The amazing story of twins born 87 days apart

Melanie Mahoney Amy and Katie Elliot are twins, but they don’t share a birthday. But it’s not only that – these little fighters were actually born an amazing 87 days apart.

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The amazing story of twins born 87 days apart

Melanie Mahoney Amy and Katie Elliot are twins, but they don’t share a birthday. But it’s not only that – these little fighters were actually born an amazing 87 days apart.

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Mum's shock at 7kg baby

Staff writers A mum has had a massive shock after giving birth to a 7kg baby - who then went on to beat the odds and survive after a difficult start to life.

Mum surprised by April Fools' baby

Kara Sonter and Melanie Mahoney Plans for an April Fools' Day prank didn't go quite as hoped for one Queensland mum, who went on to have her baby on the kitchen floor.

Mum surprised by April Fools' baby

Kara Sonter and Melanie Mahoney Plans for an April Fools' Day prank didn't go quite as hoped for one Queensland mum, who went on to have her baby on the kitchen floor.

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Myth busting: mums forget pain of childbirth

Monique Robinson "As soon as the baby was born, I forgot all the pain." We've all heard women say that after having a baby, but is it really true?

Hospital patient helps Sydney woman give birth

MELISSA DAVEY A woman was forced to give birth unassisted by professionals in a major Sydney hospital, at one stage taking painkillers from her own handbag, amid concerns on hospital staffing levels.

Hospital right to refuse woman who gave birth alone: leading midwife

MELISSA DAVEY The Sydney hospital under fire for letting a woman labour alone did the right thing in turning away the patient away, the spokesperson for the Australian College of Midwives has said.

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Hospital live-tweets caesarean birth

Melanie Mahoney Not many people can say their birth was seen by thousands of people around the world, but one baby boy, born in an American hospital yesterday, will be able to one day claim just that.

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Surprise pregnancy: 'It's not a hernia'

Melanie Mahoney A 44-year-old who thought she couldn't conceive was shocked to learn that her 'hernia' was actually a baby at full term.

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Queensland baby a record breaker

Staff writers A Rockhampton couple were shocked when their baby arrived weighing twice the size of the average newborn.

Woman gives birth twice in nine months

A Welsh woman has given birth twice in just nine months – meaning the children could be in the same year at school.

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Woman gives birth at zoo

It’s always a time of celebration when a baby is born at the zoo, but a New York animal sanctuary had a special new arrival when a guest gave birth in front of the bear exhibit last Friday.

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Phone delivery: triple-0 worker helps mum with birth

Ian Warden and Melanie Mahoney A triple-0 control centre officer in Wollongong played an important part in the delivery of baby Lila in Queanbeyan, 184 kilometres away.

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Dramatic birth for Hurricane Sandy baby

While most births aren't nearly as eventful as the ones shown on television, one baby, born in the chaos of Hurricane Sandy, will one day be able to say that his arrival puts most TV dramas to shame.

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Woman catches fire during c-section, loses case against doctor

EB staff writers A woman who caught on fire while giving birth via caesarean has been unsuccessful in her attempts to sue her obstetrician for malpractice.

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A world apart: childbirth in Uganda

Amy Fallon In Uganda, crippling poverty and few resources make it impossible for many pregnant women to reach urban medical facilities - and if they do arrive, they can receive little or no treatment, leading to high child and maternal mortality rates. One charity aims to make a difference.

Kate Hudson: Bing's birth like 'a Woody Allen film'

Kate Hudson has spoken about the birth of her second son, saying that the antics of her mum, Goldie Hawn, made it the labour seem like “a Woody Allen film”.

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Jarrad McVeigh welcomes baby Lolita-Luella

Emma Quayle Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and wife Clementine have welcomed a healthy baby daughter, following the loss of their first child in July last year.

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Woman gives birth in airplane toilet

Staff writers Giving birth thousands of feet in the air, travelling on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Manila, wouldn’t be an ideal labour situation for many women. Giving birth in the airplane’s toilet? Even worse. That’s what happened to a 35-year-old woman late last month.

Bystanders left holding the baby

JULIA MEDEW Ambulance officers attend an average of four births every day in Victoria, but new data has shown that every year, about 190 women give birth with only the help of bystanders - and these often happen at home.

