Raising with the village

The Part Nobody Talks About: Baby Blues, Breastfeeding and How to End Your Feeding Journey

This episode contains an open and honest conversation about baby blues and postnatal mood. If you are struggling, please know that support is available — resources are listed below.

Candida is back.

If you caught episode six — Two Boys, a Newborn and a Cold Cup of Soup — you already know that Candida brings a warmth and an honesty to every conversation that is truly rare. And today, she is back to talk about something that has been sitting with her. Something she felt needed to be said out loud.

Because there is a part of new motherhood that nobody really talks about. A part that sits a little awkwardly next to the congratulations cards and the "you must be so happy" messages. A part that, when it happens to you, can leave you feeling not just low — but confused, lonely, and quietly ashamed for not feeling the way you thought you were supposed to feel.

Today we are talking about the baby blues. Not postnatal depression — but that dip. That real, hormonally driven, emotionally disorienting dip that can settle over so many new mothers in the weeks after birth. The one that the world around you doesn't always have space for. The one that can make you feel like you are the only one not feeling pure bliss — even when you are surrounded by people who love you.

Candida talks about the hormonal journey of breastfeeding and the way it intersected with her mood — both when she started, and when she ended. Because breastfeeding can be a beautiful, bonding, meaningful experience. And it can also feel like a tie. Like your body is no longer entirely your own. Like your baby's dependence on you, however rooted in love, can start to feel overwhelming.

And then there is the ending. The chapter nobody prepares you for. Because for all the guidance that exists around how to start breastfeeding, almost nobody tells you how to stop. Whether you are going back to work, ready to reclaim a little freedom, or simply done — what does that transition actually look and feel like? Physically, emotionally, hormonally?

Candida answers that question. And in doing so, she gives every mother listening today something quietly powerful.

Permission to feel all of it.

In this episode we talk about:

• The baby blues — what they are, what they feel like, and why nobody talks about them enough
• The difference between baby blues and postnatal depression
• The hormonal journey of breastfeeding and its impact on mood
• How breastfeeding can feel like a beautiful experience and a tie at the same time
• The loneliness and shame that can come with not feeling pure joy as a new mother
• The mood dip that can come when breastfeeding ends — and why it happens
• How to end your breastfeeding journey — practically and emotionally
• Why new mothers need more space to talk about the full spectrum of their experience

Support and Resources

Baby Blues and Postnatal Mood

• PANDAS Foundation — pandasfoundation.org.uk — UK charity supporting anyone experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties, including baby blues and postnatal depression. Helpline: 0808 1961 776
• Association for Post Natal Illness (APNI) — apni.org — support and information for mothers experiencing postnatal illness, with a network of volunteers who have been through it themselves
• Mind — mind.org.uk — information and support for anyone experiencing mental health difficulties, including postnatal mental health
• Tommy's — tommys.org — information and support on mental health during and after pregnancy

Breastfeeding Support

• La Leche League GB — laleche.org.uk — breastfeeding support and community, including guidance on ending your breastfeeding journey
• National Breastfeeding Helpline — nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk — free helpline available 9:30am to 9:30pm every day: 0300 100 0212
• Kellymom — kellymom.com — evidence based information on breastfeeding including weaning and ending your feeding journey
• The Breastfeeding Network — breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk — independent support and information for breastfeeding mothers at every stage

If this episode resonated with you — if you recognised yourself somewhere in this conversation — please share it with a new mum who needs to hear it today. Because the more we talk about the full reality of motherhood, the less alone we all feel in it.

And if you are struggling right now, please reach out to one of the resources above. You are not failing. You are not alone. And it will not always feel this way. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

The Unfiltered Truth About Fostering: What One Foster Carer Wants You to Know

There are many ways to build a family. And there are many ways to be part of a village.

Today's episode shines a light on one of the most generous, most profound, and most quietly extraordinary of them all.

Today I am sitting down with Gillian — a foster carer with five, nearly six years of experience, a heart full of stories, and an honesty that I think will stay with you long after this episode ends.

Gillian's journey into fostering began through her family. Her adult daughter was already a seasoned foster carer, and Gillian wanted to help. She started as a respite carer — stepping in to give full time carers the breaks they needed. And then she and her husband made the decision to take the next step. They became full time short term foster carers. And what followed has been one of the most meaningful chapters of their lives.

