In the first episode of the Female Changemakers Podcast, Laura and Sanna talk through the effects of birth trauma, miscarriage and gaining control that led Laura to create Lola&Lykke, a support platform for mums.
When Laura´s first baby was born, she experienced severe complications that were nearly fatal due to her not getting the care she urgently needed. Laura considers herself lucky for having fully recovered from the experience with a healthy baby – although as the women agree, living or dying at birth should not be about luck. During her second pregnancy, Laura was not as lucky, and she ended up losing her baby at nearly four months pregnant. The women discuss the importance of being prepared and being in control of your birth experience. There is a lot of influence from the social media expectations of wanting a drug-free, water birth with no emergency caesarean, but it doesn't go to plan for so many of us. When things do not go to plan, this can easily lead to the loss of power and control. Women are in a very vulnerable position physically and emotionally at birth, and a sense of being in control can make a huge difference to the experience of birth, as Laura explains about her third pregnancy. Women are often made to feel that their experience does not matter, all that matters is a healthy baby. Both Laura and Sanna agree that we need to work towards improving women´s experiences at birth and during postpartum: simply surviving birth is not a good enough outcome for mums. There is a need to start supporting mums as much as we support babies, and to create change we need to get our collective voices heard.
Sep 10, 2022
May 10, 2022
Feb 10, 2022
Dec 10, 2021
This time, Laura and Maana are joined by Elliott, a dad of one, a newly published author, and the founder of MusicFootballFatherhood, “The dads’ version of Mumsnet.” (BBC)
The three launch into a conversation through how MFF became to be, and how a hobby turned into a fulltime job. Talking...
Oct 1, 2021
This time Laura and Maana are joined by the person behind @the.infertile.midwife, Sophie Martin, an NHS midwife and a mum to Cecil and Wilfred, who never made it home, and to Percy, who did.
The three talk about the painful experience of second trimester loss and infertility, which for Sophie...
Sep 10, 2021
This time Laura and Maana sat down with Margaret Zablocka, the CEO and founder of Onoco, and a mum of two.
The three women talk about the challenges mums face today juggling career and motherhood. Through experience, Margaret saw a gap in the market for routine building with a new...
Aug 1, 2021
Jul 1, 2021
This time Laura and Maana are joined by Ann Bacon, a mum and baby nurse from California, and a mum of two.
The three talk about Ann’s incredible journey from psychiatric nursing to paediatrics care with HIV positive children and being a mum and baby nurse, to having children of...
Jun 1, 2021
This time Laura and Maana are joined by Emppu and Tomppa, two dads from East-Helsinki who host the Lähiöfaijat- podcast.
Traditionally maternity spaces have been signposted to be women-only areas. Modern fathers have challenged this discourse, and the conversation flows accordingly: Tomppa and Emppu share the origins of how the...
May 30, 2021
This time Laura and Maana are joined by Stiliyana Minkovska, a London-based architect, designer, and mum of two.
The conversation flows from birth experiences to the lack of mother-centred design in the equipment and surroundings at hospital birth. The women talk in-depth about Ultima Thule, an alternative birthing experience designed...
May 15, 2021
This time Laura and Maana are joined by Marie Louise, a UK based Modern Midwife and a new mum herself.
The three discuss pregnancy, motherhood, and the challenges women face during their pregnancy journey through personal experiences and professional knowledge, and bond over shared desire to have a positive impact...