A Better Start to Motherhood

The Motherhood Clinic
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Health & Fitness

Real conversations about life after childbirth. Bringing postnatal care into the open - blending expert insight with lived experience. From physical recovery to mental health, identity, and relationships, we explore the messy, beautiful reality of parenting. You’ll hear from clinicians, mothers, and partners on what helped, what hurt, and what they wish they’d known. Feel more informed, less alone, and more confident in your own journey.

  1. Returning Well (1/2): Understanding the Real Challenges of Coming Back to Work After Maternity Leave

    2d ago

    Returning Well (1/2): Understanding the Real Challenges of Coming Back to Work After Maternity Leave

    In this episode, we sit down with Kirstie Sneyd - organisational psychologist, return-to-work specialist, and author of Returning Well - to map out the challenges that come with going back to work after maternity leave. We explore her research-backed framework across three areas: being out of the loop, managing a dual role, and navigating culture and norms. Kirstie draws on her coaching work, her academic research, and her knowledge of the psychological dynamics at play - covering everything from lost confidence and missed career opportunities, to identity shifts, guilt, and the compare-and-despair trap. This is the first of two conversations; the second focuses on practical strategies for each challenge.

    36 min
  2. Dealing With Birth Trauma: How to Recognise It, Navigate the System, and Start to Heal

    Jun 5

    Dealing With Birth Trauma: How to Recognise It, Navigate the System, and Start to Heal

    In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Dr. Emma Thornton - doctor, former obstetrician, GP specialising in women's health, and founder of Cocoon - and move from understanding birth trauma into what you can actually do about it. We cover how to recognise the signs in yourself or someone you care for, when to seek help and what that looks like, and how to make the most of the support that's already available through the NHS. Emma also introduces Cocoon - a digitally delivered, clinically guided platform built to give women access to birth trauma support on their own terms and in their own time. This is part two of two - part one covers what birth trauma is and why it matters.

    35 min
  3. Understanding Birth Trauma: What It Is, Why It Happens, and Why It Matters

    May 29

    Understanding Birth Trauma: What It Is, Why It Happens, and Why It Matters

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Emma Thornton - doctor, former obstetrician and GP with a specialism in women's health, and founder of Cocoon - to build a clear picture of birth trauma: what it is, how it shows up, and why it matters. We cover the definition, the prevalence, the signs and symptoms, and the wider spectrum of perinatal trauma that often goes unacknowledged. We talk about what actually causes trauma - and why feeling unheard or uninformed during birth is often more damaging than the medical events themselves. We also get into the state of birth debriefs, the gaps in postnatal care, and why addressing birth trauma early rather than pushing through is so important for long-term health. This is part one of two - next episode, we look at what you can actually do about it.

    43 min
  4. The State of UK Postnatal Care Today

    May 22

    The State of UK Postnatal Care Today

    In this episode, we sit down with Susie Crowe - consultant obstetrician and one of the most senior voices in UK maternity care - to take an honest look at postnatal care as it stands today. We cover what postnatal care actually includes, why the quality and depth of that care varies so significantly depending on where you live, and what needs to change. We talk about birth debriefs, maternal mental health, pelvic health, physical recovery, and the case for trauma-informed care. Susie also shares what she believes every woman should feel entitled to ask for - and why self-care in the postnatal period isn't selfish, it's essential.

    52 min
  5. Navigating Your Career Journey as a Working Parent

    May 15

    Navigating Your Career Journey as a Working Parent

    In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Susie Powis, founder of HiHo Coaching, and move from recognition into action. We explore Susie's three-pillar framework; Return, Navigate, Accelerate - and what practical steps look like at each stage. We talk about how to identify your values as the person you are today, how to avoid knee-jerk career moves that close off future options, and how to position yourself for growth without losing sight of family life. Susie also shares her own experience of leaving corporate life, moving through a startup that wasn't quite right, and eventually building HiHo - the hardest year and a half of her life, and the most purposeful.

    49 min
  6. What to Do Instead of Screens: Building Independent Kids Through Play

    May 1

    What to Do Instead of Screens: Building Independent Kids Through Play

    In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Hannah Hagon from Unplugged Tots - moving from the problem with screens to what we actually do about it. We get into the practical side: how everyday activities like sorting washing and building patterns with Lego can become genuine learning moments, why your child's boredom isn't yours to fix, and how screen-free play needs to compete with the dopamine hit that screens deliver. Hannah shares examples from her book and her own family, and we talk about the parental effort it takes upfront to build kids who can entertain themselves - and why that investment compounds over time.

    37 min
  7. The Cost of Screen Time on Our Kids: Building a Healthy Relationship With Screens

    Apr 24

    The Cost of Screen Time on Our Kids: Building a Healthy Relationship With Screens

    In this episode, we sit down with Hannah Hagon, founder and author of Unplugged Tots, to talk about something every parent is navigating — screen time. We explore what screen use is actually displacing in our children's development, why not all screen time is the same, and how the real goal isn't banning screens but building an intentional relationship with them. Hannah shares the stats, the research, and the story of how a Raspberry Pi festival with her two- and four-year-old daughters led to a book that's changing how families think about play, tech and childhood.

    44 min
  8. Rethinking Obesity: What Every Woman Should Know Before, During and After Pregnancy

    Apr 17

    Rethinking Obesity: What Every Woman Should Know Before, During and After Pregnancy

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr Fareeha Rizvi, an endocrinologist and obesity specialist, alongside obstetrician Dr Fiona, to explore what modern medicine now understands about obesity - and why so much of what we've been told needs revisiting. We explore why obesity is a chronic disease and not a character flaw, what the latest GLP-1 medications can and can't do, how to think about weight before and after pregnancy, and why sleep, nutrition, and resistance training are just as much part of the picture as any injection.

    43 min
See All (33)

About

Real conversations about life after childbirth. Bringing postnatal care into the open - blending expert insight with lived experience. From physical recovery to mental health, identity, and relationships, we explore the messy, beautiful reality of parenting. You’ll hear from clinicians, mothers, and partners on what helped, what hurt, and what they wish they’d known. Feel more informed, less alone, and more confident in your own journey.

Information

  • Creator
    The Motherhood Clinic
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Motherhood Clinic
  • Show Website
    A Better Start to Motherhood