Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Zoë Rose Gameau to hear Zoë's breech birth story. Zoë is a mother of two girls and lover of nature. She lives with her daughters in a tiny studio home nestled amongst the trees and streams of the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. Her current work is in creative development as Executive Producer at a sustainable film…

Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. This is the third part in a series discussing the issue of the proposed changes to privately praciting midwives insurance in homebirth. For more info and a background to this issue, please listen to the previous 2 episodes with Fi. They are short episodes and worth a listen! Fiona calls for letter…

Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond: Contemporary Conversations where stories, science, traditions and new ideas meet. I’m Oni Blecher and your host today. Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media, our development team and contributors pay our respects to indigenous elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, …

Today Oni Blecher interviews Jenny Blyth. Jenny has supported parents in natural birth for over 40 years. She is an independent birth educator, bodyworker, Associate Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy, Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner & Trainer, & Internal Pelvic Release Work Practitioner & Trainer. Her particular f…

Today Oni Blecher speaks with Anna Watts. Anna is the Founder of Celebration of Birth, and has been guiding women and their partners through the journey of pregnancy and birth for over 30 years. Anna believes in honouring and celebrating birth as a ‘rite of passage’ for mother, father and baby, supporting empowered birthing choices and strengthenin…

Today, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia. This is an update episode from our last episode with Fion…

Today, Oni Blecher and Naomi Jannsen both speak with Dr. Oscar Serrelach. Naomi joins us as a guest interviewer for this conversation with Oscar Serrelach for the upcoming Postpartum Conference hosted by Well Supported Mother. Dr Oscar specialises in postnatal depletion and his medical expertise centres around optimising Mothers health and wellness…

In this epsiode, Oni Blecher speaks with Edie Barltey. Edie is a Sexologist and Art therapist with a background in psychotherapy. Edie has also complted her doula training and has assisted birth. Her approach as both a therapist and a human being is open minded, non-judgmental and heart centred. Edie’s work aims to normalise conversations around se…

Today I speak with Sali McIntyre and Naomi Jannsson. Sali is an antenatal educator, author midwife, Arvigo practitioner and teacher, and mother of four adult children, all born at home. She also runs Heart and Soul of Wellness which is a wellness centre in Murwillumbah where she runs pregnancy and postpartum groups, amongst many more offerings. Nao…

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Fiona is a mum of 3, doula, childbirth educator, independent consumer representative for the Northern NSW LHD and a consumer advocate, representing the charity Hygieia Health. She's speaking to us today in her capacity working with Hygieia. Hygieia Health is dedicated to the sacred work …

"This is so needed!" PBB weaving love into our community In this episode, Annalee and Sally, two of the founders of PBB Media and former presenters of our show, get together to discuss the history of our Outreach Hub, how it started and how it has evolved over time and all that it has to offer our community. The PBB Outreach Hub offers free baby an…

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Tallulah and Xanthe. Both are Bachelor of Midwifery students in the final year of their studies. Tallulah grew up on Bundjalung Country and was immersed in a community that favoured an integrative approach to healthcare and wellness, Tallulah felt an innate pull to participate. Along her journey, she felt a d…

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Naomi Jannson. With over 20 years of experience as a health professional, Naomi weaves a wealth of expertise from diverse healthcare settings to provide clinical care and education. Naomi inherited a strong relationship with Traditional Medicine from birth, growing up within a Traditional Medicine household a…

In this epsiode, Oni Blecher speaks with Amanda Banks, co creator and producer of the new film Born at Home. Empowered by the homebirth of her second child in 2020, Amanda, together with long term dear friend Eleanor, set out to create a film exploring Homebirth in QLD. Amanda is mother of two children, both born at home. She has always had a passi…

In this interview, Oni Blecher interviews Dr Michelle Gerbi. With a background as a chiropractor, perinatal health coach, functional medicine provider, certified perinatal health coach, postpartum corrective exercise specialist, and international board-certified lactation consultant, Michelle has had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the challe…

Public Service Announcement: Would you like to support us ? We are raising money for our NFP and podcast to obtain an office space and podcast recording studio for 2024. Our goal is $10, 000 AUD and any donation big or small is helpful ! If you're interested in supporting us, please email us at hello@pbbmedia.org for more information. If you're not…

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Tahnee Taylor. Tahnee is a yoga teacher with a deep and resonant love of Yin Yoga and how it meets the alchemical magic of Taoism. She is also a practitioner of Chi Nei Tsang, which is a Taoist abdominal massage and she is a passionate advocate for the inherent shamanic wisdom of the body - hers, yours, ours…

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Ruth Schubert. Ruth is a physiotherapist for 20 years. She Schubert is inspired to help her clients lead a beautiful life. She believes in building resilience through developing a strong body and calm mind. Throughout her career, Ruth realised her passion in caring for women, and her own pregnancy and recove…

