Home Podcasts 9 + 9 The Honest Pregnancy and Birthing Podcast
9 + 9 The Honest Pregnancy and Birthing Podcast

9 + 9 The Honest Pregnancy and Birthing Podcast

Michaela Talwar (at and with Harkat Studios) 12 Episodes Sep 9, 2025

9 + 9 is a podcast about pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal months, told through unfiltered personal stories. Host Michaela Talwar talks with guests about what giving birth and bringing life into the world really feels like, covering questions that can feel too weird, intrusive, or scary to ask. The show mixes humour and pain while demystifying motherhood and offering perspective, company, and hope. It is produced by Harkat Studios, with music by Akoth Jumadi.

Episodes

Breech, Nuchal Cord, Tongue-Tie and how not to be flustered
Breech, Nuchal Cord, Tongue-Tie and how not to be flustered Sep 9, 2025 00:51:26 Anuva went into this thinking “Mind over Matter” and she did it. This episode is for all those moms-to-be who are confused, lost, bewildered and maybe even intimidated by the current state of their pregnancy. Coming from a more conservative family, Anuva stood her ground (on most things) and chose where to put her energy. In pregnancy, energy is scarce, so what we can learn from this episode is t
Sit-Down with a Doula
Sit-Down with a Doula Aug 23, 2025 00:57:43 400+ births down and a lot of stories to tell!I finally (!!!) sat down with Sanam, a doula with over 15 years of experience. She became a doula before she even had children, she'd never seen a newborn and hadn't even heard of the word 'Doula' before. But a rather filmy chain of events led her down that path and listening to her I took away one major learning: Go with the flow!That
Pregnancy & Birth as spiritual experiences
Pregnancy & Birth as spiritual experiences Aug 9, 2025 01:09:02 Who would have thought that the easiest way to find your spirituality and actually connect with higher forces is to 'simply' (lol) have a baby?For those searching for a way to connect with 'the divine' or even just trying to find a tiny piece of spirituality in their everyday life: This episode presents a hack - get pregnant, have a baby!Initially, we were supposed to talk about ho
Episode Oooops
Episode Oooops May 2, 2025 00:00:32 Life is when a birth happens.How does a Doula even keep friendships and family life alive with such a tiring schedule? Is meeting new moms (and babies) enough to keep socially charged?These and many more questions I shall as NEXT EPISODE. Because this one had to be postponed due to (honestly sort of expected but unfortunately timed haha) circumstances. Hopefully we will hear all about this birth,
A near home-birth in Swedish winter (and what followed)
A near home-birth in Swedish winter (and what followed) Apr 28, 2025 00:52:06 “Sweden”. What comes to mind is cold, beauty, precision, high tech, nature. One of these holds true for Eileen’s story. It was cold (-11 celsius). The rest? - not so much.You will be surprised to hear that baby’s heartbeat is monitored for large parts with a wooden Pinard Horn. That baby’s size is not calculated via ultrasound but by measuring the belly. That she didn’t see a gynecologist even onc
Documenting Joy
Documenting Joy Apr 18, 2025 00:46:13 After weeks of separation, Christina’s husband finally joined her. It was a long flight and they were just sitting down to catch their breath. Just then, her water broke. As expected from an Austrian baby, Christina’s baby started her way out of the womb that very moment when all pieces had fallen into place. Of course this sounds very funny in hindsight. This episode is all about the gift of hind
Still Learning: Running a pre-school & Raising 2 children
Still Learning: Running a pre-school & Raising 2 children Apr 11, 2025 00:37:59 Before having her first child, Darshana had already been running a pre-school for 10 years. Did all this experience help her in raising a toddler? You will find out in this episode!Then, when she had just closed the chapter of having more children, she unexpectedly became pregnant again. A business woman with a 5-year old who was finally able to be somewhat independent, she had to go back to diape
Clues for a happy Pregnancy
Clues for a happy Pregnancy Apr 4, 2025 00:44:56 Pregnancy as the ultimate “body experience”, that’s one of the philosophical gems from this week’s very cheerful episode with Kate.Spoiler: We did not have a live birth on this episode!At 8 months pregnant, Kate has been through all the ups and downs of pregnancy.But you wouldn’t think it because her joy is contagious. Her first visit to the doctor post pregnancy test could have set her off on a t
Having a baby after losing a baby
Having a baby after losing a baby Mar 28, 2025 00:49:25 Trigger Warning: Still birth, loss of pregnancy. Rani’s baby suddenly passed away in her womb - very close to his actual due date. How did she cope with that? How did that even happen, to a healthy 31 year-old with no medical preconditions? Being a doctor, Rani had the practical-mindedness to move through this period of her motherhood journey with a clarity most of us don’t have. I hope that women
Myth: Birthing as a performance
Myth: Birthing as a performance Mar 21, 2025 01:01:46 International dancer and choreographer, Leah and I cover pretty much everything a mother-to-be would have on her mind: From Emergency C-Section to the anxiety of your water breaking in public and surviving 48 hours of labour.And how/why she discovered the importance of: - pelvic floor therapy (a few accidents too late - but better late than never!), - the struggle of finding the correct physio to
Spirit babies and IVF
Spirit babies and IVF Mar 14, 2025 01:00:40 Spirit babies are believed to be spirits, souls floating around their potential mothers/families waiting for an opportunity to be born.IVF is a medical procedure where an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a lab. If successful, the embryo is then returned to the woman's womb to grow and develop.While one method seems to involve unwavering belief, the other means s
2 under 2 and VBAC
2 under 2 and VBAC Mar 7, 2025 00:47:37 Tandem Breastfeeding, VBAC, and Cultural Parenting Differences – A Deep Dive with KristinA rollercoaster of emotions and insights! Kristin, a mom of two under two, takes us through the wild ride of parenting young children. But what does that really mean?💡 Key topics we explore in this episode:Tandem Breastfeeding – Can you nurse two babies of different ages and sizes at the same time? How does it

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