Midwife Pip Podcast

The Lie We Tell Women About Birth - with Helen Ashfield

A challenging or traumatic birth can leave a deep imprint, one that extends far beyond the early postpartum weeks and can shape how the future feels, too. When thoughts of another pregnancy or birth arise, they often carry a powerful mix of emotions, memories, and questions.

This week, I’m joined by the wonderful Helen, an incredible mum of 2 who I’ve had the honour of supporting through my YPJ - Your Pregnancy and Postnatal Journey programme. Although Helen prepared for her first birth in all the ways we’re told we “should,” the experience itself was not close to what she wanted. Determined to approach things differently the next time, she chose to reclaim her power and prepare in a new way. Today, I’m so grateful to share space with her as she opens up about her journey, with the hope of supporting and guiding others as they navigate birth themselves.

Extra Resources:

📚Midwife Pip’s Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books💫 Feel calm, confident, and fully supported through pregnancy with Midwife Pip ‘DM” -  “YPJ” on Instagram: @midwife_pip

Connect with Pip:Instagram: @midwife_pipFacebook: Midwife PipEmail: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and leave a short review -  it truly helps more mums find this support and reassurance.

And if you’d love to feel more confident and calm through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, come join our community,  you don’t have to do motherhood alone.

Enjoy listening… and don’t forget to subscribe!

Midwife Pip x
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Birth, Your Power: How to Take Control- with Gabbie Smith

Parenthood is the wildest ride of all, one minute you’re on top of the world, the next you’re Experiencing a traumatic or difficult birth can have lasting effects- not only in the immediate postpartum period but well into the future. The thought of another pregnancy or birth can then bring up a whole new wave of emotions and reflections.

This week I am joined by an incredible, mum, Gabbie. I have had the pleasure of supporting Gabbie and her family in my YPJ – my Your Pregnancy and Postnatal Journey programme. Gabbie’s first birth was a traumatic experience despite doing the prep society convinces us is the right thing to do and she decided to take the reins on her next birth, to prepare differently and today I have the privilege of talking to her as she shares her story to help others navigate birth too. 

Extra Resources:

📚Midwife Pip’s Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books💫 Feel calm, confident, and fully supported through pregnancy with Midwife Pip ‘DM” -  “YPJ” on Instagram: @midwife_pip

Connect with Pip:  Instagram: @midwife_pip  Facebook: Midwife Pip  Email: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

 If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and leave a short review -  it truly helps more mums find this support and reassurance.

And if you’d love to feel more confident and calm through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, come join our community — you don’t have to do motherhood alone.

Enjoy listening… and don’t forget to subscribe!

Midwife Pip x

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pelvic Floor Secrets No One Told You with Clare Bourne  

Today we’re diving into one of the most misunderstood and most transformative parts of pregnancy prep: your pelvic floor. These are the muscles that quietly hold everything together, influence how you birth, shape your recovery, and even affect how you feel in your body long after the baby arrives. Yet for so many women, the pelvic floor only becomes a topic after something goes wrong.

In this episode, pelvic health physiotherapist, author, and educator Clare Bourne @clarebournephysio joins us to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening in your body during pregnancy and birth. Clare has guided thousands of women through evidence-based, practical birth prep that replaces fear with confidence.

Settle in as we explore why your pelvic floor deserves a starring role in your birth plan, how to actually prepare it for labour, and what meaningful recovery looks like beyond the myths, mixed messages, and “just do your Kegels” advice. This is the conversation every mum-to-be should hear.

 

Extra Resources:

📚Midwife Pip’s Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books

💫 Feel calm, confident, and fully supported through pregnancy with Midwife Pip ‘DM” -  “YPJ” on Instagram: @midwife_pip

Connect with Pip:

Instagram: @midwife_pip

Facebook: Midwife PipEmail: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and leave a short review -  it truly helps more mums find this support and reassurance.

And if you’d love to feel more confident and calm through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, come join our community,  you don’t have to do motherhood alone.

Enjoy listening… and don’t forget to subscribe!

Midwife Pip x

 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What About Dad? Mathew Lewis Carter Opens Up on the Reality of Fatherhood.

Dads are often profoundly affected by pregnancy and parenthood, even if their experiences are less visible. Many feel pressure to stay strong and supportive while quietly navigating their own fears, identity shifts, and emotional challenges. The transition to fatherhood can trigger changes in mental health, especially when sleep deprivation, financial pressures, or relationship strain enter the picture. And because society tends to focus primarily on mothers, dads can feel sidelined, unsupported, or unsure of where to turn when they’re struggling.

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Mathew Lewis Carter @mathewlcarter @secretlifeofdads brings to light a side of parenthood that is too often overlooked: the emotional and mental health struggles fathers face behind the scenes. From the unexpected weight of postnatal depression to challenges, Mathew shares the reality so many dads live but rarely speak about.

Together, we explore why men’s experiences are so often dismissed, how these struggles impact relationships and identity, and what real support for fathers should look like. This is an episode for anyone who has felt unheard in their journey to parenthood, and for every family who wants to understand the full picture of what it means to become a parent today.

Extra Resources:

📚Midwife Pip’s Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books💫 Feel calm, confident, and fully supported through pregnancy with Midwife Pip ‘DM” -  “YPJ” on Instagram: @midwife_pip

Connect with Pip:Instagram: @midwife_pip

Facebook: Midwife Pip

Email: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and leave a short review -  it truly helps more mums find this support and reassurance.

And if you’d love to feel more confident and calm through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, come join our community,  you don’t have to do motherhood alone.

Enjoy listening… and don’t forget to subscribe!

Midwife Pip x
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to today’s episode and buckle up, because we’re diving into the world of Twins, triplets and more.

What’s it really like to be pregnant with, and raise twins, triplets or more?

In this episode of the Midwife Pip Podcast, Pip is joined by Helen Peck, Head of Healthcare Engagement and Research at the Twins Trust, for an honest, heart-warming and eye-opening conversation about life with multiples. From high-risk pregnancies and neonatal care to feeding decisions, exhaustion, and the magic of watching tiny humans grow side by side, nothing is off the table.

Helen shares her own powerful story as a mum to identical twins, born after a complex and anxious pregnancy, and how a chance connection with the Twins Trust became her lifeline  and eventually her life’s work. Together, Pip and Helen unpack the realities parents of multiples face: the isolation, the overwhelm, the relentless logistics… and the joy, humour and unbreakable bonds that only families of multiples truly understand.

From what parents of twins and triplets wish they’d known during pregnancy to the importance of specialist care, informed choice, and having a voice. 

Whether you’re expecting multiples, supporting someone who is, or simply fascinated by the extraordinary strength of parents who do this every day, this episode will leave you feeling informed, reassured, and deeply inspired. Check out Twins Trust: https://twinstrust.org

Extra Resources:

📚Midwife Pip’s Guide to a Positive Birth: https://www.midwifepip.com/midwife-pip-books💫 Feel calm, confident, and fully supported through pregnancy with Midwife Pip ‘DM” -  “YPJ” on Instagram: @midwife_pip

Connect with Pip:Instagram: @midwife_pipFacebook: Midwife PipEmail: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.midwifepip.com/contact-us

If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and leave a short review -  it truly helps more mums find this support and reassurance.

And if you’d love to feel more confident and calm through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, come join our community,  you don’t have to do motherhood alone.

Enjoy listening… and don’t forget to subscribe!

Midwife Pip x

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices