E32 Elysia Anketell | First Birth, Body Positive Maternity Care, Waterbirth

In this episode I’m speaking to Elysia about the birth of her son Finley. Finley was just 4 weeks old when I recorded this interview and 5 weeks old now, and it was so special to speak to such a fresh mama!

Elysia has a history of disordered eating and negative body image and she speaks very honestly about how that contributed to fears that came up during her pregnancy and labour. Despite having a straight forward vaginal birth at home and a beautiful early postpartum, Elysia’s big take away from birth was that it was much MUCH more painful than she expected. She left the birth shocked and a bit traumatised by how painful it was and again speaks very honestly about that.

This is a really beautiful episode which I thoroughly enjoyed recording, but I do just want to briefly flag that if you’re 40 weeks pregnant and trying to protect your space, you might choose to listen to this one later as pain is a big feature in this episode.

You can follow Elysia on instagram @_thisiselysia and find more photos of her and baby Finley on my website www.keepbirthwild.com.au.