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. Tami’s work helps women to understand the wisdom that is in their pelvic bowl, and to work with the healing – or the medicine – that this understanding brings.

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 with women who have recently given birth at home, midwives who work in a dedicated home birth team, and the Chief Midwifery Officer for Scotland to explore the reality of home birth in Scotland.

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.

What is advocacy in birth?
Why would anyone need an advocate for their birth and during their birth experience?

In this episode Suzanne speaks with Cáitlin Heavey, a birth doula and mentor, active birth and yoga teacher, birth educator and woman's health physio.

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Lucie Bradley, a medical herbalist who is eager to teach people how to use and integrate herbal medicine into their lives.

Lucie runs a busy clinical practice in Glasgow alongside teaching online courses to the public on remedies for simple ailments at home.

Lucie is also an ethnobotanist and has lived in Africa, working alongside doctors and nurses integrating herbal medicine alongside Western medicine.

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.

In this episode Suzanne speaks to postpartum doula Jenny Smith-Nicol about pelvic steaming.

Pelvic steaming - or yoni steaming, vaginal steaming - is practised worldwide by women for reproductive health and is now being rediscovered in the West. Steaming helps gently cleanse the womb to help with menstrual problems, or to be used postpartum for better healing.

In this episode, Suzanne speaks to midwife and birth trauma expert Gemma Nealon. Gemma discusses some causes of birth trauma and ways in which she treats it. Suzanne and Gemma discuss ways to prevent trauma during a birth and what to consider when preparing for birth.

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 affected 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.

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 heal pelvic organ prolapses, urinary incontinence and pelvic floor disorders. 

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. Klayr talks about PCOS, endometriosis and fibroids as examples of when hormones are out of balance, and how herbal medicine can help.

In this episode Suzanne interviews Georgie McCulloch, a reflexologist who specialises in fertility, pregnancy and the postnatal period.  Georgie describes how reflexology works and its uses in labour and pregnancy, and hormone disorders.  She also talks about how women can gain a better understanding of their hormones and their affect on their lives, in menstrual cycles and the menopause.

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.

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 its nervous system for life outside the womb, and how birth prepares it for that. And how interrupted births - caesarean sections - affect the baby. She also gives some advice on how to help your baby make the transition to extrauterine life, regardless of the mode of delivery.

In this first of a 2-part episode, Suzanne speaks to Susana Montoya Pelaez, a body worker who uses physiotherapy, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, applied kineseology and other modalities to heal and bring balance to people's bodies. A talented, learned and inspired healer, Susana explains how a woman's body can be helped by bodywork to conceive, and how a woman's body can be physically prepared for pregnancy and birth.

In this episode Suzanne concludes her discussion with Ayurvedic Consultant and Therapist Mairead Moodie. In this second part, Mai discusses the Ayurvedic approach to health and wellbeing in the postpartum period. Mai talks about how women can nourish themselves in the days and weeks following birth, and how mental health is viewed from the Ayurvedic perspective. Mai offers wisdom and practical advice to be used to increase wellbeing and vitality throughout the early days of becoming Mother.

In this episode Suzanne speaks to Ayurvedic Consultant and Therapist Mairead Moodie. Mai gives an overview of the Ayurvedic treatment approach to health and vitality and an explanation of Ayurvedic doshas. She then goes on to describe the Ayurvedic approach to preparing for conception and health during pregnancy, and how the aim to good physical, mental and spiritual health is through balancing these doshas. Mai offers much wisdom and practical advice for staying well and vital throughout this transformation into Mother.

This episode is a discussion with Jenny Smith-Nicol on traditional postpartum care traditions and how we can implement them into our lives. Jenny and Suzanne discuss proper nourishment during pregnancy and the postpartum period and the need for deep rest following the birth in order to avoid depletion and long-term health issues. The link between postpartum care and women's health and wellbeing is often disregarded in our western society and women are left unsupported and simply trying to survive what is actually a sacred time for both mother and baby. We discuss the western culture's disconnection with honouring this sacredness and how we can begin to change our norms to better appreciate and feel healthy and joyful in the postpartum time.