Motherhood Exposed Podcast

Zoe Cresswell
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Welcome to Motherhood Exposed. Join me, Zoe Cresswell, mum of two and a UK trained midwife and doula, as I meet with an array of amazing women navigating life and motherhood.   Since becoming a mum for the second time, after my own complex journey, i have become more and more aware that motherhood is so unique. There is no one story the same and women need support now, more than ever. i hope by allowing mothers to openly speak we can help to break the silence around many topics. We need to shout out that there is no normal and that is something we need to embrace. Motherhood isn't always picture perfect, so lets bust some myths, realign expectations and share the journey together.   Podcast Description: Join Zoe, mum of two, a UK trained midwife, doula and pregnancy personal trainer as she meets with an array of empowering women navigating motherhood. Whether you’re trying to conceive, pregnant or have your own children or grandchildren, Motherhood Exposed busts myths, re-aligns expectations and shares stories of real women we can all relate to. Grab a coffee as Zoe and her guests have honest, frank and often funny conversations, showing that birth and motherhood isn’t always picture perfect. From the downright heart-breaking and messy times, to the beautiful joyous moments which make your heart melt, being a mum is a journey, so lets learn, laugh and cry as we go on it together.   About Zoe Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.

  1. Journey to Motherhood - Interview with Cat Strawbridge

    EPISODE 1

    Journey to Motherhood - Interview with Cat Strawbridge

    Today Zoe talks to Cat Strawbridge, trying to conceive community advocate and fellow podcaster, about her personal experiences in becoming a mum; starting right from the beginning, through some very difficult times to where she is now. Listen in today for both an emotional and humorous insight to Cat’s journey to motherhood.     KEY TAKEAWAYS   Motherhood comes in so many different forms, ‘everybody has a different kettle of fish’ to be contending with. Cat and her partner were diagnosed with unexplained fertility – they believe often this is actually just a ‘lack of knowledge’ about infertility. The progress in fertility is very limited compared to other healthcare areas, there is so much more research that needs to be done. Women need to be given more information and be more prepared about miscarriages, it’s something that isn’t spoken about enough and this and the lack of preparation given to women makes it even more traumatic. Finding a sense of mindfulness really helped Cat. She discovered that when she drew she didn’t think of anything else and this really helped her in emotionally recovering from the trauma of infertility and miscarrying. It’s very hard having fertility problems and being pregnant. You often feel like you don’t belong in pregnancy spaces even though you are pregnant. There’s a stronger link between women who have fertility issues and post-natal depression.  Just because you have had a more difficult time ‘getting the baby’ it does not mean that you have to enjoy every single moment of motherhood. Cat found there was a lack of support when she became pregnant after fertility issues. So, she created something called ‘the hangout’ as a safe place for exactly that. A place where women can share worries, anxieties as well as celebrate without worrying about upsetting the TTC community who are still trying so hard to become pregnant.     BEST MOMENTS   ‘It’s something people don’t speak about enough…it’s a massive event, it’s huge and it hurts, it hurts physically and emotionally”   “Slowly but surely I rebuilt myself”   “I loved being pregnant and I made the most of it as much as I could”   “It’s ‘AND’ not OR’. You can love them AND you can be really pi**ed off because they are not sleeping…there are a lot of emotions that come with having a baby it is really bloody hard”     VALUABLE RESOURCES Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount.   ABOUT THE GUEST Cat Strawbridge   IG @tryingyears IG @itscatandalice Podcast Finally Pregnant www.catstrawbridge.com   Cat is a leading advocate of the trying to conceive community after her own experience of infertility. She talks about her journey to motherhood and the birth of her little girl Wren.    ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS  Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 22m
  2. Superwoman Zara Dawson; Endometriosis, IVF and OHSS (trigger warning)

    EPISODE 2

    Superwoman Zara Dawson; Endometriosis, IVF and OHSS (trigger warning)

