The Heavyweight Midwife Podcast: Empowerment for Plus Size Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth

On this week’s show, I’m talking to Emma Haslam about all things IVF abroad. Following her own journey with infertility which led to the birth of her son via IVF abroad Emma Haslam has become the go-to independent expert guide for fertility testing and treatment in Europe. Since 2019 Emma has helped 100s of people globally struggling to conceive to start and grow their families. Emma has been feat...

If you’re plus size and pregnant, it might mean you’re referred to see a doctor, a consultant obstetrician to be precise. But, if your referral is solely because of your BMI, what is it for? And will you actually see a consultant? What should you expect and how should you prepare? And… is it compulsory to be ‘consultant-led’ for plus size pregnancy?

Florence Wilcox is a UK consultant obstetrician and the host of the brilliantly informative ObsPod podcast. In this episode I put some commonly asked Heavyweight Midwife Community member questions to Florence and we have a brilliant chat about how women & doctors can best work together to improve pregnancy and birth experiences. Don't worry alone! If you need my help and expertise, visit thehe...

Eleanor and Dean joined me (with baby Hazel) for this detailed and illuminating chat about how to work together and prepare well for advocating for your birth choices. In this episode, we discuss pregnancy loss as well as Eleanor’s mental health challenges - and we talked about how preparing and working together and with their health professionals led to them having an experience in hospital ‘made...

(20+) The Heavyweight Midwife Group | Facebook When Samantha first had a baby, she went along to a local sling library and was told that ‘fat people don’t fit slings’. This ignited a fire and passion for her, one that has led to her baby wearing with all of her four children and now consulting and advocating for plus size people to find the right baby carrier for them and to enjoy this practical a...

This week’s guest is Victoria Holyoak. Founder of C-SectionUK, speaker and advocate for c-section education, Midwife Vic has been practicing midwifery for over a decade both nationally and internationally. She sits across a number of advisory boards, as well as working with commercial platforms in an advisory capacity and as a writer. 

Ruth was planning her fourth caesarean birth when we recorded this episode. Navigating her care has been challenging for her but she has done it brilliantly, pushing back against the ‘internalised fat-phobia’ she’s encountered along the way. A must-listen for anyone who wants tips on self-advocacy!

Jenny Patterson is a midwife and lecturer whose research focuses on birth trauma.

Dr Tomasina Stacey is a UK Midwife and Researcher, specialising in stillbirth prevention. In this fascinating and reassuring chat, Tomasina provides tips and explainers to help you navigate the tricky topic of risk, she simplifies the numbers that can be hard to get our heads round, and in her wonderful, calm and compassionate style, she provides reassurance for pregnancy and birth. I loved this d...

In my first chat with a U.S mom, I meet MacKenzie, a first time mum who early on in her pregnancy became disillusioned with the standard approach of doctor-led care. In this fascinating chat we discuss some differences between U.S and UK care systems, and she tells me all about her midwives and her homebirth waterbirth. Please do check out her amazing birth photos for ultimate inspiration! XX

Katie had a lockdown birth in 2020 the first time around. She had a GD diagnosis, was on insulin and had an induction that left her feeling disempowered. This time, in 2024, Katie had some Heavyweight Midwife empowerment, that helped her advocate for her longed-for waterbirth. Her consultant agreed it… but you’ll never guess what happened next. Katie was so empowered by her pregnancy & birth e...

Jo Moscalu wanted to specialise in binge eating as a dietitian. But then she found herself suffering from the very issue she helped so many clients overcome. In this fascinating conversation, we talk about Jo’s own struggles, how she’s overcoming them… and also about Alice’s pet peeve - maternity dietetics (or ‘healthy lifestyle’) services. Thanks so much for being my guest Jo!! Please rate, revie...

In her own words, Gabby knew nothing about plus size pregnancy stuff when she got pregnant. But early on she was very interested in having a waterbirth. In this episode Gabby takes us through her journey of support and empowerment, her (sometimes hilarious, sometimes awful) appointments with health professionals and her dogged determination to do it her way - in water, partying to Taylor Swift and...

