The Motherhood Clinic

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...

In this episode, we sit down with Dale Atkinson - former finance professional, cancer patient, writer, and founder - to talk about resilience and hope in the face of extraordinary adversity. In the space of a few weeks in late 2024, Dale received a terminal stage four cancer diagnosis, lost his mother, and found himself holding his family together while his partner recovered from her own cancer su...

In this episode, we welcome back Alexa Starks for the second part of our conversation about returning to work after maternity leave. Last time we talked about the leap from zero to one - this time we get into the shift from one to two kids, which Alexa describes as the harder transition by far. We explore what happens to your identity when you go from "me with a baby" to full parenting m...

You planned the birth. You researched the pregnancy. But what about the bit after? We talk with Alexa Starks, founder of Executive Moms, about what it really takes to return to work after your first baby. Alexa shares her own story of going into spontaneous labour with no handoff plan, coming back to a manager who said nothing, and figuring out the hard way that maternity leave is something you ca...

In this second conversation with Kathryn Lovewell, we get practical. Having explored the inner critic in our first episode, we turn to what it actually looks like to respond to yourself with kindness - not as a concept, but as a daily practice. We explore why self-compassion isn't self-indulgence but a genuine shift in how your mind and body function, why isolation quietly amplifies the critic...

In this first of two conversations with Kathryn Lovewell, self-compassion coach and founder of the Kind Mind Academy, we explore the inner critic — that background voice so many of us have learned to tune out, or worse, accept as truth. This episode is about awareness: understanding what that voice is, where it comes from, and why it tends to get louder in motherhood. We get into why trying to sil...

Once you know the risk, what do you actually do with that information? In this episode, we get into the practical side of managing blood pressure after birth — from how often to monitor, which devices to trust, and what the numbers mean, to the limits of wearables and where the science is heading. We also explore why cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of women worldwide, how syst...

One in ten pregnant women develops high blood pressure during pregnancy — but what happens after the baby arrives is where the system too often falls short. In this episode, we explore why postnatal hypertension is one of the most commonly missed windows in maternal care, how it can present silently with no obvious symptoms, and why the grey zone of responsibility after discharge leaves so many wo...

In this episode, we talk with Claudia Radu, founder of Circe, the first digital platform connecting women to online group therapy. With an estimated 1 million women on NHS waitlists and wait times stretching up to 18 months, accessible mental health support has never been more urgent – especially for new mothers navigating isolation, hormonal shifts, and the weight of unmet expectations. We explor...

Pregnancy after loss doesn’t end when the baby arrives. For many women, that’s when the emotional weight finally surfaces. In this episode writer and advocate Seetal Savla shares her full journey through miscarriage, IVF, donor conception, pregnancy after loss, and early motherhood - including the parts that are rarely spoken about. We explore: Pregnancy after loss - anxiety, fear, and living with...

Parenting isn’t just about raising children - it’s also about coming face to face with yourself. In this episode of The Motherhood Clinic Podcast , parenting coach Shilpa joins us for an honest, thoughtful conversation about emotional triggers, boundaries, and what it really means to parent with intention. We explore how children’s big emotions can surface unresolved feelings in parents, why moder...

Postnatal recovery looks very different around the world. In many cultures, food isn’t just nourishment, it’s part of healing. In Part 2 of our conversation with Lucy Lam, we explore Chinese confinement foods and the principles behind them; from “hot vs cold” to why recovery is often split into two distinct phases after birth. Lucy shares how these traditions show up across Asia, and what it looks...