How can we better support those giving birth? And those supporting them?
In Part 2 of this honest and empowering conversation, Hannah and consultant midwife Maria Buaki-Sogo explore how we can bring more humanity, agency and nervous system awareness into maternity care.
They discuss the importance of clear boundaries for both birthing people and care providers, the role of yoga in restoring trust in the body, and how small changes in language, presence and practice can make a big difference.
Whether you're a yoga teacher, birth worker or someone who cares deeply about how we support people through pregnancy and postpartum, this episode offers insight, inspiration and practical tools.
Topics covered:
Creating safety through nervous system-aware care
Boundaries as a form of support and sustainability
The intersection of yoga, birth and self-trust
Empowerment through language and presence
Supporting care providers as well as birthing people
About Maria
Maria is both a practicing nurse and a midwife, last working as a Consultant Midwife.
Maria moved to the UK in 2010 from Spain, where she trained as a Registered Nurse and worked for three years as an A&E resus nurse. On arrival in the UK, Maria worked at Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust, gaining significant experience as a theatre nurse across a variety of specialties, from trauma-emergency cases to elective procedures.
Her midwifery experience includes various roles within a maternity setting, including low risk and high-risk pregnancy care, emergency obstetric care and the post-operative management of women who have undergone caesarean sections.
Her midwifery roles comprise of rotational midwifery (providing antenatal care, intrapartum care, and postnatal care), community midwifery care, caseload midwifery care for vulnerable women, homebirth midwifery services and research nursing and midwifery.
Maria is also a former Lead Nurse for North Thames Genomic Medicine, where she led the nursing workforce in the North Thames Region to explore and re-design clinical pathways of care to implement routine genetic testing in the National Health Service (NHS) via national transformational projects reporting back to NHSE/I (National Health Service England and Improvement).
She is also an Adult Nursing Lecturer, teaching applied physiology.
It is Maria's passion for research that has led her to pursue a career as clinical academic and to complete a PhD following achievement of an MSc in Research in Midwifery Studies in 2018, as she believes research is of great importance in developing clinical practice, standards, and advances in care.
Maria is also a passionate advocate for the incredible charity Borne - you can find out more about their incredible work here.
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