How to Grow a Parent: The pregnancy, birth & postnatal podcast

Today I'm talking to Kathryn Stagg.Kathryn is a an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (also known as an IBCLC), and OCN Level 6 Holistic Sleep Coach. She supports families with feeding, normal baby behaviour and sleep. If I were to share what Kathryn does within those areas on a day to day basis, I would take up the whole podcast time! From voluntary work to consultations in person and on Zoom, to writing her first book, she is well and truly dedicated to supporting parents with finding their way. Kathryn has also recorded the brilliant infant feeding educational videos which can be accessed by every parent who takes a Mindful Birth course, so I consider her to be a part of the Mindful Birth family! We chat about Kathryn's experience of:Life with 4 children- the eldest being twinsWhat she learned from her 1st birth experience with her twinsHow all of her births and all 4 children are differentResponsive parenting and how learning about this approach for her own life has influenced her career choicesYou can find Kathryn on Instagram hereOn Facebook hereOr on her website here ----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Whitney Lodge. Whitney is a naturopathic nutritional therapist and yoga teacher. I met Whitney when she booked onto a Mindful Birth course with me at Birch. Although conceived naturally, her twin pregnancy was classed as a ‘high risk' pregnancy, which triggered a deep dive into nutrition and the mind body connection, and how she could optimise her health to ensure a safe and healthy full term pregnancy and birth.  As a passionate believer in holistic healing, Whitney's ambition is to educate and empower others to experience a sense of vitality through optimum nutrition & lifestyle. We chat about Whitney's experience of:Carrying monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins – which are automatically considered as a high risk pregnancyWhy she enlisted the support of a prenatal doulaPreparing for the births & making informed decisionsThe highs and challenges of life as a new mum of twin boysHow Whitney makes time for herself when not being a mum, a partner or working by using Transcendental MeditationYou can find Whitney on Instagram hereOr on her website here ----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Michael and Wes, who as well as being wonderful parents to their children are also founders of the very successful parenting-related organisations, Two Dads UK, My Surrogacy Journey and The Modern Family Show. As their TwoDadsUK Instagram profile describes them they are ‘Boss Dads Campaigning for Change' We chat about their experiences of:Becoming parents through UK surrogacyThe birth of their 1st baby and navigating a health system not built for surrogacyThe birth of their 2nd baby, at the same hospital where policies where updated to be inclusive of the whole birthing teamThe transition from 1 to 2 childrenThe challenges they face as parents/successful business owners/a couple and how they make sure they make time for themselves tooYou can find Michael and Wes as TwoDadsUK on Instagram hereMy Surrogacy Journey hereThe Modern Family Show hereOr their website here.----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Sammy Cox from Exhale Birthing & Beyond.Sammy is a Mindful Birth teacher based in Exeter in Devon. We chat about Sammy's experience of:Feeling a severe fear of childbirth The things she did to overcome this fearOpting for a home birth (and the midwife getting lost!)Reflections on her first postnatal period vs. what she did the 2nd time aroundDealing with the challenges of her little one having silent refluxSupporting parents with their birth preparation- for both mind and bodyYou can find Sammy on Instagram hereOr on her website here ----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Emma Riley from Ready Prep Birth.Emma is a Mindful Birth teacher based in the Leighton Buzzard area of Bedfordshire. We chat about Emma's experience of:Hyperemisis gravidarum during her pregnanciesHome birthPostnatal & breastfeeding challengesBecoming a Mindful Birth teacherHere are the links we promised to share:The Lancett review on home birth hereEmma's blog on HG hereYou can find Emma on Instagram hereOr on her website here ----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Lucy Sharpe from Days & Dream Sleep consultancy.Lucy has worked as a nanny for 20 years and an experienced sleep coach for 6 years.We cover Lucy's intuitive approach to sleep coaching and how being a mum has and hasn't impacted the way she supports families. A really helpful listen to anyone in the early weeks, months and years!You can follow Lucy on Instagram here. ----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Ashley is a Mummy, a Presenter, DJ, Dating & Empowerment Coach and a much loved Instagram Influencer. She also has her own podcast called Mum's the word, The parenting Podcast, which I highly recommend listening to!Ashley and Tommy took a Mindful Birth course with me at around 35 weeks of pregnancy in the crazy year that was 2020 and it's been wonderful seeing them grow and navigate life as a family.We cover:Becoming a mum during lockdownReturning to workBody image and nourishment post birthSetting boundaries for both personal & professional life50/50 parentingNewborn vs toddler stage----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Clare is a pelvic health physiotherapist with a passion to support women and men throughout their lives. Clare and I chat about her journey to becoming a mother, how her work impacts her parenting and vice versa and what she would say to her pre-children self, now she knows what she know!Specific topics we cover are:Clare's diagnosis of hypothalamic amenorrheaHospital & home birthPostnatal recoveryBeing open with children about anatomyYou can follow Clare on Instagram @clarebournphysioOr visit her website for more on pelvic health here----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Zoe Cresswell, who you may know from her brilliant podcast, Motherhood Exposed. We talk about Zoe's experiences of:Living in Dubai with her young familySecondary infertility & miscarriageHer professional life as a midwife, PT, doula & podcasterLinks we mention on the podcast:More on Zoe's secondary infertility experience hereMotherhood Exposed podcast hereZoe's Instagram hereRobo-Babies book here----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Kicki Hansard. Kicki is an award winning doula, author, and founder of the Birth Bliss Academy and The Doula Directory and is CEO of The Doula Association.Kicki has trained over 1000 doulas, me being one of them! and I am so happy to welcome her here on the podcast today to hear more about her own parenting journey which is heavily influenced by her Swedish roots, and how she supports doulas and parents in their own unique growth stories.We cover Kicki's experience of introducing siblings to each other, respectful parenting, the postnatal period and lots more.----This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Liv Thorne: Solo mum, author and also known as @Livsalone on Instagram.Liv is warm, funny and entirely open about all of the steps she has taken to become a mum to her gorgeous son Herb, how her life has changed and how she's adapted to these changes. This episode will be insightful for anyone thinking about or currently embarking on a solo parenthood journey, but (and this goes for her book too!) so many of the experiences and thoughts Liv shares also apply to all kinds of family set ups because let's face it, kids don't read the parenting manuals- it doesn't matter who the parent is!Liv's Alone: Amateur Adventures in Solo Motherhood is the title of her incredibly insightful, funny and emotional memoir in which she shares her full journey so far on becoming a solo mum.---This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

