Cuppa with a doula Alicia Cloarec-Riouat

Hey hey, 



Welcome back to another episode of Cuppa with a pro where I interview professionals that work within the pregnancy, birthing or parenting space to chat about their expertise. 



In today’s episode, I am chatting with Shantelle whose little boy Bowie was born at 24 weeks of gestation and spent 8 months in the NICU. Shantelle has already shared her story on the podcast (link below) and agreed to come back to help set a scene for what a NICU stay is like, talk about the language used and what it means, the different machines and more, a must listen if you are facing a NICU stay and want to be as informed as possible. We chatted about
In this episode, Shantelle shares quite a few photos of Bowie, his breathing equipment, what a NICU pod looks like and more so if you want to see those, head over to Youtube or use the link below, search for the channel Cuppa with a doula and you’ll be able to see the wonderful photos that Shantelle shares with us 



✔️The NICU being a very warm and humid environment 

✔️How the pods in the NICU are organised and why there might be a different number of babies in each room 

✔️The ratio of nurse to baby 

✔️If able to, trying to say “hi” or engage with other NICU parents as they will understand exactly what you are going through and will be able to relate and really see you 

✔️Creating a social circle if able to, planning social events, catch ups and also including the dads or patners who may not be able to access mental health services through the hospital and may feel more isolated than the mum 

✔️The mental health impact having a baby in the NICU can have on parents as well as the potential trauma 

✔️Milestones for a premie baby 

✔️The trauma that never goes away even after baby is home from the NICU and the potential triggers that might bring this trauma back 



Cuppa with a doula YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@cuppawithadoula 



Shantelle’s pregnancy, birth of Bowie and NICU stay https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/cuppa-with-a-doula/id1663704129?i=1000598084215 



Charities mentioned in the episode, most are in Western Australia where Shantelle lives 


Helping little hands https://www.instagram.com/helpinglittlehands_australia/  
Miracle babies foundation https://www.miraclebabies.org.au/ 
Life’s little treasures foundation https://lifeslittletreasures.org.au/ 
Tiny Sparks WA https://www.tinysparkswa.org.au/ 



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Grace who is a mum to baby North and quite a strong minded woman as you will hear in this interview! 



In this episode we chat all about 



✔️not knowing what her options are, going to her GP to confirm pregnancy and being told she will do shared care 

✔️going to antenatal appointments at public hospitals and feeling so unsupported, not heard or listened to and being very triggered 

✔️working hard to prepare for a positive birth by listening to podcasts, doing hypnobirthing, preparing affirmations, moving her body 

✔️advocating for herself in hospital and declining interventions as Grace felt informed and confident in her choices 

✔️Grace’s partner perfectly finding his role during the birthing, due to doing hypnobirthing and Grace and him talking about his role 

✔️Having trouble with breastfeeding from the start: baby not latching properly, Grace was in a lot of pain during feeds, her pain was dismissed by the hospital midwife as “having a low pain threshold” 

✔️Seeking help for breastfeeding as Grace knew something wasn’t right 

✔️Losing a lot of weight due to breastfeeding a lot and having to bounce baby to sleep 

✔️Experiencing postnatal rage, doubts about whether she is a good enough mum 

✔️Grace finding her mum’s tribe, having friends who she can say her worst thoughts to and who truly understand and validate her 



Australian breastfeeding association - get help with breasfeeding or baby’s latch - https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Sarah, who is a special ed teacher, mum to 2 and now an author of her very own book “Little Harvey’s big feelings”, which you will hear more about on the podcast very soon! 



In this episode we chat all about 



✔️tossing between birthing at a birth centre or having a home birth with a private midwife, based on her sister’s two births and the fact that her sister is a midwife in an MGP program

✔️deciding to birth at the birth centre where her sister works and have her sister as a secondary midwife for the birth 

✔️loving doing hypnobirthing, reading Rhea Dempsey’s books, feeling very prepared for birth and being flexible (things didn’t go to plan at all!) 

✔️Sarah’s labour beginning at 38+6 (which she wasn’t expecting for another 2 weeks), not being ready, not having food in her house 

✔️Having to birth at a different place of birth than what she had planned as the birth centre already had a laboring mum 

✔️Embracing the change, embracing the unknown, being happy that things happen the way they did 

✔️Having Harvey’s tongue tie released at 6 weeks and being able to breastfeed pain free 2 weeks later, continuing to breastfeed for the next 17 months 

✔️falling pregnant a little bit sooner than Sarah has planned but being so excited to embark on a new pregnancy 

✔️planning a homebirth with the private midwife who was there for Harvey’s birth (Lynn) and her sister Chris as a secondary midwife 

✔️Layla’s birth unfolding so fast that Lynn (primary midwife) didn’t have time to make it and Chris found herself having to somehow fill that gap 



If you want to follow Sarah on her instagram https://www.instagram.com/the.rhyming.mum/ 



