Podcasts Maddie – emergency caesarean, twin VBAC, ICU, perinatal mental health

EPISODE 511

Maddie – emergency caesarean, twin VBAC, ICU, perinatal mental health

Today I’m joined by Maddie who lives in Queensland with her husband Nicholas and their three beautiful boys – Oscar (who they affectionately call Ozzy) and five-month-old twins, Angus and Archie. In this episode, Maddie shares her remarkable journey from a traumatic emergency cesarean with her first son to achieving a successful twin VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). She opens up about navigating a challenging first pregnancy while working in the Northern Territory away from her husband, dealing with high blood pressure, and experiencing a car accident at 28 weeks that led to a partial placental abruption.

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She then takes us through the surprise of discovering she was expecting twins after her honeymoon in Spain – despite having no family history of twins – and finding a supportive VBAC-friendly obstetrician for her twin pregnancy. Maddie details her induced labor at 37 weeks, the successful delivery of both twins, and the complications that followed, including a postpartum haemorrhage requiring emergency surgery and ICU care.

With remarkable honesty, Maddie also discusses her experiences with postnatal depression, the challenges of feeding twins, and the importance of finding proper mental health support in the postpartum period. Her story is a powerful reminder of maternal resilience and the critical need for comprehensive support for new mothers, especially those with multiple births.

This episode contains mentions of traumatic birth, postpartum haemorrhage, and mental health challenges. If you need support, links to relevant services are in the show notes.

Support:
If you or someone you know needs support please reach out to PANDA. Free support is available via the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Friday and 9am – 4pm Saturday) or panda.org.au. PANDA also offers an online mental health checklist for new and expecting parents to check for possible signs of perinatal anxiety, depression, and well-being concerns.