Second trimester pregnancy can bring more energy and fewer symptoms—but also fewer appointments, changing baby movements, a growing bump and new decisions about work.

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Everyone calls the second trimester the “easy” trimester.

And physically, it often can be easier. My nausea, bloating and intense fatigue gradually improved, and by around 18 weeks I finally started to feel more like myself.

But the second trimester can also feel strangely quiet.

Your bump is growing. You are waiting to feel your baby move. You may be approaching your 20-week scan. And if you are receiving routine NHS maternity care, there can be long gaps between appointments.

For me, this was also the stage when my pregnancy became harder to hide at work. I was leaving one job, starting another and thinking carefully about when—and how—I wanted to tell my employers.

In this episode, I explore:

• When first-trimester symptoms may begin to improve
• What happens at the 20-week anomaly scan
• When you may begin to feel your baby move
• Why the second trimester can feel medically quiet
• Symptoms that still need medical assessment
• How pregnancy can affect your mood and mental health
• When you may need to tell your employer
• Why having more energy does not mean you have to do everything

I’m Dr Remi, an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor, and this series follows my journey through preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and beyond—combining personal experience with practical information to help you understand what is happening to your body, mind and life.

Subscribe for the next episode about navigating the third trimester, preparing for birth and what happened at the end of my pregnancy.

This video provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Contact your maternity team if you have concerns about your pregnancy or your baby’s movements.

First trimester pregnancy can bring nausea, fatigue, bloating, anxiety, early scans and questions about work. In this episode, I share my early pregnancy symptoms and how I navigated the first trimester.

The first trimester can feel physically intense, mentally noisy and strangely lonely.

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Your body is changing. You may be worried about miscarriage. You might be trying to hide pregnancy symptoms at work, deciding when to tell your employer, waiting for your first scan and wondering whether what you are experiencing is normal.

In this episode of Making Room, I share what my own first trimester was actually like as an Obstetrics & Gynaecology doctor, working mother and third-time mum.

I talk about:

• first trimester symptoms including nausea, fatigue, bloating, heartburn and food aversions
• struggling to exercise in early pregnancy
• having an early pregnancy scan and discovering my dates were wrong
• anxiety while waiting for the 12-week scan
• applying for and accepting a new job while pregnant
• when to tell work you are pregnant
• workplace risks and pregnancy adjustments
• the mental load of the “silent trimester”
• what happens at your pregnancy booking appointment
• why you do not have to simply put up with difficult pregnancy symptoms

There is no perfect way to navigate the first trimester.

My hope is that this episode helps you understand what may be happening, think about what support you need and feel more confident asking questions about your pregnancy.

Subscribe to Her Health Room for weekly videos helping you navigate pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood with more clarity, safety and support.

The next episode is all about the second trimester — baby movements, the 20-week scan, work, your changing body and what happens when pregnancy starts to feel very real.

And tell me in the comments:

What has been the hardest part of your first trimester — the symptoms, the uncertainty, work, or something else?

#FirstTrimester #Pregnancy #EarlyPregnancy #PregnancySymptoms #PregnantAtWork #Motherhood

We talk so much about preparing for birth, but very little about what comes after.

In this episode of Making Room for Pregnancy and Postpartum, I’m joined by Dr Julie Hammond - a GP, mother, founder of mamAR and author of The Fourth Trimester: The Best Friend’s Guide to Your Postpartum Body and Mind.

Connect with me:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HerHealthRoom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herhealthroom_/
Join the event waitlist: https://www.herhealthroom.com/waitlist

This is a conversation about postnatal recovery and why mothers need more than a six-week check.

We talk about the physical, emotional, social and cultural realities of life after birth, including postnatal depression and anxiety, intrusive thoughts, pelvic floor symptoms, painful sex, loneliness, returning to work, and the pressure to “do maternity leave well.”

Julie also shares her experience of pregnancy loss, pregnancy after loss, and what it taught her about the gaps in postnatal care — especially for women who are recovering physically and emotionally without bringing a baby home.

We also discuss why she created mamAR, a digital platform supporting parents from preconception through to the early years, and how better education, community and access to trusted professionals can help parents before they reach crisis point.

This episode is for anyone who is pregnant, newly postpartum, recovering after loss, preparing for the fourth trimester, or supporting a mother through this season.

Pre-order Dr Julie Hammond’s book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1399824678?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_VN9K37FNNZSZ5AERPKZE&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_VN9K37FNNZSZ5AERPKZE&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_VN9K37FNNZSZ5AERPKZE&bestFormat=true

Find Dr Julie Hammond:
Instagram: @drjulie_gp
LinkedIn: Dr Julie Hammond
mamAR: www.mamahealth.com

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with one woman who is pregnant, postpartum, recovering after loss, or trying to make sense of her own recovery.

