My Favourite Reproductive Health Related Podcasts

If you know me, you probably have an inkling that I love podcasts… and you’d be right. I love podcasts a whooooole lot. It’s also likely that, at one point in our friendship, I’ve probably recommended one (or two… or three…) to you with great gusto and excitement.

Getting into the world of podcasts, and devouring information and stories of women, men, and practitioners all over the world, was a large part of what spurred me into heading back to study in the first place. I loved that I could expose myself to a wide variety of topics and speakers whilst.. walking my dog around the neighbourhood, sitting on the bus, driving in the car to work, or even doing the dishes (not that I did that a lot a few years ago – sorry Mum). I love podcasts so much that, yes, it’s drifted into my head many a time to start one of my own.. just putting that out there to the big bad world.

So. Seeing as some of my favourite topics in the whole wide world are fertility, barriers to fertility, pregnancy, birth, informed consent and women’s (and men’s!) reproductive health in any way shape or form… I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite podcasts I’ve found over the years.

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1. Fertility Friday Radio | Fertility Awareness for Pregnancy and Hormone-Free Contraception by Lisa, a Certified Fertility Awareness Educator, and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner.

Overview: Lisa is from Canada and hosts online workshops and courses, as well as mentoring programs, on how to chart your menstrual cycle. She interviews a wide variety of people including acupuncturists, herbalists, naturopaths, medical doctors, physiotherapists… and whole lot more. One of the things I like about her podcast is her discussions with women about their contraceptive histories and hearing what has, and has not, worked for women all over the world. I had to include this podcast first, as it was the first reproductive health podcast I ever started to listen to!

Website:  http://fertilityfriday.com/ Recommended episode:   FFP 188 | Real Food For Pregnancy | Optimizing vegetarian & vegan diets for pregnancy | Lily Nichols I love Lily Nichols. I’ve just finished reading her book, and it is high, high, high on my list of recommendations to read it + listen to any podcast that interviews her. She’s amazing to listen to.

2. Taking Back Birth | Indie Birth by Maryn Green, a lay midwife in America who co-founded the Indie Birth Private Contract Association.

Overview:  Maryn is midwife in the United States whose private contract assosiation, that she founded with midwife Margo, allows women to access traditional midwifery care from midwives that practice outside of the scope of the standard midwifery licenses in the United States. Her podcast covers a broad range of topics about pregnancy and birth, with a main focus on individual autonomy of women in their birthing rights and choices.

Website: https://www.indiebirth.org Recommended episode: https://www.indiebirth.org/sable-journal-selected-readings-15-week-journey-carrying-dead-son/ *trigger warning* this episode discusses Maryn’s experiences with pregnancy loss, but if you’re interested I found this episode really touching, and it highlights that there is no ‘right’ way to navigate pregnancy loss – just the way that is right for you.

3. Australian Birth Stories | A podcasts of mothers’ stories of childbirth by Sophie Walker, a Melbourne mum of two with a background in Public Health.

Overview: The title couldn’t be more descriptive if it tried, but essentially, this podcast is a collection of Australian women’s birth stories. I particularly love it, because many of the podcasts I listen to are American, and there are marked differences in the maternity care systems (and climate) in comparison to Australia.

Website:   https://www.australianbirthstories.com Recommended Episode:  Any! Every! Australian! Women! Are! Amazing!

4. Free Birth Society Podcast by Emilee Saldaya, a doula and freebirthing mama based in the United States.

Overview:  Emilee’s podcast is focused on freebirth, and stories of freebirthing women all over the world. In case you don’t know what that is, freebirth is when a woman decides to birth without a maternity care provider present at her birth. Some women also choose to have an unassisted pregnancy, where they do not engage in any prenatal or postnatal care in the medical system. Emilee’s podcast is fantastic, and the stories of the women she interviews are incredibly varied but the theme is autonomous, women-led pregnancy without maternity care providers, whatever that may look like.

Website: https://www.freebirthsociety.com/ Recommended Episode: https://www.freebirthsociety.com/blogs/the-free-birth-podcast/an-ecstatic-freebirth-on-the-south-coast-of-new-south-wales – Mainly because it features an Australian woman’s journey to freebirth her second child. Amazing work!

5. The Circle of Birth | A Birth Share Project by Aly, a mother of two.

Overview: An Australian mother of two interviewing a wide range of women in the Australian community, sharing birth stories and important information about the current Australian birth climate.

Website:  http://circleofbirth.com/ Recommended Episode: http://circleofbirth.com/e29-important-conversation-birth-death-denise-love-death-doula/ …and also this one (I haven’t listened to it, but fellow students it might be of interest)… http://circleofbirth.com/e49-mothersformidwives-homebirth-consortium-australia-continuity-mothers-supporting-midwives/

6. The Birth Hour | A Birth Story Podcast by Bryn, mother of two.

Overview:  Bryn’s podcast is once again, a collection of different women’s birth stories… and I’m pretty sure she’s American. I like her podcast because it includes quite a few stories about surrogacy, IVF, Adoption, single parents, LGBTIQ+ parents and other alternative routes to motherhood.

Website:  https://thebirthhour.com/ Recommended Episode: https://thebirthhour.com/infertility-ivf-twins-and-homebirth-birth-stories/

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And there are… way, way more!! I honestly have such a large list I’d love to share, but these ones are perhaps what you’d call ‘the golden oldies’ that I go to when I want to listen to great content, dynamic interviewers, and some truly inspiring stories by women, health care professionals and beyond!

All of these podcasts can be located on the Apple iTunes app, or if you are Android, via the… other apps. If you have any questions, let me know. Happy listening! 🙂

#miscarriage #review #australianmaternitycare #podcasts #fertility #IVF #birth #midwifery #maternitycare #birthstories #obstetrics #surrogacy #pregnancy