Rena hopes that by sharing her story, other women planning a VBAC feel empowered to trust themselves, ask questions, and advocate for the birth experience they deserve.

In this episode, I sit down with Mel to hear her incredible journey from a 23-week premature birth and classical caesarean to achieving a vaginal birth after two caesareans (VBA2C).After experiencing a classical caesarean with her first baby and a planned repeat caesarean with her second, many would have assumed a vaginal birth was no longer an option.But Mel's story reminds us that birth journeys are rarely straightforward.Together we discuss the challenges, decisions and support that shaped her path as she prepared for a VBA2C and planned homebirth, before ultimately transferring to hospital shortly before welcoming her baby vaginally.An example of what can happen when women are using informed decision-making, advocacy and trusting yourself while navigating complex birth choices.In This Episode We Discuss:Classical caesarean birthPremature birth at 23 weeksRepeat caesarean birthVBA2C (Vaginal Birth After Two Caesareans)Planning a homebirth after caesareanHospital transfer during labourInformed decision-makingAdvocacy and birth choicesTrusting yourself after previous birth traumaMel's story is a powerful reminder that every woman's path is unique and that understanding your options can open doors you may never have thought possible.More from Ashley:Join us in: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The VBAC Village⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ashleylwinning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ashleywinning.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ VBAC Homebirth Support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Group here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Love the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coffeeDisclaimer: The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. The stories and opinions shared are personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. Every birth journey is unique, and we encourage you to research, trust your intuition, and consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

Barbara shares her powerful journey from a breech caesarean to a surprise breech homebirth. In this episode, we explore breech birth, advocacy, informed choice and trusting yourself when birth takes unexpected turns.After her first baby was discovered to be breech during labour, Barbara faced changing plans, hospital policies and important decisions that ultimately led to a breech caesarean birth.But her second birth unfolded very differently.Preparing for homebirth with a private midwife and birth team, Barbara experienced an unexpected and empowering surprise breech homebirth.This conversation explores:✨ Breech birth and hospital policies✨ Advocacy and asking important questions✨ Breech caesarean birth✨ Ultrasound estimates and informed decision-making✨ Vaginal seeding and postpartum planning✨ Homebirth preparation✨ Surprise breech birth at home✨ Trusting yourself and exploring your optionsBarbara's story is a powerful reminder that birth doesn't always follow a straight line—and that informed choices, good support and trusting yourself matter.More from Ashley:Join us in: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The VBAC Village⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ashleylwinning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ashleywinning.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ VBAC Homebirth Support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Group here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Love the podcast? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coffeeDisclaimer: The VBAC Homebirth Stories Podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. The stories and opinions shared are personal experiences and should not be considered medical advice. Every birth journey is unique, and we encourage you to research, trust your intuition, and consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.

00:00:40 The Caesarean Synthesis 00:02:05 I. Audacity as Strategy: The Psychology of the Gap 00:08:04 II. The Media Strategist: Latin as a Siege Engine 00:13:44 III. The Integrated Tactician: The Unified Field of Power 00:22:10 Takeaways Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire (How to Conquer the World Book 1) By Peter Hollins https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRVW5PNH Power bends to those who understand people, timing, and bold action. Julius Caesar mastered all three. Julius Caesar did not simply rise to power. He engineered it. In an age of political chaos, brutal warfare, and fragile alliances, Caesar transformed himself from an indebted aristocrat into the most powerful man in the Roman world. His story is not just about conquest, but about strategy, psychology, and the rare ability to bend events toward your will. This concise mini-book explores the life of one of history's most formidable figures through the lens of the qualities that made his rise possible. Caesar was not merely lucky, nor was he simply a brilliant general. His dominance came from a combination of traits that, when used together, made him nearly unstoppable. You will see how these traits shaped his victories in Gaul, his defiance of the Roman Senate, and his dramatic march across the Rubicon that changed history forever. Inside, you'll discover: • How Caesar built loyalty that made soldiers follow him across impossible campaigns • The political instincts that allowed him to outmaneuver Rome's most powerful rivals • The bold risk-taking that turned dangerous gambles into legendary victories • How Caesar used storytelling and reputation to magnify his power • Why his enemies underestimated him again and again • The three core traits that formed the foundation of his extraordinary success Rather than presenting Caesar as a distant historical monument, this book reveals him as a strategist of human nature. His life offers insight into ambition, leadership, persuasion, and the calculated use of power. Part biography and part strategic study, this volume distills the most important lessons from Caesar's rise without burying them beneath dense academic detail. In just a short read, you will understand not only what Caesar did, but how he thought. Julius Caesar changed Rome forever. But more importantly, he demonstrated timeless principles of influence, courage, and decisive action. This mini-book is part of the How to Conquer the World series, which examines the individuals who reshaped history—and the traits that allowed them to do it. Study the conquerors. Understand their mindset. And discover the patterns of power that echo through history.

In this episode, Fiona shares the story of her first birth, a pregnancy that quickly shifted from low-risk to highly medicalised following the discovery of her son's omphalocele. What began as a planned physiological birth became a scheduled caesarean at 39 weeks, followed by a NICU stay, complications following mistakes from medical staff, delayed surgery, and a challenging introduction to motherhood.Fiona speaks candidly about navigating intensive surveillance, advocating within a tertiary hospital system, and the impact of early separation from her baby. She reflects on postpartum anxiety, the work it took to establish breastfeeding after a complex start, and the gradual rebuilding of trust in her own instincts as a mother.As she began considering another baby, Fiona found herself questioning not only specific interventions, but the structure of maternity care itself. In her second pregnancy, she chose a very different path. She declined routine scans and clinical antenatal care, enjoying a wild pregnancy, ultimately stepping well outside conventional systems of care.This is a story about autonomy and reclaiming power, the story of a woman making deeply considered decisions for herself and her family. Fiona's journey speaks to the central theme that runs through all of our conversations here: that informed choice is critical.We invite you to listen with curiosity as Fiona shares what led her to make the decisions she did, and how those experiences shaped her understanding of birth, risk, and trust in her own body.Fiona would love to express immense gratitude for her doula, Sam @samanthagunndoula during her first pregnancy and postpartum and the incredible support she received from Kellee @earthaunty during her wild pregnancy and free birth. 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 today's episode Ellie shares her extraordinary journey into motherhood. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until a few high blood pressure readings in her second trimester, so Ellie was taken by surprise when she was suddenly told she needed to remain in hospital until her baby's birth. She shares the debilitating anxiety she experienced whilst being monitored and waiting day by day to hear when her son would need to be born. At 31 weeks the decision was made for him to arrive by caesarean. Ellie reflects on how grateful she feels for the care they received and how well the team managed the situation, helping to make the experience a positive one despite the circumstances. She also shares about their five weeks in the NICU and the incredible support they had as they learned how to feed and care for their premature baby. Ellie's story is an amazing example of a mother's resilience and strength in the face of uncertainty.   Ellie's IG: https://www.instagram.com/ellieaustinwilliams/  The Birth Prep Bundle: https://sincere-union-68693.myflodesk.com/zkj6c4q686  My website: www.serenalouth.com My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/  

In this week's episode, Taylor shares her journey from a breech caesarean to a VBAC that, on paper, had almost everything people fear: induction, fetal distress, instrumental birth, retained placenta, postpartum haemorrhage...And yet, her story is not one of fear or trauma.Taylor speaks about what it felt like to be informed, make decisions in real time, and hold her ground when it mattered. But also when to shift when it felt necessary.There's a thread running through this conversation that so many women need to hear:It wasn't the absence of intervention that made this birth feel positive. It was the presence of choice.We also talk about:– navigating pregnancy after loss and the weight that brings– the deep dive so many women go on when planning a VBAC– advocating for yourself in a system that doesn't always expect it– how “risk” isn't one-size-fits-all– and why knowing your options changes everythingThis is one of those brilliant stories that challenges the idea that a “good birth” has to look a certain way.Because sometimes, everything can go “wrong”, and still be empowering. When women's choices are respected and decisions are made by them and not for them, it can still be incredible.Taylor shares:"I have experienced two very different births that I look at positively, despite some complications. I planned for my VBAC for many years and although I was equipped with as much knowledge as possible, my baby had other ideas. A great reminder that we can only control so much when it comes to birth. I love all things pregnancy and birth and enjoy sharing birth stories with other women. I hope to empower other women with my story so that ‘intervention' doesn't always needs to be looked upon as negative or related to trauma. The power of informed consent cannot be understated. "

In this special episode of Australian VBAC Stories, co-host Katelyn, doula and VBAC educator, openly shares the story of her three daughters' births, and the many ways they've shaped who she is today.Her first pregnancy was incredibly challenging. She found herself in a private care model that didn't feel aligned, facing repeated pressure around sweeps and induction. Her labour became intense and overwhelming, with syntocinon, limited support, a posterior baby, and growing concerns for her baby's wellbeing. It ended in a cesarean, followed by separation from her baby and confusing, inconsistent breastfeeding advice. It left her feeling anxious, disconnected from her instincts, and unsure of her voice.From there, Katelyn began to seek something different. She immersed herself in VBAC education and found a supportive community. For her second birth, she planned a VBAC at hole with a private midwife. She laboured for a long time and gave so much of herself to the process, but when progress stalled, she transferred to hospital and ultimately had another cesarean. This time, though, things felt different - she had more agency, more support, and a stronger sense of being part of the decision-making, even as she continued to process the grief of how things unfolded.By her third pregnancy, there was a real shift. Katelyn focused deeply on her emotional wellbeing and letting go of expectations. She laboured at home again, grounded and supported, before transferring for an epidural and cesarean when her baby still wasn't descending. Afterwards, she learned there were physical factors at play - significant adhesions and a velamentous cord insertion - which helped bring clarity and understanding to her experiences.What stands out most in Katelyn's story is the evolution of how she felt within each birth. Through it all, she speaks with honesty about the complexity of grief and healing, but also with a sense of peace, empowerment, and deep gratitude. Her journey has not only shaped her as a mother, but also inspired the work she now does supporting others as a doula and through her VBAC education course.

