Breaking the Taboo with Theo Clarke

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by Dr Jo Senior, Specialty Doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, to discuss what it means to have a high-risk pregnancy and explain some of the most common interventions during labour and birth.
Topics that we discuss on the show include: what “high risk” means in pregnancy; when induction of labour may be recommended; what happens during induction; how induced labour differs from spontaneous labour; the benefits and risks of induction; when an instrumental or assisted birth may be recommended; the risks and benefits of assisted delivery compared with spontaneous birth; when a caesarean section may be offered; the questions mothers should ask when deciding between an assisted birth and a caesarean section; and what these interventions may mean for future pregnancies.
Biographies:
Dr Jo Senior
Dr Jo Senior is a Specialty Doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with 14 years’ experience working in maternity care. She is passionate about improving antenatal education and reducing psychological birth trauma. Dr Senior is also the mother of a two-year-old son.
Resources
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) https://www.rcog.org.uk
NHS Inducing Labour https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/inducing-labour/
Birth Trauma Association https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org
About the Host
Theo Clarke hosts Breaking the Taboo and A Thread of One’s Own. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford, where she chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and has been included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row. Theo is a high profile campaigner on improving maternity care and her petition with Louise Thompson resulted in the UK Government creating a new appointment for the first ever Maternity Commissioner.
Follow Theo: https://www.instagram.com/theoclarkemp/
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell:
https://www.irwinmitchell.com/
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP, midwife or obstetrician for individual medical advice.
Website:https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Breaking The Taboo production team:
Founder and host: Theo Clarke
Producer: Adam Woodward
Researchers: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by Professor Ranee Thakar to discuss birth injuries, obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI), and the importance of improving awareness, prevention, diagnosis and treatment for women after childbirth.
Topics discussed on the show include: perineal trauma during childbirth; what obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI) are and how common they are; the impact of birth injuries on women’s physical and mental health; the consequences of undiagnosed injuries; risk factors for severe tears during childbirth; prevention, treatment and recovery; pelvic floor health; the current landscape of maternity care in the NHS; and the work of charities, such as MASIC, in supporting women affected by birth injuries.
BIOGRAPHY
Professor Ranee Thakar, MD, FRCOG, is a highly respected Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist based in London, with extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of pelvic floor and perineal conditions across a woman’s life course. She is also an Honorary Professor of Women’s Health at the University of Liverpool.
With many years of senior consultant practice, Professor Thakar specialises in caring for women with postnatal pelvic floor problems, bladder and bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, perineal pain, and sexual dysfunction, as well as women experiencing pelvic floor symptoms around the menopause and later life.
Professor Thakar served as President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) from December 2022 to 2025, reflecting her national and international leadership in women’s health. Her global reputation is reflected through honorary fellowships from leading professional bodies.
RESOURCES
MASIC Foundationhttps://masic.org.uk
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)https://www.rcog.org.uk
ABOUT THE HOST
Theo Clarke hosts the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which ranks in the Top 5 most listened to shows in the UK for alternative health. She has also published a bestselling memoir Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. She was the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in the UK. Theo was included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row.
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP or doctor.
www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Instagram: @theoclarkemp
Breaking The Taboo production team
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by entrepreneur, author and Peanut founder Michelle Kennedy to discuss loneliness in motherhood, building support networks and why no mother should feel alone.
Topics discussed on the show include: the emotional reality of new motherhood; loneliness and isolation after having a baby; expectations versus reality; building a support network; asking for help; identity and motherhood; what women need most in the early weeks after birth; and the importance of community and connection throughout motherhood.
BIOGRAPHY
Michelle Kennedy is founder and CEO of Peanut, one of the fastest-growing social networking apps for women focusing on fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause, which has raised $23m to date. Michelle was formerly Deputy CEO of dating behemoth Badoo, and during her tenure was integral to and inaugural board member of Bumble, (which IPOd at a $13bn valuation).
Having worked in social discovery for ten years, Michelle has unprecedented experience and understanding of the safety and growth components of building a social network for women and continues to execute on her mission to make Peanut the leading network to connect women when they need each other most. She is also a strategic investor in several early and late stage startups, and institutional venture capital funds.
Michelle is also the author of It Takes a Village: And Other Essential Truths for New Mothers, which brings together stories from women in the Peanut community alongside expert insights on fertility, pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
RESOURCES
Peanut
https://www.peanut-app.io
It Takes a Village: And Other Essential Truths for New Mothershttps://www.peanut-app.io/book
ABOUT THE HOST
Theo Clarke hosts the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which ranks in the Top 5 most listened to shows in the UK for alternative health. She has also published a bestselling memoir Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. She was the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in the UK. Theo was included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row.
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP or doctor.
www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Instagram: @theoclarkemp
Breaking The Taboo production team
Host and Founder: Theo Clarke
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined by Ryan Libbey, father, writer and storyteller, to discuss the hidden impact of birth trauma on fathers.
Topics that we discuss on the show include: Ryan and Louise Thompson’s experience of pregnancy, miscarriage and birth trauma; the expectations of becoming a father compared with the reality after a traumatic birth; what it was like for Ryan to support Louise during labour, emergency surgery and recovery; the experience of seeing his son in NICU; the pressure on fathers to stay strong; guilt, fear and helplessness after traumatic birth; how trauma affected Ryan and Louise’s relationship; the importance of vulnerability and honest conversations; bottle feeding, breastfeeding pressure and the need for a post-birth plan; becoming a hands-on father; Ryan’s writing through Letters to Leo; support for dads after birth trauma; and the campaign to appoint a maternity commissioner.
Biographies:
Ryan Libbey
Ryan Libbey is a father, writer and storyteller whose work explores modern fatherhood, resilience and the everyday moments that shape who we become. Through his weekly newsletter, Letters to Leo, he writes letters to his young son that have grown into a community of thousands of readers seeking more meaningful conversations about family, wellbeing and life.
Following his family’s experience of birth trauma, Ryan has become a passionate advocate for greater awareness and support for parents, sharing his perspective as a dad navigating caregiving, recovery and the realities of family life after trauma. Through his writing, podcasting and outdoor adventures, he hopes to encourage more honest conversations about connection, vulnerability and the values we pass on to the next generation.
Ryan also co-hosts the podcast He Said, She Said with his fiancée Louise Thompson.
About the Host
Theo Clarke hosts Breaking the Taboo and A Thread of One’s Own. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford, where she chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and has been included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row. Theo is campaigning to improve maternity care and for the appointment by the UK Government of a Maternity Commissioner.
Follow Theo: https://www.instagram.com/theoclarkemp/
Resources:
Dad Matters:
https://dadmatters.org.uk/
Fatherhood Solutions: https://linktr.ee/fatherhoodsolutions
Secret Life of Dads podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thesecretlifeofdads/
Letters to Leo:
https://ryanlibbey.beehiiv.com/
Maternity Commissioner petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell:
https://www.irwinmitchell.com/
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP or doctor.
Website:https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Breaking The Taboo production team:
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Kate Kenyon
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio Manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

