Joanne and Gareth did my complete hypnobirthing course in preparation for their first baby. I was so happy when Joanne got in touch as we worked together back in my old life when I worked in Canary Wharf in Corporate marketing, and I was super excited to support her throughout her pregnancy! Joanne and Gareth planned a home birth, but their baby had other thoughts and decided to throw a spanner in the works and surprise Joanne on her due date! Listen to how strong, in control, and empowered Joanne was throughout her birth despite it being fast and not quite according to plan ..read more

"just hop on the bed" "I'll be back in 10 mins to monitor baby" "I can't hear baby well so we'll just pop on this CTG"... They're common occurrences in a hospital birth, but even the most well prepared birther can have their birth re-railed by seemingly innocuous circumstances. I chat to doula Georgie about the common things that can derail your plans for a vaginal birth if you're planning to birth in hospital. Georgie is doula in Oxfordshire, who home educates he rtwo older children and has a new baby. She fell into being a doula because she loves information sharing, and discussing both evid ..read more

I chat to Maddie McMahon, doula, doula trainer and breast-feeding counsellor, about the history of the doula role and what the skills and training doulas receive. We chat about the differences and overlap between midwives and doulas, the value a doula can bring to the perinatal period for a pregnant person and their family, and how their roles have evolved over the years to the current modern day. Maddie is a mother and step mother to 3 children, doula and breastfeeding counsellor of 20 years, and founder of Developing Doulas, a doula training company. She's the author of the Pinter and Martin ..read more

Catch up on my Instagram live with @hazelkeedle and @drfeeleyrm talking about the U.K. birth trauma enquiry. On 9 January 2024, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on birth trauma in the UK Parliament will set up an inquiry to investigate the reasons for traumatic birth and to develop policy recommendations to reduce the rate of birth trauma. Research shows that about 4-5% of women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after giving birth – equivalent to approximately 25,000-30,000 women every year in the UK. Studies have also found that a much larger numbe ..read more

We often focus so much on the birthing person's experience of birth, but we forget that birth involves two people... and what about the baby? I chat to ex-midwife, birth keeper and wise woman Joy Horner about how baby's experience birth, and the impact this can have on an emotional, neurological and cellular level. Joy was a midwife for 21 years, and worked 16 years as an Independent homebirth midwife. She now works as a Sacred Birthkeeper, Perinatal Consultant, and Wise Woman. You can find Joy at https://birthjoy.co.uk/. You can find the books Joy mentions here: https://www.breathandinspirati ..read more

Tearing! It's something we all worry about when it comes to birth, but what happens if you DO experience a tear? I chat to independent midwife Abigail Latif, and women health physio Beth Sutcliffe, about how tears are identified and treated. We discuss what to expect immediately after giving birth, how your tear may be fixed, and why and when to see a women's health physio, as well as the common complaints postnatally after a tear. Abigail is an Independent midwife and founder of maternal matters. Nhs midwife for over 10 years IM for 1 year. She practices independently now in Manchester, and h ..read more

It's virtually impossible not to be labelled as high risk these days, but what does it ACTUALLY mean? I chat to midwife Daisy Kelly about the high risk label, why context and personalised care is so important, and what you can do if you're given the label of high risk. We talk rights, advocacy, delving in to statistics and making sense of chance and risk, and talk in more depth about specific situations such as PPH, big babies and other common "high risk" labels ..read more

Birth & breast-feeding. There is such a huge impact on infant feeding depending on what happened during your birth. From drug use for induction or pain relief, so caesarean birth, mother baby separation, and so much more. I chat to Bea, a hypnobirthing and infant feeding specialist, about what can have an impact on your infant feeding journey postnatally, and what you can do if your birth affects feeding. Bea is from Bea’s Birth & Boobs and is a hypnobirthing teacher and antenatal instructor in Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire as well as a breastfeeding counsellor and infant feeding spec ..read more

What does LGBT stand for, and how does this community experience pregnancy and birth differently in maternity care? I chat to Laura Rose Thorogood about the experiences of the LGBT community throughout pregnancy and birth. From language, inclusion and care, we chat about the changes that need to be made, and how healthcare providers and the public can educate themselves to be empathetic, kind, and inclusive. Laura-Rose is a married lesbian mother of four donor conceived children by IUI and IVF over twelve years.  She is both a Bio and Non Biological mother and has loved experience of ..read more

It's the end of another year, and myself and my birth worker friends and colleagues review the highlights and worst bits of 2023, as well as our hopes and predictions for 2024. I hope you've had a wonderful year, and if you're expecting a baby in 2024, get in touch to get educated, empowered and ready to meet your baby! Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any ..read more