Shows
Bloom Stories28. Annabel : Founder of Cutter and Squidge bakeryWhat happens when your business explodes in popularity, you find out you're pregnant, and you catch COVID—all at the same time? Annabel takes us on a deeply personal and often hilarious journey through the chaos of running Cutter & Squidge during the pandemic, navigating a surprise pregnancy, and the rollercoaster of childbirth.From trying to take her laptop into the induction room with her, to facing the unexpected twists of labor resulting in a caesarean, she shares the power of trusting her instincts (and her doctors), the reality of postpartum recovery, and many intimate, unfiltered moments—like when...2025-03-211h 01
Bloom StoriesPARTNER POV #1 : Simon’s StoryWelcome to our first ever Partner POV from Bloom Stories. Too often, a father’s journey to parenthood is overlooked or trivialised—but dads go through an enormous transformation too, right alongside their partners. Both experiences matter, and both deserve to be heard.By sharing real stories from a partner’s perspective, we hope to offer insight, support, and a sense of connection— to help fathers navigate parenthood with confidence. Because when both mums and dads are empowered, families can truly thrive.One of the joys of listening to Lydia's story was hearing how critical and powe...2025-02-1058 min
Bloom Stories27. Lydia : A joyful, unmedicated birth in CanadaIf you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to have a truly joyful and positive, pregnancy, birth and post partum period, Lydia’s story is for you. I lost track of the number of times we use the word joy in this conversation - a testament to Lydia's resilience and can-do attitude, but also to her husband Simon who was an incredible champion throughout it all. We think you’re going to love it. 2025-01-291h 03
Bloom Stories26. Poppy : When your baby is stillborn at 35 weeksPoppy’s story feels incredibly important to tell and I am really grateful that she has entrusted us with it. In the UK today, it is estimated that 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss during pregnancy or birth (source) yet, loss is usually only talked about behind closed doors. Poppy has been strong enough to share her story which includes giving birth to Daphne, her second baby, who was still born at 35 weeks. In speaking about the hardest days of her life, I know that Poppy will help other mothers who have lost babies feel less alone and she also sh...2023-09-2858 min
Bloom Stories25. Emily : Three babies (and c-sections) under fiveEmily has had a whirlwind ten years. From relocating her whole life from Hertfordshire to the Midlands in order to live with her partner, to having three babies under five, to being made redundant whilst pregnant with her second child, to becoming self-employed and learning to juggle childcare as well as the very different needs of her three beautiful children. Emily has it all going on and she’s somehow managing to keep it all together without day to day support from family, who live on the other side of the country. We talk about her three c-sections and wh...2023-09-191h 01
Bloom Stories24. Megs : Twins and the hidden conflicts of motherhoodThe highest highs, the lowest lows. The elation seeing a positive test, followed by the terrible grief of miscarriage. Trying to become pregnant again, yet unable to accept the fact when it happens. A physically healthy twin pregnancy, filled with anxiety. Needing help, but not wanting it when it arrives. Instagram vs the reality of life with newborns. The torture of two cries and having to decide who first. Wanting to do it all yourself and the guilt when it is impossible. Feeling entirely in love with your babies, yet wondering “why did we rush this”? Meg’s journey to mot...2023-08-061h 15
Bloom Stories23. Nia : Mother of three, grandmother of threeAs a mother to three grown up children and now granny to three grandchildren, Nia has well over thirty years of mothering wisdom, insights and experience to share with us. Ever wondered what it was like trying to prepare for birth before the internet? Or simply how to survive 30 years of parenting in one piece? This one is for you. We talk about:First trimester agoraphobiaThree great epidural experiencesLaughing so hard your waters breakBack to back posterior baby positionPethadin as pain reliefThe critical role a birth partner can play during a crisis momentBirth with forceps and an episiotomyScary...2023-07-241h 00