In this conversation, Gillian walks us through all of it. The practical reality of becoming a foster carer — the process, the training, the assessments, the agencies. But more than that, she takes us into the lived experience of what fostering actually looks like day to day. The birthday celebrations. The holiday memories. The children who came through her door and left footprints on her heart forever.

And she is honest — genuinely, refreshingly honest — about the harder parts too. Because fostering is not always easy. And Gillian wouldn't want you to think it was.

This is a conversation for anyone who has ever wondered about fostering. Anyone who has thought about it and talked themselves out of it. Anyone who wants to understand what it really means to open your home to a child who needs somewhere safe to land.

The village takes many forms. And Gillian's is one of the most remarkable we have had on this podcast.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Gillian's fostering journey began through her daughter
• What respite fostering is and what it involves
• The process of becoming a full time short term foster carer
• The training, assessments and approval process
• The reality of day to day life as a foster carer — the joys and the challenges
• The memories made with children who passed through their home
• The harder parts of fostering that don't always get talked about
• What Gillian wishes more people understood about foster caring
• Why the UK needs more foster carers — and why it might be for you

Thinking about fostering? Here is where to start:

• GOV.UK — Becoming a Foster Parent — the official government guidance on fostering in England, including who can foster, what the assessment involves, and how to get started: gov.uk/becoming-foster-parent
• Fosterline — a free, confidential helpline for anyone thinking about fostering or with questions about the process. Call 0800 040 7675, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or visit fosterline.info
• The Fostering Network — the UK's leading fostering charity, with guidance, support and resources for both prospective and current foster carers: thefosteringnetwork.org.uk
• National Fostering Group — one of the UK's largest independent fostering agencies, with offices across the country. No fees to apply, and they cover your DBS checks: nationalfosteringgroup.co.uk
• Coram — a leading children's charity offering fostering services and support across the UK: coram.org.uk

Did you know?
Every twenty minutes, a child in the UK is placed in the care system. The need for foster carers has never been greater. You must be at least 21 years old, and you can be single, married, in a civil partnership, or living with a partner. There is very little that rules someone out — what matters most is the desire to make a difference.
Ukcareersfair

Flourish

If this episode moved you, please share it. There are children out there who need more families like Gillian's. And there are people out there who could be that family — they just haven't found out yet.

As always, thank you for being part of this village. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

Doing It All Alone: One Single Mum's Honest Take on the Mental Load, Sleepless Nights and Big Decisions

We are back. And what a story to return with.

Today I am sitting down with Beth — single mum, force of nature, and one of the most energising people I have had the pleasure of talking to on this podcast.

Beth is raising her son on her own. And in this conversation, she pulls back the curtain on what that really looks like. Not the highlight reel. The full picture. The sleepless nights — and there have been many, because four years in, her son still doesn't sleep through. The decisions that most parents get to make with a partner by their side — from something as personal as choosing her baby's name, to something as monumental as choosing his school — that Beth makes entirely alone. The mental load that never switches off, because when you are the only one, there is no one to hand it to at the end of the day.

But Beth's story is not one of survival. It is one of strategy, community and extraordinary heart.

From pregnancy, Beth was already thinking ahead. She knew she was going to need a village — and she set about building one, deliberately and intentionally. She joined a birthing group before her son even arrived to start making connections early. She said yes to every free group, every coffee morning, every opportunity to meet other parents — because she understood that a yes for herself was a yes for her son too. And the women she met along the way? They became her extended family.

This episode is a masterclass in what it means to parent with intention. In what community can look like when you build it from scratch. And in the quiet, fierce, unstoppable resilience of a woman who decided that her circumstances were not going to define her experience of motherhood.

Beth brings so much energy, warmth and enthusiasm to this conversation. And she leaves us with something that I think every parent — single or not — needs to hear. Obstacles can be overcome. Not alone. But when you surround yourself with your village.

