Birth-ed Podcast

This episode is essential listening if you’re trying to decide whether to labour in a birth centre or midwife-led unit. Guess Midwife Issy Bourton and I explore what a birth centre/midwife-led unit is, how your experience there can differ from a hospital birth, what you can expect to happen during your labour, how to request a birth centre labour if you are not low risk, and transferring to a labour ward.

Many parents feel that they have to pick a side on the feeding debate - breast or bottle. But the reality is that often families find themselves a compromise, whether that is adding an occasional bottle to their routine, or switching to formula during the day, and breastfeeds when mum gets home from work. Despite this, information about how to go about mixed or combination feeding has been scarce, until now. My guest this week, Lucy Ruddle IBCLC, is author of a guide to mixed feeding, Mixed Up, which guides you through all you need to know.

With social media platforms increasingly censoring candid images of birth and women’s bodies, I got together this week with The Naked Doula, Emma Armstrong, to talk about why we need to see real women’s experiences online. Our wide-ranging chat touches on using the correct words for female anatomy in schools, how we set realistic expectations for birth, and how reconnecting with your body through periods, birth and the menopause is truly empowering.

Continuous Foetal Monitoring can be uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing or misleading, but there’s plenty of evidence for its use, right? That’s the question Dr. Kirsten Small set out to answer after her long career in obstetrics. In this episode she shares everything you need to know, and it’s pretty revealing!

After years of supporting 10,000s of families preparing for their births using hypnobirthing, it’s time for birth-ed to wave that chapter goodbye, and introduce- The Birth-ed Method. Find out what’s involved in this episode…

We have a tendency to separate conception, pregnancy, birth, feeding & parenting. But there is a thread that runs from one through to another. The choices you make & experiences you have during and prior to birth have a direct impact on your postpartum. In this episode, we join the dots.

This episode is one you can come back to, time and time again, any time you're feeling stuck, any time you're facing a big decision.. And use it to guide you to make confident choices that feel right for you, your baby and your circumstances.

It's a solo episode from me this week, talking in detail about pain in birth.. let's explore together- What causes pain in labour? What does birth feel like? What is the purpose of pain in birth? Why most conversations about pain relief have got totally the wrong angle! Which elements of this are within our control?

In today's episode, we discuss all things postnatal mental health. Whether you are currently pregnant and getting prepared for what to expect postnatally, or you're in the depths of the early days of motherhood, there's heartwarming chat, practical tools and tons of helpful info to takeaway from this conversation.

Pregnancy Sickness is often a welcome and exciting sign of early pregnancy. But knowing what is 'normal' and what's NOT can be hard to navigate. Having had HG twice myself, this is an episode close to my heart!

Matresence is the period of growth and transition in the early years in becoming a mother. Whilst turmoil and identity shifts are expected in 'adolescence', it's only recently that such shifts have been recognised and validated in our becoming of a mother too. Let’s explore together…

If you're pregnant after a previous caesarean birth, you might be starting to explore your options for birth this time around. In this episode we focus on the option of vaginal birth after caesarean- the risks, benefits, emotions & practicalities.

We talk a lot about decision making for birth- Where might you choose to birth your baby? Do you want an epidural? Should you have an induction? etc etc.. but the decision making (and the impact of those decisions) actually starts MUCH earlier on in pregnancy.

What is hypnobirthing? How can it support you in your pregnancy, your birth and beyond? How does it work? What does it involve? Listen up for some myth busting, take away tools and tips and the next steps to feeling more confident and prepared ahead of your baby's birth.

Sara and I explore the landscape of the maternity system, the rising rates of induction and give you some really practical tips and advice on how to navigate decisions around induction of labour (a decision which the majority of us will inevitably face!).

Advocating for yourself (or other people) or knowing how to make decisions can be really difficult when it comes to maternity care. In this episode we discuss how we can ensure we are advocated for throughout the perinatal period.

Did you know 1 in 7 babies will access care in NICU when they are born and 60% of those are born at full term. So why don't we ever talk about what it's like to have a baby in the NICU? Well, we do here!

A way of approaching birth that you might not yet have considered. Taking a look how you can prepare yourself emotionally, spiritually and physically for birth; and how the three things are more closely interconnected than you first realise.

When journeying through pregnancy we tend to just hand ourselves over to our care providers, on whom we rely to tell us if we are healthy and well and what we should do to bring our babies into the world safely. But is this really the best way to be navigating pregnancy, birth and parenthood?

Around 1/3 births in the UK happen by caesarean, so it's certainly something you might like to learn about during pregnancy. The prospect of major abdominal surgery whilst awake can be quite daunting for many of us, so in this episode we talk through exactly what you can expect from a caesarean birth.