Bride gives birth at wedding

Melanie Mahoney They say the day you get married is one of the most memorable 24 hours of your life – as is the day your child is born. So if your baby is born at your wedding, as it happened for one mum, you know you’ve got a day you’ll never forget.

Birth is no time for war stories

Tara Moss Tara Moss points out that 80 percent of women express common childbirth anxieties, and 10 percent report "pathological levels of fear". But why are we all so scared?

'This baby is going to be born here or in the car'

Nick O'Malley As his wife laboured in the car on the way to hospital, Nick O'Malley didn't know what to do ... except turn up the car heater. He tells the story of how his son entered the world in a moving vehicle.

One mum's five-hour pregnancy

Amanda Prentice and her husband Bill had been trying to conceive for four years when they learnt that Amanda was pregnant - and just five hours later, they were parents.

The nightmare clouds behind the birth of my little ray of Sunshine

Rachel Buchanan A birth in the emergency department of a busy public holiday inspires feelings of panic and rage even years later.

The best and worst of days

Prue Corlette What should have been one of the most joyous moments of my life ultimately turned out to be one of the most traumatic – the birth of my sons.

New arrival

Australia's oldest 'natural' first-time mum

Georgia Waters A Gold Coast woman has become what is believed to be Australia's oldest natural first-time mother, giving birth at 50.

My lotus homebirth

MEMBER STORY EB member Michelle shares the birth story of her daughter Pepper, born at home.

Natural birth

Miranda Kerr tells of agonising labour

Orlando Bloom forced to pee in a bottle: supermodel spills the gory details on her very long labour.

Express checkout: home 4 hours after birth

Jill Stark When Sian Baird gave birth to her third child Seraphine five weeks ago, the process was so quick her husband Sam joked it was ''like a day at the office''.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have daughter through surrogate mother

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have added a second daughter to their family, born through a surrogate mother.

Our beautiful, calm, natural waterbirth

MEMBER STORY We could not have asked for a more perfect birth, exactly what we were hoping for and we did everything we included on our birth preferences.

The expected day has arrived

Juliana Fridman Something is going wrong, one of the babies is in serious distress and it’s not possible to know why. I am also already in early labour. We needed to go into an emergency Caesarean NOW!

Deborah Knight's IVF joy - against the odds

Shelly Horton Another miracle baby is on the way for Channel Ten newsreader Deborah Knight.

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Four babies, four very different births

Nicole Salinas It’s quite a common assumption that if you have one type of birth then your subsequent births may be fairly similar. For Essential Baby member Sylvia this certainly wasn't the case.

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Born in an ambulance

Nicole Salinas When I found out I was pregnant for the 3rd time I was over the moon. The emotions I felt with my other pregnancies and births came rushing back! I was sure I was going to go early and have a fast easy labour, after all it was my third...

Renee's Triplets

Anni Taylor That first pregnancy ultrasound is usually filled with nervous anticipation and excitement for new parents. But imagine the shock for parents in finding there are three little beings occupying the space on the screen!

Emma's homebirth after two caesars

Emma I have had two “failure to progress” labours leading to two emergency c-sections. My third time around I was aiming for, and achieved, a HBA2C (home birth after two caesars)!

Rhythms of Life: A Waterbirth Story

Anni Taylor Born in a birthing pool in her family home, little Tessa Claire was embraced by the natural rhythms of family life. Carla shares Tessa’s waterbirth story.

Motherhood the second time around

I am thrilled to be able to share our second baby’s birth with our blog readers. Ethan was born last Tuesday (February 3) at 12.27pm, weighing 3.73kg (8lb, 5oz) and measuring 52cm.

Mum, 70, wants second baby

A 70-year-old Indian woman who gave birth to a baby girl in November is already planning a second child.

The truth about birth trauma

Melissa Maimann Birth trauma can affect any woman who has given birth. Although it's experienced by many women, most women don't talk about it, and many may not even know they have it. This silence does nothing to help women move past their trauma.

Deprogramming birth

Anni Taylor A few hours after having my first baby, I rang my mother to ask, “How did you do THAT seven times?” But deep within, I sensed that birth didn’t have to be this traumatic.