Bettina has experienced birth across two countries and healthcare systems. She had her first baby in London during COVID-19, navigating the NHS as an Australian expat, before returning to Australia for two more very different births - including choosing an elective caesarean with her third. Her story covers postpartum depression, prolapse management, and learning to advocate for her birth choices. What's so valuable about Bettina's experience is how she shows that each birth can be completely different, and that positive outcomes come from feeling informed and supported in your decisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm joined by obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphinstone to talk about Maternal Assisted Caesareans, a powerful approach that allows women to actively participate in the moment their baby is born.We explore how caesareans are usually experienced, how this approach changes the birth environment, and why it can be such a meaningful option for some families.As part of Caesarean Awareness Month I'm also sharing my C-section planning template! Grab it here.And a huge thank you to our sponsor, ⁠⁠Bugaboo⁠⁠, for making this episode of the Positive Pregnancy, Birth & Motherhood podcast.Check out the full range from Bugaboo ⁠⁠here!⁠Follow Dr Natalie on Instagram: @drnatalieelphinstoneFollow Poppy on Instagram: ⁠⁠@popthatmumma⁠⁠Grab ⁠⁠Birth Box⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Oxytocin Bubble⁠⁠

Send us Fan MailMath gets a bad reputation, but most of us use it all day without noticing. We start with a real moment at home, my daughter tells me she doesn't like math, and it pushes me to ask a deeper question: what if “math” is not mainly equations, but the quiet logic behind how we see beauty, balance, and order?We talk about the everyday mathematics of symmetry and proportion, from how a camera frame is set up to how you arrange a room to feel “right.” Then we jump into music and break down how rhythm, repetition, and counting create structure that your ear recognizes instantly. If you've ever felt intimidated by mathematics, this is a practical way back in: math as pattern recognition, not panic.From there, the conversation shifts into biblical interpretation and the power of narrative. We unpack the “Hebrew women” childbirth line, where it comes from in Exodus, and how repeating it carelessly can fuel stigma around Caesarean birth and put lives at risk. We also challenge the idea of a Pharaoh who “did not know Joseph,” arguing that denial is often a choice, especially when truth threatens power. Finally, we revisit misquoted scripture like “one shall chase a thousand” and the phrase “power to make wealth,” pushing for context, humility, and the kind of skill and technique that turns potential into real results.Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves strong ideas, and leave a review with the biggest narrative you think people misunderstand.Support the showYou can support this show via the link below;https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new

Lucy shares her contrasting birth experiences - from an emergency caesarean with her first daughter Ocean at 42+2 weeks, to a planned caesarean with twins Koa and Maddox that took a frightening turn when Maddox was born unresponsive.Today's episode is brought to you by Bare Mum. Explore the full range of birth, recovery and breastfeeding essentials and enjoy 15% off at baremum.com using the code ABS2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To help you get over the hump of marketing.   For more content and to support the show - www.patreon.com/worldaroundewe all other links www.linktr.ee/worldaroundewe 

Join us as Declan and Roger discuss the evidence for routine table tilt during elective caesarean section.   Has this changed your practice? What is your opinion on this topic? We'd love to read your emails.  As mentioned in the episode we would love to do a future episode on Q&A so if you have any questions on any topic you would like us to tackle please send them in! Send your comments / questions to: obsgynaecritcare@gmail.com References Hughes EJ, Price AN, McCabe L, Hiscocks S, Waite L, Green E, Hutter J, Pegoretti K, Cordero‐Grande L, Edwards AD, Hajnal JV. The effect of maternal position on venous return for pregnant women during MRI. NMR in Biomedicine. 2021 Apr;34(4):e4475.  Couper S, Clark A, Thompson JM, Flouri D, Aughwane R, David AL, Melbourne A, Mirjalili A, Stone PR. The effects of maternal position, in late gestation pregnancy, on placental blood flow and oxygenation: an MRI study. The Journal of physiology. 2021 Mar;599(6):1901-15.  Higuchi H, Takagi S, Zhang K, Furui I, Ozaki M. Effect of lateral tilt angle on the volume of the abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava in pregnant and nonpregnant women determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Anesthesiology. 2015;122(2):286-293.  Fujita N, Higuchi H, Sakuma S, Takagi S, Latif MA, Ozaki M. Effect of right-lateral versus left-lateral tilt position on compression of the inferior vena cava in pregnant women determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Anesthesia & Analgesia. 2019 Jun 1;128(6):1217-22.  Aust H, Koehler S, Kuehnert M, Werdehausen R, Schleppers A, Reese PC, Reyher C. Guideline-recommended 15° left lateral table tilt during cesarean section in regional anesthesia—practical aspects: an observational study. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2016 Aug;27:47-53.  Crawford JS, Burton M, Davies P. Time and lateral tilt at Caesarean section. Br J Anaesth. 1972 May;44(5):477-84.  Lee AJ, Landau R, Mattingly JL, Meenan MM, Corradini B, Wang S, Goodman SR, Smiley RM. Left lateral table tilt for elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia has no effect on neonatal acid–base status: a randomized controlled trial. Anesthesiology. 2017;127(2):241‑249.  Jackson KL, Smiley RM, Lee AJ. Neonatal acid-base status before and after discontinuing routine left uterine displacement for elective cesarean delivery: a retrospective cohort study (2014–2017). Int J Obstet Anesth. 2025;62:104350.  You need to add a widget, row, or prebuilt layout before you’ll see anything here.

Today I chat with Michelle and Michelle (yes, two Michelles!), a couple who fell in love at work and knew immediately they wanted to build a family together. Their journey to parenthood was anything but straightforward - spanning over a year of IVF treatments, reciprocal IVF attempts, pregnancy loss, and ultimately a beautiful emergency caesarean birth of their daughter Sage. What makes their story particularly special is how they navigated the complexities of being a same-sex couple in the fertility system, supported each other through multiple embryo transfers, and both pursued breastfeeding through induced lactation. Their honesty about the emotional and financial toll of IVF, combined with their unwavering support for each other, makes this an incredibly powerful listen for anyone on their own fertility journey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send a textOriginally from the USA and now based in Canberra, Shelby is a rebirthing breath worker, yoga teacher, and mother of three. In this open and reflective conversation, she shares her birth imprint, her experience of neurodivergence, and how pain and trauma shaped her early births.Her first birth at the birth centre included a shoulder dystocia, 3B tear, major postpartum haemorrhage, retained placenta requiring surgery, transfusions, and a later prolapse. Her second began with prodromal labour and ended in an emergency caesarean.During her third pregnancy, Shelby realised she didn't fully trust birth — and she was no longer able to return to the birth centre due to her previous experiences. As labour began, she chose to stay home and see how things unfolded, setting up her birth pool and ultimately birthing her baby there before transferring to hospital with concerns of postpartum haemorrhage.Links:(Instagram) Shelby Trevillian | RBM Breathwork • RPYT 500 • Somatic CoachSupport the show@homebirthstoriesaustralia Support the show by buying us a coffee! Please be advised that this podcast may contain explicit language. Listener discretion is advised.The information, statistics, and research presented in this podcast are for informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice. All information discussed can be found online and is provided in the links in the show notes. It is always recommended to conduct your own research and make informed decisions. We advise you to discuss any topics or concerns with your healthcare provider. While we strive to incorporate the most up-to-date research in our episodes, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information discussed on the show.

