The Better Birth podcast with Erin Fung

Breathing is something we all do naturally and instinctively, but does how we breathe matter during pregnancy and particularly during birth? I chat to doula and biomechanics expert Shellie Poulter about how breathing techniques we teach in hypnobirthing actually affect not only how we're feeling, but the biomechanics effects on muscle, tissue, pelvic floor and labour itself. We chat coached pu...

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...

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 speci...

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 affe...

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,...

I chat to Cherie Seah Flood, a queer & genderqueer birthworker and photographer based in Oakland, California, and the co-founder of the Asian Birth Collective. The collective is a small community platform for Asian perinatal providers & pregnant folks that has grown beyond the US, which has created a much needed space for Asian birthworkers from all walks of life to connect with each other...

Compassion fatigue is something which many healthcare professionals experience, particularly in caring professions such as midwifery. Running on a tank empty of compassion can lead to a lack of empathy towards those you care for, which can mean less than ideal care for pregnant people at best, causing trauma to them at worst. It also has impact on midwives' own mental health. I chat ti psychol...

I chat to Donna, one of my previous hypnobirthing clients, about her planned freebirth. She explains all the prep she did beforehand, why she chose to birth unattended by midwives, and what happened on the day. If you are interested in the idea of freebirth, go join doula Samantha Gadsden's freebirth course on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freebirthemergencychildbirth/ You can also...

I thought I would treat you all to a guided relaxation. This short relaxation helps you visualise a wonderful, peaceful forest. The track is best listened to whilst sitting or lying down somewhere quiet. Enjoy! When you're pregnant, worries and fears can creep up and affect how you're feeling about giving birth. Hypnobirthing can be a fantastic way to help with this. Hypnobirthing is a bir...

Intrahepatic cholestasis in pregnancy or ICP is a condition that affects about 1% of pregnant people. It is a complication caused by the liver and acid bile build up in the body and can cause increased risk of other pregnancy conditions such as gestational diabetes. It commonly causes extreme itching which can be distressing and affect every aspect of life during pregnancy. I chat to Katie, a moth...

Pregnancy can be a challenging time for any pregnant person, but for someone who suffers with an eating disorder it can be a particularly difficult and potentially triggering experience. I chat to birth worker Charlotte Mindel about how various eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia and compulsive overeating can affect a pregnant person, the considerations midwives and doctors should be making...

We have all heard "thank god I was in the hospital because the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck!" but how dangerous is a nuchal cord, and why does it happen? And what causes cord prolapse and what can be done when it occurs? Cords wrapped around babies necks and cords slipping out first... they sound like total emergency disaster situations! But whilst one is an obstetric emer...

Does your placenta magically pack up after 40 weeks? It sounds unlikely, and yet it's a justification given to thousands of pregnant people who are recommended induction. I chat to researcher and doula Sophie Messager about this possible myth, and why maturation of the placenta may have helpful and physiological reasons. We discuss induction, research bias, and how the patriarchy has all affected...

Have you heard of prodromal labour or what to do if you experience it? Our expectations of length and progress of labour is largely dictated by what we've seen on TV... which means we expect our waters to break, contractions to start, a mad dash to hospital and a baby arrives. So what do we do when we experience intense contractions with no cervical change, which may last days? Because that is wha...

I chat to previous hypnobirthing client Lillian about her wonderful healing home birth! Lilian joined my group hypnobirthing course in January 2023 to prepare for the birth of her son after a negative experience first time around birthing her daughter. She recounts how despite doing a hypnobirthing course the first time round, she felt she didn't "do the work", and why she decided to prepare more...

Instrumental birth is a situation that terrifies most pregnant people, but why are they often used, and are there alternatives? I chat to consultant obstetrician Florence Wilcock about forceps, ventouse, caesarean birth, and why sometimes instrumental birth may be offered during labour. Florence is a consultant obstetrician working in NHS maternity services for 30 years. She has a specific interes...

How does neurodivergence affect pregnancy and birth? I speak to doula Victoria White, who founded Neurodivergent Birth in February 2023. Victoria aims to increase understanding and awareness of neurodivergent perinatal experiences. Victoria’s daughter was diagnosed as autistic in 2022, and Victoria has also recently been exploring her own neurodivergence. Following her daughter’s diagnosis, she re...

This is the final episode for the season and it's a GOOD ONE!! In this episode I chat to Toni Harman about the importance of the microbiome. When Toni was pregnant, she wanted a homebirth, and Toni wanted to exclusively breastfeed. Toni ended up with an emergency C-section and struggled to breastfeed. After the birth, she wondered could birth and infant feeding affect a child's long-term h...

Having to have a medically necessary caesarean when you were planning a physiological unmedicated home birth can be a difficult change to accept, so I am hugely grateful to Bonnie for coming on to the podcast to share her story of her pregnancy and birth. Bonnie's baby needed to be born by caesarean early, and she talks about how she navigated the discussions with doctors, and why having a mat...

What is the role of your birth partner during labour and the postpartum period, and why is it so important they prep? I chat to Gordon from MANtenatal about why he runs classes specifically aimed at men, and the benefits they see from preparing for birth. We chat partner dynamics, the role of the birth partner during labour, birth partner dos and don'ts, and how to be an effective and supporti...

I chat to midwife and lecturer Kelly Sawyer about individualised care plans. We discuss what these are, why you may want to have one, and how to go about asking for support with putting one in place. Did you know that every pregnant person should be getting an individualised care plan for pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period? We cover the circumstances that may mean you're more likely to...

Why would you want to have your birth documented? Have you considered a birth photographer? In this episode I talk to doula and birth photographer Hannah Palamara. Hannah has a decade of knowledge in birth work, and is an amazing photographer and videographer. We discuss why birth photography requires a completely different set of skills and awareness, how to choose your photographer, and why peop...

How does the experiences of midwives influence their decisions on where to give birth and what that care looks like? I chat to midwife, author and researcher Sharon Stoliar about her amazing research in to midwives and their birth preferences. In her research, she found some eye opening statistics surrounding home birth and continuity of carer which midwives are experiencing, such as 75% of midwiv...

Have you had a previous caesarean? And do you want to have a vaginal birth this time? VBACs are often a struggle to achieve, not because of the risks involved but because of the hurdles you may come across getting your midwife or consultant to "agree" to supporting one. I chat to Hazel Keedle, who is a midwife, researcher, senior lecturer at Western Sydney university, and author of Birth...

What is confinement and why do Asian cultures insist on it in the postpartum period? I chat to Lucy, who adhered to a traditional Hong Kong Chinese confinement routine after the birth of her second child. We talk about what confinement it and involves, as well as the reasons behind the rules. We discuss foods, recipes and recovery, and what western culture is missing out on! If you'd like to r...