In today's episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Natalie Woods. Natalie Woods is a twin mother to two boys, River and Jarrah. She lives in the Northern Rivers with her partner Dan. She’s also a writer and community builder, which has led her to think deeply about the storytelling that is available for parents of multiples and also the importance of find…

In this interview, Oni speaks with local father Nyck Jeanes. Nyck is also a musician, producer, independent journalist, and as one close friend describes him; a social engineer; he’s out to help change the way we relate to one another, understand the world around us and live our lives. This interview was recorded nearly two years ago and with flood…

Robin Grille Is a psychotherapist, psychologist, author, mentor, speaker, and educator. His work seeks to restore relationships to their natural flow and balance: include family relationships, partnerships, workplace relationships, and relationship to self. His work enlivens relationship to vocation, to community, and to the natural world that surr…

This episode is a conversation between Oni Blecher and Jacqui Lewis. Jacqui Lewis is a meditation teacher, mentor, an author of four books, a Tedx Speaker, and hosts leadership programs globally. She co-founded The Broad Place, a global school sharing ancient knowledge and modern neuroscience, tools and experiences for higher grade living with Arra…

In this episode, Oni Blecher brings you an interview with menstrual educator Samantha Neal. Samantha has been working for over six years, contributing to the field of menstruation by way of workshops, comprehensive online education programs, private mentorship and circle facilitation. Samantha is within a new wave of menstrual educators, approachin…

In this Episode, Oni Blecher interviews Jane Hardwicke Collings. Jane has spent decades in the realms of birth education and ther wider work of reconnecting women with their sacred rites of passage. Jane started and runs the School of Shamanic Woman Craft and the Charity organisation Hygieia Health; revolutionising maternity care in Australia to mi…

Dione from Make a Change on BayFM interviews Rhea Dempsey and Sally Cusack on birth trauma and related events coming up in the region for #birthtraumaawarenessweek 16 - 22 July 2023. Rhea Dempsey, childbirth educator, counsellor and author, will be in conversation with Jerusha Sutton from the Birth Time documentary team on Thursday 13 July 2023 at …

In Today's episode, Oni Blecher will be interviewing Tane Luna, A Spanish obstetrician that is working as the head os Obstetrics at Lismore Base Hospital. Tane has had vast experience working in many models of care, including a period of time with Medicins Sans Frontiers in Africa and the Middle East. She shares her views and experience of Obstetri…

This epsiode is a conversation between Annalee Atia and Alysha-leigh Fameli. Alysha-leigh is PhD student/Registered Psychologist University of Sydney. Alicia-leigh has already undertaken important research to recognise childbirth related PTSD and it's impact on the early mother-infant relationship. She has also worked on a study titled ‘Assessment …

In this episode, host Rose Ricketson talks with community development worker Holly, about her experience with IVF in Australia. Holly shares a very personal IVF journey that impacted every corner of her life, shedding light upon a very common experience, so we can each have more awareness of what the IVF is like for the women and couples in our com…

Rose Ricketson talks with Hazel Keedle, PhD, Lecturer of Midwifery at Western Sydney University and author of her recently released book Birth after Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth. They discuss her research and findings around VBAC in Australia, as well as her work in midwifery. Hazel has more than two decades of experience as a clinicia…

It would be reasonable to assume that the care one provides is the care one would be happy to receive. But this is not what new research reveals. Today on Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Annalee Atia speaks with Sharon Stoliar - researcher, academic, midwife and Mother. Sharon received her Bachelor of Nursing in 2006 and Graduate Diploma in Midwifery i…

Today our host Rose is chatting with Catherine Bell about the need for better maternity care for rural women, consent and communication in maternity care, the need for rural midwives and policy change, and more. Catherine Bell is the Birth Cartographer and creator of The Birth Map, an innovative approach to birth preparation. She is undertaking her…

Today's episode is with Klyne Love, who shares generously about her experience with single motherhood throughout floods, housing crises and a lot of grief. Despite being a heavy topic, Klyne has a spirit of hope and optimism and holds a beautiful vision of a more mother-centred world, reflected in the work she does with mothers. Single motherhood h…

Jerusha Sutton is a doula, birth videographer, actor, and recently, one of the faces behind the documentary 'Birth Time'. In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Jerusha about life since Birth Time; what's happening in the Birth Time movement and where key researchers are at with the aligning Birth Experiences Study. Enjoy this conversation and fi…

Welcome to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond! Today we bring you a special podcast recorded in May 2020 for World Maternal Mental Health day. Birth Trauma Awareness week 2022 just concluded with a powerful theme this year on Birth Injuries. Our panel discussion raising awareness of maternal mental and other health issues with experts and mothers is as ti…