William speaks to the historian Dr Robyn Atcheson

In today's episode, I chat with Serrin a graphic designer from Byron Bayabout her extraordinary pregnancy journey involving a life-threatening arteriovenous malformation (AVM). What began as severe headaches that were initially dismissed as normal pregnancy symptoms escalated into a major brain haemorrhage at 22 weeks. Serrin takes us through her weeks in ICU at Gold Coast University Hospital, living in Airbnbs throughout her pregnancy due to medical restrictions, and ultimately welcoming her daughter Bobby via caesarean at 38 weeks. She also shares her challenging recovery journey, including a second brain bleed following post-birth surgery when Bobby was six months old. This is a powerful story of medical complexity, community support, and finding strength through vulnerability - with important lessons about trusting your instincts and advocating for proper care when something doesn't feel right during pregnancy.Proudly brought to you by iL Tutto.To celebrate the release of iL Tutto's newest award-winning Frankie Electric Recliner, listeners of Australian Birth Stories can enjoy an exclusive 20% off the iL Tutto Trend Collection for a limited time. iL Tutto creates beautifully designed nursery furniture that supports parents through every stage, from those first days at home to life beyond the nursery. Their ever-growing premium Trend Collection brings together thoughtfully designed, sustainable timber cots and chests, alongside award-winning nursing chairs, including the much-loved Frankie and Louie in Teddy-Fleece and Corduroy. And now, iL Tutto has welcomed the newest addition to the collection, the award-winning Frankie Chair in Soft Teddy-Fleece, available in two stylish, trend-led colours designed to elevate your nursery and live beautifully in your home long after the baby years. To celebrate, enjoy 20% off iL Tutto's Trend Collection for a limited time.Simply use the code ABS20 at iltutto.com.au. This offer ends 25 March, 2026.Conditions apply.iL Tutto, designed for comfort, made to last. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're thrilled to welcome back Dr. Hazel Keedle from Sydney, Australia! Dr. Keedle is a researcher, midwife, Director of Midwifery Academic Programs and Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University back to discuss her book, A Clinician's Guide to Birth After Cesarean, released in August 2025.In this episode, Hazel shares insight from her years of research into VBAC experiences and clinical care. She talks about birth and the “Olympic coach” analogy, how providers can balance risks between VBAC and repeat cesarean, and the best ways to use research in your decision making.Hazel, Paige, and Lily also unpack the importance of removing terms like trial, fail, and success to better honor every story. Hazel also graciously offers her personal perspective on how clinicians can process difficult outcomes and still show up with compassion, empathy, and belief to help every mother birth the way she desires.The Clinician's Guide to Better Birth After CaesareanBirth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth The Birth Experience StudyThe VBAC Link Podcast Episode 209 Dr. Keedle's Publication - Debriefing Women's Birth ExperiencesThe Perinatal Experience of Women With a History of Intimate Partner Violence The Ultimate VBAC Prep Course for ParentsOnline VBAC Doula TrainingSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Expecting Twinnies… This week Beth takes us inside her twin pregnancy experience and answers some common questions about what it's like to grow TWO babies. From managing medical appointments to navigating the emotional weight of a more complex pregnancy, this episode is filled with candid insight, raw honesty, and those soft glimmers we love to find in the middle of it all.We cover: How this twin pregnancy compares to Beth's previous low-risk experiencesPhysical and emotional changes in the third trimesterBirth planning: Caesarean, vaginal, or staying open?What the acronyms actually mean: DCDA vs MCDA vs MCMA twin pregnanciesHow Beth and her family are preparing practically and emotionallyMental health through pregnancy: the highs, the hard bits, and being heldBeth shares generously and gently - with reflections that will resonate with any parent navigating uncertainty and excitement in equal measure. Podcasts we mentioned Beth's Birth Story with Alfie and Beth's Birth Story with Poppy Beth's Birth Debrief with AlfieJodi Wilson's 4 Birth Stories and @practisingsimplicity Gidget Foundation AustraliaIf this conversation brings up anything for you, or you're navigating perinatal mental health yourself, we encourage you to access support through the Gidget Foundation.Book a support session hereIf you loved this episode, please consider sharing it with a fellow parent, leaving a kind review, or tagging us on Instagram: @growingthepodcast Hosts: @lillian.beth & @birthwithbeth_

Lou Gehrig, Parkinson, Coxsackie, Caesarean, Grafenberg, Hitlerszalonna, Eggs Benedict, Bluetooth, and more!You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/twistedhistory

Hi everyone, Pain during caesarean is a very challenging and distressing event – for the patient, their partner, the anaesthetist and all the staff present in theatre. This week we catch up with Matt Rucklidge, who recently gave a presentation on this topic at the obstetric anaesthesia meeting in London. We discuss why this has become a “hot topic” in the anaesthesia world in recent times, what is the true incidence, and many other aspects of this difficult topic. References The following is a first person narrative story from a patient with commentary from an uninvolved obstetric anaesthetist. Disappointingly from elselvier this article is unfortunately not open access but is well worth a read: Stanford SE, Bogod DG. Failure of communication: a patient’s story. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2016 Dec;28:70-75. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2016.08.001. Epub 2016 Aug 23. PMID: 27717633. Podcast: The Retrievals Season 2 from NY Times Prevention and management of intraoperative pain during Caesarean sectionOrbach-Zinger, S. et al.BJA Education, Volume 25, Issue 2, 50 – 56

Brittany shares her extraordinary journey from a challenging conception to a life-changing premature birth experience. After 18 months of trying to conceive with low AMH levels, Brittany and her husband Braden welcomed their son Tulla at just 28 weeks following a dramatic turn of events. What began as routine monitoring for IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) quickly escalated into preeclampsia, emergency caesarean, and a four-month NICU journey that included heart surgery in Melbourne. Brittany's story is one of resilience, advocacy, and the incredible strength of the parent-baby bond formed in the most challenging circumstances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tori shares her transformative journey through pregnancy loss, anxiety, and ultimately triumph. After experiencing a missed miscarriage at 10 weeks, Tori conceived her son Sol but faced a pregnancy filled with complications including fibroids, subchorionic haematoma, and ultimately placental insufficiency requiring an emergency caesarean at 40 weeks. Her second pregnancy with daughter Juno was a complete surprise that led to the healing VBAC home water birth she'd always dreamed of. Tori's story beautifully illustrates how subsequent pregnancies can offer opportunities for healing, especially with the right support and preparation. She also shares her challenging breastfeeding journey with her first child and the EMDR therapy that helped her process the grief, ultimately leading to a successful breastfeeding relationship with her second baby.Sponsor:Today's episode is brought to you by Moonpig. Remember the excitement of finding a beautiful card in your mailbox? Moonpig has brought that special feeling back to over 4 million Aussies.As parents, we know how important it is to celebrate life's milestones. Speaking of birthdays, it's actually my son Nik's 12th birthday this week, so we've jumped on Moonpig, like we always do, to create some personalised cards for him. We've also made a beautiful mug with a family picture on it, and we really hope that he enjoys it.With over 33,000 personalised cards for every occasion, you can create something truly special from home. Add your own photos, scan in your handwriting, or even include QR codes for video messages. It's so much more than a basic supermarket card – it's a keepsake they'll treasure.Starting from just $9.99, you can create something beautiful through their website or the Moonpig app. And here's something special for our Australian Birth Stories community – enjoy 50% off your first card plus free standard shipping when you use the code ABS at checkout.Visit Moonpig.com today. Moonpig – Making life's moments magical, one card at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katherine shares her postpartum journey after discovering her son Finn was born with craniosynostosis - a condition where skull sutures fuse prematurely. What began as a planned caesarean birth for her transverse baby quickly became a complex medical journey involving specialists, testing, and preparing for major skull surgery. Katherine's story highlights the importance of early detection, finding the right medical team, and connecting with other families facing similar challenges. Her honest account of navigating unexpected medical complexities whilst managing new motherhood offers invaluable insight for parents facing similar situations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Queen Jane Seymour gave birth to Prince Edward on 12th October 1537, and sadly died on 24th October. From celebrations to tragedy in just 12 days. For centuries, a dark rumour has followed this story: that Henry VIII ordered surgeons to cut Jane open to deliver their son, sacrificing his queen for an heir. It's a tale that fits Henry's reputation for ruthlessness perfectly… but did it ever happen? In this episode, I dive into the real Tudor evidence — from Nicholas Sander's anti-Henry propaganda to 17th-century historians and historic ballads — to uncover how this myth was born and why it still persists today. We'll look at what the contemporary sources actually say, how the story evolved, and why it just can't be true.   If you enjoy uncovering myths, scandals, and true stories from Tudor history, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell, it really helps more people find the channel. And if you missed my podcast, Jane Seymour's Death – A Deep Dive into the Causes, watch that next for the full medical picture - https://youtu.be/S6pFV6l6Vxg   #TudorHistory #JaneSeymour #HenryVIII #TudorEngland #AnneBoleynFiles #HistoryUncovered #TudorMyths #BritishHistory #TrueHistory

When Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry VIII's long-awaited son, England rejoiced. Bells rang, bonfires blazed, and Henry finally had his male heir. But just twelve days later, the joy turned to sorrow, Queen Jane Seymour was dead. For centuries, her death has been shrouded in confusion and myth. Some say she died after a Caesarean section. Others, childbed fever. Alison Weir believes food poisoning and an embolism were to blame. In this episode, I take  a closer look at the evidence, exploring eyewitness reports, Tudor medicine, and modern medical insight, to uncover what really killed Henry VIII's third wife. Discover: Why the “food poisoning” theory doesn't fit the timeline How a thirty-hour labour made infection likely Why the phrase “taking cold” may describe septic shock And how the choice of a royal physician over a midwife may have cost Jane her life This is the tragic and very human story behind the death of Henry VIII's so-called “perfect queen.” Sources & Further Reading: https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/evidence https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/more-than-one-pregnancy https://tudortimes.co.uk/guest-articles/why-did-jane-seymour-die-in-childbed/final-stages https://elizabethnortonhistorian.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-death-of-queen-jane.html The Seymour Family, history and romance by Amy Audrey Locke - https://archive.org/details/seymourfamilyhis00lockuoft/page/18/mode/2up?q=cold 'Henry VIII: October 1537, 21-25', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 12 Part 2, June-December 1537, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1891), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol12/no2/pp335-345 Hall's Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/hallschronicleco00hall/page/824/mode/2up Wriothesley's Chronicle - https://archive.org/details/chronicleofengla01wriouoft/page/68/mode/2up 24 October 1537 – The Death of Queen Jane Seymour - https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-october-1537-death-queen-jane-seymour/ How to spot maternal sepsis, NCT - https://www.nct.org.uk/information/pregnancy/body-pregnancy/how-spot-maternal-sepsis Signs of Infection After Birth: Postpartum Infection & Sepsis - https://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/labour/signs-of-infection-after-birth  #JaneSeymour #TudorHistory #HenryVIII #OnThisDay #TudorWomen #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles #MedicalHistory #TudorTragedy #HistoryMystery #TudorEngland #ChildbedFever #Sepsis #TudorMedicine

