Best Alice Godfree And Elysia Hansen Podcasts (2025)

1
21. Corinne’s birth story — from planning a homebirth to a vasa previa diagnosis, extended hospital stay, and planned pre-term caesarean section with MGP midwifery support 56:07

11d ago56:07

56:07

In this episode, we speak with Elysia’s younger sister, Corinne, who shares her journey from planning a publicly-funded homebirth to an unexpected diagnosis at her 20-week ultrasound that changed the course of the rest of her pregnancy and her birth. The ultrasound revealed Corinne had placenta previa, a marginal cord insertion, and an extremely ra…

1
20: Sammy's HBAC — from unplanned caesarean section with private OB to homebirth with private midwives + doula 1:00:33

1M ago1:00:33

1:00:33

In this episode we speak with Sammy Veall, artist and former yoga teacher and studio owner, about the contrasting pregnancy and birth experiences of her two boys. Sammy shares her experience of an unplanned caesarean in a private hospital under obstetric care, and how that experience shaped her decision to have a homebirth after caesarean (HBAC) wi…

1
19. Choosing private midwifery care - with private midwife Kelly Langford of MAMA Midwives 1:03:16

5M ago1:03:16

1:03:16

In this episode we speak with Kelly Langford, co-founder of Victoria’s first private midwifery group practice MAMA Midwifery, about choosing private midwifery care for your pregnancy and birth. After being mentored into private practice early in her midwifery career, Kelly is a passionate advocate for families and midwives alike. Kelly joins us to …

1
18. Paramedic & student midwife Ruth's birth stories — choosing midwifery-led care within a private hospital followed by private midwifery care and a speedy homebirth 1:49:36

8M ago1:49:36

1:49:36

In this episode we speak with paramedic and fellow student midwife, Ruth, about her experience of choosing her care provider and place of birth in her first and second pregnancies, receiving care from private midwives with admitting rights in a private hospital in Brisbane, and then after being unable to find that same model in Melbourne, choosing …

1
17. Georgia & Talbot’s birth story — choosing homebirth for their first baby 1:09:07

9M ago1:09:07

1:09:07

In this episode we speak with Georgia and Talbot, barrister and engineer, about their decision to birth their first baby at home. Georgia and Talbot initially chose a private midwife as no publicly funded programs were running after COVID, but late in pregnancy, after agonising over the decision, changed to a publicly funded program. Georgia reflec…

1
16. Care provider choices for First Nations women and babies — an interview with Res McCalman 52:16

10M ago52:16

52:16

In this episode we speak with Res McCalman, a Ballardong woman, midwife and researcher who is part of the team responsible for the Baggarrook Yurrongi culturally inclusive caseload midwifery pilot program, a project which implemented continuity of midwifery care for First Nations women and babies at three key maternity sites in Victoria (with plans…

1
15. Kyla’s birth story — physiological birth with private OB + doula 56:51

10M ago56:51

56:51

In this episode we speak with Kyla about her experience of navigating her choice of pregnancy care provider, and deciding to birth in a private hospital under the care of an obstetrician, with doula support. Coming from the US, Kyla was drawn to the possibility of public maternity care and also knew from her research that midwifery-led care was app…

1
14. Emily & Josh’s birth story — physiological waterbirth in the public system with caseload midwifery care + doula support 1:12:21

10M ago1:12:21

1:12:21

In this episode we speak with first time parents Emily and Josh about their experience of navigating their choices in pregnancy and birth, and preparing for what was a beautiful physiological waterbirth in the public system. Em and Josh sought out continuity of care through their local caseload program, and chose additional support from a doula. We…

1
13. Midwife Clare’s birth stories — from unplanned caesarean section through to choosing when and how to birth by caesarean 1:09:47

11M ago1:09:47

1:09:47

In this episode we speak with private midwife Clare from @tobirthbeautifully_ about the births of her four boys by caesarean section, and her various experiences of both labour and theatre. Choosing midwifery-led care (via MGP) for her first pregnancy, Clare takes us through her first labour and birth, and the choices she made which she feels contr…

1
12. Choosing a student midwife to support you 31:56

11M ago31:56

31:56

In this episode, Elysia and Alice discuss the role of a student midwife and why you might choose one to provide additional (and free) support to you in pregnancy, birth and postpartum. We discuss what’s involved, what some evidence says about the physical and emotional outcomes, and how you can find the right student for you. Links For links to the…

1
11: Olivia’s birth stories — choosing VBAC with a private obstetrician and doula after an unplanned caesarean during COVID 1:15:13

12M ago1:15:13

1:15:13

In this episode we hear from physio and internal pelvic release practitioner, Olivia, about the births of her two sons. Olivia received private midwifery care in her first pregnancy. Her plans for homebirth changed when she chose induction at 41+3, and Olivia talks us through her experience of birthing in hospital without the support of her private…

1
10: Fiona Hallinan + Agia Nenke on internal pelvic release work and the role of the pelvis and tension in pregnancy, labour and birth 1:21:42

1y ago1:21:42

1:21:42

In this episode we speak Fiona Hallinan and Agia Nenke, midwives and internal pelvic release practitioners, about the role of the pelvis in understanding labour and birth, the role of soft tissue and the impact of tension, perineal massage (or more relevantly, perineal kneading, and what not to do!), spinning babies and how to best support women an…

1
09: Alice + Dave’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after private obstetric care and navigating pregnancy loss 2:03:46

1y ago2:03:46

2:03:46

In this episode we hear from co-host Alice and her husband Dave about their road from birthing in a private hospital under private obstetric care, through the grief of two miscarriages, to then birth at home via a publicly funded homebirth program. Alice looks back on her first vaginal birth, which she emerged from feeling victorious, now through t…

