The State of UK Postnatal Care Today

Understanding Birth Trauma: What It Is, Why It Happens, and Why It Matters

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Emma Thornton - doctor, former obstetrician and GP with a specialism in women's health, and founder of Cocoon - to build a clear picture of birth trauma: what it is, how it shows up, and why it matters. We cover the definition, the prevalence, the signs and symptoms, and the wider spectrum of perinatal trauma that often goes unacknowledged. We talk about what actually causes trauma - and why feeling unheard or uninformed during birth is often more damaging than the medical events themselves. We also get into the state of birth debriefs, the gaps in postnatal care, and why addressing birth trauma early rather than pushing through is so important for long-term health. This is part one of two - next episode, we look at what you can actually do about it.

The State of UK Postnatal Care Today

In this episode, we sit down with Susie Crowe - consultant obstetrician and one of the most senior voices in UK maternity care - to take an honest look at postnatal care as it stands today. We cover what postnatal care actually includes, why the quality and depth of that care varies so significantly depending on where you live, and what needs to change. We talk about birth debriefs, maternal mental health, pelvic health, physical recovery, and the case for trauma-informed care. Susie also shares what she believes every woman should feel entitled to ask for - and why self-care in the postnatal period isn't selfish, it's essential.

Navigating Your Career Journey as a Working Parent

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Susie Powis, founder of HiHo Coaching, and move from recognition into action. We explore Susie's three-pillar framework; Return, Navigate, Accelerate - and what practical steps look like at each stage. We talk about how to identify your values as the person you are today, how to avoid knee-jerk career moves that close off future options, and how to position yourself for growth without losing sight of family life. Susie also shares her own experience of leaving corporate life, moving through a startup that wasn't quite right, and eventually building HiHo - the hardest year and a half of her life, and the most purposeful.

What happens when your Career meets Motherhood?

In this episode, we sit down with Susie Powis, founder of HiHo Coaching, to explore what happens when your career journey collides with your motherhood journey. We talk about the identity shifts that come with becoming a parent, why mothers can find the early months particularly destabilising, and how the things that feel like setbacks - the lost confidence, the changed priorities, the daily unpredictability of life with a baby - are quietly building something new. Susie draws on 20 years in corporate leadership, her own difficult return to work after her second child, and her experience coaching parents back into their careers to help us understand why this moment deserves more recognition than it usually gets. This is part one of two - next episode, we get into what to do about it.

What to Do Instead of Screens: Building Independent Kids Through Play

In this episode, we pick up where we left off with Hannah Hagon from Unplugged Tots - moving from the problem with screens to what we actually do about it. We get into the practical side: how everyday activities like sorting washing and building patterns with Lego can become genuine learning moments, why your child's boredom isn't yours to fix, and how screen-free play needs to compete with the dopamine hit that screens deliver. Hannah shares examples from her book and her own family, and we talk about the parental effort it takes upfront to build kids who can entertain themselves - and why that investment compounds over time.