This Bitesize Clip is taken from Episode 8... To listen to the full episode go back and listen to Episode 8 I am honoured to be joined on this week’s episode by Dani Rowe MBE. Dani is a world class athlete as a former GB road and track cyclist, Olympic Gold medallist and one of the most successful British cyclists of all time. Dani was very deservingly appointed an MBE in 2013 for her services to cycling.  Dani has continued to dedicate her life to cycling and encouraging others,...

Natural ways to prepare and encourage labour With Midwife Pip Due date pressure is so unhelpful, in this solo episode I talk you through why putting pressure on a given time to birth can hinder labour, how you can actively prepare to encourage labour and the truth around what really starts labour off… Extra Stuff: Midwife Pips Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books Check out Midwife Pip’s Courses - http://www.midwifepip.com/ Get in...

How you can influence your baby’s mental health and development  With Dr Amanda Gummer  amanda@goodplayguide  Building close relationships and bonding as a new parent reduces the likelihood of mental health difficulties throughout your child’s life. The newborn time is a critical period of social and emotional development and new research highlights many parents are unaware of the link between their baby’s good mental health and early childhood development. I am excited to be joined by this...

How to help your newborn baby’s health With Dr Lillie Parker Before you know it, your baby is here and then your mind quickly switches to consider how to look after your new baby as well as possible. A key part of this is learning what is and is not normal so you can seek support as early as possible to help keep your baby healthy.  I am really looking forward to speaking today with Dr Lillie Parker @doctor.lils, who is a Paediatric Registrar with lots of experience caring for newborn babies...

Bonding with your baby With Annie Ramsay-Stagg Bonding with your new baby is an important part of your baby’s development and wellbeing as well as yours as a new mum but it doesn’t mean it always happens naturally or easily. The reassuring thing is there are ways you can help support it.  This week I am joined by Annie Ramsay-Stagg who is a Local Campaigns Officer for @nspcc_official. Annie supports new parents to build their baby’s brain right from birth through encouraging positive early...

Bottle Refusal in Breastfed Babies With Bec Hodgson So you nail your breastfeeding and decide to introduce a bottle to your baby, either expressed breast or formula milk. Perhaps you are returning to work or required to be away from baby for a period of time. You’ve seen videos of babies happily sucking away on a bottle and expect the same from your little one. But they say no thank you to the bottle and you find yourself purchasing every bottle going in desperation. I am speaking from...

How I am preparing for Baby Number 2 with Midwife Pip My third trimester is here, and I have had so many questions about how I am preparing, how my pregnancy is going and how we are preparing our little boy to become a big brother. So here is my little update to you on how things are going and how we are navigating our journey to three becoming four.  Extra Stuff: Midwife Pips Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books Check out Midwife Pip’s Courses -...

Single Motherhood With Lydia Bright Sometimes parenting plans take a twist and single parent families account for 15% of families in the UK. Solo motherhood can bring its own set of unique joys and challenges and this week’s guest found herself navigating single parenthood unexpectedly. I am super excited to introduce Lydia Bright, perhaps best known for her reality TV career starting in The Only Way is Essex, Lydia is also single mum to her little girl Loretta, a well-loved TV personality,...

Supporting your child’s brain development day-to-day With Izzy Judd My mind has been completely blown to learn that a child’s brain is 90% grown by 5 years old. It turns out I’m not the only one who was uninformed about this; the government recently found that 83% of parents are also unaware of this fact. So, during these crucial years, we have to recognise how we can support little ones all whilst juggling the logistics of life – be it work, a household, other children - you name it, it can...

How your child’s brain develops and how to support them Professor Sam Wass The government recently found that 4 in 5 parents are unaware that their child’s brain is 90% grown by the age of five, shedding light on a critical gap in parents’ understanding of the impact they can have during these crucial early years. Whilst most of us recognise the importance of reading stories before bedtime or roleplaying real-life scenarios with toys, despite not always having the time to do so, a new...

Chatting about our pregnancy’s so far Charlie Launder   As expectant mums we need solidarity, real talk and taboo busting. This episode is all about being real, honest and sharing experiences to support other mums to be on this incredible rollercoaster of a journey.  This week’s guest, Charlie Launder, founder of Bumps and Burpees is joining me to talk about our current pregnancies- the ups and downs, highs and lows, challenges and how we are finding our own experiences of pregnancy.  Extra...

How exercise can help you prepare for birth and postpartum recovery Kat - Founder of Hatch Athletic Exercise in pregnancy may well be a powerful tool in supporting you to achieve a positive birth and a smoother recovery postpartum but often the thing holding women back from truly embracing it is a lack of knowledge around the topic, fear of causing harm to their body or baby and the sea of conflicting, non-expert information that exists pretty much everywhere.  This week’s guest shares my...

Breathing for Pregnancy and Birth Carolyn Cowan A calm, in control and relaxed pregnancy and birth are top of all our goal lists and it turns out there is one simple, free and effective tool we all have within us to support us to achieve just that. I am super excited for this week’s guest to talk about the power of the breathe  and how tapping into this tool can help overcome the anxiety, overwhelm and worry that often creeps in during pregnancy and parenthood. Carolyn Cowan, is a...

The best way to get pregnant with Dr Larisa Corda Planning a pregnancy or trying to conceive can come in so many shapes and sizes, for some it is a relatively smooth journey and for others there can be many twists and turns to navigate. However the path to pregnancy may look for you, exploring ways to optimise your chances of conceiving and to improve the health of your pregnancy and growing baby has huge benefits for all.  I am super excited for this week’s guest, leading obstetrician and...

How to prepare to be a dad with Gordon, Mantenatal Founder I felt first-hand the benefits of a well-prepared dad when we had our first born and my husband knew what he could do to help me and to bond with our son. But becoming a dad can be daunting, maybe there are questions you haven’t had the opportunity to ask, or you don’t feel the routine appointments and birth and parenting prep is well aligned to you as a man. The truth is your role as a dad in birth and with a newborn is massive, and...

What you need to know about Diastasis Recti | Grainne Donnelly 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...

Planning for a Gentle Caesarean Birth with Amy Lane 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...

Sex In Pregnancy and After Giving Birth | April Davis 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...

How to Wean Your Baby | Charlotte Stirling-Reed 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...

How to Be a Better Mum With Izzy Judd 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...

Mental Health in Pregnancy with Tessa Van Der Vord 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...

How to Manage Pelvic Girdle and Back Pain in Pregnancy with Clare Bourne 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...

How to Grow Health Babies with Michelle Henning 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...

Loving your growing, changing body with Chessie King 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...