Dr Ella Kurz is a midwife from Ngunnawal Country in the ACT. Today we chat through her work in maternal and child health research at the University of Canberra, as well the term 'parturescence' she coined in her PhD to refer to the opportunities for transformation made possible through childbirth. Ella was awarded the Stephen Parker medal for outst…

Allison Davis joins us today from New Mexico, USA. Allison is a counsellor, educator and researcher of maternal mental health. Today we discuss the ecological domain of matrescence - learning to approach the challenges and struggles with a viewpoint of growth and transformation. We look at how our evolution can mirror the evolutionary processes of …

Today's guest is Sarah Smits, who joins us from Lake Atitlan in Guatemala where she is learning traditional Mayan practices. Sarah is a home birth midwife, lactation consultant and body worker who incorporates her experience of travelling the world and learning about traditional midwifery practices, to provide holistic care to women and families, w…

Hi out there to our listeners, its Annalee. It is Tuesday, 8th of March in 2022. We are bringing you a special bulletin on the catastrophic flooding in Northern NSW, Australia. In the early hours of Monday 27th February, a little over a week ago, heavy rains causing what was already severe flooding, took a fast turn and created what has been deemed…

Lissie Turner is our guest today on Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. Lissie is a mother, blended family parent, foster carer, grandmother and an accomplished radio host and producer in the music industry. She is the creator of several renowned Yoga and wellbeing programs and spaces including The Yoga Shack along with her Husband Shane, both of whom avi…

Midwifery in Private Practice, Mothers & Babies 2021, March of Midwives and deskilling in Maternity Care In this episode of Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, we catch up with privately practicing Australian Midwives Astra Joynt and Sunae Reilly. We chat deskilling in midwifery and the maternity care profession, the latest Mothers and Babies report from …

This is a special edition interview coming from the SheBirths podcast ! In this conversation, Annalee Atia from Maternity Choices Australia and PBB Media speaks with Nadine Richardson about how adverse times can further inspire us to commit to being responsible in advocating for our choices in Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond. This is not a 'how to' gu…

During this pandemic, there has been a huge increase in the demand for home birth in Australia and private practicing midwives are being flooded with calls from women and birthing people looking to birth outside of the hospital system. However, the regulations and education pathways for private practice midwifery are yet to change, and issues aroun…

In this episode, Oni Blecher interviews Eva Rose. Eva Rose is an internationally renowned Norwegian birth photographer, videographer, documentary filmmaker, doula, and by virtue of all of these things; an activist for many birth issues. Eva is a third generation photographer, and in 1999, when she was 19, Eva Rose started her career in birth photog…

It’s 21st May, 2021 and some months back I caught up with Tori Heath, mother of four with a background in psychology, who has worked in child protection and executive recruitment. We meet to recount the story of her first birth experience. At the time, Tori was a young, fit and healthy pregnant woman, growing up in outback Australia on a 14,000 acr…

If you are someone that understands how important maternity care and the perinatal period are for mother, baby, family and community health and wellbeing, tune in today to learn about vital new research into mothers experiences of maternity healthcare and childbirth in Australia and find out how you can support the study reach more people and becom…

In March 2021 Totonaca Indigenous birth companions Montse Olmos and Mayte Acolt started a petition titled 'Removing Rebozo Teachings From Doula Trainings'. It was a call to the international birth community and large training organisations, to stop their participation in the cultural appropriation and misuse of the sacred textile, the Rebozo. In th…

In this conversation, Oni Blecher speaks with Dylan Smith. Dylan Smith is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and holistic health educator based in Sydney, Australia, where he runs and operates the Vital Veda clinic for patients and for those who love to nourish themselves with precious herbal elixirs. Aimed at uncovering the root cause of ailments,…

PBB Special Bulletin/Interview with Alecia Staines, Director of Maternity Consumer Network If you are tuning in from Australia, this is an important message to women, people, families and community members accessing maternity healthcare services. A federal election is coming up and your voice is needed in improving maternity care! Welcome to Pregna…

In this podcast episode, Oni Blecher speaks to Rhea Dempsey about her recent book launch of 'Beyond the Birth Plan, Getting Real About Pain and Power'. Rhea Demspsey is a childbirth educator, counsellor, doula trainer, and birth attendant, having attended more than one thousand births in hospitals and home settings over the past 30 years. Rhea runs…

In this episode, Oni Blecher speaks with Etienne Peirsman. Etienne is a biology and physical education teacher who has been involved with emotional training, encounter work, primal healing and meditation since 1974. He began teaching craniosacral in 1991, and founded several craniosacral institutes in Belgium and the Netherlands. He is the founder …