Life before birth

In the final episode of Life Before Birth Rhian decides on whether she is going to try for a VBAC birth or planned cesarean section. We hear from a midwife about what happens when you are admitted to hospital in labour, and Rhian goes to Watford General Hospital to have her baby. 

Featuring
Sarah Puntis, midwife team leader, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 

Supporters
Life Before Birth is made in partnership with Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom.

In this episode, Rhian reaches the third trimester of pregnancy. She attends physiotherapy sessions for pelvic girdle pain, and becomes increasingly more uncomfortable. We also hear from a paediatric consultant who specialises in neonatology, about what happens if your baby is born prematurely.

Featuring

Nadia Perez, senior physiotherapist, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Damon Marriott, head of product development, Joie Baby

Dr Sankara Narayanan, paediatric consultant, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Antonio Sierra, consultant midwife,, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Supporters

Life Before Birth is made in partnership with Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom.

At 20 weeks gestation, you’re half-way through your pregnancy. A real milestone. Rhian gets excited about the 20 week anomaly scan where the baby can be seen in a lot more detail than at the 12 week ultrasound, but also comes to realise that the scan is so much more than a gender reveal. 

Featuring

Marcellina Coker, consultant gynaecologist, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Supporters

Life Before Birth is made in partnership with Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom   

Resources

www.tommys.org

In this episode, Rhian looks forward to the “golden period” of pregnancy where many of the unpleasant aspects of early pregnancy start to disappear. Rhian also finds out more about perinatal mental health, and asks how common is it to develop a mental health problem during pregnancy?

Featuring

Antonio Sierra, consultant midwife, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Raja Gangopadhyay, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Sofia Jawed Wessel, associate professor in the School of Health & Kinesiology, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)

Supporters

Life Before Birth is made in partnership with Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom.

Symptoms of early pregnancy can include an increased need to urinate, tender breasts, fatigue, and morning sickness. Rhian contends with the hormonal and physiological changes that come with pregnancy, and attends her first midwife appointment and the combined first trimester screening test.

Featuring

Antonio Sierra, consultant midwife, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Hannah Alderson, nutritionist, Carmenta Life

Ellen Dyer, sonographer, Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge

Marcellina Coker, consultant gynaecologist, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Supporters

Life Before Birth is made possible by Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom.

What can you do to improve your odds of having a baby? In this episode, we meet Rhian and her husband, who decide it’s the right time to try for baby number three. Through interviews with a fertility specialist, a nutritionist, and an NHS gynaecologist, Rhian gets the scoop on how you can prepare your body for a pregnancy, and what support is available if you’re not conceiving.

Featuring

Jane Knight, director, FertilityUK

Hannah Alderson, nutritionist, Carmenta Life

Yadava Jeve, consultant gynaecologist, Birmingham Women’s Hospital

Ruth Bender-Atik, national director, The Miscarriage Association

Supporters

Life Before Birth is made possible by Tommee Tippee. The series is supported by Joie Baby, Mum & You, and Frugi Bloom.

Resources

The Miscarriage Association provides clear and accurate downloadable leaflets on miscarriage.

Life before Birth will launch in Spring 2021, listen to the sneak peak and subscribe so you never miss an episode…

Life Before Birth is a story of the gradual loss of power women face as their personal plan for how they carry and birth their baby is displaced by the medical and social realities.

With unprecedented access to NHS doctor and midwife appointments, Life before Birth gives a behind the curtains look at the tough decisions a mum-to-be faces throughout her journey. Coupled with expert interviews and in-the-moment diary recordings, the podcast give the most complete and untold story of pregnancy.