MOTHERWISE: Pregnancy, Birth, Babies & Real Birth Stories with midwife Kathy Fray

Kathy Fray
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Welcome to MOTHERWISE: Pregnancy, Birth, Babies & Real Birth Stories with midwife and best-selling maternity author Kathy Fray. Drawing on years as a senior 24/7 caseloading midwife, Kathy shares practical, evidence-informed guidance, authentic Real Birth Stories, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from caring for thousands of women and families throughout pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. If you want to get empowered by feeling like you know “everything about everything,” then buckle up and enjoy the ride! Knowledge changes outcomes, and this is YOU investing in giving your Baby and Yourself the very best journey possible. The Pregnancy, Labor & Newborn episodes are hugely informative, plus you can listen to many Real Birth Stories, taking you behind the scenes to review clinical notes from actual labors during Kathy’s years in practice - the beautiful, the unexpected, the challenging and sometimes extraordinary - with clients’ personal details changed where necessary to protect their privacy. If your goal is the most beautifully extraordinary and least traumatic birth and baby experience possible, you’re in the right place. And to really learn “everything about everything,” join the MotherWise Tribe at www.MotherWise.app to access Kathy's premium online prenatal education program. To learn more about Kathy and her books & resources, you can also visit www.KathyFray.com.

  1. Sep 9

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-1 | “Jaqui” | A Beautiful Due-Date Birth with a Hep B Twist

    Meet “Jaqui” - a pseudonym, with personal details disguised to protect her identity. Welcome to one of those wonderfully “textbook perfect” birth journeys very common to my caseload. Jaqui is in her late 20s and having her first baby. Labor begins spontaneously right on her Estimated Due Date - something that actually happens to only a minority of babies, despite our obsession with that magical 40-week date! Her labour unfolds beautifully: around 4½ hours of first-stage (cervix dilatation) followed by 1½ hours of second stage (pushing), culminating in a lovely natural birth. But Jaqui’s story also has an important clinical element: she is Hepatitis B positive. I talk through the routine precautions and post-birth care used to protect her newborn, including Hepatitis B vaccination and immunoglobulin, along with the chlorhexidine bathing protocol. And then there is breastfeeding. Jaqui exclusively breastfeeds her baby, who gains an impressive 1 kg - a couple of pounds - in the first 30 days of life ...such a usual journey for my ladies - it's all just about receiving enough education and support.  A beautifully straightforward birth story, with some fascinating clinical lessons woven through it - and a wonderful example of just how well normal physiological birth and breastfeeding can unfold. WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-1 | “Jaqui” | A Beautiful Due-Date Birth with a Hep B Twist

  2. Sep 9

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-2 | "Lucy" | 2nd-time Giving Birth, but 1st-time Being a Mother

    Meet “Lucy” — a pseudonym, with personal details disguised to protect her identity. Lucy is in her late 20s, an immigrant with good conversational English (who chooses not to use an interpreter). She is expecting her second baby - but the first baby she will raise herself in her new homeland. Her first child lives in her original country in Southeast Asia, being raised by family.  This creates a fascinating and unusual maternity journey: Lucy knows more than most first-time mothers-to-be, but considerably less than most second-time mothers-to-be. Lucy describes her first birth as completely natural, but around 16 hours long. This time I'm particularly conscious of something every experienced midwife knows: second babies can come much, much faster - especially, typically, once the waters break. But Lucy doesn't initially follow the typical pattern. Her waters break well before established labour begins - a prolonged pre-labour rupture of membranes, which is less common with a second or subsequent baby. And then... things change quickly. Once labour finally establishes, Lucy experiences a precipitous (very rapid) labor and birth — quite a contrast to her 16-hour first birth. Her baby is small for gestational age, but not diagnosed as growth-restricted (IUGR). And what happens over the following month is wonderful: exclusively breastfed, Lucy's baby gains more than 1,100 g - well over 2 lb - in just 30 days. THRIVING! For me, Lucy's story is also a lovely example of something I saw repeatedly throughout my midwifery caseload: successful breastfeeding is enormously influenced by the education and practical support a mother receives. With good preparation and skilled support after birth, exclusive breastfeeding was the norm for the vast majority of the mothers in my care. A fascinating story of a woman who has given birth before - yet, in so many ways, is navigating motherhood for the very first time. WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-2 | "Lucy" | 2nd-time Giving Birth, but 1st-time Being a Mother