    Today’s episode is with Zara Dawson “the most unbelievable woman Zoe’s ever spoken to”! Zara talks about her traumatic and frightening fertility journey and opens up about her difficult pregnancies and her unfortunately flawed pre and post-natal care. This is an emotive episode which shows how incredible women can be and Zara’s incredible resilience and strength.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Zara has family history of endometriosis and fertility problems so always thought she may have some difficulty in becoming a mother, after a year of trying she went to her GP and was referred for IVF. On top of this Zara had multiple medical problems throughout her pregnancy, it was a very complex pregnancy and extremely scary for Zara and her family. OHSS is a very serious condition that isn’t spoken about enough. Many women going through IVF aren’t aware of the risks of OHSS. Despite the multiple problems Zara had to deal with in pregnancy and birth she wasn’t offered any mental health support. She suffered with undiagnosed PND when Jax was born. Zara’s second pregnancy was also complicated, not helped by the reminders everywhere of the issues she suffered with her first born Jax. She felt she just ‘knew’ that things were not going to be ok. Zara’s second baby Jesse was diagnosed with Body Stalk Anomaly, she did not receive the care that she needed or deserved. Because of Zara’s determination and hard work Tommy’s, Arc & Petals are now creating a campaign to break the silence for termination for medical reasons. This is just the start but will help so many women in the future.   BEST MOMENTS   ‘If she doesn’t have this operation I don’t know if she will be here in the morning”   “YAY for that Midwife!”   “I just did not let myself get connected to him”   “It is quite barbaric what has been going on behind the scenes”   VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org www.arc-uk.org Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount. ABOUT THE GUEST Zara Dawson Zara is a businesswoman, actress, style-icon and designer. She is a mum to two boys and has been tireless in raising awareness of TFMR after her own experience highlighted the huge pitfalls in cohesive care and support. Instagram: @littlenorfolkcottage      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 15m
  3. Turning an End into a Beginning, This Is My Brave Face, an Interview with Amy Campbell

    EPISODE 3

    Turning an End into a Beginning, This Is My Brave Face, an Interview with Amy Campbell

    In today’s episode Zoe speaks to Amy Campbell. Amy bravely talks about the premature birth of her twin girls, Esme and Charlotte and then the tragic death of Esme at 7 weeks old. Tune in today to listen to an inspiring and thoughtful episode showing Amy’s strength through trauma that is sprinkled with hope and inspiration.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Amy feared before trying for a baby that she may have difficulties due to her polycystic ovaries and weight but it actually didn’t take her long at all to fall pregnant. Severe pregnancy sickness and a stressful work environment meant that Amy had to take sick leave from work at 16 weeks. Although Amy flagged pain several times it was never looked into further and turns out it was her body telling her that she was going to go into premature labour – at 24 weeks her waters broke. After being admitted to hospital the pregnancy was able to continue but then at 27 weeks both babies were born. Amy spent the first weeks of their life visiting them in NICU, but at 6 weeks things started to go downhill very quickly, Amy and her partner tragically lost their daughter Esme at 7 weeks. Losing Esme sparked Amy’s passion for writing and this is when she started her blog and began helping and inspiring others. 5 months after Esme’s death Amy realised she needed help, she was able to see a bereavement counsellor, she then went on to have psychotherapy both of which helped her deal with Esme’s death and her trauma.   BEST MOMENTS   “The mum guilt even starts before the babies are born”   “It wasn’t my body that was doing something wrong it was that I was listening to wrong advice”   “The word congratulations have never felt so wrong in my entire life”   “It’s incredible what a mothers instinct is like”   “I didn’t want my life to be full of sadness”     VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount. ABOUT THE GUEST Amy Campbell   IG @thisismybraveface thisismybraveface.blog      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 18m
  4. Becoming Beatrix: Interview with Leonie Pitts – Part 1

    EPISODE 4

    Becoming Beatrix: Interview with Leonie Pitts – Part 1

    The first part of two episodes, Zoe speaks to Leonie about her first journey to becoming a mother. Listen in to this episode for an insight into IVF and what the adoption process can look like. Leonie talks though the highs, the lows and the spreadsheets!   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Leonie has always really wanted children, it was a family joke that she always wanted to be a mummy. Leonie and her partner started trying to get pregnant as soon as they got married, when nothing happened Leonie saw a Dr about it, but not much happened until they moved to Dubai for Leonie’s partners work. They had lots of fertility tests in Dubai but were diagnosed with unexplained fertility so started IVF. Leonie told many people when they were having IVF the first time. The second time round they didn’t tell anyone and found this a lot easier as they didn’t have to talk about it. Fertility clinics need to offer better emotional support as at the moment all they are doing is ‘selling hope’ and then there is no support for when it often doesn’t work. Leonie found IVF so difficult that she couldn’t bear to do another round, her and her partner then looked into adoption. After a complicated and long wait they finally adopted 16 month old Bea from Ethiopia. It was quite an adjustment when they finally had Bea in their arms, but they were thrilled to be a family and she kept surprising them in so many ways!   BEST MOMENTS   “All they’re doing is selling hope, it’s magical in so many ways”   “I didn’t know the slightest thing about them (babies)…I think that’s true for most new mums!”     VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount. ABOUT THE GUEST Leonie Pitts Mum of two girls, Bea who was adopted at 16 months and Dottie, her biological daughter.   IG @leonieash Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASGDUBAI      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 3m
  5. Dreaming of Dottie: Interview with Leonie Pitts – Part 2

