The Maternity & Midwifery Hour

17.13 Pregnancy, labour, birth and the baby - accessible knowledge for parents and professionals

The Maternity & Midwifery Hour

Show Notes

Issues around labour and birth and the development of maternal infant attachment and bonding has been an area of interest to parents and also to midwives in supporting parents in their journey to parenthood.

In this session, we are joined by author and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, who will be discussing her graphic guide for parents, which midwives may also find helpful in expanding parents’ feeling of preparation and access to information.

We then move the focus to mothers' individual birth experiences and the early development of mother-infant bonding which have long been of interest to parents and to midwives. We are joined by psychologist, researcher and educator, Dr Carmen Power, who will be talking about the impacts of physiological and psychological aspects of labour and birth on the mother's mental health, her baby's early behaviour and early communications between baby and mother, providing some key areas that the midwife can develop to support the process of bonding.

Hosted by: Sue Macdonald

Contributions from: Dr Carmen Power, Psychologist writer, researcher, educator and consultant Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Artist, Midwife, Writer & Creative Producer

More from The Maternity & Midwifery Hour

Oct 23, 2026

Series 20 - Episode 6: The way forward for Midwifery and Maternity Services?

Oct 16, 2026

Most of us will know that our supermarket bills are increasing due to the rising cost of living and this might mean that we have to cut out a treat or two. But for some families, with a new baby, the rising cost of infant formula is having a major impact on their well-being, forcing parents to reduce their own food intake, take strategies which may impact on their baby’s health, or even getting into debt, to ensure their babies are fed and cared for.

Oct 9, 2026

While professional frameworks uphold compassionate care, growing global evidence indicates that disrespectful and abusive care remains a persistent systemic issue within maternity services worldwide.

Oct 2, 2026

Using research and evidence has become an important part of the midwife’s toolbox and, for some midwives, this moves beyond, to querying aspects of their practice, learning or management and towards a journey towards engaging in research themselves.

Sep 25, 2026

Series 20 - Episode 2: Birth, Safety and Beyond: Understanding Women’s Experiences

See all episodes →