In this episode we talk about:

• The mental load of solo parenting and what it really feels like day to day
• Four years of broken nights — and how Beth keeps going
• Planning for the village she would need before her son was even born
• Using birthing groups and free community groups to build lifelong connections
• Being a yes person — and why it has given her son the best possible start
• Making the big decisions of life without a partner — names, schools and everything in between
• Where she finds her resources, her energy and her resilience
• Why community is not a luxury for single parents — it is a lifeline

Resources for Single Parents

If you are a single parent looking to build your own village, here are some places to start:

• Gingerbread — gingerbread.org.uk — the leading UK charity for single parent families, offering advice, support and a community of parents who get it
• Single Parent Support Group — search on Facebook for local groups in your area
• NCT — nct.org.uk — antenatal groups and postnatal communities for new parents, a brilliant way to build connections early
• Mush App — mushmums.com — an app designed to help mums meet other local mums, great for building community from scratch
• Peanut App — peanut-app.io — connect with other mums nearby, especially helpful for those early days and beyond
• Family Lives — familylives.org.uk — free helpline and support for all parents, including single parents navigating difficult moments

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

See You in September: 22 Stories, One Village and a Summer Break

Before the village takes a summer break, I wanted to stop — really stop — and mark this moment properly.

Twenty two episodes. Twenty two extraordinary people who trusted this space with their most personal stories. And a community that has grown into something that genuinely feels like what it was always meant to be — a village.

In this episode I take you through every story we have covered so far, from pre-eclampsia and NICU journeys, to solo parenthood, infertility, loss, blended families, and everything in between. Think of it as your summer listening guide — whether you are catching up on episodes you missed or revisiting ones that stayed with you.

I also take a moment to celebrate the milestones I was too busy to mark along the way. Ten episodes. Fifteen. Twenty. We did that together.

The podcast returns in September with more stories, more honesty, and more of the conversations that remind us we are never doing this alone.

In this episode:

• A celebration of 22 episodes and everything this community has built together
• A full recap of every guest and topic covered so far — your ultimate summer listening guide
• A heartfelt thank you to every guest who shared their story
• A sneak peek at what is coming when we return in September

Not yet following the podcast? Hit follow on your favourite platform so you never miss an episode when we return. And if there is a story you think deserves to be told on Raising with the Village — get in touch. The village is always growing. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

What does pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood look like on the other side of the world?

Today, we find out.

In this episode, I sit down with Nina, who takes us through her experience of pregnancy and motherhood in Sydney, Australia. From her antenatal care to her birth story, to those precious and overwhelming early days with a newborn — Nina shares it all with warmth, honesty, and a perspective that had me nodding along, laughing in recognition, and at times, quietly thinking: why don't we have that?

Because while so much of the experience of becoming a parent is universal — the anticipation, the fear, the love that hits you in a way nothing could have prepared you for — the way different countries support women and families through it varies enormously.

Nina talks about what continuity of care looks like in her experience — the idea that the same midwife who supports you through pregnancy is there with you in the delivery room. She talks about pelvic floor physiotherapy — not as a luxury, but as something that is simply common knowledge among women in her circle. Two appointments, one before birth and one after, with remarkable results. And she talks about second parent leave, and what it meant for her family to have that time together at the very beginning.

None of these are revolutionary ideas. They exist. They are working. And this conversation is a gentle but powerful reminder that we are allowed to ask why they are not yet standard everywhere.

But above all, this is Nina's story. And it is a beautiful one.

In this episode we talk about:

• Pregnancy and antenatal care in Sydney, Australia
• Continuity of care — and what it looks like when it is done well
• Nina's birth experience and delivery in Australia
• Pelvic floor physiotherapy before and after birth — and why it should be common knowledge everywhere
• Second parent leave and the difference it makes in those early days
• The similarities and differences between the Australian and UK experience of pregnancy and early parenthood
• The universal emotions of becoming a parent, wherever you are in the world

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy — why it matters

Nina's experience with pelvic floor physiotherapy is something every parent deserves to know about. Whether you have had a vaginal birth or a C-section, pelvic floor health matters. Here are some resources to explore:

• Squeezy App — squeezyapp.co.uk — the NHS-recommended app for pelvic floor exercise reminders and guidance
• Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP) — pogp.csp.org.uk — find a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist in the UK
• Pelvic Floor First — pelvicfloorfirst.org.au — Australian resource Nina may recognise, with excellent guidance for all parents
• The Pelvic Hub — thepelvichub.com — a brilliant online resource for pelvic health information and finding specialist support

Continuity of Care in the UK

If you are pregnant and want to explore your options around continuity of carer midwifery models in the UK:

• Tommy's Midwives — tommys.org — information and support throughout pregnancy
• Which? Birth Choice — which.co.uk/birth-choice — helps you explore your birth options and maternity services locally
• Birthrights — birthrights.org.uk — a charity protecting human rights in childbirth, including the right to informed choice in maternity care

Second Parent Leave in the UK

Want to know more about parental leave rights in the UK?

