Midwife Pip® Podcast

It is not a surprise to us that our bodies undergo enormous change during pregnancy and childbirth and one of the biggest issue’s women are often faced with is diastasis recti- whereby the abdominal muscles separate, leaving a gap.

For many women this can have a huge impact on their physical and psychological wellness, and it is not a condition that is commonly discussed prenatally leaving women unsure as to why a diastasis has happened to their body and what can be done to help correct it.

So, I am very pleased to be joined by Diastasis Recti expert Grainne Donnelly to reveal all we need to know about this surprisingly common symptom.

Gráinne is an Advanced Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health. Her particular areas of interest include diastasis rectus abdominis and perinatal exercise. She is involved in research on both of these topics and looks forward to exploring and developing how we understand them so that we can better serve the women of today. Gráinne is an honorary member of the Perinatal Physical Activity Research Team and is on the specialist advisory board of the Active Pregnancy Foundation. You can check out more of Grainne’s fantastic information and resources over on her Instagram page @absolute.physio and website https://www.absolute.physio.

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.74

1 in 4 women give birth by caesarean and it really is about time we made sure every woman who gives birth abdominally feels she had an individualised, empowered and truly positive birth.

I am super excited to be joined this week by the wonderful Amy Lane, award winning digital editor for women’s health, host of Well Far an inspirational running podcast and author of ‘I can run’. But on top of all of this incredible work Amy is also a mum to two beautiful boys- Huxley and more recently welcomed little Bo into the world through a gentle caesarean birth and I cannot wait to talk about this experience and ways in which we can help assure a caesarean is a positive birthing experience.

Amy also kindly offers to answer any non-medical questions you may have around gentle caesarean birth on her Instagram page @wellness_ed.

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.61

We are going there! We are talking about sex during pregnancy and after you have had a baby. One of those subjects you may not want to talk with your mum or friends about but fear not because here on my podcast we love diving into taboo subjects and making sure no stone is left unturned.

Sex is a topic that often makes us blush or shy away from discussion, but I am not sure anything could make this week’s guest blush, as a sex educator April Davis spends her days writing about vaginas.

On Instagram as @thevaginablog April openly discusses all the things you want to ask but are too shy to. April describes herself as the reason you slightly tilt your phone away from others when you're scrolling and that is the exact reason, she is the perfect guest to join us today.

I am very grateful that April is taking time out from blogging at thevaginblog.com and swapping seats from hosting her own podcast to join me here today to share why talking about sex and vaginas need not make you blush.

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.59

You survive the newborn period and before you know it, it is time to start weaning your little one. Weaning a baby is something that causes many parents some anxiety and with so much conflicting information out there it is no wonder. Now, we all want to do the very best for our babies and transition to weaning in as positive and smooth way as possible so I am very excited for this week’s expert guest to join me and share what you need to know about weaning your baby. Charlotte Stirling Read is here to rescue us from all the confusion

Charlotte is “The Baby & Child Nutritionist” and founder of SR Nutrition. Charlotte really is an expert in the area of baby weaning, as a Registered Nutritionist who has supported thousands of families with feeding their little ones. In fact, Charlotte is such a leading expert in this field that she has won many awards for her work, most recently winning the Best Blog and Best Online Resource for Weaning Week in 2020. And when not winning awards Charlotte has also featured on many TV programmes such as Jamie & Jamie’s Friday Night Feast and worked with celebrities including collaborating with Joe Wicks for the publication of his book ‘Wean in 15’.

Charlotte’s writing expertise are so that she is also the author of her bestselling book How to Wean Your Baby, this is absolutely an essential read for anyone on weaning a journey :

https://tinyurl.com/2p87r832

Be sure to follow Charlotte on family adventures and lots more weaning inspo on Instagram @sr_nutrition

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Midwife Pip x 

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.57

Motherhood is the most beautiful, chaotic whirlwind. Some days you feel on top of the world and like you are smashing it and other days feel like they are a month long and full of relentless hurdles. We wouldn’t change it for the world, but that doesn’t mean that it is easy, so how can we mother in a more mindful way to make those rollercoaster days a little easier on us and the whole family?

This week I am so excited to chat to Izzy Judd, who as a mum of 3 is very aware of the challenges that come alongside motherhood.

Izzy is also a violinist and author of ‘Dare to Dream’ and ‘Mindfulness 4 Mums’. Izzy has been affected by anxiety through her life and has found how mindfulness and self-care can bring some calm to motherhood and that getting the family involved can help your little ones too.

Follow Izzy on Instagram @mrs_izzyjudd and check out her fantastic books which are genuinely among the most powerful I have read sharing her journey to motherhood and simple tactics to bring a calmer energy to the life of a busy mum.

https://tinyurl.com/2eatemvp

https://tinyurl.com/2p8v6xtm

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Get in Touch:

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Midwife Pip x 

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.46.

Pregnancy is a momentous time in a woman’s life, our bodies are dipped into a rollercoaster of hormonal changes and the physical and psychological adaption that takes place is huge. Mental health is thankfully being discussed more in pregnancy than in previous generations but there is still an air of taboo that surrounds this subject and it is so important we break those barriers down to support women.

On this week’s episode I am joined by fellow midwife Tessa Van Der Vord, who is a specialist NHS Mental Health Midwife and can be found on Instagram as @mentalhealth_midwife.

We are going to discuss the why’s, how’s and what’s of pregnancy mental health and help women realise they are absolutely not alone in any struggles they may face on this journey.

