British Birthing Stories

Georgia McGivern

A weekly podcast sharing real stories of childbirth in the UK, from labour and delivery to postpartum recovery. Mothers across the UK talk openly about their personal birth experiences, created to educate, inform, and empower women preparing for birth and the early weeks of motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    Jess: First Birth, Planned NHS Home Birth, Hospital Transfer, Meconium, Lost Fetal Heartbeat, Category 1 Emergency C-Section, Suspected Placenta Abruption

    Jess is a first time mum from Cardiff who planned a home birth from the moment she found out she was pregnant. She did hypnobirthing, joined antenatal classes, and built a relationship with the midwife who ended up attending her labour. Contractions started at 40 weeks and 5 days, and she laboured calmly at home through the night with a birth pool, gas and air, and a TENS machine.   After hours stuck at 5cm with a swollen cervix, she was transferred to hospital by blue light ambulance. Her waters broke naturally with thick meconium, and then her baby's heartbeat disappeared from the monitor. Within a minute the room filled with staff, and Jess was rushed for an emergency C-section.   In this episode we talk about: Getting the green light for an NHS home birth and what happens when no midwives are availableLabouring calmly at home with a birth pool, gas and air, and a TENS machineWhat it is like to stall at 5cm for hours before deciding to transfer to hospitalLosing your baby's heartbeat on the monitor and the category 1 C-section that followedWhy the postnatal ward, not the surgery, ended up being the hardest part  This episode is for anyone who has planned every detail of their birth and needs to hear that it is okay when things go a completely different way.   The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 6d ago

    Erin: First Birth, NHS Hospital Birth, Induction, Reduced Fetal Movements, Malposition, Fetal Blood Sample, Emergency C-Section, Missed Miscarriage, Birth Trauma

    Erin is a first time mum and veterinary nurse whose son's birth started with an induction at 37 weeks after two episodes of reduced movement, and ended up somewhere none of them expected. Days of gel pessaries barely moved things along, and once her waters were broken and a hormone drip started, her body reacted badly, bleeding heavily and sending her blood pressure spiking. Once that settled, her son turned out to be lying the wrong way, with staff losing his heartbeat on the monitor more than once, which led to a tense wait for a fetal blood sample before Erin went in for an emergency C section. Postpartum brought its own scare too, with her blood pressure climbing for days before anyone acted on it. She talks about: Being induced at 37 weeks after reduced fetal movementsA hormone drip reaction that led to heavy bleeding and dangerously high blood pressureWaiting on a fetal blood sample to check on her baby before an emergency C sectionFinding out her baby's sex in theatrePostpartum blood pressure spikes and birth notes that didn't match what happened The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Jul 28

    Tash: Second Birth, Positive NHS Hospital Birth, Precipitous Labour, Waters Breaking at Home, Fetal Ejection Reflex, No Pain Relief, Born in 13 Minutes

    Tash shares her second birth story, a precipitous NHS hospital birth that started with her waters breaking at midnight and ended just thirteen minutes after she walked through the doors. Tash is a mum of two. Her first birth with her daughter Betty was a positive NHS hospital birth with an epidural, though panic during her first contraction sent her hypnobirthing prep out the window. With her son Leo, her waters broke unexpectedly at midnight, days before a planned induction, and contractions came three minutes apart with no gaps from the very start.   She talks about: A precipitous second labour that started with waters breaking at midnight, days before a planned inductionLabouring through an hour long car journey with contractions three minutes apart and no pain reliefArriving at hospital already crowning, and a birth in a triage side room before the midwife even had her nameFetal ejection reflex, and what it felt like when her body pushed the baby out almost on its ownA frightening first night at home when her fast birth meant her son hadn't drained the fluid from his lungsWhy the epidural was completely right for her first birth, and completely unnecessary for her second  The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Jul 23

    Gabby: Third Birth, NHS Precipitous Vaginal Birth After Emergency C-section and VBAC, Postpartum Haemorrhage, Manual Removal of Clots

    Gabby is an American mum of three living near Cambridge who comes back to share her third birth, after an emergency C-section with her first and a successful VBAC with her second. Labour started fast, in the shower, and she nearly gave birth in the car on the way to the Rosie Hospital. Her daughter arrived within minutes of arriving, but minutes later Gabby began to haemorrhage, losing nearly two litres of blood and needing a manual removal of clots, fully unmedicated. She was discharged the same day, without iron tablets. She talks about: A precipitous labour that went from the shower to nearly the carGiving birth again within minutes of arriving at hospitalPostpartum haemorrhage, a manual removal of clots, and what that actually felt likeBeing sent home the same day without iron tablets after losing nearly two litres of bloodHow this birth compared to her first C-section and her VBAC The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Jul 21

    Gabby: First and Second Births, US Emergency C-section After Failure to Engage, Miscarriage, Successful NHS VBAC, Hypnobirthing

    Gabby is an American mum of three living near Cambridge. Her first daughter was born in Tampa, Florida after hours of pushing with no progress, ending in an unplanned C-section. After moving to the UK, she went through a miscarriage before falling pregnant again with her second daughter, throwing herself into hypnobirthing and Spinning Babies to prepare for a VBAC. When her waters broke in hospital, her daughter arrived in three pushes, completely unmedicated. She talks about: The US maternity system, a big baby, and being told her body might not manage a vaginal birthMiscarrying at home and what that grief looked like while settling into a new countryPreparing physically and mentally for a VBAC with hypnobirthing and Spinning BabiesBeing counselled on repeat C-section risk mid labour and how she handled itWhat an unmedicated VBAC actually felt like from first contraction to delivery The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.     British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Jul 16

