This woman has interviewed over 400 birthing mothers, these are the three things she recommends

Did you know that 96 per cent of Australian women give birth in hospital, and 75 per cent of them give birth in the public system?

We didn’t either - but one woman does.

When it comes to the authority on pregnancy, it’d be hard to find a person who’s had more in-depth exposure to such a variety of births, than Sophie Walker, founder of the Australian Birth Stories Podcast.

Over the 6 years that the Australian Birth Stories Podcast has been running, Sophie has spoken to over 400 women and heard their birthing stories. With that kind of exposure, there’s no-one more qualified to dish out advice to pregnant women seeking a little guidance on how to approach their birth.

On Episode 3 of the Cold Coffee, Hot Mess Podcast, Sophie Walker kindly joined Nadean and Olivia to deep dive into the things she’s learned about birthing over the years, what she’d change about her own birth experiences (knowing what she knows now), what advice she’d give any pregnant woman in Australia, what your options are for pain relief in the birthing suite - and even the wildest birthing story she’s ever heard.

In the chat we also cover navigating the public birthing system, how to get into the coveted group midwife program, and why home birthing is on the rise! 

To hear it all, make sure you tune in to episode 3 of the Cold Coffee, Hot Mess Podcast, but in the meantime, we wanted to share the three things Sophie Walker, in all of her divine knowledge, recommends for any pregnant woman.

1. Don’t cover your ears and not listen to stories!

‘Listen to stories, knowledge is power,’ Sophie says. The Australian Birth Stories podcast is designed in a way that means you can pick and choose what you listen to in what order, so you can start with the really positive episodes and work up to the more challenging ones. But Sophie says ‘you really need to listen to everyone’s experiences so you can better prepare yourself and not be blindsided on the day, and it helps you form your own opinion for what's right for you.’

2. Buy the book

Shameless plug - but with good reason! Sophie explains that what’s great about her new book, ‘The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth’ is that it was created because there was a need for a guide that was written for Australian women specifically. The current most popular birthing book is American, so completely irrelevant to our options and guidelines in Australia. The Complete Australian Guide to Pregnancy and Birth is written in a very gentle way; designed to educate and empower in a non-judgemental way. Also written in a way that you can digest it in bite-sized pieces, or flick straight to the section you need, if you were to be suddenly diagnosed with gestational diabetes, for example, you can simply flick straight to that section.

3. Get a good GP - and do it fast

They’re worth their weight in hold and you’re going to need to call on someone throughout your pregnancy and postpartum especially. Plus, once your baby arrives, it pays to have someone that knows your family history. It’s a good idea to begin this search early too, because finding the right GP for your family can be tough! And if you find one before you start trying for a baby, you can rely on them to take the time to properly explain all of your birthing options to you, which many drop-in GPs don’t have time to do, because of the 15-minute time crunch!

To hear the full chat, check out the podcast on apple or Spotify.