The Heavyweight Midwife Podcast: Empowerment for Plus Size Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth

In this episode I pick apart some of the controversies around using the BMI routinely in pregnancy care, and talk about why this one simple number should not cannot be used as a proxy for health. I discuss the problems with the BMI categories and the way in which this leads women to be categorised as ‘high risk’ or ‘low risk’ in pregnancy - never a helpful thing!

This week sees the release of figures confirming caesarean and forceps/ventouse account for over half all births in the UK. Increases in ‘advanced maternal age’ and ‘maternal obesity’ are highlighted as underpinning this trend, adding to the scapegoating of women.

I have some somewhat garbled thoughts in this weeks’ episode.

Many plus size women are recommended to see an anaesthetist during pregnancy, and this appointment will involve discussing epidurals for labour and birth. But what do you need to know if you’re plus size? Is it a good idea to have one? What if you don’t want one? Are there special considerations? 

In this episode, Alice goes over the basics of epidurals - what they are, how they work and the things to think about if you’re plus size.

And if you need more info, on epidurals and every other aspect of plus size pregnancy care and birth planning, head to theheavyweightmidwife.com

The journey to a waterbirth can take some navigating if you’re plus size. For most women it’s not just a case of telling your midwife you want one then having one! In this episode I outline some of the evidence (or lack of it!) on plus size waterbirth, take a look at the restrictions and challenges you might face, and give you some practical tips for planning and advocating for your dream birth

On this week’s show, I’m talking to Emma Haslam about all things IVF abroad.

Following her own journey with infertility which led to the birth of her son via IVF abroad Emma Haslam has become the go-to independent expert guide for fertility testing and treatment in Europe. Since 2019 Emma has helped 100s of people globally struggling to conceive to start and grow their families.

Emma has been featured in the national and international media, interviewed and featured in a book and is an advocate, writer and podcaster for the infertility community. Emma was a headline speaker at The Fertility Show in London 2025, and Judge at the European Fertility Care awards in 2024 and 2025.

Emma is on a mission to make fertility testing and treatment globally more transparent, affordable, accessible, safe and supported for more people and she wants to put you firmly back in the driver’s seat of your fertility journey and give you the best chance of reaching your desired destination; growing your family.
LinksWant to learn more about going abroad for fertility treatment? Start with my free training that will tell you everything you need to know.yourivfabroad.co.uk/freemasterclassIVF abroad podcast with Emma:yourivfabroad.co.uk/podcastConnect with Emma on Instagram:www.instagram.com/yourivfabroad.co.uk

If you’re plus size and pregnant, it might mean you’re referred to see a doctor, a consultant obstetrician to be precise. But, if your referral is solely because of your BMI, what is it for? And will you actually see a consultant? What should you expect and how should you prepare? And… is it compulsory to be ‘consultant-led’ for plus size pregnancy?

Florence Wilcox is a UK consultant obstetrician and the host of the brilliantly informative ObsPod podcast.

In this episode I put some commonly asked Heavyweight Midwife Community member questions to Florence and we have a brilliant chat about how women & doctors can best work together to improve pregnancy and birth experiences.

Don't worry alone! If you need my help and expertise, visit theheavyweightmidwife.com

Eleanor and Dean joined me (with baby Hazel) for this detailed and illuminating chat about how to work together and prepare well for advocating for your birth choices.

In this episode, we discuss pregnancy loss as well as Eleanor’s mental health challenges - and we talked about how preparing and working together and with their health professionals led to them having an experience in hospital ‘made us feel heard’.

The sound quality is not the greatest for this episode, but what you can learn about communicating with health professionals and promoting your own positive experiences definitely is!

(20+) The Heavyweight Midwife Group | Facebook

When Samantha first had a baby, she went along to a local sling library and was told that ‘fat people don’t fit slings’. This ignited a fire and passion for her, one that has led to her baby wearing with all of her four children and now consulting and advocating for plus size people to find the right baby carrier for them and to enjoy this practical and uniquely special way to carry and bond with your baby! I absolutely loved chatting to Samantha about her work and I know you’ll enjoy it too if you’re a baby wearer or are currently pregnant and considering it - I’d thoroughly recommend it and Samantha is such an expert!

This week’s guest is Victoria Holyoak. Founder of C-SectionUK, speaker and advocate for c-section education, Midwife Vic has been practicing midwifery for over a decade both nationally and internationally. She sits across a number of advisory boards, as well as working with commercial platforms in an advisory capacity and as a writer.