In this episode I chat to Dr Alice Keely PhD about pregnancy and birth when you're classed as having a high BMI. We discuss what challenges a pregnant person may face when plus sized, the recommendations and interventions that may be offered, how your "high risk" label may influence recommendations around birth place and choices, and how to achieve the birth you deserve!

Dr Alice Keely is a PhD midwife with more than 20 years experience and a passion for helping plus size women have happy pregnancies. As the Heavyweight Midwife she has supported hundreds of women to be empowered for their unique journeys, confident in the knowledge that the being plus size size not make your pregnancy is ‘high risk’! You can find her at https://theheavyweightmidwife.com or on socials as the Heavyweight Midwife.

I chat to doula and co-founder of physiological birth week, Julie-Ann. We discuss what physiological birth is, why we need a whole week to raise awareness and celebrate it, and how to achieve a physiological birth if that's what you wish for.

Julie-Ann is a doula and birth keeper, who studied Midwifery for almost 3 years before leaving to remain a Doula full-time. She co-founded physiological birth week with birth keeper Kemi Johnson. You can find Julie-Ann at https://www.northamptonshiredoula.com/ or on social media @julie_ann_the_doula

I welcome the fabulous midwife Kelly back on to the podcast for the low down on growth charts and scans! We discuss what a growth chart is and why we measure baby's size, the different types of "small babies", why some may be cause for concern and others not at all, big babies and why they may not be so scary, and inaccuracies of fundal height measurements, scans and plotting averages on charts.

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.

I chat to Maeve and her midwife Daisy about how she achieved an empowering and positive birth. Maeve is a 32 year old first time mum who gave birth in June 2024. She is passionate about holistic health and the practice of yoga, which drew her to travel to Bali 8 years ago, where she met her husband. Maeve lives between Bali and the UK and is now exploring birth work after her amazing birth of her first child.

I chat to Vanessa D'Souza, Masterchef semi-finalist, autism and ADHD awareness campaigner, and new mother. We discuss her experience of pregnancy, and why being AuDHD and navigating antenatal care, advice and recommendations can be hugely challenging, and how she prepared for and handled discussions around induction and risk with obstetricians. She tells me about going to almost 43 weeks pregnant and the discussions had with doctors, lack of information and up to date evidence, and how her autism meant she was better clued up than most in order to advocate for herself and her baby!

You can find Vanessa on social media @The.Autistic.Chef

I chat to client Anna about why she chose to do a hypnobirthing course with me, her VBAC journey navigating the NHS maternity system, and what happened when she gave birth!

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.

I chat to doula Caz Sayles about how she started in doula work, what the role of the doula is (and isn't!) and the highs and lows of birth work. You can find Caz at https://www.cazsayles.co.uk or on Instagram and Facebook at @cazsayles_doula

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.

In this episode I chat to Stephanie Ernst, founder of the TAPS Support Foundation, about monochorionic twins and the complications they may experience. Monochorionic twins, often referred to as identical twins, can experience more complications compared to dichorionic twins (fraternal), and Stephanie talks us through the chances of these twins experiencing conditions such as TTTS, TAPS and fetal growth restriction. We discuss the ways these babies may be monitored for these conditions, the pathways of care if they're diagnosed, and the potential outcomes.

Stephanie Ernst facilitates conversations between parents and professionals about the unique needs of complicated twins and multiple birth families and their challenges. Founder of TAPS Support, and experienced twin parent, her passion is breaking down medical jargon and ensuring that people have quality information about multiple births from before birth, to beyond the NICU.  You can find her charity at https://www.tapssupport.com

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.

I listen to my client Emma's story of her second pregnancy and birth. Emma talks about why she chose to do a course with me, and the impact it had on both her own confidence in navigating the NHS maternity services, but how reassuring it was for her partner. She talks us through bumps in her pregnancy, and how despite the birth center being closed, she ensured she had a positive and magical birth!

If you'd like to find out more about the courses I offer, go to www.better-birth.co.uk

In this week's episode I chat to Ashley Winning, a doula, birth educator, fellow podcaster and mum of 3. Ashley talks about her 2 unplanned c-sections, and why she chose to freebirth at home with her third child. We chat special scars, posterior birth, risks and benefits of an HBAC, and the importance of intuition. It's an important episode for anyone hoping for a vaginal birth after a caesarean!If you want to contact Ashley for support with your VBAC or HBAC you can find her at https://ashleywinning.com or on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ashleylwinning/

Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.