Our birthing scars stay with us forever.Abdominal scars from caesarean sections run deep.Layers of various tissues need to heal and lay down scar tissue, and this scar tissue has an effect on overall health.With the caesarean section rate so high, there will be many mothers living with abdominal scars. This episode is for you, and for your care givers.Understanding your scar and how it can affect your health is an important part of recovery.Learning to care for our scars will help us re...

In this episode Suzanne speaks with Tami Lynn Kent. Tami is a holistic women’s health care provider with a master’s degree in physiotherapy, advanced training in multiple bodywork techniques, and the ability to read energetic patterns of the body. She is the creator and founder of Holistic Pelvic Care™, and she runs a training program in this from Portland Oregon (where she lives) and also travelling internationally to train practitioners around the world.Tami’s work helps women to under...

Have you considered having a home birth?A few generations ago, birth was moved from primarily the home into the hospital. We are now facing record high numbers of medical interventions in birth including caesarean sections and instrumental deliveries. The research is clear that for "low risk" pregnancies home birth is just as - if not more - safe than hospital birth.Home birth is on the rise in Scotland, but still only makes up just over 1% of all births. Why?In this episode Suzanne speaks wi...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Isabelle Milot, a midwife working in the Chatham-Kent region of Ontario. Isabelle is originally from Quebec, and has been practising midwifery in southwestern Ontario since 2006. She has chaired an Association of Ontario Midwives’ committee for five years and is currently an elected council member of the Ontario College of Midwives. Isabelle shares with us how the model of midwifery care works in Ontario.Listen to this episode to find out:how women can cho...

What is advocacy in birth?Why would anyone need an advocate for their birth and during their birth experience?This episode includes a discussion with Cáitlin Heavey, a birth doula and mentor, active birth and yoga teacher, birth educator and woman's health physio.Our discussion includeshow you might figure out what you'd like and not like for your birth experiencewhy you might want a birth worker to support you during the birth of your babyhow informed consent is dependent on where you get th...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Dr Justice Reilly, a specialist breast doctor and lactation consultant, about some of the challenges you may face while breastfeeding.Listen to this podcast to find out:the function of colostrumhow factors during the birth can affect birth weightthat the weight of a baby is only one factor of assessing healthvariables that can delay a baby's return to their birth weighthow type of delivery can affect a baby's ability to breastfeedabout the "breast crawl"wh...

In this episode Suzanne and Kat Prangle of Breastfeedinglens offer practical tips and considerations when preparing to breastfeed.Pregnant women often say they want to breastfeed, but go into the experience with little or no preparation or education. Many factors can influence the ease of the breastfeeding journey. What happens during labour and the birth, and in the first few days and weeks afterwards, makes a big difference to how successful breastfeeding is.Listen to this episode to ...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with India Elyn – folk herbalist, birthkeeper, artist and a healer who helps people tend the threshold of pregnancy loss. India is the author of the book Honouring the Loss: A Holistic Guide to Healing with Ritual and Herbal Medicine after an Abortion.As a society, do we care for women who have made the difficult decision to have an abortion?When women have medical assistance for an abortion -whether that is in hospital or clinic, or even these days comple...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Lyssa Clayton, a homeopath who is passionate about working with women and families.Homeopathy is an intricate interplay of healing substances and a person's energetic balance, along with close connection of the practitioner to their client. Yet, like many holistic healing practices, you can buy do-it-yourself kits! And a popular one is the homeopathic kit for labour and birth.Listen to this episode to find out:Do these remedies work without the input of an...

Helen Cummings is the Calm Baby Sleep Expert.Helen educates pregnant parents in how to care for their newborn babies. She is a maternity nurse who can help with feeding, daily caring tasks and most importantly – helping people learn how to soothe and calm their babies into a restful sleep.Helen is a qualified nursery nurse, and began working as a maternity nurse 20 years ago. Since then, Helen has helped all kinds of parents learn how to recognise their baby’s cues for sleep, and how to help ...