    EPISODE 5

    Dreaming of Dottie: Interview with Leonie Pitts – Part 2

    The second part of two episodes, Zoe speaks to Leonie about when she finally fell pregnant naturally after so many years of trying to conceive. Listen in today to hear about this welcomed but scary surprise and the impact on Leonie’s first Daughter Bea and the rest of her family.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   When Bea was three Leonie surprisingly discovered that she was pregnant! Leonie kept the pregnancy to herself at first, it didn’t feel real. Becoming unexpectedly pregnant is life altering for any woman but considering everything Leonie and her partner had been through it was just unbelievable – it impacted her pregnancy journey a lot, particularly with fear. The pregnancy had complications towards the end and Leonie had to be induced. Leonie says that parenting both Bea and Dottie has felt the same even though her journey to have them as daughters was so different. Leonie’s life hack for any mum is to make some time for yourself- even if it is just half an hour to have a proper shower. It makes all the difference to how you feel. You can be a much better mother if you put yourself first sometimes.     BEST MOMENTS   “She sees us all as mothers”   “She was this magical unicorn at parties as she ended up with this miracle baby”   “It was terrifying, I was constantly waiting for something to go wrong”   “The best thing about hypnobirthing was that I’d learnt a lot and it made me have a discussion weeks before about what I did and didn’t want”   VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org Eggsnsoldiers.com Eco-aware and sustainable baby shop in Dubai. Use ZOECM10 for discount. ABOUT THE GUEST Leonie Pitts Mum of two girls, Bea who was adopted at 16 months and Dottie, her biological daughter.   IG @leonieash Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASGDUBAI      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 3m
  6. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – A Surrogacy Story with Sophie and Em

    EPISODE 6

    Somewhere Over the Rainbow – A Surrogacy Story with Sophie and Em

    Today Zoe speaks to Sophie and Em, best friends who showed the true meaning of love when Em was a surrogate for Sophie so she could realise her dream of being a mum.   They talk about the journey of getting to surrogacy, the reality of surrogacy and what life has been like after such an incredible, yet surreal, time in their lives.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Em and Sophie met in secondary school and have been close friends ever since. Sophie and her partner Jack were childhood sweethearts. They managed to get pregnant multiple times but tragically suffered many miscarriages. Em offered to be a surrogate for Sophie and Jack and five years into Sophie and Jacks fertility journey they took them up on this incredible, life changing offer. Sophie didn’t know if it was her body or the embryos that were the reason she had been miscarrying so although Em becoming pregnant via natural IVF was incredible she did not feel a weight lift until the first heartbeat at 7 weeks. Sophie started to have trust in Em’s body. Surrogacy gave them back hope. They all decided that the best way for Leo to be born was via elective C-section for many reasons – the fact it ended up being very different to Em’s previous births was a further benefit. Leo was born in lockdown but luckily Jack and Sophie were still able to be at the birth. It was still an incredibly difficult time to have a baby but Sophie and Jack just focused on Leo. Even now Sophie and Jack can’t believe they have a baby in the house – they pinch themselves that Leo is here!     BEST MOMENTS   “It gave hope that there was another option if we needed it”   “Feel pregnant, just tell me that you feel pregnant!”   “It’s very hard after six years to hide things from people”   “That was just the most magical moment of my whole life”   VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org ABOUT THE GUESTS Sophie and Em, best friends from school. Sophie showed the true meaning of love when Em was a surrogate for Sophie.     IG Life.Before.You IG themindfulbirthgroup   www.themindfulbirthgroup.com https://www.gov.uk/legal-rights-when-using-surrogates-and-donors https://surrogacyuk.org      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 10m
  7. The Gentle Mama – Interview with Infant Sleep Educator Hayley Bukhamsin

