The Gossip

In this episode of The Gossip, we catch up on life as Sam reaches 36 weeks pregnant and begins navigating the final stretch before birth. There are some positive updates, including the placenta having moved, meaning home birth is feeling more possible. Her platelets are on the lower side but still within the safe measures for planning a home birth. Alongside this, there are ongoing investigations...

This week on The Gossip, we're joined by a very special guest, Gina Mundy, childbirth attorney, bestselling author, speaker, podcast host and mother of three. Through her work analysing birth injury cases, medical records and delivery-team decisions, Gina has identified patterns in the way things can go wrong during labour and delivery, including many that may be preventable. Gina is the author of...

This week on The Gossip, Mia and Sam are catching up on all things life, motherhood, pregnancy and birth. We share a little update on how things are going at home, including Séamus and the wait for his results next Friday. While he has improved, he is still looking unwell, so we are very much in that waiting game. We also chat about Quinn’s tiredness, Sam’s platelet levels and the questions that c...

What is it like to experience a home birth from the perspective of the person supporting the woman through it? In this episode of The Gossip, Mia’s partner joins us for an honest conversation about home birth, sharing what it felt like to be there, the role of a support person, and the incredible euphoria that can come with witnessing birth in such an intimate and powerful way. We explore why the...

Life doesn’t always slow down when we need it to, and sometimes we find ourselves navigating more than we feel equipped to handle. In this episode, Sam (OT) shares honestly about the challenging days her family has been experiencing, with her son enduring severe abdominal pain and the distress of repeatedly seeking medical care before finally being heard and having investigations completed. With s...

In this episode of The Gossip, Mia, a birth coach, and Sam, an OT, unpack the topic of induction of labour. We talk through the statistics, why more women are being induced, the different reasons an induction might be recommended, and what the evidence actually tells us. We also explore the potential cascade of intervention that can follow an induction, from monitoring and augmentation through to...

In this episode of The Gossip, we're sharing a real-life catch-up on the highs and lows we're navigating right now. Mia opens up about experiencing a pregnancy loss earlier this year during her fourth pregnancy, and the journey of grieving, healing, and coming to peace with the decision that her family feels complete. She also shares the incredible experience of attending a beautiful free birth, a...

There’s a difference between being informed… and being pressured. On the podcast this week, Mia (birth coach) and Sam (OT) spoke about modalities of care, hospital policies, and the way many women can feel pushed into decisions instead of genuinely supported through them. We spoke about the importance of continuity of care — having a trusted midwife who knows you, who listens, who allows space for...

Pregnancy after loss can hold so many emotions at once — hope, fear, excitement, and anxiety all living side by side. In this episode, Mia (birth coach) and Sam (OT) have an open and honest conversation about navigating pregnancy after loss. Sam shares her own personal journey, speaking to the emotional complexity of feeling both deeply anxious and cautiously excited. Together, they explore gentle...

In this episode, Mia (birth coach) and Sam (OT) explore the realities of sleep in motherhood — from co-sleeping and night waking to the ever-changing flow of children’s sleep. They discuss how sleep isn’t linear, but instead moves through phases shaped by development, growth, and connection. Together, they reflect on the impact of sleep deprivation — the mental load, exhaustion, and emotional toll...

In this episode of The Gossip , Sam (OT) and Mia (birth coach) have an honest conversation about the reality of trying to balance work and motherhood. They unpack the mental load so many mothers carry — the constant juggling, the feeling of trying to fit everything in, and the guilt that can arise when time is split between work and family. Sam and Mia reflect on how work–life balance often feels...

In this episode of The Gossip , Sam (OT) and Mia (birth coach) dive into planning for pregnancy with a grounded, evidence-informed lens. They explore the often-overlooked role of men in conception and placental health, unpack the importance of preconception supplements — including probiotics and their potential influence on GBS — and discuss how nutrients like folic acid may intersect with concern...

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of self-harm and mental health challenges. In this deeply honest conversation, Sam (Occupational Therapist) and Mia (Birth Coach) reflect on the trials and tribulations of womanhood — starting from puberty and following the thread all the way into adulthood and motherhood. They speak candidly about: The early experiences of puberty and the confusio...

In this episode, Mia (birth coach) and Sam (occupational therapist) share their personal pregnancy journeys and the realities they experienced along the way. They discuss the therapies that supported them through pregnancy, including acupuncture, massage, exercise physiology, chiropractic care, pelvic floor physiotherapist and more. Together, they unpack practical strategies they used to support t...

In this episode, we’re talking about early postpartum —a season that is often underestimated, rushed, or misunderstood. Early postpartum isn’t just about physical recovery. It’s a whole-life transition . Your emotions, relationships, body, sleep, and sense of self are all changing at the same time. This is matrescence in motion. We spoke about emotional changes —how it’s normal to feel tender, ove...

In this episode of The Gossip , the hosts open an honest, compassionate conversation about the emotional realities of motherhood that are so often left unspoken. Drawing on questionnaire responses and their combined experience as an OT and birth coach, they explore what it feels like to be unheard in maternity systems, how emotional wounds and trauma can surface long after birth, and the many form...

In this episode, we share our own breastfeeding journeys—honest, personal, and deeply real. Sam reflects on an overall ease with breastfeeding, alongside challenges including tongue ties with both children, engorgement, and a fast let-down. Mia speaks to the hard work of feeding her first child, navigating repeated bouts of mastitis across her breastfeeding experiences, and the persistence it took...

In this episode of The Gossip , we open a heartfelt conversation about birth stories—not as dramatic retellings or lessons to be extracted, but as lived experiences that deserve to be heard, held, and respected. Mia, a birth coach, and Sam, an occupational therapist, explore how birth stories shape women long after the day itself and why telling (and listening to) birth stories can be deeply repar...

In this opening episode, we begin with fertility — not as a clinical concept, but as a lived, human experience. We explore the fertility journey in all its complexity, tenderness, and uncertainty, and why sharing our stories matters. So often fertility is held quietly, wrapped in shame, secrecy, or silence. In this conversation, we speak to the need for people to truly listen — without fixing, min...