  3. Sep 9

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-3 | “Susie & Dean” | Her 1st Labor & Birth, His 2nd-Haunted by a first

    Meet “Susie & Dean” - pseudonyms, with personal details disguised to protect their identities. For Susie, this is her first birth. For Dean, it isn't. He has previously experienced the birth of a child by Caesarean section - an experience he found traumatic and still really doesn't want to talk about. And Dean is ANXIOUS+++ by nature. So while Susie is approaching birth for the first time, her partner is approaching it carrying memories, fears and expectations from a difficult previous experience. Supporting the birthing woman sometimes also means recognising just how much her partner may be bringing into that birth room. Late in pregnancy, Susie makes the significant decision to change Birth Practitioner and transfer into my care. She has been preparing for birth using hypnobirthing, but doesn't feel sufficiently supported in those plans and wants a birth professional who will work with her towards the physiological birth she is hoping for. There is another important element to Susie's story. She has a history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and anorexia nervosa - factors that make me particularly mindful of her emotional well-being and potential vulnerability to postnatal depression. Then comes the birth itself. Susie goes spontaneously into labor and has a beautiful 4-hour active first labor+birth - a wonderfully common sort of childbirth length among the first-time mothers in my caseload. Her baby is petite, but when assessed using a Customized Growth Chart, is not actually small for gestational age. And then this little baby absolutely THRIVES. Fully and exclusively breastfed, Susie's baby gains an extraordinary 1,225 g - nearly 3 lb - in the first 30 days of life. THRIVING!!! It's another wonderful example of something I saw repeatedly throughout my midwifery caseload: with good lactation education and skilled, hands-on breastfeeding support, exclusive breastfeeding is achievable for the great majority of women. A lovely spontaneous first birth, a mother determined to find maternity care that supports her plans, an extremely anxious partner carrying his own previous birth trauma - and a petite newborn who goes on to thrive spectacularly. WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

    Real Birth Stories | Ep-3 | “Susie & Dean” | Her 1st Labor & Birth, His 2nd-Haunted by a first

  4. 01/10/2023

    Ep19_ 4 Stages of Childbirth and 3 Phases of Labor

    WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

  5. 01/10/2023

    Ep20 Labor Pharmaceutical Analgesia Part 1_ Nitrous Oxide _ Opioids

    WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

  6. 01/10/2023

    Ep21 Labor Pharmaceutical Analgesia Part 2_ Epidurals

    WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

  7. 01/10/2023

    Episode 01 Newly Pregnant Need To Knows Part 1

    WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

  8. 01/10/2023

    Episode 02 Newly Pregnant Need To Knows Part 2

    WANT TO FEEL GENUINELY PREPARED FOR BIRTH & BABY? Explore my premium MotherWise MasterClass - an extraordinarily comprehensive pregnancy, labour, birth, postpartum & newborn education program at www.MotherWise.app WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME? I'm a retired senior midwife and best-selling maternity author. Discover my books, articles and other pregnancy, birth & baby resources at www.KathyFray.com You can also check out my mostly-daily posts: TikTok: @prenatalwisdom Instagram: @kathyfray Enjoying MotherWise? Please follow the podcast and share your favourite episodes - it helps more parents-to-be discover practical, evidence-informed pregnancy, birth & baby wisdom and Real Birth Stories.

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About

Welcome to MOTHERWISE: Pregnancy, Birth, Babies & Real Birth Stories with midwife and best-selling maternity author Kathy Fray. Drawing on years as a senior 24/7 caseloading midwife, Kathy shares practical, evidence-informed guidance, authentic Real Birth Stories, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from caring for thousands of women and families throughout pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. If you want to get empowered by feeling like you know “everything about everything,” then buckle up and enjoy the ride! Knowledge changes outcomes, and this is YOU investing in giving your Baby and Yourself the very best journey possible. The Pregnancy, Labor & Newborn episodes are hugely informative, plus you can listen to many Real Birth Stories, taking you behind the scenes to review clinical notes from actual labors during Kathy’s years in practice - the beautiful, the unexpected, the challenging and sometimes extraordinary - with clients’ personal details changed where necessary to protect their privacy. If your goal is the most beautifully extraordinary and least traumatic birth and baby experience possible, you’re in the right place. And to really learn “everything about everything,” join the MotherWise Tribe at www.MotherWise.app to access Kathy's premium online prenatal education program. To learn more about Kathy and her books & resources, you can also visit www.KathyFray.com.

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