7 | [birth story] Rita - IVF alone, a premature birth, and the MAC that changed everything

10 | [birth story] Isabel & Pepe - a homebirth plan, pre-eclampsia, and taking back control

Isabel had a plan. Home birth, the right midwife, months of preparation.... Then, at 36 weeks, pre-eclampsia changed everything. What she did next is what makes this story so powerful. Because even inside that hospital, Isabel stayed in charge. She refused interventions she didn't need. She vocalized through every contraction while the nurses asked Pepe to keep it down because the dad next door was getting scared. And when Agostinho was born and didn't cry, she knew exactly what to do! This is a story about what becomes possible when you trust yourself, even when nothing goes according to plan. "It is possible to be in the hospital and have a respectful birth. But you need to be prepared." --> Isabel and Pepe initially asked midwife Raquel Cajão to be present at the birth of their son. Listen to episode 5 for her story. 🎙️ Born to Be Wild: https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/ [https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/]

9 | Sara Arruda - three premature births, from trauma to empowerment, self-care as a radical act

Sara Arruda is a nurse, a midwife, a health coach, and the author of Cuida-te. She is also a mother of three boys. All three born premature. And all three completely different births. Her first started with a helicopter evacuation at 26 weeks. She woke up after the C-section not wanting to open her eyes. Because she did not know if her baby was alive... Twelve years later, she tried again. And again! Until her third birth went exactly as she had visualized it, every single day of her pregnancy. In this episode, Sara also talks about the postpartum of postpartum. The long stretch after the six weeks that officially marks the end, where so many women are still quietly struggling, and where nobody is really looking anymore. And about self-care that has nothing to do with spa days. Self-care as the foundation of everything, including the way you show up for your children. "This will pass. I got you and you got this." Sara Arruda: https://www.instagram.com/enf.sara.arruda/ [https://www.instagram.com/enf.sara.arruda/] Book Cuida-te: https://www.wook.pt/livro/cuida-te-sara-arruda/33415138 [https://www.wook.pt/livro/cuida-te-sara-arruda/33415138] Born to Be Wild: https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/ [https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/] Irene Jaspers: https://www.instagram.com/irenejaspers [https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/]

8 | Hannah Staunton - matrescence, the word that changes everything about motherhood

There is a word that most women have never heard. But the moment they do, something shifts. The word is matrescence. It describes the complete transformation a woman goes through when she becomes a mother. Not just physically. but also eurologically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. All of it at once! Hannah Staunton is a somatic and yoga psychotherapist who specializes in supporting mothers through this process. She lives in Lisbon, she birthed her son here in Portugal, and in this episode she is honest about what that experience was like. Being treated badly. Shouted at by a pediatrician. Left alone at two in the morning shaking. And how that became the most important turning point in her work. She talks about what becoming a mother does to the nervous system. Why birth trauma goes unrecognized so often, even by the women who are carrying it. And why preparing for postpartum matters more than preparing for birth. And also, what the beliefs you are holding in your subconscious right now might be doing to your experience of motherhood. This episode is for every woman who has ever felt lost and wondered if something was wrong with her. "Nothing is wrong with her. She is just in the birth canal." Question list for moms (to be): https://hannahstaunton.myflodesk.com/mama-mindset-workbook [https://hannahstaunton.myflodesk.com/mama-mindset-workbook] Website: https://www.hannahstaunton.com/ [https://www.hannahstaunton.com/] Insta: https://www.instagram.com/hannah__staunton/ [https://www.instagram.com/hannah__staunton/] Born to Be Wild: https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/ [https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/] Birthmode: https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/ [https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/]

7 | [birth story] Rita - IVF alone, a premature birth, and the MAC that changed everything

Rita always knew she wanted to become a mother. What she didn't know was how long that road would be, or how many times she would have to start over. Three miscarriages. IVF, alone, in a foreign country. A premature birth that left her with joy and grief at the same time. And a second pregnancy that forced her to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. Rita did her homework. She asked questions. She pushed back. And eventually she found what she was looking for. In this episode, she tells us everything. And what she says about her final birth stayed with us for a long time... This episode contains open conversations about pregnancy loss and birth trauma. Please take care of yourself before listening. Born to Be Wild: https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/ [https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/] Birthmode: https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/ [https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/]

6 | Filipa Piedade - midwife, her own traumatic birth, changing the system from within

Filipa Piedade became a midwife because of her own birth. And that birth was one of the hardest experiences of her life. Being a nurse, she thought she knew what to expect, but... she didn't. The birth of her daughter turned out to be traumatic. She had no idea that what happened to her had a name. That it wasn't her fault! But instead of just carrying that with her, she used it. She stepped back into the very system that had let her down, and she started changing it from the inside. One birth (plan) at a time. In this episode, Filipa also talks about what it really costs to be a midwife in Portugal. The impossible workload, the burnout, and the moment she finally said: no more. This is a story about turning your own wound into a reason to fight for others. About what happens when someone who has been invisible decides to make sure no one else ever has to feel that way again. "I want every woman to feel like a goddess while giving birth to their child." Filipa Piedade: https://www.instagram.com/filipamaedaluz/ [https://www.instagram.com/filipamaedaluz/] Parto Consciente: https://www.instagram.com/partoconsciente_homebirth/ [https://www.instagram.com/partoconsciente_homebirth/] Born to Be Wild: https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/ [https://www.instagram.com/borntobewild.pt/] Birthmode: https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/ [https://www.instagram.com/birthmode/]