What happens when your birth experience completely contradicts everything you prepared for? For author Hannah Marsh, an emergency cesarean section after 30 grueling hours of labor left her feeling not just physically scarred, but emotionally devastated. Despite cesarean sections accounting for roughly 43% of UK births today, Hannah found herself woefully unprepared for this possibility – having focused exclusively on hypnobirthing techniques and natural birth preparation.In the years that followed, Hannah began to reconcile her experience of birth as she discovered the history, magic and tales of caesarean birth in years gone by. Hannah's book "Thread: A Cesarean Story of Myth, Magic and Medicine" reframes cesarean birth not as a failure but as part of a rich historical narrative "full of power and magic and ingenuity and determination." By weaving together personal experience, historical research, and mythological connections, Hannah offers something rarely found in birth literature – a validating, empowering narrative specifically for cesarean births.This conversation challenges the polarized debates in modern birth discourse by highlighting historical parallels between today's tensions and early 20th century divisions between "operators" and "non-operators" in obstetrics. Hannah reminds us that beneath these seeming oppositions, most birth practitioners share the common goal of supporting safe, positive birth experiences.For anyone who has felt their birth story wasn't worth celebrating or those preparing for the possibility of various birth scenarios, this episode provides both validation and a new perspective on what it means to bring life into the world – regardless of the path taken.Buy Hannah's Book Thread here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thread-Caesarean-story-magic-medicine/dp/1786584484?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLEJoin in the podcast conversation here https://www.instagram.com/birth_ed/Sign up to The Birth-ed MethodSupport the show