    Rebecca: First Birth, Positive NHS Hospital Planned C Section, Maternal Request, Large Baby Worries, Consultant Midwife Support, Tongue Tie, Delayed Milk Coming In

    Rebecca is a first time mum to Harry, and she chose a planned C section for her first birth. She had lived with health anxiety for years before she even got pregnant, and a family history of shoulder dystocia made the idea of a natural labour feel frightening rather than exciting. By her twenty week scan, doctors kept telling her the baby was measuring big, and that fear only grew from there. At twenty eight weeks she told her midwife what she wanted. The midwife questioned her. Everything changed when Rebecca met a consultant midwife called Hannah. She gave Rebecca two hours of pure clinical honesty, no judgement, just facts and statistics. Hannah even wrote on her notes to stop mentioning the size of the baby. For the first time in her pregnancy, Rebecca felt calm, in control, and completely certain she was making the right choice for her.   In this episode we talk about: Choosing a planned C section by maternal request, and having to ask more than once before anyone properly listenedLiving with constant warnings about having a big baby, and what actually happened when he was bornWhat it really feels like to be on the operating table for a C section, and why it was far less frightening than she expectedWhy her milk did not come in until day ten, and the emotional day it finally happenedDiscovering and treating a tongue tie privately after breastfeeding became painful and unsettled  This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they had to justify wanting a planned C section, or worried that asking questions makes you difficult. The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Jul 14

    Jess: Two NHS Hospital Water Births, Miscarriage Journey, Hyperemesis, Stuck Coil, Episiotomy, TENS Machine, Retained Placenta, Second Degree Tear, Gender Disappointment

    She had wanted a water birth from the beginning. She had worked with families around birth for 13 years. She thought she knew what to expect. And then labour actually started, and she learned what it really feels like to be in it. Jess is a mum of two boys from the Midlands who had two positive NHS hospital water births. Her first was a long one. She laboured through the night at home, got sent back from hospital at 1cm, returned a few hours later, and eventually got into the pool. She pushed for an hour before needing an episiotomy she had not seen coming. Her son shot out so fast the midwives had to catch him. Her second was calmer, faster, and she picked her baby up out of the water herself. Before any of that though, there was a lot to get through. Two years of trying. Two miscarriages, one of them traumatic. Severe nausea in both pregnancies that she did not know she could get medication for the first time around. And second time, a stuck coil that took far longer to remove than it should have, polycystic ovaries, and a new job she had to tell her boss about at 6 weeks because the sickness had already taken over. In this episode we talk about: What two miscarriages felt like and how pregnancy anxiety shaped her first birth experience from the very startThe difference between knowing how to advocate for yourself and actually doing it, and how her first pregnancy taught her to show up differently second time aroundWhat it is really like to be sent home at 1cm after labouring through the nightAn episiotomy she did not see coming and a recovery she had not prepared herself for despite years of postnatal support workA stuck coil that delayed her second pregnancy for longer than expected and what it took to get thereSevere nausea in both pregnancies and how medication made a real difference second time aroundA retained placenta, a second degree tear, and a recovery that was genuinely easier than the firstGender disappointment with her second son and why she believes making space for that feeling is the only way through it This episode is for anyone heading into their first or second birth wanting to feel calmer, more prepared, and less alone in whatever they are feeling. The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.   British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Jul 9

    Jo: First Birth, Unexplained Infertility, Adoption Journey, Epilepsy and Chronic Kidney Disease, Consultant-Led NHS Hospital Induction, Five-Day Induction, Labour Stopped Twice, Forceps Delivery in Theatre, Episiotomy, Birth Trauma

    Jo had been trying to conceive for years. She was told she had unexplained infertility. She decided not to do IVF. She decided to adopt. And then, completely out of nowhere, she got pregnant. Jo is a mum of two girls from the North of England who shares a story unlike any other on the podcast. Her family came to her in two completely different ways. Her eldest daughter was adopted at 11 months old. Her youngest arrived as a total shock pregnancy two years later, after years of being told pregnancy was unlikely. Because of her epilepsy and chronic kidney disease, Jo was in consultant-led care throughout. Her baby was breech and had to be turned by ECV at around 35 weeks. At 38 weeks, growth concerns meant an induction was booked. What followed was five days in hospital, two pessaries, a hormone drip, labour stopped twice due to infection markers and heart rate concerns, a spinal block, a rotation in theatre, and a forceps delivery. Her daughter was born blue. Jo was vomiting from the spinal while listening to the team work on her baby. It was 90 minutes before she could hold her for the first time. In this episode we talk about: What the adoption process actually looks like from start to finish, including the stages, the home assessments, and what you are asked to considerManaging epilepsy and chronic kidney disease through pregnancy and why certain pain relief options were not available to JoWhat a five-day NHS induction feels like from the inside, and what nobody tells you about pessary removalHow the team stopped Jo's labour twice and what that experience was like in the momentWhy the birth reflection service at her hospital helped her make sense of what happened and why she wishes it had been available to her husband too This episode is for anyone who has had a birth that went nothing like they expected and is still trying to make sense of it. The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care. British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery. These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About

A weekly podcast sharing real stories of childbirth in the UK, from labour and delivery to postpartum recovery. Mothers across the UK talk openly about their personal birth experiences, created to educate, inform, and empower women preparing for birth and the early weeks of motherhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Georgia McGivern
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © British Birthing Stories
  • Show Website
    British Birthing Stories

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