Pregnancy, postpartum health, women’s health and longevity are deeply connected. Learn what pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, sleep, pelvic floor health and recovery may reveal about your future.

Join the waitlist - https://www.herhealthroom.com/waitlist

What if pregnancy was not only about having a baby, and postpartum was not only about recovering from birth?

In this episode of Making Room, I explore why pregnancy is often described as a stress test for the body—and how what happens during pregnancy and postpartum could provide clues about your health 10, 20 or even 30 years from now.

Timestamps
0:00 Pregnancy as a Longevity Clue
2:17 Welcome to Making Room with Dr. Remi
4:25 Pregnancy Reveals Your Future Health Risks
8:01 The Four Horsemen of Chronic Disease for Moms
13:44 Cancer Screening & Taking Stock of Your Health

Your pregnancy story and postpartum recovery are not irrelevant to your lifelong health. They are information.

This episode will help you consider:

What did pregnancy reveal about your body?
What has postpartum exposed?
What have you normalised?
What should you take seriously now, rather than continuing to pay for it years later?

Share in the comments: What did pregnancy or postpartum reveal about your health—and did you receive the follow-up you needed?

Subscribe to Making Room for honest, practical conversations that help women navigate pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood with more clarity.

Watch next: What to do after gestational diabetes.

This video is for education and general information only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

#PregnancyHealth #PostpartumHealth #WomensHealth #Longevity #MaternalHealth

In the first episode of this pregnancy and postpartum journey series, Dr Remi shares what it was like trying to conceive her third baby over the age of 35.

Although this pregnancy did not take long to conceive medically, it took longer than her previous pregnancies. And with a low AMH result, shorter cycles, ovulation tracking and the emotional weight of waiting in the background, it brought up more anxiety than she expected.

This episode explores the stage before the positive pregnancy test: stopping contraception, understanding cycle changes, using ovulation kits and wearable data, fertility testing, AMH, supplements, folic acid, vitamin D, iron deficiency, when to seek help, and how to prepare for pregnancy without falling into fear or fertility “hacking.”

It is an honest, evidence-informed conversation about trying to conceive over 35, from the perspective of an Obstetrics and Gynaecology doctor, mother and woman navigating the experience herself.

This is not individual medical advice. Please speak to your own doctor, midwife or fertility specialist for advice about your personal circumstances.

Join the Her Health Room workshop waitlist: https://www.herhealthroom.com/waitlist

Gynae checklist - https://herhealthroom.kit.com/47237857

Follow or subscribe to hear the next episode in the series, where Dr Remi talks about the positive test and the first trimester.

You can be grateful for the child you have and still grieve the baby you are struggling to conceive.

In this episode of Making Room, Dr Remi is joined by Dr Nagla, a fertility specialist and obstetrics and gynaecology doctor, to talk about secondary infertility — when you have had a baby before, but trying for baby number two is taking longer than expected.

They discuss why it can feel so isolating, why women often delay seeking help, and why hearing “at least you already have one” can feel so painful.

This conversation covers what secondary infertility is, why it happens, when to seek help, and what fertility tests may be needed — including blood tests, AMH, semen analysis, ultrasound scans and checks for the fallopian tubes.

Dr Remi and Dr Nagla also discuss low AMH, unexplained infertility, sperm health, C-section scar niches, fibroids, endometriosis, painful or irregular periods, IVF costs, IVF abroad, treatment add-ons and how to advocate for yourself if you feel dismissed.

This episode is for the woman who has been quietly powering through, telling herself to wait a little longer, but knows deep down she wants clarity.

This podcast is for general education only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Please speak to your GP, fertility specialist or healthcare professional about your own situation.

Important links 

Dr Nagla - https://www.instagram.com/fertilitydrnagla/

Dr Remi - https://www.youtube.com/@HerHealthRoom or https://www.instagram.com/herhealthroom_/

Considering IVF check these websites 
- https://www.hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-fertility-clinic/search/
- https://www.unimelb.edu.au/ivf

Are you six weeks postpartum and scared to have sex again?

In this episode of Making Room, Dr Remi talks honestly about sex after childbirth and why six weeks is not a deadline. We unpack the real questions many women have after birth: Will it hurt? Will my body feel different? What if I do not want sex? What if I feel touched out? And what if my partner feels ready before I do?

Remi explains the physical reasons sex can feel uncomfortable after birth, including tears, stitches, caesarean recovery, pelvic-floor changes, breastfeeding-related vaginal dryness and contraception. She also explores the emotional and relational side of intimacy after birth, including fatigue, low libido, loneliness, pressure from a partner and how to know whether you actually feel ready.

This episode is not about telling every woman when she should have sex again. It is about helping you understand your body, your recovery and your choices, so that intimacy after birth feels physically comfortable, emotionally safe and freely wanted.

Your body is still yours.

