Hayley is a qualified trauma counsellor and mum of two. With her education and expertise she felt well equipped to manage her own trauma from sexual assault, particularly when her first birth was straightforward.

Going into her second Hayley felt prepared and excited. However, in the midst of her labour and birth she found herself disassociating and unable to reach anyone who would be able to help her. Bravely sharing her raw yet insightful story, Hayley teaches us how past trauma can impact pregnancy, labour and birth.

Alex and Hayley discuss her personal experience of birth after sexual assault but also discuss more broadly the things that healthcare providers can be doing to provide true trauma-informed care to victim survivors.

Tune in to this valuable episode now by listening to Season 7 episode 8 at pregnancyuncut.com, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We encourage you to please reach out if you, or someone you know, need support
Sexual assault support services | Sexual assault (reachout.com)

Family is everything to Renee.

At 95, she is a living legend, and our oldest guest on Pregnancy Uncut. Renee' s memory is impressively sharp and despite her age, her experiences of her five births remain vivid and profound. Renee now has three grown up children, but she also has two children no longer earthside: she is a survivor of her time, to say the least.

Renee is one of ten (10!!) and grew up in a time where resilience reigned and preventable deaths were part of life. She's lived through a world war, and lost siblings to vaccine preventable disease. Perinatal loss was considered a mishap, at least to some, rarely acknowledged and never discussed or supported.

Her most profound and lasting memories as a young mother are of her still born baby, and subsequent death of another baby, at just a few days old. Sounds and the kind of maternity care she received have never left her.

Renee generously shares her story, and reflects on how much maternity has changed in the last 100 years and how birth experiences imprint on mothers. She is a living testament to the lasting and deep impact of loss, and the strength and resilience of a generation.

Join Alex as she talks to Renee about family, bereavement and the changes that she has seen across nearly a century.

When his partner Maddy went into labour with their second child, Matt was excited to meet the new addition to their family, but a cord prolapse leading to emergency surgery, saw him instead, alone in a waiting room looking at the seemingly motionless hands of a clock. When Baby Wren was born, she required intensive breathing support, and soon afterwards Matt and Maddy had to make the impossible decision to palliate or transfer her to Melbourne to see if specialist help could save her.

Wren spent 8 days in the Royal Children’s hospital in Melbourne and underwent cooling. Despite receiving the devastating news that she would not be able to live without a ventilator, Matt describes them as some of the most treasured days of his life, and the special memories they created that captured her last moments.

In his grief and trauma, Matt has been mobilised to bring about change. He is an incredible advocate for bereaved parents, creating spaces where they, especially the Dads, have the support and resources they need to support themselves and their families.

Join Matt as he talks to Alex about the heartbreaking and precious short life of baby Wren, and how they navigated pregnancy and birth after birth trauma and loss.