In this episode, medical herbalist Lucie Bradley talks about how she was initially led to explore alternative health options when medical treatment for persistent vaginal thrush failed to work for her. This enquiry led her to study medical herbalism, and subsequently spend time in Africa working with nurses and doctors in integrated clinics, using herbal medicine alongside medical practices.Her exploration of local uses of herbs in Tanzania led her to then complete a Masters degree in e...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Lena Fong, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner who uses acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion and cupping to heal to maintain vitality and wellbeing. Lena is a highly learned and experienced practitioner and explains the TCM approach to health.Lena is also a yoga teacher and a doula, and is passionate about working with pregnant and postpartum women to maintain health and wellbeing. Listen to this episode to find out:the TCM approach to ...

Pelvic steaming. Vaginal steaming. Yoni steaming. In this episode Suzanne speaks to postpartum doula Jenny Smith-Nicol about the reasons for and methods of pelvic steaming. This episode is for you if:steaming is something you have heard of and are wondering what it isyou are someone who has ventured to try steaming but are not clear on the details of the practiceyou are a women's health practitioner looking for ways to help women with their reproductive health&nbs...

In this episode, Suzanne speaks to midwife and birth trauma expert Gemma Nealon.Listen to this episode to hear:what trauma iswhat the symptoms of trauma arewhy some people experience birth trauma and others don'tthe effect of the love hormones of birthhow to boost the love hormones in cases where the birth has medical interventionwhy finding peace during birth is importantwhy feeling deeply loved during birth can prevent traumaGemma's 3 stages of healing traumahow the birth attendant affects ...

In this episode, Suzanne talks to Daisy Dinwoodie, a doula living and working in the Edinburgh area. Their discussion focuses on choice in childbirth - how it is influenced by the medical establishment and how birthing families navigate their own birthing journeys. Daisy has been supporting parents with their birth experiences for many years and also trains doulas around Scotland.Listen to this episode to hear:why people hire doulaswhat type of support doulas can give and why that support is ...

In this episode Suzanne speaks with Abby Lord, director of Hypopressives Scotland and a founding member of the International Hypopressive Council.Hypopressives use breath work and posture to help tone the pelvic floor, and can be used to help with prolapses, urinary incontinence and pelvic floor disorders.In this episode you will hear:what hypopressives arehow they were developedhow they work to pull up the pelvic floorthe anatomy involved how they help with pelvic organ prolapse and dia...

In this episode Suzanne speaks to Klayr Hunter, medical herbalist, about hormonal balance and disorders of the female reproductive system, and how nutrition and plant medicine can help support a woman through this.In this episode you will hear Klayr speak about:the beginning of menstruation and how supporting diet and lifestyle can help the body settle into its own natural rhythmPMT and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)excessive oestrogen conditions like endometriosis, and fibroids...

In this episode Suzanne interviews Georgie McCulloch, a reflexologist who specialises in fertility, pregnancy and the postnatal period. Georgie trained in reflexology in 2001 after discovering it made such a positive difference to her life while she was working busy and stressful jobs in sales and marketing which were affecting her health, sleeping patterns, energy levels and general outlook on life. Since 2003 she has been fully self employed as a reflexologist and now has a busy practice ba...

In this episode Suzanne interviews Jo Anderson, a highly skilled and experienced specialist in abdominal therapy and scar therapy for women. Jo is also an advanced practitioner in the Arvigo techniques of Mayan abdominal therapy. She combines different complementary therapies to individualise her care and helps women to learn to love their bellies. Her treatment also involves teaching ongoing self care, so her work continues throughout your life. As women, so much goes ...

In this episode, Suzanne continues her discussion with Susana Montoya Pelaez, a body worker who uses physiotherapy, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation and applied kineseology to her treatments, along with numerous other modalities.Susana explains how she would help a woman's body recover from birth, whether it be caesarean section, instrumental or normal vaginal birth. She also discusses what a baby's body needs to do to prepare it's nervous system for life outside the womb, an...