1
08: Obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone on choosing woman-centred obstetric care, “doing” less, homebirth, and your choices in caesarean section 1:27:23

1y ago1:27:23

1:27:23

In this episode we speak with obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone about her obstetric training and how that contributes to a certain dominant philosophy of birth, her road to “doing” less and learning from and collaborating with midwives and doulas, the question of obstetric care for “low risk” or uncomplicated pregnancies, homebirth, curating pos…

1
07: Choosing a doula, and navigating hospital policies and your human rights in childbirth — with doula and childbirth activist Karli Smith 1:08:43

1y ago1:08:43

1:08:43

In this episode we speak with Karli Smith, a doula with a background in international human rights law and humanitarian aid, who now spends her time supporting women and birthing people on an individual and broader systems level in advocating for rights in maternity care. We speak about the role of doulas in pregnancy, birth and postpartum, the pow…

1
06: Elysia + Andrew’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after UK birth centres and hospital births 1:19:28

1y ago1:19:28

1:19:28

In this episode we hear from our very own Elysia, as she and her husband Andrew give us a snapshot of their first three birth experiences — the first two in integrated birth centres in the UK, the third in a Melbourne public hospital, before delving into what led them to choose homebirth for their most recent birth of baby number 4, at home via a p…

1
05: Choosing VBAC — an interview with midwifery researcher, Dr Hazel Keedle 49:06

1+ y ago49:06

49:06

In this episode we welcome back Dr Hazel Keedle to discuss all things vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC). We speak about her research that collated in her book, Birth After Caesarean: Your Journey to a Better Birth, what informed consent looks like in this space, the benefits of relationship-based care, the four contextual factors impacting on wo…

1
04: Birth story — choosing VBAC and advocating for your preferences with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer @flo.to.grow 1:48:35

1+ y ago1:48:35

1:48:35

In this episode we speak with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer of @flo.to.grow, about her experience of the “cascade of intervention” in her first birth following induction, her journey of preparing for a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC), the ongoing advocacy required through her pregnancy, and birth, and how it felt to birth her second baby vagin…

1
02: Choosing a care provider — what are your choices? with Alice & Elysia 51:44

1+ y ago51:44

51:44

This is Part 1 of our care provider choices mini-series. In this episode we walk you through the care provider options available to you for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. We discuss care under the public system - from fragmented general care, to caseload/MGP continuity models, publicly funded Homebirth, and shared care with a GP or private m…

1
03: Choosing a care provider — evidence on women's experiences of different care providers, an interview with Dr Hazel Keedle 33:05

1+ y ago33:05

33:05

In part 2 of our mini-series on care provider choices we speak with Dr Hazel Keedle, lead researcher on Australia's largest survey on women's experiences of maternity care, the Birth Experience Study (BESt). We discuss the findings explored in a few key papers emanating from the responses of 8,804 women to that survey, including key findings around…

1
01: Introducing Birth Choices — the podcast 16:37

1+ y ago16:37

16:37

Welcome to our introductory episode for birthchoices — the podcast. Meet co-hosts Alice and Elysia who introduce themselves and discuss their plans for the podcast — a platform to share digestible evidence and stories from families, as well as insights from experts, about the range of choices available to you in pregnancy, birth and postpartum.…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Alice Godfree And Elysia Hansen Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Birth Choices

Alice Godfree and Elysia Hansen

1
21. Corinne’s birth story — from planning a homebirth to a vasa previa diagnosis, extended hospital stay, and planned pre-term caesarean section with MGP midwifery support 56:07

1
20: Sammy's HBAC — from unplanned caesarean section with private OB to homebirth with private midwives + doula 1:00:33

1
19. Choosing private midwifery care - with private midwife Kelly Langford of MAMA Midwives 1:03:16

1
18. Paramedic & student midwife Ruth's birth stories — choosing midwifery-led care within a private hospital followed by private midwifery care and a speedy homebirth 1:49:36

1
17. Georgia & Talbot’s birth story — choosing homebirth for their first baby 1:09:07

1
16. Care provider choices for First Nations women and babies — an interview with Res McCalman 52:16

1
15. Kyla’s birth story — physiological birth with private OB + doula 56:51

1
14. Emily & Josh’s birth story — physiological waterbirth in the public system with caseload midwifery care + doula support 1:12:21

1
13. Midwife Clare’s birth stories — from unplanned caesarean section through to choosing when and how to birth by caesarean 1:09:47

1
12. Choosing a student midwife to support you 31:56

1
11: Olivia’s birth stories — choosing VBAC with a private obstetrician and doula after an unplanned caesarean during COVID 1:15:13

1
10: Fiona Hallinan + Agia Nenke on internal pelvic release work and the role of the pelvis and tension in pregnancy, labour and birth 1:21:42

1
09: Alice + Dave’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after private obstetric care and navigating pregnancy loss 2:03:46

1
08: Obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphingstone on choosing woman-centred obstetric care, “doing” less, homebirth, and your choices in caesarean section 1:27:23

1
07: Choosing a doula, and navigating hospital policies and your human rights in childbirth — with doula and childbirth activist Karli Smith 1:08:43

1
06: Elysia + Andrew’s birth stories — choosing homebirth after UK birth centres and hospital births 1:19:28

1
05: Choosing VBAC — an interview with midwifery researcher, Dr Hazel Keedle 49:06

1
04: Birth story — choosing VBAC and advocating for your preferences with postpartum doula, Jules Meyer @flo.to.grow 1:48:35

1
02: Choosing a care provider — what are your choices? with Alice & Elysia 51:44

1
03: Choosing a care provider — evidence on women's experiences of different care providers, an interview with Dr Hazel Keedle 33:05

1
01: Introducing Birth Choices — the podcast 16:37

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