    EPISODE 7

    The Gentle Mama – Interview with Infant Sleep Educator Hayley Bukhamsin

    Today Zoe speaks to Hayley Bukhamsin infant sleep educator ‘the gentle mama’.   Hayley prides herself on giving scientific facts on infant sleep and development, helping parents tap into their own intuition and giving sleep solutions that are holistic and personal to each family’s needs.   Listen in today for a refreshing take on ‘sleep solutions’ as well as learning snippets on infant development and what made Hayley begin this venture.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Hayley has two girls and admits herself that pregnancy with both was a challenge. Particularly with SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction). Hayley and Zoe agree that there is so much pressure on women to ‘get back’ to their former selves after giving birth. But it takes time to recover from pregnancy and birth. You will not be the same person again, you are different and that’s ok. Hayley tried hypnobirthing with her first baby but she didn’t feel that she could get ‘deep’ enough for it to truly work. She found her second birth much easier, she felt she had done ‘everything right’ with hypnobirthing. The oxytocin was flowing and it was a much better experience for her this time round. It was Hayley’s experience of the 8-month sleep progression with her first born that made her want to develop her sleep education. She couldn’t find a sleep consultant that was gentle enough to help with her own baby. Hayley then began researching and learning as much as she could about infant sleep development. She started looking at certification when pregnant with her second baby. When her second baby turned one she started The Gentle Mama. Hayley is an infant sleep educator, she looks at the root cause of sleep behaviours. If it is a ‘normal’ behaviour then she will support parents through this. If it is something that doesn’t seem right then she will look at the root cause rather than just changing the behaviour. Hayley looks at things from a developmental perspective rather than a behavioural perspective. There is no licensing around sleep training, you don’t have to have certification. Something that terrifies both Hayley and Zoe.   BEST MOMENTS   “There is no such thing as bouncing back, you are a different person after you have given birth”   “When a baby is born, a mother is born as well”   “I was schooled by social media and society that you have to push…I was still trying to do the things you see on TV” “They are progressing they are not regressing”   “I think expectation is the biggest culprit in a lot of issues that go wrong”   “Societal pressures are such a huge factor in what is happening to parents nowadays, a lot of struggles mothers are going through are due to societal expectations”     VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org ABOUT THE GUEST Hayley Bukhamsin IG @thegentlemama www.thegentlemama.com Facebook: The Gentle Mama  www.brenebrown.com www.pinkymckay.com www.jasminecollin.com Neasa Barry: http://amcdubai.org/      ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 9m
  8. Interview with Mother, Writer and ‘EX’ Expat Louise Emma Clarke

    EPISODE 8

    Interview with Mother, Writer and ‘EX’ Expat Louise Emma Clarke

    Today Zoe speaks to Louise Emma Clarke, journalist, columnist, blogger and author. Listen in today for a varied episode with a great insight into expat life as well as motherhood and Louise’s writing.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Louise moved to Dubai when her husband moved there for six months and didn’t want to come back! Louise’s first son Stanley was born in Dubai. Being pregnant with him gave her a network and made her really start to enjoy living in Dubai. Louise says that she was very lucky in all her pregnancies and births. She felt more scared in her first pregnancy so found she didn’t do much research but this changed in subsequent pregnancies. Louise’s pregnancies were all quite long and she was induced with all three. Zoe points out that in France they don’t even give a due date they just give a month window, which makes a lot of sense. Louise found the hardest time in her motherhood journey was when she went from one child to two. Her circumstances were hard to deal with and it took her time to change the circumstances and get some help. Nannies are much more common in places like Dubai, one of the reasons being that mothers generally have much less of a support network. Before Louise’s second child was about to start school her and her husband decided after staying with her mum in the summer that it was the right time to come back to the UK. Louise always uses her own life experiences in her writing, especially in her books. She tries to make her characters more real so that the reader will empathise with them and feels like she can write so much more convincingly about things she has experienced herself.   BEST MOMENTS   “After you have your first baby you throw yourself into learning more about how it all works”   “There’s a theory that we all have different gestation times and mine would just go on”   “For a long time I felt displaced and a bit like I had two homes”   “I put myself in the shoes of every character I write to try and make them real”   “I don’t want to go for tea I want to go for wine!”   VALUABLE RESOURCES  www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org ABOUT THE GUEST Louise Emma Clarke IG @mumofboysandmabel www.mumofboys.co.uk Facebook: Mum of Boys and Mabel Facebook: Bargain Buys for Mums and Dads Louise’s Book    ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell

    1h 29m
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About

Welcome to Motherhood Exposed. Join me, Zoe Cresswell, mum of two and a UK trained midwife and doula, as I meet with an array of amazing women navigating life and motherhood.   Since becoming a mum for the second time, after my own complex journey, i have become more and more aware that motherhood is so unique. There is no one story the same and women need support now, more than ever. i hope by allowing mothers to openly speak we can help to break the silence around many topics. We need to shout out that there is no normal and that is something we need to embrace. Motherhood isn't always picture perfect, so lets bust some myths, realign expectations and share the journey together.   Podcast Description: Join Zoe, mum of two, a UK trained midwife, doula and pregnancy personal trainer as she meets with an array of empowering women navigating motherhood. Whether you’re trying to conceive, pregnant or have your own children or grandchildren, Motherhood Exposed busts myths, re-aligns expectations and shares stories of real women we can all relate to. Grab a coffee as Zoe and her guests have honest, frank and often funny conversations, showing that birth and motherhood isn’t always picture perfect. From the downright heart-breaking and messy times, to the beautiful joyous moments which make your heart melt, being a mum is a journey, so lets learn, laugh and cry as we go on it together.   About Zoe Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.

Information

  • Creator
    Zoe Cresswell
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Zoe Cresswell