Happy Mum

This week Gi reunites with her old friend Susannah Fielding! You’ll know Susannah from This Time with Alan Partridge, Man vs Baby, and Wolf Hall — but her most important role is being mum to her two-year-old son Alfie.Susannah opens up to Gi about growing up with a single mother and an intermittently absent father, how those experiences shaped her relationships, and why she’s so focused on breaking cycles and not passing trauma on to her own child.She also shares the story of her planned home birth that turned into an emergency C-section, the challenges she faced with breastfeeding, and what it’s been like returning to the theatre as a mum.You can catch Susannah starring opposite Adrian Lester in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noël Coward Theatre from 13th June.

Trigger warning: this episode incudes challenging experiences relating to baby loss. If you feel this may be a difficult listen please consider choosing another episode 💜This week on Life of a Midwife we hear more of Anna’s extraordinary story, beginning with one of the first births she attended in South Sudan before she had even qualified as a midwife.Anna also speaks candidly about her own experiences of having children.If you’re interested in being part of the next series of Life of a Midwife, we’d love to hear from you — just drop us an email midwives@pixiu.co.ukLinks from our midwives:Donate to Médecins Sans FrontièresBabySZN™ is a platform built to help women train specifically for fertility, pregnancy from a birthdual-qualified midwife and performance trainerFrontline Midwife by Anna Kent

This week, Giovanna sits down with singer, presenter and all-round ray of sunshine Mollie King !Mollie chats to Gi about life with her two young daughters, the realities of motherhood (no sleep), and her exciting new venture into podcasting.She also opens up about navigating her father’s terminal illness while preparing to welcome her first baby.Don’t forget to check out Novel Idea — Mollie’s brilliant new podcast with Matt Edmondson!If you’re loving the conversations on the podcast, make sure you subscribe to our brand new Substack!

Trigger warning: this episode contains descriptions related to childbirth that may be distressing or upsetting to some listeners.Purpose isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it takes you somewhere extraordinary.This week we delve into the inspiring stories of two midwives whose paths were shaped by a pull they simply couldn't ignore.If you’re interested in being part of the next series of Life of a Midwife, we’d love to hear from you — just drop us an email midwives@pixiu.co.ukLinks from our midwives:Donate to Médecins Sans FrontièresBabySZN™ is a platform built to help women train specifically for fertility, pregnancy from a birthdual-qualified midwife and performance trainerFrontline Midwife by Anna Kent

TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains some difficult conversations, including discussions around suicidal thoughts. We know this can be a lot to take in, so please do take care of yourself while listening and know that it's completely okay to step away and come back when you're ready 💛May is Maternal Mental Health Month, a reminder that keeping the difficult conversations going matters more than ever.Our guest this week you'll know from iconic films and tv shows such as Fresh Meat, Wild Child, and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. But after the birth of her son, Kimberley Nixon found herself in some of the darkest days of her life.Kimberley opens up to Giovanna about experiencing dark and intrusive thoughts, being diagnosed with postpartum OCD, and why she felt it was so important to share her story.Kimberley's brilliant new book She Seems Fine To Me is out now.

What does it feel like to hold a life for the first time?In this episode of Life of a Midwife, three midwives tell us what it feels like to catch a baby!If you’re interested in being part of the next series of Life of a Midwife, we’d love to hear from you — just drop us an email midwives@pixiu.co.ukLinks from our midwives:BabySZN™ is a platform built to help women train specifically for fertility, pregnancy from a birthdual-qualified midwife and performance trainer