Lockdown Babies

This week on the podcast, we hear from Rebecca, another lockdown mum who was forced to be apart from her family after her second baby was born in March 2021. She tells host Phillippa that although her daughter was born a whole year after the pandemic started, “it felt as though nothing in maternity had changed since the first lockdown”. Rebecca says she was left with PTSD from the ordeal and she doesn’t understand why maternity restrictions have taken so long to be lifted.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This week on the podcast, we’re shining a light on dads. Phillippa speaks to Jeremy Davies from The Fatherhood Institute about the impact of the Covid maternity restrictions on father’s.

Jeremy says dad’s have always been left out when it comes to pregnancy, birth and beyond and Covid only served to highlight this even more. He touches on what more needs to be done to include fathers in the post and perinatal period and why doing so will benefit everyone!

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here or follow her on Twitter.

Follow The Fatherhood Institute on Twitter.

Like many women who had babies during lockdown, Daisie was left to look after her newborn baby in hospital for 5 days without the support of her husband and without a single visitor. Daisie says the first few days of her baby’s life were spent angry, paranoid and “planning her escape” from hospital. Daisie tells host Phillippa how she’s now using her experience of postnatal depression to help other women.

Join the Lockdown Mama Community Facebook group. And follow Daisie on Instagram.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

If you’re worried about how the pandemic might have affected your baby's development, this week’s episode is for you! I’m joined by Sally Hogg, Deputy CEO of the Parent Infant Foundation. We discuss the importance of the first 1001 days of a baby's life, the government’s response to babies over the past two years and the amazing work the foundation is doing to get services such as health visiting back up and running.

Sally also tells me about the charity's latest campaign to mark Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, understanding early trauma. And we discuss what parents can do to ensure we set our little ones up for success from day 1.

The Parent Infant Foundation works to advance thinking and practice, improve collective understanding, provide a much-needed national voice, and campaign for policy change. You can learn more about their work here.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

When Jenna turned up alone to her routine 20 week scan, she never could have predicted what she was about to hear.

This week on the podcast Jenna tells her story of learning about her daughter’s limb difference without the support of her partner by her side and the lasting impact that moment has had on her. She also tells us how she was separated from her baby for nearly a week when her appendix burst just 3 weeks after her baby was born.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This podcast is produced by OG Podcasts.

Midwife Laura: “It was very difficult to see the key principles of midwifery being eroded”

Laura Godfrey-Isaacs was working as a community midwife when the pandemic hit in March 2020. She shares her experience of having to adapt to ever-changing rules, the difficulties of working as a community midwife from home, plus dealing with her own personal worries following a breast cancer diagnosis. We also talk about the power of journaling throughout pregnancy and afterwards and about her brilliant resource, Maternal Journal.

You can read more about Laura’s work here.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This podcast is produced by OG Podcasts.

This week on the podcast, I speak to Nilushka Perera and Mariana Santos da Silva from the charity Best Beginnings. The organisation works to inform and empower parents who want to maximise their children's long-term development and well-being. They’re also behind the Baby Buddy App.

Nilushka and Marianna tell me about the charity's important research highlighting the issues parents faced, the lack of support for families and the inequalities in babies’ early experiences during lockdown. They also share the findings of their ‘one year on’ review which is titled 'No one wants to see my baby'.

Nilushka is the Head of Evaluation Impact and Policy at Best Beginnings and also had her own baby during lockdown and Mariana is one of the Evaluation, Policy and Impact Officers who worked on this important research.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This podcast is produced by OG Podcasts.

You can learn more about Best Beginnings here.

You can read more about the Babies in Lockdown Report here and Babies in Lockdown Report one year on here.

Anna gave birth to her second baby in February 2020, just weeks before all of lives were flipped upside down due to the pandemic. Anna describes how she juggled a newborn and a toddler as we were plunged into lockdown and how she fought for months to get concerns about her daughter's health taken seriously.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This podcast is produced by OG Podcasts.

If you’ve struggled with any of the topics we’ve raised in today’s episode, please see the links below for help and support.

Birth Trauma Association - https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

Pandas Foundation - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/what-is-pnd/birth-trauma/

MIND - https://bit.ly/35Lbaos

NHS Report into babies born in lockdown - https://bit.ly/3tQuit4

This week we hear from Francesca Treadaway, mum to George and Engagement Director at the charity Birthrights. Francesca tells us how her own traumatic pandemic birth led her to a new career with Birthrights - a charity which champions respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth by protecting human rights. We hear about the amazing work Birthrights did throughout the pandemic, and continue to do to support families.

You can read more about Birthrights here. And follow them on Twitter here.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

This podcast is produced by OG Podcasts.

Listen to Calm History on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Android.

If you’ve struggled with any of the topics we’ve raised in today’s episode, please see the links below for help and support.

Birth Trauma Association - https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

Pandas Foundation - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/what-is-pnd/birth-trauma/

MIND - https://bit.ly/35Lbaos

NHS Report into babies born in lockdown - https://bit.ly/3tQuit4

Natasha tells her story of having her baby in March 2021, a year after the first lockdown but still plagued with restrictions. Natasha also shares the heartbreak of being separated from her family in Canada until her baby was 6 months old.

Your host is Phillippa Guillou, a journalist and radio presenter whose own baby was born at the height of the pandemic. You can get in touch with Phillippa here.

You can listen to my chat with Laura from the Mother of All Solutions Podcast here or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

If you’ve struggled with any of the topics we’ve raised in today’s episode, please see the links below for help and support.

Birth Trauma Association - https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

Pandas Foundation - https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/what-is-pnd/birth-trauma/

MIND - https://bit.ly/35Lbaos

NHS Report into babies born in lockdown - https://bit.ly/3tQuit4