Today I'm talking to Kate Lawler. Kate and her fiance Boj took a Mindful Birth course with me to prepare for their Noa's planned abdominal birth last year. Always a big supporter of The Mindful Birth Group, Kate was kind enough to make time to chat to me in amongst her busy mumming and working schedule. We talked about the realities of the motherhood emotional rollercoaster, how leaving your kids for alone time usually ends up with you thinking about them even more and how the newborn bubble is something that doesn't happen for everyone. It's an honest, funny and lovely conversation, which is just Kate all over. A bit about Kate:On the professional side, Kate is a television personality, presenter, DJ and now author.  She became the first female winner of Big Brother after winning the third series of the reality show in 2002. Kate and her fiancé Martin aka Boj hosted a very funny but also truly insightful podcast called Maybe Baby which was all about Kate's reluctance to have a baby and exploring what it might be like to be a parent in order to put Boj off. Well we all know how that went!Kate now continues to be a DJ on Virgin radio and is an amazing mummy to her girl and doggies, sharing an honest account of her motherhood journey on Instagram and in her new book also titled ‘Maybe Baby, On the Mother Side' which is coming out on Mother's Day this year but is available for pre-order now.----- This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

In this episode I speak to Midwife Sally Goodwin about a whole host of pregnancy, birth and postnatal related topics. From the latent phase of labour to postnatal comparison,  I'm very sure that every expectant or new parent will find this episode helpful, interesting and comforting in some way.I'm proud to say that Sally is a The Mindful Birth Group® member teacher and has been a midwife for 12 years  as an NHS hospital, community and caseload midwife, and now as a private midwife.She is also a qualified hypnobirthing teacher with her company Blossom Hypnobirth & Acupuncture in the Chesterfield area and is passionate about educating about and supporting all birth preferences and choices. Sally teaches the Mindful Birth course syllabus and teaches privately and in groups both in person and on Zoom.We talk about how Sally came to be a midwife, how her own parenting experiences have influenced her care and how she has grown through the challenges and good times to be the wonderful mum and parent support she is today.You can book a 1:1 or group Mindful Birth preparation course with Sally both in person and on Zoom. Just head to www.themindfulbirthgroup.com/blossom-hypnobirthing Find Sally on Instagram @blossomhypnobirth_acupuncture---This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

For our 1st ever episode I'm talking to Dr Natalie Elphinstone, a mother and 'mother centred' obstetrician & gynaecologist. Natalie is well known on Instagram for her maternal centred approach to her care, which is particularly unique when it comes to caesarean births.Dr Natalie practices in Australia, in  the Mornington Peninsula area. She grew up on a farm in rural Victoria before moving to the city to study medicine.Since graduating in 2005, Natalie has played an active role in teaching and mentoring the next generation of medical students, specialist trainees and obstetric GP's. She also enjoys supporting patients privately where she feels she can offer an even greater level of personalised care.Natalie is passionate about empowerment. She believes in offering an individualised care plan alongside each person and their support team. Today we get to know Natalie as a doctor and as a mum, what she's learned and what she is proud of. This episode is dedicated to my lovely doula client Zoe who birthed her baby abdominally on the day we recorded this show. It was a bit touch and go as to whether the recording would go ahead, but we managed to squeeze it in early morning for the Oz time difference too!Dr Natalie's website: https://www.drnatalieelphinstone.com.au/---This show is sponsored by The Mindful Birth Group® who provide birth, baby and postnatal preparation courses for expectant parents in-person and online. The unique courses are designed to bring calm and confidence to your experience by educating you on your options, what to expect and how to navigate unexpected turns. While sharing practical mindfulness tools and techniques to use for pregnancy, birth and beyond.Parents say that the group and private courses were everything they needed to prepare for this new chapter in their lives.You can see all of the course options and book a group, private or online self learning course here.

It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, one thing we all have in common as expectant or new parents is that we all evolve and  grow from the people we were pre-children. I'm Emiliana, and I created an antenatal & hypnobirthing education company called The Mindful Birth Group in 2017. I'm a hypnobirthing teacher and a birth and postnatal doula. The Mindful Birth Group isn't just me- it's also made up of a family of independent member teachers who teach parents using the Mindful Birth course syllabus all across the UK and via Zoom.In this podcast, we will share a mixture of educational episodes and conversations with past clients, Mindful Birth teachers, and other experts in the pregnancy, birth and postnatal fields. As we do in all of our courses, we'll include all birth preferences and choices and paths to parenthood too.At the end of each episode we'll finish by asking our guests what they are most proud of themselves for and how they've grown since becoming a parent or supporting parents in their field of expertise. It's important we celebrate ourselves because being a parent doesn't come with a monthly appraisal as we are so used to in the work place!I hope you will enjoy listening to this unique positive and also very real outlook on becoming a parent, please don't forget to rate and subscribe to it if you do!