The Delivery Room

Enjoy this free bite of Mia Freedman exploring what we're (scientifically) calling 'weird twin shit' with resident Mamamia twins, Jessie and Clare Stephens. Catch the full chaos of Jessie And Clare Stephens’ Weird Twin Shit Just Got Weirder by subscribing. Not a subscriber yet? Honestly, why wait?

Jessie Stephens is pregnant with twins — which feels cosmically aggressive when you remember she is a twin (to Clare Stephens — keep up, people). Especially when you consider that Jessie and Clare were raised by a woman who had two sets of identical twins herself. And yes, Anne Stevens would like the universe to calm down.
On this subscriber episode, Mia Freedman gets Jessie and Clare in the studio to unpack eerie twin intuition (just one example: Clare knew Jessie had two heartbeats going on in her womb before Jessie even told her), and the very real logistics of carrying two babies at once.
We talk:
Why some people say “How exciting!” at the news of twins while others go instantly grey

The science vs superstition of twins having twins

Miscarriage, sibling timing, and the emotional whiplash of joy and fear

Collapsed ribs, reflux, and the indignity of sleeping upright

Plus, there’s debate about birth-room access, grandparent maths, and whether 'weird twin shit' is now officially hereditary.
It’s intimate. It’s chaotic. It’s extremely twin-coded.

Remember, this is your free sample of Mamamia Out Loud's subs episode. Listen to the full Clare and Jessie debrief by subscribing.
What To Listen To Next:
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Listen: The Most Bizarre Celebrity Profile We’ve Ever Read
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Listen: The Female Emaciation Era — Holly & Jessie Weigh In
Listen: An Urgent Theory About Kim Kardashian & Lewis Hamilton
Listen: Scurrilous Gossip - Karl Stefanovic, Melania Trump & Sydney Sweeney, Oh My
Listen: Fertility Vampires & The Murkiness Of 'Affair Baiting'
Listen: Jessie's Twins Update & What We Really Did Over The Holidays
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What to read:
JESSIE STEPHENS: On being pregnant with twins. As a twin. With twin brothers.
"We lived 30 years as fraternal twins. Then, two weeks ago, we took a test."
CLARE STEPHENS: 'The story of how I became a (very viral) meme.'
CLARE STEPHENS: A rude stranger, a note from a neighbour and the age of utter intolerance.
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This summer we've curated your Delivery Room playlist with even more birth stories from our friends at Diary Of A Birth. Enjoy!
When Minnie's home birth plans shifted to a hospital delivery after two days of stop-start labor, she didn't just accept her "Plan B" – she got creative. Her unexpected strategy? Dressing "like a celebrity avoiding paparazzi" complete with sunglasses, headphones, and clothes pulled over her head.
Despite synthetic oxytocin making contractions feel "like being hit by lightning," Minnie found herself overcome with relief and joy during the final moments, laughing her daughter Charlie out into the water and her husband's waiting hands.
From birth pool to home by dinner time, Minnie's story proves that positive births aren't about location but feeling empowered through every contraction.

THE END BITS:
Support independent women's media
Follow Diary Of A Birth on Instagram
Listen to more Diary Of A Birth here
CREDITS:
Host: Ksenija Lukich
Birth Story: Minnie Collins
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist: Dr Bronwyn Devine
Producers: Ksenija Lukich , Tina Matolov & Lee Stamps
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer we've curated your Delivery Room playlist with even more birth stories from our friends at Diary Of A Birth. Enjoy!
One embryo. Two heartbeats. After years of fertility treatments, Laura Parr found herself staring at an ultrasound screen showing the impossible—her single frozen embryo had split into identical twins.
In today's episode, Laura shares her extraordinary journey from having her son Lucas through IVF, to the shock of discovering her second embryo—frozen for two years—had developed into identical twins - with no history of twins in the family. She takes us through the emotional rollercoaster of multiple ovarian induction cycles that finally yielded nine precious eggs and the complex reality of carrying monochorionic diamniotic twins who shared a single placenta but had separate amniotic sacs.
From severe morning sickness to a dramatic caesarean at 34 weeks, Laura's precious twins transformed their families life forever.
Listen to more Diary Of A Birth here.

THE END BITS:
Support independent women's media
Follow Diary Of A Birth on Instagram
If you’re looking for something else to listen to, check out our hilarious and seriously unhelpful podcast The Baby Bubble hosted by Clare and Jessie Stephens.

Mamamia has a podcast for every stage of parenthood.
Our parenting podcast is This Glorious Mess.
If you’re pregnant, listen to The Delivery Room and Hello Bump.
And if you’re trying or preg-curious, Get Me Pregnant and Before The Bump are for you.

CREDITS:
Host: Ksenija Lukich
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist: Dr Bronwyn Devine
Producers: Ksenija Lukich & Tina Matolov
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer we've curated your Delivery Room playlist with even more birth stories from our friends at Diary Of A Birth. Enjoy!
Waters breaking in public, a head popping out in the shower, and neighbours rushing to help—Kate Longley's second birth took a very different path than planned!
In today’s episode, Kate shares how her birth with Jesse took a surprisingly swift turn when, shortly after her waters broke at home, she found herself cradling her newborn in the shower before help could even arrive. With no time to reach the hospital, Kate's neighbours—who happened to be mothers themselves—stepped in to help as Jesse was born in their family home.
Kate reflects on how, despite the surprising speed of Jesse’s arrival, her calm mindset and supportive community helped create a positive birth experience.
Listen to more Diary Of A Birth here.
THE END BITS:
Support independent women's media
Follow Diary Of A Birth on Instagram
CREDITS:
Host: Ksenija Lukich
Birth Story: Kate Longley
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist: Dr Bronwyn Devine
Producers: Ksenija Lukich & Tina Matolov
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer we've curated your Delivery Room playlist with even more birth stories from our friends at Diary Of A Birth. Enjoy!
From epidural to delivery in minutes—Nikolina's second baby Leo stunned even veteran doctors with his lightning-fast arrival.
Despite a physically "cruisy" pregnancy with her children just 16 months apart, Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh battled intense anxiety about giving birth a second time. After casually attending brunch during early contractions, her labor rapidly intensified. Just as doctors prepared for her curved spine complication during the epidural, Leo's heart rate dropped, and with a single push, he arrived—prompting one doctor to declare it the quickest birth in her 20-year career.
Nikolina's story reminds us that birth anxiety is perfectly normal the second time around, even when you've done it before.
Listen to more Diary Of A Birth here.
THE END BITS:
Support independent women's media
Follow Diary Of A Birth on Instagram
If you’re looking for something else to listen to, check out our hilarious and seriously unhelpful podcast The Baby Bubble hosted by Clare and Jessie Stephens.

CREDITS:
Host: Ksenija Lukich
Birth Story: Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist: Dr Bronwyn Devine
Producers: Ksenija Lukich & Tina Matolov
Audio Producer: Leah Porges
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.