The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast

Part Two - In this week's episode, I am chatting again with radical birth keeper Felicity - about the state of the NHS.  She has very kindly agreed to answer my questions on a wide variety of different topics that I have been desperate to talk about for so long, but unable to find someone willing to agree and open up. Felicity also brings questions from her own audience on relative subjects....

In this week's episode of the podcast, I am chatting with Radical Birth Keeper Felicity who shares her journey of becoming an NHS Midwife, and also explains why she felt she had to leave. Felicity talks openly and honestly about her experience, explaining what she witnessed and also what she actively participated in during her time as a medical midwife. I believe it helps to have a deeper und...

In this episode, I am chatting with Midwife and  IBCLC Lactation Consultant Katie James. We chat about all aspects of breastfeeding including - the breast crawl, how birth affects breastfeeding, how partners can support breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and Katie's amazing new online breastfeeding course.  You can find Katie -  Instagram @themidwivescauldron Katie's website and breast...

In this episode, I am chatting with birth cartographer Catherine Bell.  Catherine shares with us what a birth map is and how she came up with the idea.  She also explains in detail how the book and game work, where you can access them, and how you can use them to prepare for a positive birth experience.  Follow Catherine on Instagram @birthmapping Catherines website www.birthmap.life Send me a mes...

In this week's episode, I am chatting with the lovely Victoria from @freetobirth, who shares the stark difference between her two births. One was a planned homebirth that moved to hospital and the other was a planned homebirth that progressed to a freebirth.  Victoria candidly shares how her lack of birth preparation affected her ability to cope in her first birth experience and she also didn...

In today's episode, I am giving you a quick run-through of the 5 Key Physiological Principles that make up the book The Art of Giving Birth. I am delighted to give you a brief overview of each principle and outline what is covered in the book.  Don't forget you can download the Introduction and Chapter One for FREE before deciding if this book is for you.   Send me a message If you love...

In this week's episode of the podcast, I am answering a variety of questions about giving birth, with topics that include - What to do if you experience a plateau in labour and you feel an urge to push, the use of a safety word, how to keep your energy up when birth is long,  how a birth partner or doula should behave during the birth, should you have more than one birth plan and much much mo...

In this episode, I am talking about all things C-section with the C-section coach Divina Johnson.  We talk in detail about Divina's three very different C-section experiences, two of which were very traumatic. In addition, we chat about her third very healing birth which led to her becoming the C-section coach and supporting others to have a positive abdominal birth.  Instagram - @csectioncoa...

In this week's episode, I am chatting to Dr. Nathan Riley AKA The Holistic OBGYN. We have a really open and honest discussion about so many aspects of Nathan's journey into becoming an MD who specialised in Obstetrics, and how and why he is now working privately. Nathan has some incredible insights into his work, and he also shares with us how tough it was when it was time for his first...

In this episode, I am chatting with Debra Pascali-Bonaro about Orgasmic Birth.  Debra and I get into a wonderful conversation about what is an orgasmic birth - and how we can benefit from learning more about the body's capabilities of giving birth in a pleasurable way. The more we talk openly about our body and our body parts, the more we can recognise how to enjoy birth, and embrace the sens...

In this episode, I am chatting all things Induction with Dr. Murphy who has very bravely agreed to come on and share with us what the Arrive Trial was about and how it has dramatically changed practice within maternity services across the world - and definitely not for the better (in my opinion).  Choosing to accept or decline an induction is a very personal decision - but it's hard to make a...

In this week's episode, I am enjoying a conversation with the lovely Lydia who is an NHS midwife in Birmingham. Lydia shares her experience of being a continuity midwife, pregnancy yoga teacher, and hypnobirthing instructor who is also now pregnant and expecting her first baby.   We chat about a wide range of topics relating to her role as a midwife and her own preparation for birth and that...

