The Motherhood Clinic

So much of maternity care goes into pregnancy and birth, and then most of the attention moves to the baby. In this episode we're joined by Alice and Katie, who are building Kaida Care together, to talk about the seen and unseen sides of that care. Katie has been a physiotherapist in the NHS for 15 years and runs her own pelvic health clinic. She compares the recovery pathway after a hip or knee op...

In this episode, Ahana Banerjee shares her journey as a young entrepreneur, her insights on success, and her proactive approach to planning for motherhood while building a thriving business. We explore the influence of her mother, defining success beyond work, and preparing for the unpreparable in life and parenthood. Chapters: 01:34 Ahana's entrepreneurial journey and YC experience 04:41 Building...

Postpartum Recovery: Preparing for the Part No One Talks About | Hilary MetcalfeMost parents prepare carefully for birth, but far fewer prepare for the weeks and months that follow. In this episode, Hilary Metcalfe, co-founder of The Sabi, shares how her first postpartum experience changed the way she approached her second. We discuss recovery, sleep, hormones, practical support, the loss of the v...

In this second conversation with Andrea Ippolito, founder of SimpliFed, we pick up where feeding gets less acute and more logistical: the fourth trimester, and the return to work. Andrea talks about the confidence that only arrived by her third baby, why she rehearses the first day back at work weeks in advance rather than the night before, what she wishes she had known about bottles and pumps bef...

Breastfeeding gets framed like something you should just instinctively know how to do. The reality? Most new parents are underprepared, overwhelmed, and left trying to decode latching, pain, milk supply, pumping, bottles, and whether they’re "doing it right" in the middle of total postpartum chaos. Andrea Ippolito, founder and CEO of SimpliFed, shares the hard-earned lessons she learned across thr...

Breaking generational trauma is messy, painful, and possible. Kayla Branstetter shares the real stories behind Don't Be an Athena and the turning points that helped women stop passing wounds forward - from teen pregnancy and poverty to grief, infertility, and the pressure to live by someone else’s script. This conversation goes beyond inspiration and gets practical about what it actually takes to...

In this episode, we explore societal influences on individual and community judgment, healthcare disparities, and the importance of awareness and empowerment in overcoming systemic challenges. Guest Kayla Branstetter shares insights from her work and personal journey, emphasising the need for cultural understanding and systemic change.

Content note: This episode discusses abuse, infertility and postnatal depression. If you're affected, support is available. In this first of three conversations with author, TED speaker and professor Kayla Branstetter, we explore the ideas behind her book Don't Be an Athena. We talk about why women face judgment no matter which path they take, how the myth of Medusa and Athena still plays out in e...

In part one we looked at why pregnancy loss falls through the gap: medically low priority, personally enormous. In this conversation with Melissa from Sibyl, we look at what can actually be done about it, at three levels. We talk about what an individual can do in the days after a loss, why so few products are built for an experience that affects up to one in four pregnancies, and what partners an...

Pregnancy loss sits in an awkward place. Medically it is usually low priority: predictable, rarely dangerous, often resolved with minimal intervention. Personally it can shape someone's mental health, work and relationships for years. In this conversation with Melissa Kaufman-Gomez, founder of Sibyl, we look at that mismatch and what it costs. We talk about what happens when a woman arrives at A&a...

In this follow-up conversation with Professor Liona Poon, we move from problem to solution: the FIGO Pregnancy Passport - a simple tool she co-authored for women and their healthcare providers on health risks following pregnancy complications. We talk about why written information matters so much in those overwhelming early days, when a new mother is unlikely to retain much of what she's told, and...

In this episode we sit down with Professor Liona Poon, one of the world's leading researchers in maternal and fetal medicine, to ask a deceptively simple question: why does postnatal care matter, and why is it so easily overlooked? We talk about pregnancy as a stress test on the body, like running a marathon every day for nine months, and how complications such as preeclampsia can act as a window...

