Mindset during pregnancy & birth
When the thought of losing control terrifies you
The idea of losing control is terrifying for many. Deep down we believe that we need to be in control to survive so when our sense of control is threatens it can undermine our sense of safety and security. Many don't realise that a fear of flying is often linked to a...
Hate the thought of something growing inside?
The idea of something growing inside or having a baby move in the belly is the stuff of nightmares for many women. It’s not all angels singing and babies coo-ing when some women imagine pregnancy. For many it’s downright terrifying and this is often one of their...
The psychology of pain
Pain is interesting. At least I find it interesting. I guess that comes from my work in helping women prepare for pregnancy and birth, because pain comes up a lot! In fact it comes up too much in my opinion. More than it should do. And this is because a fear of pain...
Anxiety in pregnancy
Anxiety in pregnancy is currently estimated to affect around 15% of women. Through my work in supporting women in preparing for birth and pregnancy, anxiety is something that I see a lot and, dare I say, I think the numbers are probably higher. When women are feeling...
Thomas Verny, Father of Prenatal Psychology
Prenatal psychology is an area of psychology that looks at the psychological changes that women go through from conception to postpartum. If you're going to better understand your fears and anxieties during pregnancy then I think understanding prenatal psychology is...
The Maternal Brain, with Jodi Pawluski
Today's podcast is all about the maternal brain and the neuroscience of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. A few months back I shared an article about the maternal brain on my Facebook page and it went a bit nuts. It's since been shared over 40 times which is...
The 4 TRUE causes of fear of birth and pregnancy
There has been a lot of debate recently around fear of birth and tokophobia, the pathological fear of birth and pregnancy. Much of this debate has centred on the culprits that are being blamed for the rise in women experiencing fear of birth and these culprits have...
The Psychology of Pregnancy, with Leah Butler-Smith
The psychology of pregnancy doesn't often get discussed and I don't know why, so today I'm remedying that. Pregnancy and the journey of motherhood are such a huge time of change that it's no wonder that there are psychological implications. The thing is, we don't...
Being pregnant with PTSD
This week it's maternal Mental Health Matters Awareness Week here in the UK and to honour it, I'm delighted to be talking to Susanne Grant about being pregnant with PTSD, birth trauma or baby loss. Not long ago Susanne found herself pregnant with PTSD as a result of...
Childbirth Self Efficacy with Sophie Fletcher
Today we're talking about childbirth self efficacy. I'm taking a deeper look into the psychology of birth with birth expert and best-selling author, Sophie Fletcher. In this episode we're going to be talking about what childbirth self efficacy is, why it's important...