The Calmbirth Conversation Podcast Karen McClay

In this episode, Karen and Bashi are having a raw and frank conversation about informed consent and birth.







It is our hope that by honouring and hearing those women who have experienced trauma in our maternity system and by having important and yes at times, confronting conversations such as this one, we may be able to reduce the incidence of preventable birth trauma for future women.







It’s important to acknowledge there are many Doctors and Midwives who work in our maternity system who are very woman-centred and value informed consent.







If at any time you are feeling triggered by what is being discussed, please feel free to stop listening and we will see you next time. 

Bashi Kumar-Hazard is an Australian competition and consumer rights lawyer and the principal of B W Law, a legal practice established to support and assist women and children. She is also the chair of the international organisation Human Rights in Childbirth and works tirelessly to advocate for women's rights and birthing people worldwide.







In this episode, Bashi and Karen discuss the outcome of the NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry and the recommendations handed down in the report. They cover some important and at times big, topics including stories of birth trauma. If you feel that you may be triggered in any way by listening to this episode, please feel free to move on to another episode of our podcast.







If you are someone who has experienced birth trauma there are amazing organisations that you can reach out to for support such as Beyond Blue, The Gidget Foundation, Panada, Cope and Lifeline.

In this episode, Karen discusses the two different approaches and perceptions of pain in labour. These are the medical approach where pain in labour is seen as dysfunctional and something to be 'fixed', and the holistic (midwifery) approach where it is seen as a functional discomfort that is purposeful and therefore important to 'work with'. It is a fascinating conversation that we hope will plant many seeds that will continue to change the way we think and feel about labour and birth for the better as a culture.

Join Karen McClay as she talks with Dr Sarah McKay about her new book "Baby Brain: The Surprising Neuroscience of How Pregnancy and Motherhood Sculpt Our Brains and Change Our Minds".







Karen and Sarah take a fascinating dive into what the research is showing us about the neurological changes that occur within a woman's brain as they travel through pregnancy and motherhood, while at the same time demything the cultural assumption that 'baby brain' is a negative side-effect of this transformative time.

Join Karen McClay and Dr Marina Weckend as they discuss Marina's research into the natural pauses of labour and the importance of normalising these plateaus or rest periods.







By seeing these natural pauses as normal fluctuations in labour Marina hopes that we can reduce the time pressures placed on women and birth people during birth and to reduce many of the potentially unnecessary interventions in our current maternity system.









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdfXwekKMFk









For more information about Marina's important work you can visit her website https://www.marinaweckend.com/Research/







WEPAUSE Study Link to share your own experiences of pauses in childbirth (survey active from March to August 2024): 

Welcome to another episode of the Calmbirth Conversation Podcast. In this episode, our Calmbirth Director Karen McClay talks with Emma Park. Emma is a Functional Nutritionist Clinician and Clinical Educator and is an industry leader in the field of gut health and the microbiome in the First 1000 Days of life.







Karen and Emma discuss the importance of the microbiome for pregnant mamas and people, and their babies, and how we can maintain and create an optimal environment for a healthy microbiome during pregnancy birth and postpartum. This is particularly important for those whose microbiome is already out of kilter e.g., they have a history of vaginitis, candida infections (thrush), recurrent UTI’s, GBS and mastitis.  Karen and Emma also discuss the impact that antibiotic use during pregnancy and birth, and caesarean births have on the microbiome and what these mamas and birthing people can do to help their and their baby’s microbiome recover.







If you would like more information on this you can have a look at Emma’s “The First 1000 days” course, or download her booklet, both of which can be found here: https://www.thefirst1000days.com.au/







And because stress is one of the biggest influences on a healthy microbiome, come and join us for a Calmbirth course because we are all about helping you to change your relationship to stress through knowledge and tools that will not only help during your pregnancy and birth but will continue to be an asset for the rest of your life. You can find a Calmbirth Educator near you here: https://calmbirth.com.au/







If you enjoyed this podcast episode please share with your friends, and tag us on our socials @calmbirth.