In this second conversation with Vanessa Rio, co-founder of Mothering Minds, we move from "is this normal?" to something more practical: how do you actually get help, and why is it worth doing before you reach crisis point? We talk about the early signs worth paying attention to and why so many parents wait until they're redlining, what the system in England realistically offers and where people f...

In this first of two conversations with Vanessa Rio, founder of Mothering Minds, we discuss the question every new parent asks themselves: is this normal? We talk about the blind spot in how we prepare for parenthood - planning for the birth but not for the way it reshapes us emotionally; why so many parents only reach for help once they're already at breaking point; the difference between &qu...

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Kirstie Sneyd — organisational psychologist, return-to-work specialist, and author of Returning Well — and move from challenges to strategies. We cover how to identify which challenges matter most for you, the practical and emotional tools available before and after returning to work, and two of Kirstie's key frameworks: the three Fs (finance,...

In this episode, we sit down with Kirstie Sneyd - organisational psychologist, return-to-work specialist, and author of Returning Well - to map out the challenges that come with going back to work after maternity leave. We explore her research-backed framework across three areas: being out of the loop, managing a dual role, and navigating culture and norms. Kirstie draws on her coaching work, her...

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Dr. Emma Thornton - doctor, former obstetrician, GP specialising in women's health, and founder of Cocoon - and move from understanding birth trauma into what you can actually do about it. We cover how to recognise the signs in yourself or someone you care for, when to seek help and what that looks like, and how to make the most of the support...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Emma Thornton - doctor, former obstetrician and GP with a specialism in women's health, and founder of Cocoon - to build a clear picture of birth trauma: what it is, how it shows up, and why it matters. We cover the definition, the prevalence, the signs and symptoms, and the wider spectrum of perinatal trauma that often goes unacknowledged. We talk about w...

In this episode, we sit down with Susie Crowe - consultant obstetrician and one of the most senior voices in UK maternity care - to take an honest look at postnatal care as it stands today. We cover what postnatal care actually includes, why the quality and depth of that care varies so significantly depending on where you live, and what needs to change. We talk about birth debriefs, maternal menta...

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Susie Powis, founder of HiHo Coaching, and move from recognition into action. We explore Susie's three-pillar framework; Return, Navigate, Accelerate - and what practical steps look like at each stage. We talk about how to identify your values as the person you are today, how to avoid knee-jerk career moves that close off future options, and h...

In this episode, we sit down with Susie Powis, founder of HiHo Coaching, to explore what happens when your career journey collides with your motherhood journey. We talk about the identity shifts that come with becoming a parent, why mothers can find the early months particularly destabilising, and how the things that feel like setbacks - the lost confidence, the changed priorities, the daily unpre...

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Hannah Hagon from Unplugged Tots - moving from the problem with screens to what we actually do about it. We get into the practical side: how everyday activities like sorting washing and building patterns with Lego can become genuine learning moments, why your child's boredom isn't yours to fix, and how screen-free play needs to compete wit...

In this episode, we sit down with Hannah Hagon, founder and author of Unplugged Tots, to talk about something every parent is navigating — screen time. We explore what screen use is actually displacing in our children's development, why not all screen time is the same, and how the real goal isn't banning screens but building an intentional relationship with them. Hannah shares the stats, t...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Fareeha Rizvi, an endocrinologist and obesity specialist, alongside obstetrician Dr Fiona, to explore what modern medicine now understands about obesity - and why so much of what we've been told needs revisiting. We explore why obesity is a chronic disease and not a character flaw, what the latest GLP-1 medications can and can't do, how to think about w...

Gestational diabetes affects around one in four pregnancies globally - yet it's one of the most under-discussed conditions in women's health. Many women receive a diagnosis with little context for what it actually means, not just for their pregnancy, but for the next decade of their health. In this episode, we're joined by Dr Fareeha Rizvi - consultant diabetologist, endocrinologist, a...