Bloom Stories22. Izzi : Business owner and motherTo anyone out there who thinks you might want to have kids one day but worry how you might do it whilst successfully running and growing your own business — this episode is for you. No one is saying that it is easy, but Izzi’s story demonstrates that it is possible to have a really positive pregnancy and birth experience whilst juggling the demands of running a business. We talk about:fertility worries and polycystic ovariestraveling the world for work until late in pregnancystaying active as a way to feel strong physically and mentallygetting back from a tr...2023-07-061h 08
Bloom Stories21. Jennie : An emergency transfer from homebirth to hospitalIn today’s episode, Jennie and I discuss a surprisingly simple conception after some initial infertility fears and three rounds of egg freezing. Jennie talks about her reasons for choosing a home birth and how to cope when the plan doesn’t unfold as you imagined it would. Her partner wasn’t able to join her in the ambulance for the emergency transfer to hospital. But upon arriving at the hospital, Jennie’s daughter was born within 20 minutes, and she found the hospital team of midwives provided her incredible support.Breastfeeding wasn’t straightforward to begin with, but Jennie powered th...2023-06-191h 00
Bloom Stories20. Kelly : How does an IVF procedure really happen?In today’s episode, Kelly and I discuss how an IVF procedure really happens. Three letters that hold so much weight for so many women, after years of hope and failure. The IVF process comes without a rulebook, a clear timeline or a defined process. The delicate balance of criteria that need to align can be a huge mental burden. Kelly’s journey does have a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean that it was a textbook procedure. She shares her journey with infertility, the difficult decisions that she and her partner were faced when her first (NHS funded) round...2023-04-1059 min
Bloom Stories19. Clare : Five pregnancies, five births, five babiesAs one of 12 herself, large families are nothing new to Clare. Maybe it’s no surprise therefore that she takes the rollercoaster of being mother to her own five children, all in her stride. Join us as Amelia and Clare discuss what she has learnt from five pregnancies, five births and looking after five babies. We also tackle the impossible question of how to balance your own personal needs as a woman who has intelligence, talents, ideas and ambitions - with the needs of your children. Spoiler alert, it’s not easy!2023-04-0454 min
Bloom Stories18. Rachel : The journey from midwife to motherRachel talks about her journey from midwife to mother. Rachel had supported hundreds of women through pregnancy and birth before experiencing it for herself. It might be tempting to think of this as the best possible preparation, but the reality for Rachel was that every challenge she experienced was magnified by guilt that she didn’t intuitively have all the right coping mechanisms to hand. After struggling to conceive, Rachel was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and treated for hypothyroidism. The first 20 weeks of her pregnancy were a daily struggle with chronic sickness. Her labour was incredibly fast and she was ab...2023-03-2759 min
Bloom Stories17. Kate : The Dutch experienceKate felt a real difference between the physical versus the mental pregnancy experience. Physically, she felt amazing. On the other hand, her mental journey ebbed and flowed. Looking back she feels like she has now blocked out the tough parts, but she was very anxious at times, having had a miscarriage start of the year. Amelia and Kate talk miscarrying at work, managing fear and worry when pregnant after a first loss, a scare at 20 weeks, the days that feel like an eternity when you go "overdue", labour using a tens machine and a birthing pool, the Dutch care...2023-03-201h 00
Bloom Stories16. Ieashia : A long struggle with endometriosisIn today’s episode, Ieashia talks about her long struggle with endometriosis. It had a debilitating impact on her life and, she was told, would likely impact her fertility as well.Ieashia would pass out every month during her periods, feel very sick and experience extreme and excruciating pain. She was eventually diagnosed at 26 years old. We talk about how she managed to ease her symptoms by taking control of her diet and focusing on gut health. Her periods became more manageable, and she also became pregnant naturally when she had been told that she would need to...2023-03-131h 03