In this episode, I am chatting with the incredible Anna Verwaal who shares her thoughts and feelings about the lasting imprints that live within us from our own time in the womb and the birth experiences we have.  Anna talks about conscious conception and how we can help support our children to come into being with the most optimal conditions possible because we can work on and ideally eliminate m...

Poppy Child from @popthatmumma shares her experience of giving birth in the NHS maternity system. Poppy's birth is inspirational - however, there were a few twists and turns. This is a really great story that will help you to identify some key reasons why you should always follow your body during physiological birth because Poppy almost lost out on her dream birth at the final hurdle. Instagr...

In this episode I am chatting with Lily Nichols RDN who shares with us why it's useful to know more about the foods you eat and how they can affect your blood sugar levels. We spoke in detail about the different screening methods for Gestational Diabetes and why it's important to understand what each test is for - so you will know if you want to accept or decline.  Lily also gave tips on...

In this week's episode, I am chatting with new mum Yazz Salah, who shares her story of planning and achieving a homebirth with her first baby.  The preparation of her birth partner was integral to her success, and despite a few bumps in the road, Yazz had a beautiful birth - at home.  If you enjoy this episode - please leave a 5 *rating and review and share it with your friends. Send me a mes...

In today's episode, I am chatting about all things birth with the lovely Daisy Dinwoodie, a fellow doula, and pregnancy yoga teacher. We chat about our role as doulas and offer birth stories and experiences about anything from c-section to free birth.  We laugh about the idea that many care providers think they offer shared decision making and we offer words of advice to pregnant women and th...

Hayley and Katja Schoenberg bravely share their story of conceiving using donor sperm, going through a pregnancy during covid times, and having an unwanted induction of labour for a predicted big baby, which lead to a traumatic birth experience for them both.   This isn't an easy story to hear, but it's essential for both you and your partner to understand so you can try to avoid going t...

In this week's episode, I had the privilege of chatting with Rosemary Umolu.  Rosemary is a Midwife & Herbalist helping women get rid of period pains. Her love of nature & reproductive health inspired her to become a midwife, combining herbal knowledge and traditional skills to help women birth safely. We spoke of her journey to becoming a herbalist, the importance of self-care, her r...

I am back with Season 3 of the podcast, and in this episode I am flying solo.  I wanted to record this episode alone and share with you all my personal stance on the difference between the three ways you can give birth. I believe it is essential for every pregnant woman or person to fully understand their options when planning for birth so that when you know the 3 different types of birth, you can...

In the last episode of Season 2, I am answering some of the questions that were sent to me by my listeners. I am covering information on birth preparation, birth partners, vaginal examinations, induction of labour, doulas, breastfeeding and much more...  It can be so helpful to listen to the many unexpected nuggets of information that come up when questions are being answered.  I will be back with...

In this week's episode, I am chatting with Dr Jenna Brough who is a perinatal clinical psychologist. We get into a deep discussion about the term 'normal' and how it relates to birth. How medicalised birth and intervention is seen as the norm and how most recommendations for intervention are based on fear of litigation. Book a session with Jenna https://linktr.ee/tribepsychology You...

In this week's episode, I am chatting with Laura Berkeley who shares with us her journey through two very different pregnancy and birth experiences - where she suffered hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and had a vaginal breech birth at home with her second baby during Covid.  Laura gives great tips and information about becoming a mother and what has worked well for her since the birth of her firs...

In this week's episode, I am talking to the lovely Aimee Strongman from Glow Yoga in Dorset.  She shares with us her wisdom on the motherhood journey, taken from her pregnancy yoga classes - which helps support the women who attend her sessions, to tune into their instincts and incorporate the tools she offers on the mind, body connection.  As a pregnancy yoga teacher, Aimee really understand...

In this episode, I am chatting to the lovely Sheena Byrom, as she shares her story of working in the maternity system, and what it has been like from the 1970's - to the current day. Sheena talks of her time as a student, and how her career has led her through many different roles, finally becoming the head of midwifery for a large trust - which included setting up 3 midwife-led units.  Her i...