Tessa is a registered midwife and has been working for the NHS for the past 12 years. Prior to this, she trained as a midwife in Manchester and then moved home - working at a London hospital ever since. She has worked in most areas of midwifery but then settled into a specialist mental health post in 2016. In November 2020, Tessa gave birth to her first baby (Rupert - “Roo”) and experienced being pregnant and becoming a parent in a global pandemic. For many reasons, this journey was a huge learning curve for Tessa and it has had an influence on her practice in many ways. Tessa is in the process of returning to work and is really looking forward to working with pregnant people and their families again.

Some of the resources mentioned by Tessa are below:

https://www.medicinesinpregnancy.org

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/postnatal-depression-and-perinatal-mental-health/about-maternal-mental-health-problems/

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.44

Think of a pregnant woman and I bet most of us recall seeing someone waddling about clutching their lower back looking somewhat less than comfortable. Pelvic girdle and back pain in pregnancy is a hugely common issue, so much so in fact that often we assume it is part and parcel of pregnancy and something we must simply endure. But what if that is not the case? On this week’s episode I am delighted to welcome back the wonderful Clare Bourne who you may remember from Season 1 when Clare shared so much wisdom on Pelvic Floor Health. I always learn so much when I chat with Clare and hope that you will too as we discuss the real truths around pelvic girdle and back pain in pregnancy.

Clare is an experienced Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and mum of 2. Clare’s passion for providing evidence-based information to mums during pregnancy and the postpartum period is driven by her ethos that women should never feel alone, or experience symptoms without support so I am immensely grateful that she is with us today. Check out more brilliant information by Clare on her Instagram page: @clarebournephysio

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.35

All expectant parents have one main goal in mind- to grow a healthy baby.

We have seen such a rise in childhood conditions such as asthma, eczema, allergies and obesity over recent years, all conditions that can be unpleasant, troublesome and affect the quality of a child’s life

But what if there was evidence that we could actively adopt some very simple lifestyle changes in pregnancy to help reduce the risks of such conditions?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I am all ears for this chat with the wonderful Michelle Henning. Michelle is a mother herself and author of ‘Grow Healthy Babies’ a book I highly recommend reading and is linked below:

https://www.growhealthybabies.com

Michelle and her husband suffered from lifelong allergies themselves and wanted their children to not have to endure the dietary restrictions, skin issues and health complications they had, had to and so this incredible book and resource for other parents was born.

On this episode Michelle shares some of the simple, yet highly effective and empowering things we can do in pregnancy and parenthood to help protect our babies from these common childhood conditions and to ultimately ‘grow healthy babies’.

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.33

Pregnancy is such a momentous time in a woman’s life, your body is entirely devoted to growing a new little human life… or two! Breasts, bums and bellies grow rounder, our skin changes, we grow a superhuman sense of smell and can often vomit or cry with the flick of a switch. There are undoubtably some welcome and some less welcome changes that happen as our bodies grow and change in pregnancy and I am so excited to chat this week with the wonderful Chessie King who knows very well about this adaptions as she is currently expecting a little girl herself.

I am in awe of Chessie’s body confidence and self love and think it really is something that all of us women need more of in our life so be sure to check her out on Instagram @chessiekingg

Chessie’s positive energy is truly infectious, and I am excited to share our chat and help other expectant mums to practice some self-love and compassion for our bodies on this journey.

If you have found this podcast useful, please don't forget to subscribe and leave a review so it can help reach other expectant parents.

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Midwife Pip x 

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Today's Bitesize clip is from episode E.32

One of the most important things to consider as a new parent is ways to practice safer sleeping with your little one. Sadly, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome claims the lives of around 4 babies each week in the UK so informing ourselves about ways to help reduce this risk and to ensure your baby is sleeping as safely as possible is a key part of parenthood preparation.

I am delighted to be joined on this week’s episode by the wonderful Stella parkin who works for The Lullaby Trust to talk through ways we can do just that and provide you with some of the essential information you need to support your little one’s safer sleeping journey.

If anyone has not yet checked out the lullaby trust website, I highly recommend that you do, it is a fantastic resource that can provide you with the best, evidence based information about safer sleeping and reducing the risk of SIDS.

Follow this link to check it out www.lullabytrust.org.uk/

For expectant or new parents under 25 years of age there is an additional resource available for you here: https://littlelullaby.org.uk

Joining us for today’s chat is Stella, Stella qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1986 at Guy’s Hospital, London. Following a range of nursing roles including as a practice nurse and school nurse, Stella undertook her health visitor qualification and gained a PGCE working as a lecturer on a range of health-related courses.

Stella initially joined The Lullaby Trust in 2016 as a Regional Development Officer in the South West. The role involved representing The Lullaby Trust at a regional level to raise and maintain awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) within the region and spread safer sleep messages, mainly through delivering training. She also supported bereaved parents in the region through annual Family Days and was the local contact for Lullaby Trust befrienders.

Stella now works as the Professional Development Lead within The Lullaby Trust. This new role means that Stella is involved with ensuring that The Lullaby Trust’s work reflects public health priorities.

I am so pleased Stella is joining us today to share her tips, tricks and important facts about safer sleeping that could, quite honestly, help to save a baby’s life.

If you have found this podcast useful, please don't forget to subscribe and leave a review so it can help reach other expectant parents.

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Midwife Pip x 

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