Bloom Stories15. Abi : What is newborn life really like with twins? Abi felt absolute joy at finding out that she was pregnant, but then complete and utter shock a few weeks later on finding out that she was carrying twins. It was truly a self defining moment that changed her and her partners lives forever. Preparing for one baby is nerve wracking enough… how do you prepare for two of them? How do you handle a double birth? And how do you have enough arms to do everything once they have arrived? We talk pelvic girdle pain, preeclampsia, caesareans and haemorrhaging. We get deep into how to breast feed twins an...2023-03-061h 02
Bloom Stories14. Lauren : Gestational diabetes, postnatal hypertension and a postpartum crashlanding Lauren’s pregnancy, especially the latter stages, was not straightforward: mid-pandemic, with a change of care provider halfway through and a gestational diabetes diagnosis which meant more scans, risks and concerns about the baby’s size. But despite all this, she took it all in her stride, informing herself and making the right choices for herself, one by one.What she didn’t expect was the crash landing into motherhood that is the fourth trimester. In the weeks following her birth, Lauren suffered with postnatal hypertension and it’s likely she also had undetected preeclampsia. When she was advi...2023-02-271h 00
Bloom Stories13. Kirti : Pregnant in weeks after a breakthrough abroadBecoming a mum was all Kirti ever wanted, but she knew that getting pregnant would be difficult. As soon as she got married and was financially stable, she and her partner started trying for a baby. Three years of doing pregnancy tests and ovulation tests, seeing a gynaecologist and undergoing all the scans, referrals and tests imaginable, it was all getting to be too much. In the end, Kirti decided to see a specialist abroad, who diagnosed and successfully treated endometriosis within a matter of days. A few weeks after the procedure, she was pregnant with her first baby...2023-02-2051 min
Bloom Stories12. Colette : Pregnancy at 16 and three "back-to-back" laboursColette had her first baby at 16, her second at 23 and her third at 38. Colette’s three pregnancies and births were all very different but had one thing in common - her babies were positioned back-to-back, which led to long labours.Her first experience was positive thanks to a supportive network of family and friends, but was still characterised by naivety and judgement navigating a teenage pregnancy. For her second, she was better informed but her epidural was only effective on one side which led to a less effective pain relief. Now a qualified hypnobirthing teacher, for her th...2023-02-1355 min
Bloom Stories11. Laura : A positive home birth, a positive hospital birthLaura and I discuss home vs hospital births, weirdly wonderful pregnancy cravings, how mentally straining pregnancy is, how empowering birth can be, how hard it feels to go back to work but also how hard NOT working would also be. Listen to her story to find out how she rode the contraction wave to a home birth and how that compared to her second, equally positive hospital birth.2023-02-0659 min
Bloom Stories10. Amelia : Two under two Amelia’s first pregnancy was a bubble of blissful ignorance. She didn’t try to absorb all the information out there and trusted that her body would know what to do when the time came. In contrast, being more aware of what happens during birth as well as what could go wrong meant she struggled to relax in the same way, second time round. She felt increasingly anxious as the due date got closer.A close link between mind and body defined both experiences. It was as though her brain needed to fully relax in order to let...2022-12-201h 04
Bloom Stories9. Kristen : Birth on the roadside, under the moon and starsA researcher by nature and profession, Kristen completely surrendered to the natural power of the birth experience only after rigorous, wide-spanning research. This deep education filled Kristen and her birth team with confidence and the conviction that they could make informed decisions that were right for Kristen, whatever the situation that arose.A winning strategy as it turns out, because nature had a big surprise in store for this growing family. Kristen gave birth to her second baby Claire at midnight, on the side of a road, under the moon and stars and entirely at one with...2022-11-3055 min
Bloom Stories8. Morgane : Unexpectedly pregnantIs there such a thing as the perfect age to become a mother? Morgane had joked that 26 seemed to be just that – not too old and not too young. Despite knowing she wanted a family, she thought it would come when she had financial security, a stable job and her own place. So when she unexpectedly fell pregnant at 25, the line on the pregnancy test suddenly brought home the reality of motherhood in a very real and very scary way. Morgane felt a duty not to bring a child into the world if she couldn’t provide it with the...2022-11-161h 08