Pelvic floor exercises for women, postpartum pelvic floor recovery, urine leakage, bowel leakage, prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction after birth, explained by an NHS pelvic health physiotherapist.

📖 DOWNLOAD THE POSTPARTUM GUIDE - https://www.herhealthroom.com/waitlist

Most women associate pelvic-floor problems with leaking urine. But your pelvic floor also affects your bowel control, sexual function, pelvic organs and ability to return to exercise after birth.

In this episode of Making Room, Dr Remi is joined by NHS pelvic health physiotherapist Adenike Ibikunle to discuss the pelvic-floor symptoms women are often too embarrassed to mention and why common does not mean normal.

We discuss:

Your symptoms are not something you have to quietly tolerate. Speak to your GP, midwife or healthcare professional if you are experiencing leakage, pain, heaviness, urgency or changes in bladder or bowel control.

ABOUT DR REMI
I’m Dr Remi, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and founder of Her Health Room—a media and advisory company helping women navigate pregnancy, postpartum and the systems surrounding their care with greater clarity.

Connect with Dr Remi 

Youtube @Herhealthroom 
Instagram @Herhealthroom_

ABOUT ADENIKE IBIKUNLE
Adenike Ibikunle is a Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist with more than five years of experience across women’s health, musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy. She has supported more than 1,000 women through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, pelvic-floor dysfunction and returning to exercise. Alongside her NHS role, she is Head Physiotherapist at Guildford Football Club.

Connect with Adenike on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adenike-ibikunle-689656228/

Subscribe for evidence-informed conversations about pregnancy, postpartum and women’s lifelong health.

This video provides general educational information and does not replace individual medical assessment or advice.

#PelvicFloor #PostpartumRecovery #WomensHealth

TikTok birth stories can be powerful. They can help women feel less alone, more informed, and more confident about speaking up during labour.

But they are not your midwife.

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Find me on Instagram - www.instagram.com/herhealthroom_
Website - www.herhealthroom.com

In this episode of Making Room, Dr Remi talks about the danger of applying someone else’s birth story to your own labour without the full clinical context.

We discuss a viral-style birth story where a woman was told her baby was “distressed”, was offered a caesarean section, said no, and went on to have a vaginal birth. It is easy to hear a story like that and think: “If they offer me a caesarean, I should say no too.”

But birth decisions are rarely that simple.

This episode explores what clinicians may mean when they say a baby is “distressed”, why caesarean section recommendations can feel frightening or confusing, and why true birth advocacy is not just saying no. It is asking better questions.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why viral birth stories often miss the most important context
• What “baby distressed” may actually mean in labour
• Why a caesarean section may be recommended
• Why maternity care can feel coercive, even when clinicians are trying to keep mother and baby safe
• How social media can increase fear around birth decisions
• Why advocacy is not about refusing everything
• Questions to ask before accepting or refusing an intervention
• How partners, doulas and birth supporters can help you speak up in labour
• Why clinicians need to use clearer language with women and families

Questions you can ask in labour:

“What does that mean?”
“How urgent is this?”
“What happens if I say no?”
“What happens if I say yes?”
“Is there anything else we can try?”
“Can I have a few minutes to speak to my partner?”
“Can I have a second opinion?”

This episode is for pregnant women, birth partners, postpartum women, doulas, midwives, doctors and anyone trying to understand birth decisions beyond social media soundbites.

Making Room is a podcast from Her Health Room, helping women navigate pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood beyond the guidelines.

DISCLAIMER
This episode is for education only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Please speak to your own midwife, doctor or maternity team about your individual pregnancy and birth circumstances.

Everyone warns you about sleepless nights. Nobody warns you about what the sleep deprivation actually does to you - your confidence, your sense of self, your ability to function at work, your relationship with your own body.

In this episode, Dr Remi is joined by Temi, founder of Gentle Baby Sleep Help, a sleep and postnatal wellbeing consultant who works with families globally. Temi shares her own experience of struggling with sleep deprivation as a first-time mum - and how resolving it changed everything.

They talk about:

• Why so many mothers push through instead of asking for help
• The link between sleep deprivation and loss of identity (and matrescence)
• What gentle sleep support actually looks like — and why "no-cry" promises are a red flag
• The shame around sleep training, and how to let it go
• What happens to mothers when they go back to work still exhausted
• The unregulated postnatal wellness space — and how to navigate it safely
• Loneliness, community, and why representation in this space matters

Whether your baby is a newborn or your toddler is still finding their way into your bed at 3am, this episode is for you.

Join the community - Her Health Room 

Youtube: @HerHealthRoom 

Instagram:@HerHealthRoom_

🔗 Find Temi: 
Instagram: @GentleBabySleepHelp 

Website: gentlebabysleephelp.com 

Free 20-minute consultation: gentlebabysleephelp.com