• Gov.uk Paternity Leave and Pay — gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave — everything you need to know about your rights as a second parent
• Maternity Action — maternityaction.org.uk — advice and support on all parental leave rights

If this episode made you think, made you ask questions, or made you feel like you deserved more support than you received — share it. With your partner, your antenatal group, your pregnant friend. The more we talk about what is possible, the harder it becomes to settle for less.

And as always, thank you for being part of this village. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

When Nobody Believed Me: Monique's Story of Cerebral Palsy, Medical Gaslighting and Trusting Yourself

This episode contains themes of medical mistreatment and dismissal. If you have experienced something similar, please know that your instincts matter, your voice matters, and resources to support you are listed below.

Most of us like to think of ourselves as open minded. Non-judgmental. But what if our judgment isn't something we're aware of — because it lives quietly inside our own experience, our own circumstances? What if we can only see as far as where we have stood?

That is where this conversation begins.

Today I'm sitting down with Monique. A mother who noticed early on that something wasn't quite right with her child. Who raised her concerns — and wasn't believed. Who kept pushing, kept questioning, kept advocating — until she finally got the answers her child needed. Answers that confirmed her daughter had been born with a mild form of cerebral palsy.

But this episode is about so much more than a diagnosis. It is about what happens when the medical system dismisses a mother's instinct. About the mistreatment Monique experienced along the way. About the choices she made — some of which were unconventional, some of which raised eyebrows, and all of which were hers to make. About a woman who questions the world around her, who challenges what doesn't convince her, and who refuses to accept an answer simply because it comes from authority.

And it is about what she says, quietly and with great kindness, at the end of it all: my choice is my choice, and your choice is yours.

This episode may challenge you. It may make you uncomfortable at moments. But I'd invite you to listen with openness — and with kindness. Because Monique isn't here to convince you of anything. She simply wants to share her story, and to remind us all that there is not only one right way.

In this episode we talk about:

• Becoming a mother and the early signs that something wasn't quite right
• Not being believed by medical professionals — and what that experience felt like
• The diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy and the road to getting there
• The choices Monique made along the way and the responses she received
• Taking matters into her own hands when the system let her down
• Questioning authority, doing your own research, and trusting your instincts
• What she has learned about herself — as a person and as a mother
• Her powerful closing message: my choice is my choice, your choice is yours

If you feel you have been dismissed, mistreated, or not listened to by the NHS, here is how to raise a complaint:

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) is a free, confidential service available in most hospitals. They can help you resolve issues informally without needing to make a formal complaint. A great first port of call if you are not sure where to start — nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service
NHS England

NHS England Complaints — you can make a formal complaint directly to NHS England by emailing [email protected], marking it "For the attention of the complaints team." Full guidance here — england.nhs.uk/contact-us/feedback-and-complaints/complaint
NHS England

Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is an independent charity that can help patients consider their options after suffering a medical accident, including providing contacts for specialist solicitors. Find them at avma.org.uk
House of Commons Library

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) — if you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, you can escalate to the Ombudsman. It is a free, independent service. Visit ombudsman.org.uk or call 0345 015 4033.
NHS England

Healthwatch — an independent statutory body that helps make sure your feedback is heard. Search for your local Healthwatch online to find support and complaints advocacy in your area.
House of Commons Library

Resources for Cerebral Palsy:

• Cerebral Palsy UK — cerebralpalsy.org.uk — information, support and guidance for families
• Scope — scope.org.uk — disability charity offering support for families of children with cerebral palsy
• Contact — contact.org.uk — support for families of children with any disability or medical condition

If this episode resonated with you — whether because you have felt dismissed by the medical system, or because Monique's story challenged the way you think — please share it. There is a parent out there who needs to hear this today.

