Fear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
I'm thrilled to share with you another incredible tokophobia healing journey. As the host of the Fear Free Childbirth podcast, I have had the profound privilege of connecting with many incredible women, each on her unique path to overcoming the fears and anxieties that accompany pregnancy and childbirth. Today, I want to share with you one of the most touching and inspiring stories to grace my podcast – the profound journey of Erin, a woman who bravely faced her tokophobia and emerged with newfound confidence and strength. Tokophobia, an intense fear of childbirth, is more common than many...
info_outline Overcoming Birth Trauma: Heather's Journey Positive BirthFear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
In today's episode, I am joined by Heather to dive into her incredible journey from a fear-filled first birth to two positive and empowering experiences. Heather shares her deep emotional work in overcoming the negative feelings from her traumatic first birth and the steps she took to prepare herself mentally and emotionally for her second pregnancy. From therapy to Emotion Code, to Head Trash Clearance and hypnobirthing, Heather explores the various tools she used to transform her mindset and approach childbirth with a newfound sense of confidence. Here are some of the things we talked...
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In this episode, I sit down with the inspirational Celeste to delve deep into her transformative journey of overcoming fears and phobias related to childbirth and pregnancy. Throughout the episode, Celeste candidly shares her profound and life-altering experiences, providing invaluable insights for anyone navigating similar challenges. This episode is for you if you want to have a peep under the bonnet to better understand what it looks like EXACTLY to clear your head trash (tokophobia, anxiety or indeed anything else) using Head Trash Clearance. We get down to brass tacks and...
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In today's episode, I have a thought-provoking conversation with Elizabeth Tidwell, a menstrual cycle coach, as she shares her journey of healing and embracing the power of her menstrual cycle. I wanted to talk about periods because even though they're not front and centre of the pregnancy and birth experience - they are! We obsess over when they stop - are we pregnant??? - and then we obsess over when they start again. They are a HUGE part of this. And, more importantly, I wanted to talk about them because I don't think that we appreciate our periods much. There's lots of negativity around...
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In this episode, we dive into a powerful and inspiring conversation with my guest, Steph Bennet, as she shares her experience of choosing to solo parent. Steph's story is a testament to the strength and resilience of women who navigate both career success and motherhood on their own terms. Join us as we explore the challenges, triumphs, and joys of Steph's unique journey into motherhood. Steph made the decision to prioritise a career that allowed her to have control over her work without judgment. She is a strong advocate for not compromising but optimising her life to create a balanced and...
info_outline Transforming Birth Culture: Resolving Conflict in the Birth Space for Improved Maternity CareFear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
Birth is a profound and transformative experience, but unfortunately, conflicts and disagreements within the birth space can sometimes overshadow the joy and empowerment that should be at the forefront. In this episode of the Fear Free Childbirth podcast, Jenny Koslow, a perinatal educator with four decades of experience, sheds light on the issues of conflict and tension within the birth world. Understanding the Birth Space: Jenny begins by sharing her wealth of knowledge and stories gathered from birth workers around the globe. She highlights the conflicting views and struggles...
info_outline How Puberty Trauma Shapeshifts into Fear of Pregnancy and Body ImageFear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
Today's episode is a deeply insightful conversation between Alexia and a previous guest, Ramona who recently shared her story of overcoming tokophobia. They share personal experiences and explore the connection between puberty trauma, body dysmorphia, and the fear of pregnancy and childbirth, known as tokophobia. In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into our own experiences during puberty, our struggles with body image, and the impact it has on our adulthood, especially as they transition from maiden to mother. Here are some of the things we touched on during this conversation; ...
info_outline From Phobia to Calling: From Fearful Mama to Confident MidwifeFear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
In this episode, I have an incredible story of transformation to share with you. My guest, Jessica, was once plagued with fear when it came to pregnancy and childbirth. However, she conquered her fears and had a positive birth experience that inspired her to make a bold career change. Jessica talks about her journey from fear to becoming a midwife. It's a remarkable turnaround that showcases the power of overcoming our deepest fears and embracing new paths in life. But before we delve into Jessica's inspiring story, I want to share with you a tale that highlights what can happen...
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In this episode, my special guest is Emma Moon, a cosmic fertility guide and a spirit baby medium. Emma's unique background includes a Bachelor of Science in nursing and expertise as an integrative health practitioner. She blends both science and spirituality in her work, supporting women through their fertility journey, pregnancy, and conscious birth. Emma's approach involves connecting with the energy and spirit of her clients, helping them navigate emotional and spiritual blocks that may affect their fertility. Through a combination of nutrition, lifestyle changes, and intuitive guidance,...
info_outline Measuring Healing Progress in Pregnancy and BirthFear Free Childbirth Podcast with Alexia Leachman
Welcome back to Fear Free Childbirth! In today's episode, I want to delve into the fascinating concept of the Map of Consciousness. Have you ever invested time and energy into courses, therapy or retreats to bring about a change in how you feel, only to wonder if they're really making a difference? We all have, right? Today, I want share a powerful tool that you can use to measure the effectiveness of these activities in overcoming fear, anxiety, and finding calm and peace. Once I discovered this method of measuring healing progress I decided to revisit my own healing journey around overcoming...
info_outlineAfter a bit of a break the podcast is back! To kick off series 3, I'm sharing an interview with an independent midwife, Nicky Grace, whom I know personally through my local Home Birth Group.
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Save the Independent Midwife
I decided to start with this due to the recent shocking news here in the UK, that independent midwives are being forced out of work because their regulator, The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have announced that their professional indemnity insurance is no longer valid. This means that they can no longer attend births and if they do, they will be struck off.
This is a real hammer blow on so many levels;
- women in the UK will be forced to use the NHS (ou national health service) depsite the fact that it does not have enough resources to satisfy demand
- women who feel they need extra care and support during their pregnancy and birth, will no longer be able to receive the level of the support they seek
Some women pregnant women feel so strongly about this that they are seriously considering free-birthing (no midwifery support) which means that they are potentially exposed to increased risks in case the situation demands midwifery assistance.
Imagine if private dentists everywhere had just found out that their insurance was no longer valid and that they had to shut their practice. It wouldn't happen would it? So why does such a farcical situation unfold when it comes to something as important as birth and women's fundamental rights.
Here is more information about this crazy situation
This week's announcement: Indemnity provision for IMUK midwives is 'inappropriate', says NMC
Birthrights Criticises NMC for Independent Midwives Decision
I have a bit of a mini rant at the begining of the podcast, but really I wanted to use the podcast to shine a supportive ray of light on the incredible women that are midwives and for me sharing an interview with someone like Nicky does that brilliantly.
Nicky is an independent midwife who set up the Nottingham Home Birth Group, which is where I met her when I was planning my home births. She has been an independent midwife for many years *cough cough* and is also active in the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM). She also provides training to independent midwives through her Grace Academy of Midwifery and Birth.
Our conversation dances all over the birth topic - as you would expect! So the best thing to do is to settle in and enjoy!
New Fear Free Childbirth Member Area
During the podcast I mentioned the new Fear Free Childbirth member area, where you can access all the resources that accompany the podcast, as well as see the whole podcast archive organised by topic.
To join the Fear Free Childbirth member Are, just text ALEXIA to 444999 if you're in the USA, or visit https://www.fearfreechildbirth.com/ffc-community/
You can find out more about Nicky and her work at https://birthgrace.com/