This week our host, Theo Clarke, is joined on Breaking The Taboo by Ryan Libbey, father, writer and storyteller, to discuss the hidden impact of birth trauma on fathers.
Topics that we discuss on the podcast include: Ryan and Louise Thompson’s experience of pregnancy, miscarriage and birth trauma; the expectations of becoming a father compared with the reality after a traumatic birth; what it was like for Ryan to support Louise during labour, emergency surgery and recovery; the experience of seeing his son in NICU; the pressure on fathers to stay strong; guilt, fear and helplessness after traumatic birth; how trauma affected Ryan and Louise’s relationship; the importance of vulnerability and honest conversations; bottle feeding, breastfeeding pressure and the need for a post-birth plan; becoming a hands-on father; Ryan’s writing through Letters to Leo; support for dads after birth trauma; and the campaign to appoint a maternity commissioner.
LISTEN HERE:
Biographies:
Ryan Libbey is a father, writer and storyteller whose work explores modern fatherhood, resilience and the everyday moments that shape who we become. Through his weekly newsletter, Letters to Leo, he writes letters to his young son that have grown into a community of thousands of readers seeking more meaningful conversations about family, wellbeing and life.
Following his family’s experience of birth trauma, Ryan has become a passionate advocate for greater awareness and support for parents, sharing his perspective as a dad navigating caregiving, recovery and the realities of family life after trauma. Through his writing, podcasting and outdoor adventures, he hopes to encourage more honest conversations about connection, vulnerability and the values we pass on to the next generation.
Ryan also co-hosts the podcast He Said, She Said with his fiancée Louise Thompson.
About the Host
Theo Clarke hosts Breaking the Taboo and A Thread of One’s Own. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford, where she chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma. She won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards and has been included in the prestigious Top 100 Women in Westminster list three years in a row. Theo is campaigning to improve maternity care and for the appointment by the UK Government of a Maternity Commissioner.
Follow Theo: https://www.instagram.com/theoclarkemp/
Resources:
Dad Matters:
Fatherhood Solutions: https://linktr.ee/fatherhoodsolutions
Secret Life of Dads podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thesecretlifeofdads/
Letters to Leo:
https://ryanlibbey.beehiiv.com/
Maternity Commissioner petition:
https://petition.parliament.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.