For anyone who has spent any time trying to get pregnant or thinking about it, worrying about it, or navigating fertility services, Nicola Salmon is probably a name you are very familiar with! In her incredible fertility support service for those living in bigger bodies, Fat Positive Fertility, Nicola has helped thousands of women on their journeys to parenthood. In this episode Nicola and I talk...

In this Season 2 launch episode, join me as I let you in on my five pillars formula, that underpins all of my client work. Wherever you are on your journey to parenthood, if you have appointment with health professionals and decisions to make, this is going to be an unmissable episode for you. Each of the five pillars is fundamental to building a happy, in control journey to parenthood. And you ca...

Plus size pregnant are being told they are ‘high risk’ in pregnancy - I’m talking here about why this isn’t true, why it’s such a bad thing for your well-being to be described as high risk, and I have some tips for you on what you can do if you are described this way. If you enjoy the show, please follow! And please leave a review. And do reach out if you think I can help YOU have a happy pregnanc...

Megan’s birth did not go to plan (Arthur was 4 months old when we spoke, thriving and gorgeous!) but she had a positive experience. Her story has learning and empowerment for you if you are plus size and pregnant, or planning your pregnancy! If you need info and empowerment, follow the Heavyweight Midwife on Instagram and TikTok and join the Heavyweight Midwife Facebook Group. @theheavyweightmidwi...

This week I chatted with Tamar, who was 8 weeks pregnant with her 2nd IVF baby at the time of our interview. Tamar talked about her really positive experiences navigating an anxious pregnancy journey, adjusting to believing that being a mum was actually happening! If you enjoy the show, please Review and Follow me. It masked a big difference. If I can help you, find me at linktr.ee/theheavyweightm...

Ahhh mamas - the sound is a bit glitchy here and there on this recording, so massive apologies for this! But the conversation I had with Lucy was really uplifting! And the sound quality doesn’t stop her lovely birth story coming through. There’s lots of learning and empowerment in there! Thanks so much for sharing your story Lucy! Please Follow, Rate and Review the Show if Your’e Enjoying It!! And...

On this week’s show I spoke to Cathy Bowker, an Infant Feeding Specialist Midwife, to get you knowledge and tips on pregnancy preparation for successful breastfeeding From the ‘3 Keeps’ to Building Yourself a Throne. I know many plus size pregnant women worry that breastfeeding will be more difficult for them, and Cathy is full of calm reassurance and practical advice. Me & Cathy go right back...

On this week’s episode I am speaking to Sadie about a particular care pathway at her local NHS Trust that has really helped her. Sadie is pregnant with her third baby, and when she felt she was not being listened to by her obstetric consultant about her wishes for birth, her midwife offered to begin a ‘Hear to Listen’ intervention. In this fascinating conversation Sadie tells me what happened next...

In this episode, I talk to the very wonderful Megan Rossiter. Megan is the creator of the Birth-Ed birth preparation method, a holistic and empowering birth prep programme, aimed at putting you in control for pregnancy, birth and beyond. Megan and I talk about how the ‘cascade of interventions’ can easily start rolling, about how to put yourself in control for your pregnancy and birth, and how to...

On this episode of the podcast I met the fabulous Kirsty Jones. Kirsty was nearly 26 weeks pregnant when we recorded our chat, and she told me all about her experiences on her journey to motherhood, something she has wanted for a very long time. Kirsty has focussed on improving her health & wellness holistically, helping her to work on her relationship with food, readying herself for pregnancy...

The Heavyweight Midwife Podcast is Here!! This is a safe space where we chat all things plus size pregnancy empowerment. I’ll always aim for this podcast to be a place where you can feel good, you can learn, get reassurance and empowerment, so your pregnancy and birth are experiences you can be in control of - as this is absolutely key to having positive pregnancy & birth experiences. On this...