The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast

Sallyann Beresford
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Everything a pregnant woman and her partner need to know to support them in preparation for labour, birth, and the early days with a new baby. This podcast gives both you and your partner the confidence and knowledge about the role they play throughout your birth, so they don't undermine or ruin the birth for you. Throughout these episodes, my guests and I will share with you our experience of being a birth keeper and advocate for women across the globe. This podcast is inclusive and invites guests from all backgrounds to enable you to hear a wide range of experiences. 

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 189 - Consent

    Consent is often reduced to a simple question: “Do you agree?” But meaningful consent involves much more than that. It is about having enough information to understand what is being proposed, having the opportunity to ask questions, being free to make your own decision and knowing that you can change your mind. Throughout this episode I look at the important difference between consent and compliance, because two women can both say yes while experiencing very different levels of choice. One may have listened to the information, considered her options and genuinely decided that something is right for her. Another may agree because she is frightened, feels pressured, doesn't want to be seen as difficult or believes she has no real alternative. That distinction becomes particularly important in maternity care, where decisions can sometimes be made in circumstances involving fear, uncertainty, time pressure and enormous concern for the wellbeing of a baby.  I also explore the relationship between fear and consent, and why being frightened can affect the way we process information and experience our choices. This is why birth partners can play such an important role, not by making decisions for the woman, but by helping create enough space for her to understand what is being suggested and decide what she wants to do. Ultimately, consent is about recognising that professional expertise and personal autonomy can exist together. You can respect your midwife or doctor, value their knowledge and listen carefully to their recommendations while still understanding that decisions about your body belong to you. Here is an episode I mentioned in the podcast which I recommend you listen to:- Episode 178 - The Survival Response in Birth: Fawning and Cognitive Dissonance Explained Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  2. Oct 25

    Episode 188 - Risk

    Risk is a word that is often used to describe a particular type of pregnancy, but how often do we actually stop to think about what that word means, and what it really tells us about the pregnancy? In this episode, I explore what happens when a pregnancy is described as high risk or low risk, and how easily these labels can begin to influence the way we think about pregnancy and birth. Once a pregnancy has been given a particular risk label, it can be very easy to hear that label as a prediction of what is going to happen, rather than an assessment of the likelihood of particular outcomes. I look at the difference between possibility, probability and certainty, and why being told that something is more likely does not mean that it is inevitable. I also explore why the word risk can feel particularly powerful during pregnancy, when the possibility of something happening to your baby can carry an enormous emotional weight. A significant part of the episode looks at absolute risk and relative risk, including why the phrase “double the risk” doesn't tell you enough on its own. I share a few examples to understand why the starting point matters, how the same relative increase can represent very different absolute changes, and why asking “doubled from what to what?” can be such a useful question. Another important question throughout the episode is risk compared with what? Pregnancy and birth rarely present us with a completely risk-free option. An intervention may reduce one particular possibility while introducing other potential consequences, while choosing to wait or continue with physiological processes also involves uncertainty. Understanding the risks and benefits of the different options allows you to see the whole picture rather than focusing on one possibility in isolation. Because risk is not a prediction of what will happen. It is information about what might happen, and understanding the difference matters. Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  3. Oct 18

    Episode 187 - Environment

    Where you give birth matters — but environment is about much more than the room you give birth in. In this episode, I’m looking at what Environment really means within the SPACE Framework™ and how the physical and emotional environment around you can influence how you feel, respond and participate during labour. The people in the room, the atmosphere, privacy, noise, interruptions, lighting, equipment and the way you are spoken to can all become part of your birth environment. And sometimes that environment will change during labour. Knowing what matters to you, and understanding what you can ask for, can help you remain involved even when circumstances change. This is the final episode in the five-part SPACE series: Safety. Privacy. Advocacy. Conditions. Environment. You can find the 28-page SPACE Framework™ document via the link in my bio or in the podcast show notes. Listen to the episode and consider: what kind of environment helps you feel safe, informed and able to respond to what is happening? Explore the SPACE Framework™ - https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/the-space-framework--digital-pdf  (This is FREE within the Discover Your North Star Course) Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  4. Oct 11

    Episode 186 - Conditions

    CONDITIONS - What are we asking your body to do within? In this episode, we're exploring the fourth word in my SPACE Framework™: Conditions. When we talk about preparing for birth, much of the focus is placed on what you can do. You can learn about the physiology of labour, understand what your body is doing, practise breathing and relaxation, think about movement, explore your options and prepare yourself for the experience ahead. But your body doesn't experience labour in isolation from everything around you. It is doing the work of labour within a set of circumstances, and those circumstances can influence the way you experience what is happening. The people around you, the language being used, whether you feel safe or exposed, whether you are being interrupted, whether you understand what is happening and whether you feel rushed or supported all become part of the conditions in which you are experiencing labour. The question I want you to take away from this episode is: Are the conditions around you supporting what you're asking your body to do? Because we can spend a great deal of time preparing for labour, learning about physiology and thinking about how we want to approach birth, but it is also worth considering the circumstances surrounding you while you're asking your body to do that work. Your body doesn't labour separately from you, and you don't experience labour separately from the conditions surrounding you. Explore the SPACE Framework™ - https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/the-space-framework--digital-pdf  (This is FREE within the Discover Your North Star Course) Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  5. Oct 4

