Flow Knows · Episode 3

Labour and birth - what to really expect

A Flow Physio Co podcast · with Lauren Brenton · 44 min

One body. Big plans.

Spotify video episode - coming soon

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About this episode

Charlotte and Jason are joined by Lauren Brenton - midwife, mum of five and founder of One Mama Midwife, one of Australia's leading birth education businesses. This episode walks through labour and birth in plain language: what early labour actually feels like (hint - nothing like the movies), when to head to hospital, non-medicated comfort strategies like the TENS machine and the birth comb, epidurals and positioning, what "failure to progress" really means, instrument-assisted births, and the questions you can always ask before any decision in the birth room. Plus the pelvic floor - how it behaves during pushing, and the one thing Lauren wishes every woman knew before labour.

Our guest: Lauren Brenton is a midwife and mum of five, and the founder of One Mama Midwife, which runs midwife-led antenatal, caesarean and baby & child first aid classes across 12 locations in Australia. She has cared for families through pregnancy, birth and the early weeks across public and private maternity care.

onemamamidwife.com.au @onemamamidwife on Instagram

Chapters

00:00Meet Lauren - midwife, mum of five, One Mama Midwife
04:54Five pregnancies as a midwife - what she'd do differently
07:53Supporting the mum AND the partner
08:22Her very first delivery
10:45Models of care in Australia - public, MGP, shared care, private
12:00How mums and partners can prepare for labour
13:04Rule number one for partners
13:25What early labour actually feels like
15:00When to head to hospital
16:04Oxytocin - why home helps early labour
16:54Transition - "I can't do it anymore"
18:04Non-medicated comfort - birth comb, TENS, gas
19:40When to put the TENS machine on
20:33Epidurals - pros and cons
21:25Positions, gravity and the peanut ball
23:15Why labour pain differs - fear and support
24:03What a good birth partner looks like
26:34When labour doesn't go to plan
29:12Vacuum and forceps explained
30:14Tearing and episiotomies
32:11BAR - three questions to ask before any decision
33:05The pelvic floor in labour
35:34Pushing positions
37:13Turning the epidural down for pushing
38:17Immediate postpartum recovery - and visitors
39:58One thing to know about your pelvic floor before birth
40:51Quick-fire questions
42:55Where to find Lauren

Preparing for birth or recovering after it?

Book an assessment with the pelvic health team at Flow Physio Co.

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Flow Knows is general information, not personal health advice. For guidance about your own situation, book an assessment at Flow Physio Co.