Birth Tales Serena Louth

In today’s episode I’m speaking to Annie who conceived her little boy via IVF. After a clinical start to her pregnancy she had to work hard to rebuild trust in her body and found her yoga practice to be invaluable in helping her to reconnect to herself and her intuition.
Towards the end of her pregnancy concerns were raised around her baby’s size and after multiple scans to check growth and placental function she agreed to an induction at nearly 42 weeks pregnant. Following a lengthy induction process with days spent waiting on the ward Annie experienced uterine hyperstimulation and it was advised her baby should be born via c-section.
Annie shares how she now feels a sense of positivity and acceptance looking back at the birth, despite it being so far from the  experience she had hoped for and we discuss how memorable a kind doctor or midwife can be when things take a turn for the unexpected.
I just wanted to say that throughout the episode we mention her sister Ellie a few times, who’s birth story is very much intertwined with Annie’s own, so if you’d like to give that a listen to weave the two stories together it is episode 23 of the podcast.
 
Annie’s website: https://annieclarke.com/ 
Annie’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/annieclarke_/
Annie’s postpartum experience: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/annie-clempner-clarke-mother-ivf-emergency-c-section/id1724824946?i=1000644309714
 
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Nina about the birth of her daughter Isla. Nina conceived a little sooner than planned and admits she knew very little about birth when she first got pregnant. She took an antenatal course and decided to go with the flow rather than overloading herself with birth prep. Around 41 weeks Nina chose to have a sweep and her labour began shortly afterwards. During a long wait in triage she was monitored via CTG due to some fluctuations in the baby’s heart rate and after a few more hours on the labour ward her baby was born via C-section. She shares about how she found the surgery, plus a little about her breastfeeding journey as she was really surprised by the huge hormonal crash that she experienced when she stopped after 6 months.
Nina’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.grounded.mama/ 
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Leone about her positive homebirth experience. She loved being pregnant and really immersed herself in preparing for her baby’s birth. Her labour began a few days before her estimated due date and she was surprised to feel all her contractions solely in her lower back. She laboured at home with the support of her husband and doula, using the TENS machine and the birth pool to help her manage the sensations and baby Hugo was born back to back in the water.
Leone shares her experience of advocating for herself during her pregnancy, how she found all the birth prep she did to be invaluable and the struggles she faced in the early days of breastfeeding.
 
Leone’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/leone_hunter_
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode Nicole shares her experience of consciously conceiving and birthing her son Oakley. She loved being pregnant and spent her time preparing for the transition from maiden to mother by hiring a doula, listening to positive birth stories and nourishing herself with good food, movement, yoga and massage. Having planned for a homebirth, Nicole and her husband spend the majority of her labour at home but eventually transferred to hospital to birth her baby with ventouse assistance.
She shares how she found pregnancy, birth and the early months of motherhood to be the ultimate lesson in trust and surrender and how she found peace with her birthing experience despite things not turning out exactly as she had envisaged.
 
Nicole’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.grounded.mama/ 
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode I’m chatting to Laura about the birth of her daughter Winnie. Laura loved being pregnant; she enjoyed staying active and immersing herself in birth preparation.
When her labour began and her contractions got going Laura found all the tools and techniques she had learned through hypnobirthing to be invaluable, but after a while progess slowed due to the baby’s positioning and her care providers wanted to intervene.  Laura ended up trying some coached pushing which she found particularly tough. She went on to have her waters broken, after which something shifted and she was able to birth her baby by herself.
Laura tells us all about the overwhelming feeling of relief once she had Winnie in her arms and shares a little about the struggles she faced in the early days of breastfeeding.

Laura’s website: https://www.lauranolan.co.uk/ 
Laura’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/lauracnolan/
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Georgie about the birth of her son Phaedra. During her first trimester she struggled with feeling unwell but put her symptoms down to her pregnancy. When things didn’t improve over time her care providers investigated and Georgie was eventually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and placed under consultant lead care. Conversations about induction started early as the baby was suspected to be large for gestational age due to Georgie’s diabetes going untreated for so long, but Phaedra had other plans and surprised everyone by arriving at 35 weeks! Labour started spontaneously and Georgie gave birth in the hospital with her mum as her birth partner.
 
Georgie’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/root__down?igsh=ajM2aGt4dHcxYzFz 
Freya’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/freyarosebirch?igsh=MXN0em9ka3Awc3NvbA%3D%3D
 
My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/