This week our host Theo is joined by award-winning journalist and author Lucy Jones to talk about matrescence and the metamophosis of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. They also discuss traumatic births and recovering from mental or physical issues after childbirth, and provide some practical advice to help affected families.
Topics that we discuss on the show include: what matrescence is, information for new mothers, taboos around birth, birth injuries, maternal mental health, challenges breastfeeding, care for women post birth, society's expectations of motherhood, ways to express birth trauma such as writing groups or mothers' circles, shame and stigma around birth trauma and signpost to some useful resources.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DCU5a16ihv3hUfsm11W8x?si=2f81156852f74fb6
Lucy Jones is an award-winning journalist and the author of four books including the bestselling Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild (a Times and Telegraph Book of the Year) and most recently Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood, which was longlisted for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and a New Yorker and New Statesman Book of the Year. Her first book, Foxes Unearthed (2016), won the Society of Authors' Roger Deakin Award and was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. Her writing on ecology, health and science has been published by BBC Earth, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, GQ and the New Statesman.
Don't suffer in silence! Listen in and let's break the final taboo in women's health #breakingthetaboo.
Read 'Matrescence' by Lucy Jones here.
Birth Trauma Association: https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/
Birth Injuries Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/151415775011608/
Masic Foundation: https://masic.org.uk
New Mothers Writing Circle: https://www.newmumswriting.co.uk/
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.
DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended to be medical advice please seek advice from a GP or Doctor.
Website: http://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Instagram: @theoclarkemp
Breaking The Taboo production team:
Producer: Natasha Feroze
Researcher: Max Austin and Elliott Malik
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social media: Bella Carter
Studio manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55 part of Wolfe Power Club