Postpartum Recovery: Preparing for the Part No One Talks About | Hilary MetcalfeMost parents prepare carefully for birth, but far fewer prepare for the weeks and months that follow.In this episode, Hilary Metcalfe, co-founder of The Sabi, shares how her first postpartum experience changed the way she approached her second. We discuss recovery, sleep, hormones, practical support, the loss of the village, and why self-care after birth is essential maintenance, not a luxury.Hilary also explains how her own experience with adenomyosis and hormonal migraines led her to explore holistic health, herbalism, and the creation of The Sabi.In this episode:- Why postpartum deserves more preparation- How Hilary’s first and second experiences differed- Building practical support before the baby arrives- Sleep, hormones, stress, and recovery- Why honest conversations about motherhood matterChapters00:00 – Introduction and Hilary’s story06:30 – From hormonal health struggles to The Sabi15:05 – Why postpartum is uniquely challenging23:08 – What changed between Hilary’s first and second babies45:26 – Sleep, self-care, and protecting maternal wellbeingFind Hilary and The Sabi at thesabi.co and @thesabi.co.This episode is for education and conversation - not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your individual health and postpartum needs.

In this second conversation with Andrea Ippolito, founder of SimpliFed, we pick up where feeding gets less acute and more logistical: the fourth trimester, and the return to work. Andrea talks about the confidence that only arrived by her third baby, why she rehearses the first day back at work weeks in advance rather than the night before, what she wishes she had known about bottles and pumps before she needed them, and the line she keeps coming back to - there are things you can control, and a much bigger pile that you can't. We also sit with the tension in all of this: how to plan enough to feel steady, without turning early motherhood into a checklist you can fail at.

Breastfeeding gets framed like something you should just instinctively know how to do. The reality? Most new parents are underprepared, overwhelmed, and left trying to decode latching, pain, milk supply, pumping, bottles, and whether they’re "doing it right" in the middle of total postpartum chaos.Andrea Ippolito, founder and CEO of SimpliFed, shares the hard-earned lessons she learned across three very different feeding journeys - and the clinical, practical support that can change everything when you’re in the thick of it.You’ll discover:- Why milk often takes 2 to 5 days to come in, and why this is more than most people realise- What to do if breastfeeding is painfully toe-curling- Why feeding rhythms are different for every baby, and why trying to force a rigid schedule can backfire- How to create a real back-to-work feeding plan weeks in advance- What "control, choice, and grace" actually look like when your plans changeWe also break down the emotional side of feeding that rarely gets spoken about: the feeling of failure when expectations and reality collide, the pressure to suffer in silence, and the relief that comes from knowing you are not trapped by one perfect path. Andrea explains why inclusive lactation support matters, how prenatal consultations can set you up for success, and why getting help early can make breastfeeding last longer and feel more manageable.This conversation is especially valuable if you’re pregnant, in the first few postpartum weeks, preparing to return to work, or supporting someone who is. If you want realistic guidance instead of social-media fantasy, this episode gives you exactly that.Andrea also shares how SimpliFed supports families from pregnancy through postpartum with virtual breastfeeding and baby-feeding care. Essential listening if you want to feel more prepared, less reactive, and far less alone.

Breaking generational trauma is messy, painful, and possible. Kayla Branstetter shares the real stories behind Don't Be an Athena and the turning points that helped women stop passing wounds forward - from teen pregnancy and poverty to grief, infertility, and the pressure to live by someone else’s script.This conversation goes beyond inspiration and gets practical about what it actually takes to change a family pattern. Kayla and Patrick unpack how shame becomes a cycle, why resilience is rarely a personality trait at the start, and how awareness can become the first real act of freedom.You’ll discover:- Why Kayla’s mother Tammy became the blueprint for breaking the cycle after teen pregnancy and relentless judgment- How Toni, an Indigenous woman from the Navajo Nation, survived abuse, poverty, abandonment, and still chose a different path- Why Audrey’s story shows that generational trauma isn’t only about abuse - it can also be about rewriting the rules society hands you- What it really looks like to let go of anger, reclaim agency, and make a conscious decision that “it stops here”- How parents accidentally pass on fear, overprotection, and imbalance - even when they’re trying to do everything rightEssential listening for parents, mothers, and anyone trying to break a cycle before it reaches the next generation.

