Nurturing Birth Doula Podcast

Sophie is joined by new Mum Helen Trenchard and her surrogate, Rena Miras-Pye, who gave birth to baby Robin just 20 weeks ago. Together, in this special episode, they discuss surrogacy, how Helen and Dan had to let go of the notion of "shitty option B" after 9 years of a challenging fertility journey, and the process the team went through to get to know one another and make that all-important decision to move forwards and try to conceive. They share openly the entire journey from meeting through to the birth of Robin and a continuing, deep and very special friendship. For more information about surrogacy in the UK visit www.surrogacyuk.org or follow on Insta @surrogacyukorg

Sophie chats with Dr Sarah Madigan, Clinical Psychologist and Transformational Coach, about the grief of child loss and her subsequent pregnancy, birth and parenting experience. Together they explore the fear people have about grief, how to support families who experience loss and what is possible beyond grief. Sarah shares how much she wishes she had had a doula with her during and after her births. To find out more about Sarah visit https://www.instagram.com/drsarahmadigan/ or https://www.drsarahmadigan.com

Sophie chats with her own daughter, 18 year old Emily, about being the child of a doula and what growing up around the birth world has been like. Emily discusses her attitude to pregnancy, birth and parenting, how she would prepare for birth and the stories she hears from her peers. They discuss the media perception of birth, how much fear there is, the parallels with mental health and how poor sex education is in the UK. Emily is a young playwright and actress taking her first play to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2023 - to follow her progress visit Instagram on @here_you_come_again_official

Sophie chats with Booney Smith, a doula of almost twenty years and Nurturing Birth mentor, who became a grandmother for the first time during the pandemic. She shares her thoughts on supporting grandparents when working as a doula. Together they explore some of the challenges facing new parents around extended family. To find out more about Booney visit the Nurturing Birth Mentors page www.nurturingbirth.co.uk/mentors

Sophie chats with Midwife and Lactation Consultant Dee Bell, who runs the Infant Feeding Academy. They discuss supporting families before, during and after birth when it comes to infant feeding. They talk about biological norms and optimising the breastfeeding process if that is what new parents choose to do. They discuss problem solving and how to best support new parents. Dee dispels some of the myths surrounding infant feeding support. To find out more about Dee and the Infant Feeding Academy follow her on Instagram at @infantfeedingacademy