And as Monique so beautifully puts it: my choice is my choice, your choice is yours. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

Some episodes make you think. Some make you cry. And some make you laugh so hard you forget you're even listening to a podcast.

This is one of those.

Today I'm sitting down with Liz — self-proclaimed mum of four year old twins, and honestly, the funniest guest I have had on this show to date. Fair warning: the giggles are very much part of this episode. I am not sorry.

Liz didn't grow up dreaming of motherhood. For a long time, children simply weren't part of the picture. And then she met her partner. And everything changed. Suddenly she knew — she wanted this. She wanted a family.

What she didn't see coming was two.

In this conversation, Liz takes us right back to the beginning — what she really thought about having children when she was younger, the moment everything shifted when she met the right person, and then the moment she found out she wasn't just expecting a baby. She was expecting twins.

We talk about the pregnancy, the preparation, and the beautiful, exhausting, hilarious reality of bringing two tiny humans into the world at the same time. Liz has this incredible gift of finding the funny in everything — the chaos, the sleepless nights, the moments that are equal parts adorable and completely unhinged — and she shares it all with a warmth and an honesty that will leave you smiling long after the episode ends.

And running underneath all the laughter is something quietly profound. A woman who once couldn't picture herself as a mum, who now cannot imagine how she ever thought she didn't want this life.

If you've just found out you're expecting twins — this one is for you. If you're in the thick of twin life — this one is definitely for you. And if you just need a feel good episode today — well. You're in the right place.

In this episode we talk about:

• What Liz really thought about having children before she met her partner
• The moment she knew she wanted to become a mum
• Finding out she was expecting twins and what that moment was like
• The twin pregnancy — the highs, the lows, and everything in between
• Bringing two babies home at the same time and surviving to tell the tale
• The funniest and most chaotic moments of twin life
• How life with twins has completely exceeded every expectation she had

If this episode made you smile, share it with someone who needs a feel good listen today. And if you are a twin parent with a story to tell, I would love to hear from you — get in touch and come join the village. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

Breaking the Cycle: How Sye MC Chose to Become the Dad He Never Had

Some people drift into parenthood. Others walk into it with their eyes wide open, having done the quiet, unglamorous work of looking at their own childhood and deciding — consciously, deliberately — to do things differently.

Simon, known to many as Sye MC, is one of those people.

In this episode, Simon takes us back to the beginning. Growing up in an unconventional family set up, navigating a childhood that didn't always look like everyone else's. And then, at twenty years old, becoming a dad himself.

Young, but already asking the right questions. What kind of father do I want to be? What patterns do I want to break? What do I want my son to feel that I didn't always have?

He talks about the relationship he built with his first son — the intention behind it, the love that drove it, and the version of himself he was still growing into at the time.

Then life shifted. In his late twenties, Simon met his now wife. And by the time he became a father again in his mid thirties, he was standing in a completely different place. Financially stable, emotionally grounded, and equipped in ways his younger self simply wasn't.

The contrast between those two chapters of fatherhood — and what he learned in the years between them — is at the heart of this conversation.

This is an episode about growth. About generational healing. About the courage it takes to look at where you came from and choose a different path. And about what it really means to parent with intention.

In this episode we talk about:

• Growing up in an unconventional family set up and what that looked like
• Becoming a dad at twenty and the conscious choices that followed
• Breaking generational cycles and parenting with intention
• Building a deep and meaningful relationship with his first son
• Meeting his wife and becoming a dad again in his mid thirties
• The difference between who he was at twenty and who he became
• Generational healing and what we choose to pass on to our children
• Growth, self-awareness, and showing up as the parent you want to be

If this episode resonated with you — whether you're a young parent finding your feet, someone actively working to break a cycle, or simply a parent who wants to show up with more intention — I'd love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear it today.

And if you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, get in touch. This village is always growing. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

Anita: Pregnancy Loss, a Lung Defect, and the First Year Nobody Prepares You For

Please note: this episode contains a discussion about pregnancy loss. Please take care of yourself as you listen.

