Building Birth Confidence

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Katie Smith

14 episodes

3 months ago

Your uterus is one of the most powerful — and misunderstood — organs in your body. But if you’ve experienced a difficult or traumatic birth before, it can be hard to trust it. In this gentle, informative episode, Katie explains: How the uterus works during labour (with insights from hypnobirthing and Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke)Why fear can create tension in the uterine muscles — and how relaxation supports effective labourWhat your uterus needs to work well (movement, breath, and calm...

Mental Health

Health & Fitness

RSS

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Mental Health

Health & Fitness

Episodes (14/14)

Building Birth Confidence

Understanding Your Amazing Uterus

3 months ago

12 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

How to Speak So They Hear You

If you freeze in appointments, forget your questions, or leave feeling like you weren’t heard — this short episode is for you. Katie gently explores why trauma makes it hard to speak up, and shares CBT tools, midwifery insights, and a short breath and anchor practice to help you feel more prepared for your next maternity appointment. ✨ What you’ll hear: Why the “freeze” response is common in pregnancy after trauma How to prepare and rehearse what you want to say A calming breathing practice...

3 months ago

9 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

It’s Okay to Choose a Caesarean

Choosing a planned caesarean after a traumatic vaginal birth can bring up a lot of emotions — fear, doubt, shame, even guilt. But your choice is valid. And you are still having a beautiful, empowered birth. In this short, compassionate episode, Katie gently reframes the decision to have a C-section and offers practical ways to personalise the experience. The episode closes with a simple soothing touch practice to support your nervous system and honour your strength. ✨ What you’ll hear: Why a ...

3 months ago

8 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

You’re Allowed to Ask Questions

If you've ever walked out of an appointment thinking, “I didn’t say what I really wanted to say,” or “I wish I’d asked more questions,” this episode is for you. Katie gently explores how birth trauma can make it harder to speak up during pregnancy and shares simple, practical tools to help you feel more confident and heard in maternity appointments. The episode ends with a short visualisation practice to help you feel calm and grounded before your next conversation about your care. ✨ What you...

4 months ago

10 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Let’s Talk About Control

After a traumatic birth, many people feel a deep need to regain control. But birth is unpredictable — so how do we navigate that uncertainty without feeling powerless? In this short, empowering episode, Katie explores the difference between control and influence — and guides you through a calming hand-on-heart practice to help you reconnect to your inner strength and clarity. ✨ What you’ll hear: Why control feels vital after trauma How to identify what’s really within your power A grounding...

4 months ago

9 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Don’t Wait Until You Feel Brave

If you’ve been putting off preparing for birth because you don’t feel “ready” yet — this episode is for you. In this powerful and compassionate episode, Katie explores how fear, avoidance, and waiting for confidence can keep us stuck in a cycle of inaction — especially after birth trauma. Using insights from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy, you’ll learn how taking small, gentle steps forward can help you build momentum — even if you still feel scared. This episode...

4 months ago

9 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

What If This Time Could Be Different?

When you’ve experienced birth trauma, hope can feel risky — even dangerous. But what if preparing differently this time is the very thing that makes a different experience possible? In this short, empowering episode, Katie offers a gentle mindset shift to help you explore the possibility of a better birth — and guides you through a short safe place visualisation to help activate calm, hope, and trust in yourself. ✨ What you’ll hear: Why your brain tries to predict a repeat of trauma How to g...

4 months ago

11 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

You’re Not Broken — You’re Protecting

When you’re pregnant again after a traumatic or difficult birth, fear can show up fast — and it can feel like something’s wrong with you. But what if that fear is actually your body’s way of trying to keep you safe? In this short, soothing episode, Katie shares a powerful mindset shift to help you understand your anxiety with more compassion — and ends with a short guided compassionate exercise to help calm your nervous system and reconnect with your body gently. ✨ What you’ll hear: Why fear ...

4 months ago

10 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Uncover Labour Pain Secrets Now for Easier Birth

In this episode of the Building Birth Confidence Podcast, Katie dives into the topic of pain in labour—a subject often surrounded by fear and anxiety. Whether you’re feeling apprehensive because of a challenging previous birth or simply unsure of how to approach this part of labour, this episode is packed with insights and tools to help you reframe pain as purposeful and manageable. By understanding the role of pain in labour, breaking the fear-tension-pain cycle, and learning practical techn...

9 months ago

30 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Embracing the Unknown: How to Manage Birth’s Uncertainty and Feel Calm, Confident and Prepared

In this episode of the Building Birth Confidence Podcast, Katie dives into the experience of dealing with the uncertainty of birth—an aspect that many find difficult, especially after a previous traumatic experience. She shares valuable strategies for navigating the unknown with a calmer, more prepared mindset and provides tools to help you feel more at ease with uncertainty. Whether you’re worried about how your birth may go this time or are struggling to manage fears of the unexpected, this...

11 months ago

22 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Creating a Birth Plan that Empowers You

In this episode, Katie explores how to create a birth plan that truly empowers you, especially if you’ve had a difficult or traumatic birth experience before. A birth plan is more than just a document—it’s a way to communicate your needs, boundaries, and preferences to your care team. Katie walks through the key elements of a birth plan, including birth environment, emotional needs, pain management, and handling interventions, with tips on how to advocate for yourself and ensure your voice is...

11 months ago

18 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Understanding Your Options: Choosing Your Type of Birth - Vaginal Birth, VBAC, and Caesarean Birth

In this episode of the Building Birth Confidence Podcast, we dive deep into the different birth options available to you—whether you’re considering a vaginal birth, a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean), or a planned Caesarean. Hosted by Katie, a mental health midwife, antenatal teacher, and hypnobirthing instructor specialising in pregnancy after traumatic birth, this episode is designed to provide evidence-based information and emotional support to help you make informed decisions that fee...

1 year ago

14 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

How a Birth Debrief Can Empower Your Next Pregnancy

In this episode of the Building Birth Confidence Podcast, host Katie, a mental health midwife, antenatal teacher, and hypnobirthing instructor, explores how a birth debrief can empower you as you prepare for your next pregnancy. A birth debrief is an opportunity to reflect on your previous birth, helping you process what happened and gain clarity on why certain decisions were made. Katie discusses the emotional and psychological benefits of debriefing, shares tips on how to organise one, and ...

1 year ago

14 minutes

Building Birth Confidence

Managing Anxiety and Fear During Pregnancy

In this very first episode of the Building Birth Confidence Podcast, host Katie, a mental health midwife, antenatal teacher, and hypnobirthing instructor, introduces a compassionate approach to managing anxiety and fear during pregnancy. This episode is designed for those who may have had a difficult or traumatic previous birth and are looking for ways to feel more calm, grounded, and in control as they prepare for this new pregnancy and birth experience. Katie dives deep into the reasons beh...

1 year ago

24 minutes