Claire - a midwife and nurse from south of Sydney - shares her first birth experience with baby Maeve. Despite her professional background, Claire's journey from planned home water birth to emergency caesarean beautifully illustrates that birth often doesn't goes to plan, but can still be incredibly empowering. Her story offers invaluable insights for birth workers and expectant parents alike, showing how informed decision-making, trusted care providers, and a positive mindset can transform any birth experience into something beautiful.Today's episode is brought to you by Bare Mum. Whether your C-section is planned or unexpected, having the right recovery support makes all the difference. The C-Section Birth Care Kit by Bare Mum is perfect for your hospital bag - because being prepared means faster, more comfortable healing. Bare Mum is offering you 15% off storewide with the discount code ABS2025. Visit baremum.com.au and give yourself the gentle, specialised care you deserve during recovery.Bare Mum - supporting you through every step of your recovery journey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we step inside the NHS to explore how the Generation Study is brought to life - from posters in waiting rooms to midwife training. We follow the journey of parents joining the study at the very start of their baby's life, and hear from those making it happen on the ground.  Our guests reflect on the teamwork between families and hospitals, the importance of informed consent, and the powerful insights this study could unlock for the future of care and research.  Our host Jenna Cusworth-Bolger, Senior Service Designer at Genomics England, is joined by:  Tracie Miles, Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the South West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, and Co-Investigator for the Generation Study at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol Rachel Peck, parent participant in the Generation Study and mum to Amber If you enjoyed today's conversation, please like and share wherever you listen to your podcasts.  For more on the Generation Study, explore:  Podcast: How has design research shaped the Generation Study  Podcast: What can we learn from the Generation Study  Podcast: What do parents want to know about the Generation Study  Blog: Genomics 101 - What is the Generation Study  Generation Study official website   “I think from a parent's point of view I guess that's the hardest thing to consent for, in terms of you having to make a decision on behalf of your unborn child. But I think why we thought that was worthwhile was that could potentially benefit Amber personally herself, or if not, there's a potential it could benefit other children.” You can download the transcript, or read it below. Jenna: Hi, and welcome to Behind the Genes.   Rachel: I think if whole genome sequencing can help families get answers earlier, then from a parent perspective I think anything that reduces a long and potentially stressful journey to a diagnosis is really valuable. If a disease is picked up earlier and treatment can start sooner, then that could make a real difference to a child or even Amber's health and development. Jenna: My name is Jenna Cusworth-Bolger and today I have the great pleasure to be your host. I'm a senior service designer at Genomics England specifically working with the hospitals involved in delivering the Generation Study. In March 2023 we started with our very first hospital, St. Michael's in Bristol. I am today joined by Tracie Miles who I had the utter pleasure of working closely with when they were setting up. And we also have Rachel Peck, one of the mums who joined the study in Bristol. Regular listeners to this podcast may already be familiar with the Generation Study but for those who are not, the Generation Study is running in England and aims to sequence the genomes of 100,000 newborn babies from a cord blood sample taken at birth. The families consented to take part will have their babies screened for over 200 rare genetic conditions most of which are not normally tested for at birth. We expect only 1% of these babies to receive a condition suspected result, but for those 1,000 families that result could be utterly life changing as it could mean early treatment or support for that condition. Would you like to introduce yourselves and tell us what it means to you to have been that first hospital open in this landmark study. Tracie, I'll come to you first.  Tracie: Hi Jenna, lovely to be with you all this morning. And for those who are listening it is early in the morning, we get up early in the morning because we never know when these babies are going to be born on the Generation Study and we have to be ready for them. So, my name is Tracie, I am the Co-Investigator with the wonderful Andrew Mumford, and we work together with a huge team bringing this study to life in Bristol. I am also the Associate Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the South West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance. Jenna: Thanks Tracie. We're also joined today by Rachel. Would you like to introduce yourself and your baby, and tell me when you found out about the Generation Study?  Rachel: Hi, thank you for inviting me. My name's Rachel, I'm based in Bristol. My baby is Amber; she was born four months ago in St. Michael's hospital in Bristol. I first heard about the Generation Study when I was going to one of my antenatal appointments and saw some of the posters in the waiting room. Amber is napping at the moment, so hopefully she'll stay asleep for long enough for the recording. Jenna: Well done, that's the perfect mum skill to get a baby to nap whilst you're busy doing something online. So, Rachel, you said you heard about the study from a poster. When you first saw that poster, what were your initial thoughts? Rachel: I thought it was really interesting, I haven't come across anything like that before and I thought the ability to screen my unborn baby at the time's whole genome sounded really appealing.  Jenna: Fantastic. So, what happened after the poster?  Rachel: If I remember correctly, I scanned the QR code on the poster which took me to the website. I filled out a few simple questions online and then I was contacted by one of the research team where I arranged a formal consent conversation. That was done by Zoom I think in the evening because I've already got a toddler at home so post bedtime works best for me. So, we had about a forty-minute conversation on the phone where I could ask all the questions that I needed to ask and if I was happy which I was. I then gave my consent and then I believe my maternity records were kind of highlighted to say that I signed up for the Generation Study and that when my baby was born then a sample was going to be taken, and I would be given the results in due course. Jenna: And did all that go smoothly, that you're aware of? Rachel: Yeah, as far as I'm aware. It was genuinely really simple to do. After that initial consultation where I signed the consent form there wasn't any follow-up appointments so the next thing I knew, I think it was just chance, but one of the research nurses actually came down to see me on the day which was really nice. Just to say, ‘Oh, just to let you know that the team are aware.' And then, other than that, the next thing I knew was getting the results through by post. Jenna: Sure. So, behind the scenes your baby's blood was collected from the umbilical cord, that would have been registered, packaged, sent off and went on a whole journey for you to ultimately get your result. It all sounds very simple, but I think we're going to dig into a lot of the mechanisms that kind of went behind the scenes to make something that seems simple come to life. Tracie, we met in the summer of 2023 I believe. I came to St. Michaels with a suitcase full of our materials which we had started to bring to life, including that poster. We've sat together and we were trying to figure out exactly how this was going to come to life in our very first hospital and how, what Rachel described, was actually going to become real. Tracie, can you tell me what you remember about those conversations and the thinking that you did as a team ahead of getting that green light to go ahead and start recruiting?  Tracie: Listeners, just to let you know that Rachel hasn't been primed to say that it was a seamless journey from delivery to getting results. I'm delighted to hear that it was. And I think the reason that we've achieved that in Bristol and across England now with the other teams that Jenna and the team have helped roll out, is teamwork. And part of our team is our mum, in this case Rachel. If you hear me or Jenna describing our mums as "Mia", that's the name, the significant name or the identifier we give for our participant. So, yeah, Jenna, I think the thing was it was about those first conversations. It was about teamwork and who shall we involve? We involved everybody didn't we, Jenna? So, I know that the team, by the time they came to us they'd already been planning for two years. So, in fact what came to us in Bristol was a wealth of work and information, and two years of behind the scenes of the team working. We involved every midwife. Now a midwife is a cover all term.  We involve community midwives, research midwives, antenatal midwives, post-natal midwives. They all do different things for the mum pathway. Not forgetting dad as well, he is involved in all of this and Rachel I'm sure will testify later to the fact that when she was offered the consent, her partner was offered to come along too. UHBW, that's United Hospital Bristol and Western, that our maternity hospital as part of, have got a fantastic R&D department and they were on straightaway with the rule book checking that we knew what we were doing. So, for those of you that aren't in the medical world, that's making sure we've got the right governance, that we're doing things by the rule book. Andrew went out and spoke to lots of different clinicians that would be involved in the pathway after the results were back, for those babies where we found a condition suspected. So, essentially Jenna, I think the list that was fairly long, grew longer and longer. Jenna: I think that was something that I was really struck by when I came back and visited you repeatedly after that. You were particularly good at getting some of those staff members that you might not even think about involved in the study, like the receptionist on your sonography department who you had recruited to make sure that they gave out the leaflet and the participant information sheet to all the mums coming in for their twenty-week scans etc. All that thinking was really valuable and something that I've passed on and taken out on my trips to other hospitals along the way. We heard from Rachel that she heard about this study from the poster. Now that you've been going for just over a year, what are all the different ways that people hear about the study, is it just the poster? Tracie: No, it's not just the poster. So, essentially when we first opened, we had lots of material. We had banners, we had posters. A short leaflet that you might often pick up at the GP, a little one that you can unfold into three pieces, and then a bigger patient information leaflet which actually described the whole study and also signposted the mums and dads to go and have a look on the website to hear more about it. What we did was we literally walked the mum's journey as she came into the hospital through antenatal and placed those posters and leaflets in the places where we knew she would see them. Now we had to be very careful about that as well because we couldn't just distribute them everywhere, we wanted to make sure that mum was getting sight of them, or mum and dad if they were coming together, at a place where their pregnancy was in hopefully, a safe position. So, that's around about 20 weeks onwards.   We didn't want to be giving that information out in the early days of pregnancy when actually mum and dad are getting flooded with lots of information, but we wanted them to feel secure in their pregnancy and for us to feel clinically secure. That worked really well and really effectively, but there's nothing like people pairing. So, in fact getting our ultra sonographers. So, for those of you that have been through pregnancy will remember at around about twenty weeks you have a scan, it's often called a dating scan or an anomaly scan, and we would get our receptionist to physically hand out a leaflet then. What we have evolved over the last year working with the team from Genomics England to make sure that we keep the wording right so that we can share with all the other sites across England, because it's good to have consistency. And also, as this evolves if this becomes standard of care, if this proves that actually this is useful for future-proofing for all of us in the public, if this study becomes something in real clinical terms, we've actually started sending out what we call, a signposting email. So, this is an email that goes to all of our prospective parents at 20 weeks plus, once we've checked that the pregnancy is safe and healthy. That has absolutely paid dividend and actually plays into the NHS future promise of analogue to digital to using those quick smart ways of working to reach our families. So, that has created a huge influx of recruits for us, Jenna.  Jenna: That's really interesting. We've sort of observed that same sort of thing. As we go through the hospitals now there's kind of three main ways that people are finding out the study. We call it like the passive way. So, that's what Rachel did which is the posters, the banners, but that doesn't work for everyone. In hospitals poster blindness is real. And also, you're coming for your twenty-week scan, you've got other things on your mind. You're not really looking around wanting to pick up leaflets and things and obviously we've also got to think about our non-English speakers. Or even an English speaker who sees the poster, but their literacy isn't very high, or their health literacy isn't very high. So, reading a message that says something about genomics and testing, it can be quite overwhelming for people and not something that they would respond to.  So, then we're signposting as our other kind of keyway and that's trying to get exactly what Tracie described, all the different staff involved. Who could be physically putting this leaflet in somebody's hand? Who could be mentioning it albeit briefly, just, you know, this is something you might like to consider. Rachel, I want to ask you what Tracie was describing there about the message kind of being better to be given later in pregnancy or after that 20-week scan point, because of all that information overload you get earlier in your pregnancy. Does that resonate with you?  Rachel: Yeah, I think that sounds about right. For lots of people when there's so much uncertainty in early pregnancy and I think some people are quite almost superstitious and don't want to sign up for things that potentially might not happen. So, I think from a personal perspective and from other friends who haven't been quite as fortunate, I think actually waiting until a little bit later when you've got a little bit more headspace and mental capacity for that sounds about right. I think there's too many things early on. It sounds like you're aiming at the right spot. Jenna: Absolutely. I think one of the other interesting aspects of all of this is the fact that Amber's cord blood was taken on the day that Amber was born, and I'm interested to understand a little bit about how that baton was passed from the moment that you consented, Rachel, to make sure that that sample was taken. I know it sounds like Rachel; you were in hospital at a point that the staff were there so they actually popped down to your bedside to see you but that doesn't always happen. Our teams don't work 24/7 and babies do get born at 2:00 a.m. over a bank holiday weekend. But Tracie, how do you make sure that that kind of message is passed through at St. Michaels, and what's worked well and what have the challenges been?  Tracie: So, a bit like how did we get the message through, is there one way? And the answer is no. There are posters, there are emails, etc. What we do do is first and foremost we encourage our mum, like Rachel here, and the dad, it might be two mums coming in together, to advocate for themselves. To say, ‘I'm on the Generation Study.' We don't expect that to be the only signal however because if a mum is coming in in full labour having done that a couple of times myself, I might forget. Now Genomics England have made some great bag tags, some stickers, all sorts of different visual identifiers that some hospitals around England are using, some aren't. We in fact actually don't get our mums to carry them, that may change. There are lots of different ways of doing it and every hospital maternity unit will find their fit. So, visual clues that mum and dad, or mum and mum, advocating for themselves as they come in, but also making sure that we have spoken with the delivery suite midwives and the theatre midwives.   Because in our hospital, which it seems to be the same sort of ratio around the country, sometimes up to about 40% of deliveries are done in theatre. So, we need to make sure we talk to our theatre staff and the people there as much as our central delivery or labour ward, for listeners who aren't familiar with the terms. So, we make sure that we went and walked the floor in the delivery labour ward and theatre on a regular basis. So, the task for us was to make sure that our midwives, all 200 of them know that if a mum is in the Generation Study and coming in for delivery, that they know that she's on the study. So, ways we do that is research midwives are an absolute ally, they do walk the floor. They do pop down to delivery suite and they do alert the team that there is a potential that a mum might be coming in that week with a planned Caesarean section, that's one easy. That actually can be an email. But we still do that by word of mouth, or they have a big board up in the delivery suite, which I gather is quite often the way across a lot of the country. Also, really, really key and this once again fits with our NHS plans, analogue to digital. The majority of our sites now are taking on electronic records. So, we put a key flag on the electronic record to say that this mum is on a research study. Staff are used to that because it's not the only research study that is happening. Now it doesn't have to just be an electronic note, it can be done on the retro paper notes as well. So, for those of you that have got paper notes or if we've got mums who are holding paper notes, fear not, there is an area on the notes where we can put that too. So, it's basically anywhere where we know the delivery midwife has sight of the babies' notes we will put a sticker, we will say something. So, it's one size doesn't fit all. Jenna: Yeah, what you've described there is just so lovely and so true about it's got to be belt and braces. The research team, the study team and the hospital might be a small number of people working Monday to Friday. Your people you completely rely on are those huge numbers of delivery midwives that need to have that message transmitted to them potentially over a 20 week timespan from the time the consent has happened to that day that that baby is born. So, what was really key as my role as service designer was going to the sites. I'm still doing this to this day, onboarding new sites all the time. We go and we speak to the sites, help them envisage how they might deliver this, how it's actually going to work. What's the nitty-gritty of all that mechanism that's going to happen but making sure that what they really understand is, what's the outcome? What do we want to happen? We want as many babies as possible to have those cord bloods taken and not missed. How you actually send that message whether it's through a paper note, a sticker on a paper note, giving a pack to the family to bring in so they've got something physical to hand over to their delivery midwife as a physical memento. Magnets that are put on the handover boards, or any or all of these things, in lots of ways the hospitals that have still got paper notes actually find it easier because that can staple a bag with the bottle that we use for our cord blood samples and this mum is part of the Generation Study to the front of the notes. It's more obvious than it would be as a digital flag. Tracie: I totally agree with that, it's all about that visual cue that we were talking about earlier. We actually fund a midwifery support worker, her name's Lauren. Hello Lauren, if you're listening. And what Lauren does is actually she makes sure that in all the rooms where women deliver that there are little set bags with all the equipment needed to take that cord blood. She also came up with a brilliant idea and again, a visual clue and Genomics England help us to design it, a poster. We would put on the outside of the door of mum and dad when they said they were on the study. So, if you've got a changeover of midwives then those midwives know that they're going into a room to support and deliver a mum that's got a baby on the study. Jenna: And I think that's something that's really key is what you said there about Lauren and her bright idea to create that poster and things like that, and that's been really key to how we've worked from Genomics England as a kind of service design kind of wrapper if you like around all of these hospitals. I have taken on the role of chief pollinator, so I've flown from hospital to hospital taking all the best ideas. So, Lauren's idea of the poster, I came along and I took a photograph of that poster. That poster is in a slide and that slide gets shown when I go and do onboarding and training sessions with future hospitals. Bristol were really key because as our first site and as the first early days check in we did, the photographs I took at your hospital at Birmingham Women's and at the Rosie in Cambridge which were the first three hospitals, you still to this day make up a large percentage of what we show because you were the first to have all those great ideas and we share those out. But we don't go round all the other hospitals, and we have found new ideas all the time and they are put together in our service design manual which is all available for all the sites. Something that St. Michael's can refer back to to see what new things they could be thinking about. But basically, raising up the best and allowing hospitals to borrow from each other. Before we just move on from how it all works, I just want to ask Rachel, did you notice any of that or were you very busy having a baby? And did you remember to kind of advocate to yourself and mention the study? Rachel: I did remember to advocate for myself, also it was one of the jobs that I allocated to my husband as well as a, well, if I forget which is likely, can you make sure that you mention to them. I had a caesarean section. For other people who have had caesarean sections, there's quite a lot of waiting round time. So, when we were in the theatre getting ready, having a chat with the anaesthetist it was a nice opportunity to be able to take my mind off the impending surgical procedure and just mention about the Generation Study. But incidentally, they knew about it anyway. I think I remember seeing some kind of sticker or maybe the blood tubes or something on my theatre records. But see them taking the sample, I wasn't aware, I had other things on my mind at that point. Jenna: Absolutely. You were cuddling Amber for the first time probably. One of the things that you touched on Tracie, was you had to go round all of your delivery suite midwives and make sure they all knew how much blood to take, what tube to put it in. The fact that they had to invert it 10 times, put it in a particular fridge so that you knew where to find it. All of those are really important training messages that you had to pass on. But for you to be able to pass them on, we had to train you in the first place. So, my memory was that we came down to you one cold December day and spent a whole day with you down at St. Michaels trying our best to train you as seamlessly as we could. My memory of that day is it wasn't terribly slick because it was our first and we're always learning. I'd like to think we've got it a lot more slick now, but what do you remember about that day? And just in general kind of learning what you needed to do on the study and what kind of worked well for you, and what worked less well? Tracie: I do remember that day, it was very cold. I think what's changed Jenna is on that December day the whole team felt that they were having to take on the whole of the journey. They now as the work has developed, realise and learn the part of the journey that they need to be involved in and don't have to be concerned about the rest of the journey. Jenna: I learnt an awful lot and I think it's really true that it's really important that people who are taking the samples, they just need to know their role. But they do need to know a little bit about what the study is, why it's worthwhile, why this mum has signed up and what value it's going to bring to that family. I think the other thing that we learnt when we came to your training as well was in the same way that we went a bit too deep for some people in their role, we didn't go deep enough for your team that were actually going to be doing these consent conversations. At that, at end of that training day, you still felt trepidatious about doing those conversations and so we really took that on board and then developed our informed choice cards which are like scenario cards that allow teams to kind of practice, rehearse and think through how they're going to answer those common questions. And we've taken those into a session that allows people who are just doing the consent conversation to go even deeper, so we do that online in a webinar now which we run monthly and that allows any new members of staff to go that little bit deeper in terms of what is this consent conversation? What is it that I need to get people to understand and be fully informed about before they come into this study? A key objective of the Generation Study which after all is a research study, is to understand if the NHS and families would benefit if screening for conditions via whole genome sequencing was something that became part of NHS standard care. Rachel, can I ask you as a mum, is that something that you've reflected on at all and how would you feel about it?  Rachel: Yeah, I've thought about quite a bit. I think if whole genome sequencing can help families get answers earlier then from a parent perspective, I think anything that reduces a long and potentially stressful journey to a diagnosis is really valuable. If a disease is picked up earlier and treatment can start sooner, then that could make a real difference to a child or even Amber's health and development. So, I think that would be potentially very advantageous. I guess in a resource limited NHS that we have, there are, you know, clear challenges in rolling out whole genome sequencing for everyone. But I'm guessing that the Generation Study will provide the evidence to help understand if this is feasible or worthwhile. And clearly the Generation Study needs to show that the screening of these 200 or so conditions is as good as the existing screening that already exists. From a parent perspective, if it's shown to be equally as good at doing that, plus all these other disorders then it seems like a win-win.  I think for me the main advantage and the main reason why I was keen to enter for Amber was if she were at risk of getting one of these rare disorders then there's an advantage to picking that up earlier for her. Because I'm aware that lots of people if they have a rare disorder, it can take a long time to get to that diagnosis and that can be really stressful for you as the parent but also for the child. Anything I think to minimise their suffering is worthwhile. So, it sounds fantastic, if it works. Jenna: Absolutely and I think that's what's really nice about being involved in something like this is that the study itself is set out to find out those things. It's not set out to find out how we could do whole genome sequencing in the NHS, it's whether we should. As part of the study, you also consented to have Amber's data go through into the National Genomic Research Library which leads us to one of the secondary objectives of the Generation Study which is to understand the implications of keeping a baby's genomic data over their childhood, or even over their lifetime. Amber will be contacted when she is 16 by Genomics England to find out whether she herself is happy for her data to be kept. But keeping that data for that length of time offers up opportunities for further screening for other conditions later in Amber's life. Or using that data with your consent of course, to do further research into genes and health. And so over the next few years you may be contacted by Genomics England to invite you to take part in future studies. And, I was just wondering about how much you have been told about the potential for that and again, how you feel about that kind of aspect of being part of this study. Rachel: Yeah, that was definitely discussed quite a lot in the consent conversation that I had with Siobhan, and we were told that Amber's data would be stored long term and that there might be future opportunities for the team to kind of get in touch or do additional testing. And I think from a parent's point of view I guess that's the hardest thing to consent for in terms of you having to make a decision on behalf of your unborn child. But I think why we thought that was worthwhile was that could potentially benefit Amber personally herself, or if not, there's a potential it could benefit other children. So, I think that whole kind of for the greater good, that kind of prevailed. And I think the other, not concern as it were, but other thing we wanted to discuss with that consent was the security of that data. And certainly, when I was discussing it with my husband that was his kind of main point to kind of clarify, if the data is being stored long term and if that was safe. And in terms of the safety, thinking about could future employers or can insurance companies, you know, get hold of that data? As a parent, the last thing you want to do is accidentally prevent your daughter from getting a job that she wants to get. But it was all explained that that wouldn't happen, but I think that was something that was us for us personally important to clarify. Jenna: I think that's really where that depth of the consent conversation is so key and why we do that sort of additional training to allow staff who may be very used to doing research and doing research consent, but never before have done a genomic consent where it's about keeping genomic data and the implications of keeping it for that really long time. What else do you remember about that consent conversation, Rachel? Is there anything else that kind of stands out that you had to sort of really dig into with Siobhan on that day?  Rachel: I'm just trying to think back because it was a little while ago. The main kind of points that I want to discuss was the security of the data and then what would happen if for whatever reason the umbilical cord blood sample wasn't taken and if that meant that we could still be part of the study or not. It was explained that yes, there is a way, they would do an initial heel prick blood sample. But that was reassuring to know that if for whatever reason if there was some kind of emergency and it didn't happen the way we wanted. So, I think that was the other kind of practical thing that was discussed.  Jenna: It sounds like Siobhan sort of had by that point all of the answers at her fingertips, but that kind of links back I guess to how important it is for all the training and all of the materials, because quite a lot of the answers to those questions are in the participant information sheet. Quite a few of them are covered in the participant video which is a sort of a four-minute-long video, it's meant to make the understanding a little bit more accessible. But it's not relying on one route of information, it's the conversation and that face to face you have with someone. It's the written information and it's those videos and other materials. So, we need to go as far as we can to kind of get the word out. One of the limitations that we had, certainly back in the day when we just had St. Michael's and a couple of other hospitals on board was that trying to get the word out about the study widely was also going to disappoint quite a lot of people who weren't able to take part because their hospital wasn't in it. We've talked a lot about this consent conversation, and I think something that's really important, underpinning for the whole study is the ethics that's been involved and all the work that's been done around that area. As the study is free and optional and taking part involves a commitment from families to have babies' data held for at least 16 years, the consent conversation and getting that right is so vital. We touched upon this in a previous episode with my colleague Mathilde Leblond where we talked about all the design research that our team did in the build up to launching this study, so that we could really deeply understand what families wanted and needed as part of their experience. So, Tracie, we've heard from Rachel the things that she was concerned around, but what were your reflections as a team in St. Michaels around the ethical aspects of the study? And what has been particularly tough about that in relation to you guys in Bristol? Tracie: I would say informed consent is something that we all take as healthcare professionals, and we all hold dearly the governance. So, I was mentioning earlier that actually consent may not be a one-off situation. So, for example, Rachel had forty minutes with Siobhan. That was the conversation that she had where Rachel felt that she was enabled and informed enough to take consent, and Siobhan listening to her having that conversation with Rachel felt that that was appropriate at the time. So, consent was achieved between the two of them. Now, that wasn't the only part of Rachel's consent is Rachel was telling us there's the patient information leaflet that she read, so that's also part of the informed consent. And we have to be sure that our mums and the other parent of the baby have read that information. And one of the things that I was very worried especially about at the beginning was it's a superb information leaflet, it's quite long, it needs to be. It signposts the parents of the unborn baby to a website which is fantastic. Do they all look at it? Not always. Would I? Probably not. So, there's no criticism of the parents here. So, one of the things that I was really concerned about from the genomics perspective of this and the data protection because this is not a one-off, this is a longitudinal study. Amber when she's 16 years old will decide whether or not she wants to continue, so it's not a one-off moment that her lovely mum and dad have consented her for. There's a lot that's been consented for. All great and all appropriate and all future-proofing for future Ambers. But my concern was actually, are we getting that information across to all the mums and dads as they sign up? So, it was really important that when we were training our midwives and our genomic practitioners, those that were consenting, to make sure that they were really cognisant of the enormity of the wealth of science we were signing our parents and their babies' futures up to. Jenna: Indeed, and very well said and I think you touched on something that is really close to our hearts as well that we've thought a lot about but still continue to do work to get right, which is the patient information leaflet if you have the health literacy and written language literacy to be able to sit and read a 16-page document, great, but not everybody does. As I've gone place to place and hospital to hospital, I'm always struck by the different communities that surround different hospitals and the different challenges that they might have. So, if you compare somewhere like Royal London which is in the heart of Whitechapel, I think around 40% of their birthing parents there are first generation Bengali women who have little to no English. Also, whose health literacy is quite low as well. So, engaging them takes a very different approach to an approach you might take elsewhere. So, it's definitely not a one size fits all. Tracie, how have you adapted some of your approaches to your local communities in Bristol? Tracie: So, we have a fairly diverse population, not as diverse as the Whitechapel example that you gave, but in fact we were aware, a bit like the team in London that we have a population of Somali potential birthing parents. What we've done is we've worked with community leaders and elders from the Somali population to develop a day, or it might be a couple of mornings, for us to talk about and workshop to explain about the study. So, we have all of the information. We have the translations that have been done by Genomics England. And hat we are doing is we are working with the community elders for them to tell us the right fit. Should it be a whole day? Probably not. Should it be a coffee morning or a tea morning? Probably. Should it be where we get a guest speaker in? That was their idea. What is the key condition suspected, one of those 200 conditions that the study is looking at that is prevalent in that community? Let's ask the community elders what they think, and we'll do what we're told. So, it's been fabulous actually doing that. Jenna: It's really, really great to hear about that. I think we've got little pockets of work like that popping up all over the country now which is really exciting to start seeing. I think at first, we were very much about getting the study up running and out there. And now we're starting to make sure we get that reach and we get that equity, and the opportunity for all pregnant people to decide whether this is right or wrong for their family. It's about informed choice and you can't make an informed choice whether that's an informed yes or an informed no if you don't have the information. We are proud that we go further than most research studies in terms of our accessibility, in terms of translations and we know that not English speaking is not the only barrier to access, there's lots of cultural barriers as well. But with the translated materials we support 10 languages as far as our professionally translated participant information leaflet. I was also really pleased when I found out at first that our website team had built the website in such a way that it worked not only with screen readers. So, somebody with a visual impairment could ‘read', in inverted commas, the website but that also it translates via Google into the 160 languages that Google support, which we know Google translations aren't perfect but they're better than nothing. And going back to what Tracie sort of said, the website doesn't have to do everything, it's about a conversation at the end of the day. It's a consent conversation that can be supported by a professional interpreter but it's about getting that initial message out there so they even get as far as having that conversation with an interpreter. We heard from Rachel around her reflections for the future, Tracie, about the study potentially becoming NHS standard care and about that potential of us having Amber and 99,999 other babies' data in the National Genomic Research Library and the potential that gives us for further research. Or for potentially re-screening those children as they grow up. When you look to the future and think about the Generation Study and what it might pave the way for, what are your hopes or perhaps fears? Tracie: So, my belief working in the genomics field is genomics is everybody's business. So, it's the 3 of us talking today, we're all very keen about genomics but there is a fear around genomics. Actually, I feel that this landmark study is absolutely fantastic. It makes genomics everybody's business. And it actually helps the whole healthcare community looking after these parents and the unborn babies as they go through the journey learn about the positivity of genomics. I think this landmark study is an absolutely win-win. It speaks to the whole family. Jenna: Thank you, Tracie. I'm also particularly excited about what the future could hold. I think as the service designer that's been working so closely with the hospitals, I'm really excited around what we've learned through this study in terms of reaching families and getting genomic information and options out to them. As you say, it is everybody. I continue to enjoy meeting new hospitals and seeing their kind of innovative take on that and kind of pollinating that back to other trusts so that we can reach as many families as possible and get that equity of access for everybody. I'm also particularly excited that we're moving into a phase where we're going to be learning more from the parents themselves that are taking part.  So, I think we'll wrap up there. Thank you to our guests Rachel, Tracie for joining me today as we discuss the rollout and impact of the Generation Study at St. Michael's Hospital in Bristol. If you'd like to hear more about this, please subscribe to Behind the Genes on your favourite podcast app. Thank you for listening. I've been your host Jenna Cusworth-Bolger. This podcast was edited by Bill Griffin at Ventoux Digital and produced by Deanna Barac.