Anita first joined us in episode seven, where she shared her birth experiences with an elective and an emergency C-section — and mentioned, almost in passing, that her daughter had been born with a lung defect.

Today, she comes back to tell us the rest of the story.

Before she does, Anita opens up about something she hadn't shared before — the loss of a pregnancy in her late first trimester. She speaks about it with honesty and tenderness, and with the kind of quiet courage that I know will resonate with so many of you.

And then she takes us into her daughter's first year and a half of life. Her daughter was born with CPAM — Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation — a rare lung condition that was picked up during pregnancy. What followed was a journey of scans, hospital appointments, consultants, and waiting. The kind of waiting that sits with you every single day. Until the surgery.

This episode is for every parent who has started their parenting journey on a hospital ward. Every parent who has learned a medical language they never wanted to know. And every parent who has loved their child through something terrifying, and found a strength they didn't know they had.

In this episode we talk about:

• Experiencing pregnancy loss in the late first trimester
• Receiving a CPAM diagnosis during pregnancy
• What CPAM is and what it means for your baby
• The follow-up appointments, scans, and hospital visits in the first year
• Preparing for and navigating your baby's surgery
• The emotional load of parenting a baby with a medical condition
• Finding community and support when your parenting journey looks different

What is CPAM?

CPAM (Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation) is a rare congenital lung condition where abnormal tissue develops in the lung during pregnancy. It varies in severity — some babies require surgery, others are monitored over time. If your baby has been diagnosed with CPAM, know that you are not alone.

Resources & Support

CPAM Community & Support Groups

• Parents of CPAM — Facebook group recommended by Anita, a community of parents navigating a CPAM diagnosis together
• CPAM Support Group UK — search on Facebook for UK-based parent communities around CPAM and congenital lung conditions
• Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) — gosh.nhs.uk — offers information and guidance on congenital lung conditions and treatment pathways
• British Lung Foundation / Asthma + Lung UK — asthmaandlung.org.uk — resources on lung conditions in children
• Contact (for families of disabled children) — contact.org.uk — provides support and advice for families of children with any medical condition or disability

For Pregnancy Loss Support

• Tommy's — tommys.org — leading UK charity supporting parents through pregnancy loss, with information, helplines, and community
• The Miscarriage Association — miscarriageassociation.org.uk — support and information for anyone affected by pregnancy loss
• Sands — sands.org.uk — supports anyone affected by the death of a baby

For Finding Your Village

• Peanut App — peanut-app.io — an app designed to help mums connect with other mums nearby. Anita uses it and loves it! Available in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia among others — worth checking availability in your country.

If this episode resonated with you — whether you've been through pregnancy loss, you're navigating a diagnosis, or you've spent time on a hospital ward with your little one — please share it with someone who might need to hear it. And if you'd like to share your own story on the podcast, get in touch.

As always, thank you for being part of this village. 💛

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.

The Other Half of the Village: A Chef, a Dad, and the Honest Truth About Hospitality Parenting

If you listened to last week's episode with Hollie, you'll know the reality of parenting when your life runs opposite to everyone else's. This week, we hear from the other side of that story.

Phil is a chef. His days start when most people's are ending. His weekends look nothing like yours. And his version of fatherhood has been built around late nights, long shifts, and a schedule that leaves very little room for the ordinary rhythms of family life.

In this conversation, Phil opens up about what it really means to be a present dad in the hospitality industry — the solo parenting days, the exhaustion, the joy, and the quiet weight of doing it all while the rest of the world is asleep.

We also get into some bigger questions. Could he imagine having more children with this life set up? And what do we really think about people who choose not to have children at all — and does our judgement change depending on who's making that choice?

This is a rich, honest, and at times unexpected conversation. One that goes beyond the kitchen and into the heart of what modern fatherhood can look like.

In this episode we talk about:

• What a typical day looks like as a chef and a dad
• Parenting solo when schedules don't align
• Becoming a father and how it changed his perspective
• Whether having more children is possible — or desirable — with this lifestyle
• The societal pressure around parenthood choices, and the gender divide in how we judge them

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a parent who might need to hear it — or leave a review. It means the world and helps this village grow.

💛 Raising with the Village

This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
 New episodes every Thursday!

🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.

If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.