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Kellie, mum to 2 living in Brisbane and who has made it her mission to share motherhood as it is on instagram @naturallykellie_ 



In this episode we chat all about 



✔️falling pregnant first go when trying for their first baby, which Kellie was not expecting at all 

✔️interviewing her OB to ensure that they would be supportive of Kellie having an undisturbed birth and be able to birth on her own terms 

✔️doing hypnobirthing and how beneficial this was for both herself and husband 

✔️finding out she had gestational diabetes without too much more explanation and going into a panic thinking she had done something wrong that would have caused this, only to find out that having hemochromatosis puts her at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, regardless of anything else 

✔️what having hamochromatosis meant during her pregnancy to check that her iron levels weren’t too high 

✔️finding the early postpartum days very hard, being very emotional and crying a lot, but not because she was sad 

✔️getting a phone call when baby was a week old to say that it was picked up during heel prick test that baby’s TSH was high, meaning she had hyperthyroidism 

✔️falling pregnant with baby 2 on the first try, after “leaving it to the universe” but also deciding to wait a bit longer, not knowing they had already conceived 

✔️deciding to do things differently and have a homebirth this time around, her husband being very onboard while Kellie was a bit hesistant initially 

✔️only telling selective people in her circle she was having a home birth as she didn’t want people’s negative opinions or fears or didn’t want to answer “what if” questions 

✔️having a quicker labour for her second, with her daughter present for the pushing phase and then watching her birth her baby sister’s placenta on the couch 

✔️Kellie’s appendix rupturing when she was 6 weeks postpartum, having to manage giving her breastfed baby expressed milk and pumping to keep her supply going 



If you want to follow Kellie on her instagram https://www.instagram.com/naturallykellie_/ 



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message

Hey hey, 



Welcome back to another episode of Cuppa with a pro where I interview professionals that work within the pregnancy, birthing or parenting space to chat about their expertise. 



Before we dive into the episode, let me introduce you to this week’s sponsor: Executive Alice, taking care of all the behind the scenes of your business so you can do what you do best
Find Steph and get in touch with her here https://www.instagram.com/executive.alice/ 



In today’s episode, I am chatting with Janelle from “The Wild Orange Tree” who is a women’s health occupational therapist and is passionate about helping mums and mums-to-be transition well into this new sphere that is parenthood and help address any challenges or changes that it comes with! 



✔️what is a pelvic health occupational therapist (OT) and how to get access to one through Medicare, private health or private paying 

✔️the role of a pelvic health OT, looking into our menstrual cycle, our pelvic floor health, dividing into both the physical and emotional side of motherhood and pregnancy 

✔️the very important role oxytocin plays after the birth, during our motherhood experience and what happens when we lack this oxytocin hormone 

✔️the uniqueness of motherhood and the support we need all throughout our parenting journey, not just the initial 6 weeks after baby is born 

✔️the difference between our western society and other asian and African cultures where motherhood is celebrated, rituals are celebrated, parents are supported every step of the way 

✔️motherhood as a rite of passage and what its three phases are  

✔️the 5 essential needs we have in postpartum and how community is at the centre of it all 

✔️giving yourself permission to evolve as a human being and become a new version of yourself with new beliefs 



You can find Janelle here https://thewildorangetree.com.au/ 



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message

Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Cobi, actually on the day of this episode being released is Cobi’s boy’s Sidney’s 2nd birthday, so happy birthday to you little Sidney



In this episode we chat all about 



✔️initially going through an OB-led model of care, thinking she would get the highest possible care for herself and baby 

✔️having a friend tell her about home birth and meeting with a private midwife, deciding this was the right option for her 

✔️in hindsight seeing how negative her OB was, never really giving her info, just telling her how it will be, not accepting of Cobi’s birth choices or wishes 

✔️hiring a private midwife at 20 weeks and building a beautiful relationship which spanned beyond Cobi’s pregnancy! 

✔️Cobi’s labour with Sidney beginning at 41 weeks, 1 week after her husband started his leave (he was a DIDO worker at the time) 

✔️Cobi’s parents being present for her labour, having her mum braid her hair, having them support her during this transition 

✔️Cobi’s labour unfolding very quickly and finding she needed her dad present to help ground her and her partner and bring some “chill vibes” to her birth 

✔️Birthing her baby boy Sidney (4.2kg), in the shower, on her own terms, without her midwife who didn’t have time to make it

✔️Solo parenting for 4 weeks at a time while her partner is FIFO and away 



If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 



To be sure to be notified when a new episode comes out please subscribe to the show on your listening platform. If you would like to support the show, I would really appreciate it if you could leave a 5-star review on your podcast listening platform or Apple podcast. 



If you would like to come on the show and tell your own birth story please get in touch through this link here https://forms.gle/YCCP5dMg8bYSXuAYA 



This podcast is available on Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, most other podcast listening platforms and Youtube 



Follow me on social media for more content 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cuppawithadoula 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuppawithadoula 



Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuppa-with-a-doula/message