ENCORE: This episode was first published in Oct. 2023. Sierra Leone used to be the most dangerous place in the world to give birth. Without enough doctors to do C-sections, women and babies were dying. But what if you didn't need a doctor?This week, the story of two determined surgeons and a no-so radical idea that is saving lives in Sierra Leone — one emergency operation at a time.You can read more about the non-profit organization the doctors created at capacare.orgOur guests on the show are Håkon Bolkan, Alex van Duinen and Emmanuel Tommy. You can download the episode transcript here:Here are some of the articles discussed in the show:Bolkan, HA et al. (2015) Met and unmet need for surgery in Sierra Leone: a comprehensive retrospective countrywide survey from all healthcare facilities performing surgery in 2012. SurgeryBrolin, K et al. (2016) The Impact of the West Africa Ebola Outbreak on Obstetric Health Care in Sierra Leone. PLOS ONEBolkan, HA et al.. (2017) Safety, productivity and predicted contribution of a surgical task-sharing programme in Sierra Leone. British Journal of SurgeryTreacy, Laura; Bolkan, Håkon Angell; Sagbakken, Mette. (2018) Distance, accessibility and costs. Decision-making During Childbirth in Rural Sierra Leone: a Qualitative Study. PLOS ONEDrevin, Gustaf; Alvesson, Helle Mölsted; van Duinen, Aalke Johan; Bolkan, Håkon Angell; Koroma, Alimamy philip; von Schreeb, Johan. (2019) ”For this one, let me take the risk”: why surgical staff continued to perform caesarean sections during the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. BMJ Global Healthvan Duinen, Aalke Johan; Kamara, Michael M.; Hagander, Lars; Ashley, Thomas; Koroma, Alimamy Philip; Leather, Andy J.M.. (2019) Caesarean section performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians in Sierra Leone. British Journal of Surgeryvan Duinen, Aalke Johan; Westendorp, Josien; Kamara, Michael M; Forna, Fatu; Hagander, Lars; Rijken, Marcus J.. (2020) Perinatal outcomes of cesarean deliveries in Sierra Leone: A prospective multicenter observational study. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, we are joined by Amy, C-section recovery coach and founder of Caesarean Phoenix – where she helps busy C-section mums who feel truly broken, disconnected, and hopeless since having c-section/s, and often wrestling with the belief that you shouldn't prioritize your own well-being after childbirth, yet knowing you need to be stronger to fully enjoy life with your children!VISIT caesareanphoenix.comFOLLOW @caesareanphoenixErin Junker | Paediatric Sleep ConsultantInstagram @thehappysleepcompanyWebsite www.thehappysleepcompany.com

