The Better Birth podcast with Erin Fung

What does pregnancy look like after trauma, and what can we do to help ourselves and others after birth trauma? I chat to psychologist Dr Jenna Brough about the different ways trauma can present in planning future pregnancies, post conception and during birth. Dr Jenna Brough is a Perinatal Clinical Psychologist specialising in perinatal trauma and pregnancy after trauma, infertility and loss. She...

I chat to doula Maddie McMahon about what happens when you arrive at hospital and are triaged. We talk about the systems in place to assess priority, why this isn't appropriate when you're in active labour, how to mitigate the risks of triage slowing labour down, and how to voice concerns. We also touch on neurodiversity, advocacy, and a fantastic story from Maddie on the power of asking to wait....

I chat to the wonderful doula Roma Hearsey about her 3 home births. Roma explains why she had her first son at home despite planning a hospital birth, the fetal ejection reflex, orgasmic birth, and the benefits of biomechanics and spinning babies techniques. This is a must listen episode for anyone wanting positive birth stories peppered with fascinating birth and physiology knowledge! Roma is a d...

Being told you have developed diabetes in pregnancy can be a scary thing, and often means a whole host of medical intervention pushed on to you to prevent "risks", but are they always necessary and how big ARE the risks? I chat to Shellie about the differences between type 1, 2 and gestational diabetes, the interventions that may be recommended, and whether the research backs up early induction of...

In this episode I chat to Charlotte the Smart Doula, about deciphering medical research, the difficulties in teasing out what studies show, and why doing your own research, or getting support from a birth worker or doula, is so vital when preparing for birth within the NHS. Charlotte , the founder of The Smart Doula, is dedicated to empowering families throughout the UK to make informed choices ab...

In this episode I chat to osteopath Nicolas Grimaldi, about the power of osteopathy and how he helps resolve birth injuries and issues with babies who have experienced traumatic births. We discuss what osteopathy is, how the over medicalisation of birth, use of instruments and c-sections can have unintended and little discussed knock on effects with feeding, comfort and mobility of babies, and how...

The Big Baby Trial study has been published, and are already being used to justify inductions at 38 weeks... but what did the study ACTUALLY show? I chat to doula Samantha Gadsden about this study, and why despite it being touted as evidence for early inductions, the results actually show the opposite! You can find the study here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)...

In this episode I chat to the wonderful Emily, who reached out to me over instagram wanting to share her positive birth story! Emily, a first time mum, decided to have a home birth, and explains the prep she did in pregnancy, as well as how she handled her birth. It's such a wonderful (and funny!) story that I hope reassures any parent hoping for a home birth! Emily Baker is a secondary school tea...

In this episode I chat to Nico, the husband of my previous guest and client Anna! He speaks about his experience of her first pregnancy and birth, the trauma of the lack of empathic and informed care and support, and the helplessness he felt as a birth partner, which led them both to book on a course with me. He explains the impact of being educated had on their second pregnancy and birth, and sha...

In this episode I chat to Dr Alice Keely PhD about pregnancy and birth when you're classed as having a high BMI. We discuss what challenges a pregnant person may face when plus sized, the recommendations and interventions that may be offered, how your "high risk" label may influence recommendations around birth place and choices, and how to achieve the birth you deserve! Dr Alice Keely is a PhD mi...

I chat to doula and co-founder of physiological birth week, Julie-Ann. We discuss what physiological birth is, why we need a whole week to raise awareness and celebrate it, and how to achieve a physiological birth if that's what you wish for. Julie-Ann is a doula and birth keeper, who studied Midwifery for almost 3 years before leaving to remain a Doula full-time. She co-founded physiological birt...

I welcome the fabulous midwife Kelly back on to the podcast for the low down on growth charts and scans! We discuss what a growth chart is and why we measure baby's size, the different types of "small babies", why some may be cause for concern and others not at all, big babies and why they may not be so scary, and inaccuracies of fundal height measurements, scans and plotting averages on charts. D...

I chat to Maeve and her midwife Daisy about how she achieved an empowering and positive birth. Maeve is a 32 year old first time mum who gave birth in June 2024. She is passionate about holistic health and the practice of yoga, which drew her to travel to Bali 8 years ago, where she met her husband. Maeve lives between Bali and the UK and is now exploring birth work after her amazing birth of her...

I chat to Vanessa D'Souza, Masterchef semi-finalist, autism and ADHD awareness campaigner, and new mother. We discuss her experience of pregnancy, and why being AuDHD and navigating antenatal care, advice and recommendations can be hugely challenging, and how she prepared for and handled discussions around induction and risk with obstetricians. She tells me about going to almost 43 weeks pregnant...

I chat to client Anna about why she chose to do a hypnobirthing course with me, her VBAC journey navigating the NHS maternity system, and what happened when she gave birth! 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 rese...

I chat to doula Caz Sayles about how she started in doula work, what the role of the doula is (and isn't!) and the highs and lows of birth work. You can find Caz at https://www.cazsayles.co.uk or on Instagram and Facebook at @cazsayles_doula Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information availa...

In this episode I chat to Stephanie Ernst, founder of the TAPS Support Foundation, about monochorionic twins and the complications they may experience. Monochorionic twins, often referred to as identical twins, can experience more complications compared to dichorionic twins (fraternal), and Stephanie talks us through the chances of these twins experiencing conditions such as TTTS, TAPS and fetal g...

I listen to my client Emma's story of her second pregnancy and birth. Emma talks about why she chose to do a course with me, and the impact it had on both her own confidence in navigating the NHS maternity services, but how reassuring it was for her partner. She talks us through bumps in her pregnancy, and how despite the birth center being closed, she ensured she had a positive and magical bi...

In this week's episode I chat to Ashley Winning, a doula, birth educator, fellow podcaster and mum of 3. Ashley talks about her 2 unplanned c-sections, and why she chose to freebirth at home with her third child. We chat special scars, posterior birth, risks and benefits of an HBAC, and the importance of intuition. It's an important episode for anyone hoping for a vaginal birth after a cae...

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...

"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 birt...

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....

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 develo...

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 mid...

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...