In this episode, we explore societal influences on individual and community judgment, healthcare disparities, and the importance of awareness and empowerment in overcoming systemic challenges.

Guest Kayla Branstetter shares insights from her work and personal journey, emphasising the need for cultural understanding and systemic change.

Content note: This episode discusses abuse, infertility and postnatal depression. If you're affected, support is available.

In this first of three conversations with author, TED speaker and professor Kayla Branstetter, we explore the ideas behind her book Don't Be an Athena. We talk about why women face judgment no matter which path they take, how the myth of Medusa and Athena still plays out in everyday life, what it means to reclaim the power of choice when others weigh in on your body and your decisions, and how visibility and storytelling can break cycles that pass from one generation to the next.

In part one we looked at why pregnancy loss falls through the gap: medically low priority, personally enormous. In this conversation with Melissa from Sibyl, we look at what can actually be done about it, at three levels.

We talk about what an individual can do in the days after a loss, why so few products are built for an experience that affects up to one in four pregnancies, and what partners and friends can offer that genuinely helps.

We also get into what a better system would look like: research that gives people real answers instead of "nature taking its course", and closing the digital black hole where women delete their pregnancy app and find nothing waiting for them until they download it again.

Timestamps

01:55 Understanding the Acuity Gap in Maternal Health15:53 Building Community Support for Mothers25:01 Envisioning a Better Future in Maternal Healthcare

Pregnancy loss sits in an awkward place. Medically it is usually low priority: predictable, rarely dangerous, often resolved with minimal intervention. Personally it can shape someone's mental health, work and relationships for years. In this conversation with Melissa Kaufman-Gomez, founder of Sibyl, we look at that mismatch and what it costs. We talk about what happens when a woman arrives at A&E during a loss and is triaged near the bottom of the list, why the quality of care in that hour is so closely tied to the mental health that follows it, why UK and Dutch guidance still asks women to go through three losses before basic testing is offered, and what changes when a generation starts telling these stories openly instead of privately. Melissa also shares her own experience of two missed miscarriages and a termination for medical reasons, and what she wishes someone had said to her at the time. This is part one, on the problem. Part two looks at what can be done about it.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Acuity Gap00:43 Understanding Pregnancy Loss and Its Impact03:47 The Medical System's Response to Pregnancy Loss10:26 Navigating the System: Challenges and Solutions18:03 Cultural Perspectives on Pregnancy Loss21:39 Empowering Mothers: Key Takeaways and Support

In this follow-up conversation with Professor Liona Poon, we move from problem to solution: the FIGO Pregnancy Passport - a simple tool she co-authored for women and their healthcare providers on health risks following pregnancy complications. We talk about why written information matters so much in those overwhelming early days, when a new mother is unlikely to retain much of what she's told, and how the act of filling in the passport herself becomes a quiet form of empowerment. We explore what the passport actually asks women to track, from blood pressure to weight to the milestones that coincide with their baby's check-ups, and why sustained breastfeeding carries real benefits for the mother and not only the baby. We also look ahead to Liona's hopes for holistic, multidisciplinary postnatal care and a digital passport that connects with everyday health tools.

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 into a woman's long-term health.

We explore why the mother so often comes last, behind the baby, the family and her own expectation to simply cope, and we look at Liona's research showing that a woman's heart can still be recovering a full year after birth, long after the six-week check has declared her well.

We also discuss what a genuine shift in postnatal care could look like, and the small, practical changes that might protect women's hearts for decades to come.