What are the stages of birth and what actually happens when you go into labour? We go to Med School to find out what a decidual cast is and what happens when it falls out of your uterus. And in our Quick Consult, could your menstrual cup be causing UTIs? In this episode, we talk to Obstetrician & Advanced Gynaecological Surgeon Dr Nargis Noori and Clinical Midwifery Specialist Betty Holland who discuss home versus hospital birth, vaginal versus caesarean and what happens if you have an induction. They also talk about pain relief, what’s involved in an episiotomy, breastfeeding and baby brain. Plus, how to advocate for yourself in the delivery room. And, what if your baby doesn’t get the memo about your birth plan? THE END BITS For information on breastfeeding: Australian Breastfeeding Association If you're pregnant or want to learn more about pregnancy, check out Mamamia's pregnancy podcast: Hello Bump. GET IN TOUCH Sign up to the Well Newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trusted health expertise without the medical jargon. Ask a question of our experts or share your story, feedback, or dilemma - you can send it anonymously here, email here or leave us a voice note here. Ask The Doc: Ask us a question in The Waiting Room. Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok. All your health information is in the Well Hub. Support independent women’s media by becoming a Mamamia subscriberCREDITS Hosts: Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam Guests: Dr Nargis Noori & Midwife Betty Holland Senior Producers: Claire Murphy and Sasha Tannock Audio Producer: Scott Stronach Video Producer: Julian Rosario Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton. Visit fentonandfenton.com.au 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.Information discussed in Well. is for education purposes only and is not intended to provide professional medical advice. Listeners should seek their own medical advice, specific to their circumstances, from their treating doctor or health care professional.Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Great Trials Podcast, Steve Lowry converses with Brian McKeen from McKeen and Associates about a significant medical malpractice case, Drake versus Henry Ford Health System. Remember to rate and review GTP on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform. --- Case Details: "DETROIT – March 29, 2024– McKeen & Associates attorneys Brian McKeen and John LaParl, along with a Michigan Health and Human Service attorney, won a jury verdict in Wayne County Circuit Court yesterday for $120 million on behalf of a boy who suffered a birth injury at Henry Ford Health System. The jury found Henry Ford Health System and the attending obstetrician and nurses were negligent in failing to perform a timely Caesarian section resulting in severe birth injuries. The baby's mother arrived at Henry Ford Hospital in June 2010. She was at term, but not near delivery. Sometime after admission, the fetal monitor indicated “non-reassuring fetal heart tones” and a Caesarean section was called for. Because the procedure was delayed more than two hours, the infant suffered from severe asphyxiation resulting in cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage. The boy will require lifelong care. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services joined the case against the defendants due to the exorbitant cost they have incurred for the medical care for the child, who is now 13 years old." (SOURCE) --- Guest Bio: Brian McKeen Brian McKeen began practicing law in 1982. During his career, he has become a powerful advocate for his clients and one of the foremost medical malpractice attorneys in Michigan. He has tried cases throughout the United States. He currently sits on the executive boards of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Mr. McKeen formerly served as chair of the AAJ Professional Negligence Section, Medical Negligence Exchange Group and Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG). Since 2001, McKeen & Associates has generated the year's top verdict in Michigan four times, including securing the state's largest medical malpractice verdict on record in 2001, when a jury rendered a verdict award of $55 million in the case of Hall v Henry Ford Health System. McKeen & Associates also topped all Michigan verdict awards in 2002, with an award of $22.5 million in the case of Blazo v McLaren Regional Medical Center, et al; in 2006 with an award of $16 million in the case of Lowe v Henry Ford Health System; and in 2007, with an award of $35 million in the case of Oppenheim v Aeneas C. Guiney. Mr. McKeen was recently inducted to The Inner Circle of Advocates and named Top Attorneys in Michigan as published by The New York Times in September 2012. (READ FULL BIO) --- LINKS FROM THE EPISODE: McKeen and Associates ONLINE McKeen and Associates LINKEDIN McKeen and Associates FACEBOOK --- LISTEN TO PREVIOUS EPISODES & MEET THE TEAM: Great Trials Podcast Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services  Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com Production Team: Dee Daniels Media Podcast Production

