Mother Bodies

How would you feel about being shut alone in a dark room for two weeks after having a baby? How about going back to work in a factory 24 hours after birth? Academic Dr Jessica Cox chats to journalist Rosie Taylor about some of the strange and contradictory Victorian attitudes and practices around new motherhood. She discusses the progress we've made since the 19th century, the things that haven't changed - and what this tells us about our society's treatment of new mothers today.

Jess's latest book Confinement: The Hidden History of Maternal Bodies in Nineteenth-Century Britain will be published by the History Press next year. You can get updates on where you can preorder and hear more from Jess by following her on Twitter: @JessJCox. You can see some of her previous books on Victorian literature here.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pelvic health physiotherapist Emma Brockwell chats to journalist Rosie Taylor about what science says about the best ways to return to running and high-impact exercise after pregnancy and birth. Emma, who is the author of the pregnancy and postnatal health guide Why Did No One Tell Me?, also reveals the things that most surprise almost every new mum she sees in her clinic - and why it's OK not to be perfect at doing your pelvic floor exercises.

You can follow Emma on Instagram: @physiomumuk, Facebook: @PhysioMum and Twitter: @emma_physiomum. For more information on returning to running, the guidelines are available on her website: www.physiomum.co.uk. You can also check out her podcast with Gráinne Donnelly, At Your Cervix.

If you're interested in booking an appointment with a women's health physio, you can request an NHS referral via your GP or search for a local private physio here.

Organisations that offer help and support with postnatal mental health issues include Pandas and Make Birth Better (for birth trauma).

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sara Tateno, a mum-of-two, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Happity baby class booking website and app, talks to journalist Rosie Taylor about how joining baby classes saved her sanity as a new mum, why she learnt to code on maternity leave, and how the world of work needs to change to improve the lives of both mums and dads.

You can follow Sara on Instagram: @happity.sara and follow Happity: @happity.co.uk. You can find and book baby classes in your area here.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Rosie Taylor visits the Royal College of Midwives' annual conference in Newport, Wales, to find out what midwives think about the what's going on with postnatal care in the UK. She speaks to midwife Lia Brigante, the RCM's quality and standards advisor, about why postnatal care is still seen as the "Cinderella" of midwifery, why midwives aren't able to provide as much care to mothers as they would like to at the moment - and what we can do about it.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2018, broadcaster Helen Ledwick has been publicly sharing her experiences of her postnatal prolapse - firstly on Instagram as @whymumsdontjump, and then on the award-nominated podcast Why Mums Don't Jump. On this episode of Mother Bodies, she tells journalist Rosie Taylor her postnatal story, what inspired her to start breaking taboos by speaking out about prolapse and how we could empower women by teaching everyone more information about pelvic floors.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Silke Thistlewood, author of The Mother-Loving Guide and founder of Raise Up Mums, talks to journalist Rosie Taylor about how her postnatal anxiety inspired her to develop wellbeing resources for mums who just don't have the time to take time out. She discusses why having a second child was harder than she imagined and the tools she uses to stay grounded when everything feels overwhelming.

Check out Silke's resources (lots of them are free) on the Raise Up Mums website or join her free support community on Facebook: Raise Up Mums Community. You can order a copy of The Mother-Loving Guide here. Silke is also on Instagram @raiseupmums.

If you're based in the UK, these organisations are good places to start if you're looking for mental health advice or support:

:: The Maternal Mental Health Alliance has a list of available services, including a link so you can search for local services by postcode.

:: PaNDAS offers support for parents and families affected by postnatal depression.

:: The Birth Trauma Association offers support and advice to people affect by birth trauma.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Eloise Elphinstone is the GP we all wish we'd had at our six-week check. A mum of two and a specialist in women's health, she's passionate about improving the quality of postnatal healthcare mothers receive. In this episode, she speaks to journalist Rosie Taylor about why her own birth experiences fuelled her interest in this field, how women can make the most of their six-week checks - and what needs to change to improve the health service for mums everywhere.

You can follow Dr Elphinstone on Instagram: @the_womenshealth_gp and on Twitter: @EloiseElphinst1. You can also book a private appointment with her in person via the Menopause Care clinic in London. The postnatal health information leaflet that she wrote for the Family Planning Association is available here (you may need to register first but it's free to download).

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TW: This episode features discussion of abortion.

The U.S.-based journalist and author of Doing Harm Maya Dusenbery chats to journalist Rosie Taylor about why women often get second-rate medical care, the loss of birth information that used to be passed down through generations of women, and how social media is helping empower us with vital knowledge about our health. Maya also shares her own experience of abortion and discusses why the controversy around the issue is leaving women without practical information about how it works and how they'll feel afterwards.

You can find out more about Maya and sign up for her newsletter here - or follow her on Twitter @mayadusenbery.

If you're based in the UK and would like impartial advice and counselling on abortion, you can contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS).

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TW: This episode includes discussion of birth trauma.

Author of After Birth Jessica Hatcher-Moore talks to journalist Rosie Taylor about healing your body and mind after having a baby, her disappointing six-week check experiences and why jumping in freezing cold rivers helped her find herself again after becoming a mum.

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

Jessica's book After Birth: What Nobody Tells You - How to Recover Body and Mind is out now in paperback - you can order it here. You can also follow her on Instagram @jessicajanehatcher and Twitter @jessiehatcher.

If you've been affected by any of the issues affected in today's episode, you may find these links helpful:

:: The Birth Trauma Association offers support and advice to people affect by birth trauma.

:: MASIC supports women with severe perineal birth injuries.

Rosie's birth injury mentioned in the episode is called pubis symphysis diastasis (dislocation of the pelvis). Unfortunately there's very little information out there on this condition but if it has affected you or someone you know, she would really love to hear from you. Please email [email protected] if you'd like to chat.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Amy Brown, child public health expert and author of Covid Babies, talks to journalist Rosie Taylor about the lasting impact of lockdown on parents, the unexpected joy of strangers cooing over your baby and why pet shops are not adequate substitutes for health visitor clinics...

On the Mother Bodies podcast, Rosie is on a mission to find out why postnatal health is still so overlooked and to uncover the biases and inequalities which mean women so often don’t get the care, support or treatment they need after having a baby. She speaks to fascinating guests about their personal stories of recovery after birth, how the politics of postnatal health affects us all - and the big ideas which could change mothers' lives for the better.

You can order Covid Babies or any of Amy's other books - and sign up to her newsletter - here. Follow her on Instagram @prof_amybrown, on Twitter @Prof_AmyBrown or join her Facebook community @breastfeedinguncovered.

These organisations are good places to start if you're looking for mental health advice or support:

:: The Maternal Mental Health Alliance has a list of available services, including a link so you can search for local services by postcode.

:: PaNDAS offers support for parents and families affected by postnatal depression.

:: The Birth Trauma Association offers support and advice to people affect by birth trauma.

www.motherbodies.com

Insta: @motherbodies

Twitter: @motherbodies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.