This week on Breaking the Taboo, Theo Clarke hosts a special live panel recording from the Birth & Beyond Tent at the Everywoman Festival in London: State of the Nation: What Needs to Change in Maternity Care?Joined by investigative journalist Hannah Barnes, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Susie Crowe, and Birth Trauma Association CEO Dr Kim Thomas, Theo explores the current state of maternity services in England and asks what meaningful reform should look like for women, babies and families. Topics discussed on the show include: the rise in birth trauma; whether maternity care faces a crisis of safety, trust, or both; why women often feel unheard during pregnancy and birth; accountability and learning when things go wrong; improving care throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period; variation in outcomes between maternity units; the role of data in NHS care; what a truly woman-centred maternity system could look like; and an update on the current investigations into maternity care led respectively by Baroness Amos and Donna Ockenden.BIOGRAPHIESHannah Barnes is Investigations Editor at the New Statesman, where she focuses on the topics and stories shaping the world we live in. An award-winning journalist, she spent 15 years at the BBC specialising in analytical and investigative journalism on both television – for BBC Newsnight – and radio. Hannah produced, edited and reported for many of Radio 4’s best known news and current affairs shows. She is the author of Sunday Times Bestseller, *Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children*.England’s maternity crisis is in desperate need of reform, and Hannah Barnes has already established herself as the reporter best placed to deliver it, exposed legal gaps that left bereaved families without answers, and stayed with those families long enough to ensure the promises made to them were kept.Dr Susie Crowe, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at Barts Health NHS Trust and President of the British Intrapartum Care Society (BICS). Susie also serves as the National Workplace Behaviours Adviser for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and previously led the joint RCM/RCOG safety programme Each Baby Counts Learn and Support. With a wealth of leadership experience – from intrapartum lead and clinical director to regional lead obstetrician for London – Susie is passionate about improving maternity care. She believes that delivering high-quality care starts with creating nurturing, compassionate environments where teams feel safe to thrive.Dr Kim Thomas is CEO of the Birth Trauma Association. She authored the 2024 Parliamentary Inquiry report into birth trauma and has written two books on birth trauma, including on PTSD.
Theo Clarke (Chair) hosts the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo on women’s health which ranks in Top 5% most listened to shows around the world. She has also published a bestselling memoir ‘Breaking the Taboo: why we need to talk about birth trauma’. She was the Member of Parliament for Stafford, chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and previously set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma in the House of Commons. Theo has served as parliamentary private secretary at the Departments for Education, Business and Trade and HM Treasury, in addition to being Trade Envoy for the Prime Minister. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and was included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list in 2025 and 2024. This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.**DISCLAIMER:** This show is not intended to be medical advice – please seek advice from a GP or doctor.http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
RESOURCES
Birth Trauma Association
British Intrapartum Care Society
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology
Postnatal PTSD
Independent Investigation into Maternity Services in England
Maternity Commissioner Petition with Louise Thompson
Breaking The Taboo production team
Founder and host: Theo Clarke
Producer and Studio Manager: Adam WoodwardResearcher: Kate KenyonDesigner: Emily RyderSocial Media: Bella CarterStudio: Studio 55, part of Wolfe Power Club


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com