The Better Birth podcast with Erin Fung

In this episode I chat to Nico, the husband of my previous guest and client Anna! He speaks about his experience of her first pregnancy and birth, the trauma of the lack of empathic and informed care and support, and the helplessness he felt as a birth partner, which led them both to book on a course with me. He explains the impact of being educated had on their second pregnancy and birth, and shares his pearls of wisdom on the key things a birth partner should do to be the best support they can be. In Nico's words: "I'm Nico, father to two wonderful children, both of whom came into the world under very different circumstances. The first pregnancy was riddled with misinformation and coercion, and for the second we wanted to be even more prepared. There is not a wealth of information available on how the birth partner can be of help, so I wanted to share my experience of the two pregnancies, what I learned, what are some red flags, and how best to help your person carrying your baby."

In this episode I chat to Dr Alice Keely PhD about pregnancy and birth when you're classed as having a high BMI. We discuss what challenges a pregnant person may face when plus sized, the recommendations and interventions that may be offered, how your "high risk" label may influence recommendations around birth place and choices, and how to achieve the birth you deserve! Dr Alice Keely is a PhD midwife with more than 20 years experience and a passion for helping plus size women have happy pregnancies. As the Heavyweight Midwife she has supported hundreds of women to be empowered for their unique journeys, confident in the knowledge that the being plus size size not make your pregnancy is ‘high risk’! You can find her at https://theheavyweightmidwife.com or on socials as the Heavyweight Midwife.

I chat to doula and co-founder of physiological birth week, Julie-Ann. We discuss what physiological birth is, why we need a whole week to raise awareness and celebrate it, and how to achieve a physiological birth if that's what you wish for. Julie-Ann is a doula and birth keeper, who studied Midwifery for almost 3 years before leaving to remain a Doula full-time. She co-founded physiological birth week with birth keeper Kemi Johnson. You can find Julie-Ann at https://www.northamptonshiredoula.com/ or on social media @julie_ann_the_doula

I welcome the fabulous midwife Kelly back on to the podcast for the low down on growth charts and scans! We discuss what a growth chart is and why we measure baby's size, the different types of "small babies", why some may be cause for concern and others not at all, big babies and why they may not be so scary, and inaccuracies of fundal height measurements, scans and plotting averages on charts. Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. We reserve the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time. The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of the podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed. Your use of content contained in or linked to this podcast is entirely at your own risk. The Better Birth podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.