Bloom Stories7. Fiona : five miscarriages, three births Fiona’s journey through five miscarriages and three successful births is a magnificent story of growth, of overcoming fears and demonstrates the power of your own voice even when medical emergencies arise. There are times when experts know best and there are times when mum’s conviction is strong and as Fiona grew into motherhood and grew in confidence, she felt more empowered to speak up and follow her own instincts in ways that were right for her and her babies.Fiona struggled to bond with her first baby because of a fear that it could all be t...2022-11-131h 15
Bloom Stories6. Flora : A home-birth when "high risk"Flora found pregnancy to be an anxious but awe-inspiring time. From the beginning, her desire for a natural, physiological birth was the driving force. She did a lot of research into home birth and building trust in herself and her baby to do what birthing bodies are made to do. But natural doesn’t necessarily mean complication-free.Flora thought they had lost their baby at 11 weeks when she experienced a painful bleed that turned out to be from a haematoma. The consultant categorised her pregnancy as “high risk”, a diagnosis and label which brought with it a new wo...2022-11-011h 06
Bloom StoriesTrailer ~ Welcome to BloomWelcome to Bloom, the podcast where mum’s share their unfiltered birth experiences. We hope that by listening to their stories, you feel empowered and inspired, wherever you are on your own journey.2022-10-2700 min
Bloom Stories5. Jess : Anxiety and a ventouseFor Jess, the journey through pregnancy and birth was defined by anxiety and a constant fear that she wouldn't make it to the end with a healthy baby. The fear that something would go wrong at any moment prevented her and her partner from enjoying any aspects of pregnancy and whilst Jess is so thankful for her amazing support network of family, friends and midwives, accepting help from them - even from her partner, presented its own challenges.Jess shares with us her experience of how important it is to prioritise our mental health and seek support...2022-10-2758 min
Bloom Stories4. Tori : What will be will beTori’s approach to pregnancy and childbirth was to decide never to be stressed. She was so laid back that she was even packing her hospital bag in between contractions. She figured things out as they happened, and the app she downloaded to time contractions just after her waters broke revealed things were moving pretty quickly. So quickly in fact that she didn’t have time for all the pain relief she had banked on having when she got to hospital.So what’s the secret to staying calm when things don’t go as you expected? Her appr...2022-10-2454 min
Bloom Stories3. Celeste : A planned induction, an unplanned caesarean In this episode, Celeste talks us through the arrival her beautiful boy through a planned induction and emergency c-section. On reflection, she feels it sounds somewhat scary “on paper” but at the time, the experience managed to remain positive thanks to the trusted and empowering medical and support team that she had surrounded herself with.Celeste reveals her journey with sickness, the details of and reasons for her emergency caesarean section, as well as what recovery looked like for her. Feeding was complicated and Celeste reflects on the fact that the most supposedly “natural” of things can be surpr...2022-10-201h 12
Bloom Stories2. Meg : Informed is empoweredIn this episode, Meg talks about the importance of being informed and self advocating, and the transformative power of her trusted support network. Meg’s pregnancy was a steep learning curve that nothing was in her control. Thanks to the combination of the unwavering support of her friends and family and sheer determination, she overcame all the obstacles she faced during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, one by one. Meg shares her story of extraordinary perseverance and how her strength carried her and her family through.2022-10-191h 03
Bloom Stories1. Katie : A "walking" epidural in ParisThe production quality on this first episode is not our finest but the content is gold so we don't want you to miss out.In this episode, Katie talks us through her two completely different birth experiences in Paris. The first featured a self-dose "walking" epidural whilst the second ends up being an entirely different and unmedicated birth experience.Katie eventually discovered hypnobirthing and prepared for a natural first birth, but ended up throwing the birth plan out of the window on the day itself. It would still come in handy however, when her second...2022-10-141h 01