Tarrah shares her remarkable three-year journey from trying to conceive naturally to welcoming her miracle IVF baby, Aspen. After starting to try for a family in September 2021, Tarrah and her husband Alexander faced the heartbreak of unexplained infertility, leading them through 10 rounds of IVF, pregnancy loss, and ultimately to their beautiful son born at 37 weeks via planned caesarean. Tarrah's openness about sharing her fertility journey on social media created a supportive community whilst helping others feel less alone in their struggles. This episode offers hope, practical insights, and honest conversation about the realities of fertility treatment, pregnancy after loss, and the overwhelming joy of finally holding your long-awaited baby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Maddie shares the story of her first birth; planned as a home birth but ultimately ending in a calm and empowering caesarean. Diagnosed with polyhydramnios during pregnancy, Maddie went into labour and experienced a week of intense contractions that weren't progressing. After being dismissed at hospital and told it was early labour, she trusted her instincts and returned a few days later, this time insisting on further assessment. Faced with pressure to induce, Maddie stood firm and chose a caesarean birth, which turned out to be a beautifully calm experience, one she would choose again in the future. We discuss: The emotional toll of prolonged early labour Trusting your instincts when you're not being heard Why a caesarean can be a positive and empowering choice A powerful reminder that trusting your instincts can lead to the right birth for you. Find out more about polyhydramnios here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polyhydramnios/  To learn more about my doula packages visit https://www.thenurturenest.co.uk/doula-services To purchase one of my courses, please visit https://www.thenurturenest.co.uk/courses If you have benefitted from this podcast and would like to say thanks, you can now buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thenurturenest View my birthy book recommendations here https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/influencer-e2ad919d  Follow me on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/the_nurture_nest/ Follow me on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/thenurturenesthypno Get 10% off your birth pool here https://go.referralcandy.com/share/JKHGBJ3 Get 10% off a BabyCare TENS Machine. USE CODE 10NURTURENEST http://babycaretens.com?afmc=46

In this week's episode, I chat with Gemma, a writer and Pilates instructor living on the lands of the Awabakal and Wurrumi people in Newcastle, NSW. Gemma shares her three distinctly experiences, culminating in a healing VBAC after two caesarean births. Are you preparing for birth and looking for a natural way to manage labour pain? Discover the difference with a TENS machine from Bliss Birth.Bliss Birth is Australia’s trusted name in TENS hire, helping thousands of women feel more in control during labour. Our obstetric Elle TENS machine is designed specifically for use in labour, and can be hired from anywhere in Australia for 4 or 8 weeks. They are simple to use, completely drug-free, and give you the power to manage pain, from those first early contractions right through to active labour.Join the thousands of Aussie mums who say their Bliss Birth TENS machine changed their birth for the better.Book yours today at blissbirth.com.au ABS25 for 10% off tens hire See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, I welcomed on listener Sarah who shared the story of her unplanned caesarean and why it was so positive for her. Thank you Sarah! Thank you to Wild Nutrition for sponsoring this episode. For 50% off for three months, visit www.wildnutrition.com/hypnobirthing To learn more about my doula packages visit https://www.thenurturenest.co.uk/doula-services To purchase one of my courses, please visit https://www.thenurturenest.co.uk/courses If you have benefitted from this podcast and would like to say thanks, you can now buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thenurturenest View my birthy book recommendations here https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/influencer-e2ad919d  Follow me on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/the_nurture_nest/ Follow me on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/thenurturenesthypno Get 10% off your birth pool here https://go.referralcandy.com/share/JKHGBJ3 Get 10% off a BabyCare TENS Machine. USE CODE 10NURTURENEST http://babycaretens.com?afmc=46

All you need to know about C-Section recovery both mentally and physically from a C Section expert!This week I sit down with Amy Zara of caesareanphoenix and ask her all our questions related to cesarean Recovery!What does recovery look like for a c-section?When does pain from a c-section stop?Details about c section scar healingCesarean recovery tipsWhat does c-section recovery look like?How to care for cesarean scarTips for c-section recoveryC section recovery red flagsHow to care for a c-section scarBest oils or butters for c-section recoveryC section mental and emotional recovery and more!!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IMPORTANT LINKS:- Sign up for the Mom Club on Patreon: HERE-Tighten Your Tinkler: (Pelvic Floor Healing Program): HEREUse code LEARNINGTOMOM  for $50 off their signature plan-  Truly Free Home (Best Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies and laundry deterrgent): HERE Use code LEARNINGTOMOM for 30% off!- The compression garments she mentioned linked HEREUse code LEARNINGTOMOM for 10% off!How to connect with Amy:- Her website is linked HERE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------c section recovery day by day, c-section recovery essentials, cesarean section recovery exercises, cesarean recovery essentials, c-section recovery gifts, c section recovery gift box, cesarean section recovery items, c-section recovery items, c section recovery kit, preparing for a cesarean section, cesarean recovery lifting restrictions, cesarean section pelvic floor, c-section recovery message, c section recovery needs, cesarean section recovery products, cesarean pain, c-section recovery, c section recovery plan, cesarean section recovery process, cesarean recovery reddit, c-section recovery stairs, c section recovery shorts, cesarean section recovery time, cesarean recovery tips, c-section recovery timeline, c section recovery timeline, cesarean section timeline day by day, cesarean section recovery tips, c-section recovery vs natural birth, cesarean section recovery vs natural birth, c-section recovery week by week, c-section recovery yellow discharge, c-section recovery 3rd week, c section recovery, after c section recovery, cesarean recovery time, c section recovery by week, how long c- section recovery, c-section recovery, casearan section, cesarcian section, cesarian recovery, Newborn care podcast, Postpartum podcast, Infant podcast, New baby podcast, Baby podcast, Motherhood podcast, First time mom, Best motherhood podcast, Best parenting podcast, Holistic parenting podcast, Holistic newborn, Crunchy mom podcast

In this week's episode I chat to Madi about her third birth - a planned home water birth after cesarean. Madi's story is particularly interesting as she navigated this birth both as a mother and as a newly qualified midwife. After experiencing a relatively quick vaginal birth with her first daughter Oakley and then a caesarean under general anaesthetic with Harlow due to her Chiari malformation (where her brain herniates into her spinal column), Madi was surprised to find herself pregnant with a third baby while completing her midwifery studies. Follow us on Instagram for photos and more from today's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, country music artist Kaylee Bell shares her remarkable journey to motherhood - from managing chronic health conditions to an unexpected pregnancy while touring, and navigating a challenging birth due to a DVT diagnosis. Her story beautifully illustrates how life's biggest surprises can lead to the most meaningful experiences. You can follow Kaylee's journey on Insta here Listen to Kaylee's music on SpotifyListen on Apple MusicWatch on YouTube For more birth stories, follow us on Instagram hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.