    Episode 185 - Advocacy

    ADVOCACY - Who protects your space when you can't? And why does that matter? In this episode, we're exploring the third word in my SPACE Framework™: Advocacy. When we think about advocacy in birth, it can be easy to imagine confrontation, challenging every decision or having a birth partner who is prepared to fight the maternity system. But advocacy is about something much more important than being the loudest person in the room. It is about protecting your autonomy. During labour, there may come a point when you are deeply absorbed in what your body is doing and simply don't want to manage the conversations happening around you. You may still want to understand what is being proposed and remain involved in decisions about your care, but you may need someone beside you who can help create the time, space and opportunity for you to do that without taking over or making decisions for you. Therefore the question I want you to think about this week is: Who protects your space when you can't? And why does that matter? Explore the SPACE Framework™ - https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/the-space-framework--digital-pdf  (This is FREE within the Discover Your North Star Course) Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  6. Sep 27

    Episode 184 - Privacy

    PRIVACY: What Do You Need to Stop Feeling Observed? What does privacy actually mean during labour? In this episode, we move to the second word in the SPACE Framework™: Privacy. Privacy isn't simply about being alone or having a closed door. A woman can have people she trusts around her and still feel completely private, while being physically alone doesn't necessarily mean she feels unobserved or protected from interruption. During labour, a woman may gradually become less socially aware and more absorbed in what is happening within her body. She may become quieter, close her eyes, move instinctively, make sounds without thinking about how she appears, and become far less interested in conversation or what is happening around her. So what happens when she is continually brought back into the outside world? The question I leave you with this week is: What do I need in order to stop feeling observed? Explore the SPACE Framework™ - https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/the-space-framework--digital-pdf  (This is FREE within the Discover Your North Star Course) Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  7. Sep 20

    Episode 183 - Safety

    SAFETY: What Does Safety Actually Feel Like? What do we really mean when we talk about safety in birth? In this episode, I introduce the first word in the SPACE Framework™: Safety. When we talk about safe birth, we often think about physical or clinical safety, and of course, the wellbeing of both mother and baby matters enormously. But safety is not only about clinical observations, equipment or the ability to respond if something changes. A woman is also experiencing birth through her nervous system. She is constantly responding to the people around her, the information she receives, the way she is spoken to and whether she feels able to relax, ask questions and let go. The question I leave you with this week is: What will I need to feel safe enough to let go? Explore the SPACE Framework™ - https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/the-space-framework--digital-pdf  (This is FREE within the Discover Your North Star Course) Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

  8. Sep 13

    Episode 182 - Curiosity

    CURIOSITY: What Don't You Know Yet? How do we prepare for birth when we don't yet know what we don't know? In the first episode of Season 7, I'm exploring the word Curiosity and why I believe it may be one of the most valuable things you can bring into pregnancy and birth. We are surrounded by information, advice, opinions, recommendations and stories, but being given information isn't always the same as understanding it. Curiosity allows us to look a little deeper, ask better questions and remain open to learning something new, even when that new information challenges something we previously believed. I also reflect on these words from Maya Angelou: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." Perhaps we don't need to know everything before we begin preparing for birth. Perhaps we simply need to remain curious enough to keep learning. Send me a message If you want to access any of my free resources click here:-https://stan.store/sallyannberesford If you want to learn more about my Discover Your North Star Course then read more here:- https://stan.store/sallyannberesford/p/discover-your-north-star- If you love the podcast and would like to support it, then please use the link to 'buy me a coffee' - https://bmc.link/sallyannberesford If you would like to buy a copy of either of the books that accompany this podcast please go to your online bookseller or visit Amazon:- Labour of Love - The Ultimate Guide to Being a Birth Partner  - click here:-https://bit.ly/Labouroflove The Art of Giving Birth - Five Key Physiological Principles - https://amzn.to/3EGh9df Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Black and White version https://amzn.to/3CvJXmO Pregnancy Journal for 'The Art of Giving Birth' - Colour version https://amzn.to/3GknbPF You can find all my classes and courses on my website - www.sallyannberesford.co.uk Follow me on Instagram @theultimatebirthpar...

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About

Everything a pregnant woman and her partner need to know to support them in preparation for labour, birth, and the early days with a new baby. This podcast gives both you and your partner the confidence and knowledge about the role they play throughout your birth, so they don't undermine or ruin the birth for you. Throughout these episodes, my guests and I will share with you our experience of being a birth keeper and advocate for women across the globe. This podcast is inclusive and invites guests from all backgrounds to enable you to hear a wide range of experiences. 

Information

  • Creator
    Sallyann Beresford
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    190
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Ultimate Birth Partner Podcast

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