By Your Side

Dad Matters: The Untold Story of Fatherhood — with Kieran Anders

Why do dads often feel like the “plus one” in pregnancy and early parenting?
In this powerful conversation, Katie talks with Kieran Anders, National Lead for Dad Matters, powered by Home-Start, supporting dads in the perinatal period to build strong relationships with their babies. He’s passionate about improving outcomes for families by ensuring dads are included, informed, and supported from the start.
Together, they unpack:
👶 How dads bond from birth (yes, hormones play a part!)🧠 Why play, touch and presence are vital for baby brain development💬 How to bridge the “dad engagement gap” in pregnancy and postnatal care💛 Why supporting fathers means stronger, calmer, more connected families
 
Kieran also shares his personal story — the highs, the struggles, and the reminder that dads don’t need to have it all figured out. They just need the support, space and agency to show up as themselves.
🎧 Tune in to this compassionate and eye-opening episode — for dads, partners, and anyone who believes that every parent deserves to feel they matter
👉 To learn more about Kieran’s work, visit Dad Matters
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.

It Starts With You: Parenting Beyond Fear and Shame — with Suzanne Scott

How our childhood experiences shape the way we parent isn’t always obvious — but it’s always powerful.
In this week’s episode, Katie talks with Suzanne Scott, founder of Trauma-Informed Parenting, about how childhood adversity (ACEs) can quietly influence our reactions, our patience, and even the stories we tell ourselves as parents.
Together, they unpack:
💛 What trauma really means (beyond the big events)🧠 Why shame and fear drive so many of our responses🌿 How pausing, breathing, and repairing can transform connection
This is a deeply grounding, hopeful conversation about starting where you are — with compassion for yourself first.
Because you can’t regulate a child if you’re running on empty.
🎧 Listen now on By Your Side.👉 To learn more about Suzanne’s work, visit traumainformedparenting.uk 
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.
 

Rupture & Repair: Therapeutic Parenting for Children with Trauma

Becoming a new parent changes EVERYTHING.  Gareth, a single foster dad to three children, shares his unfiltered journey into parenting kids with early-life trauma and how it reshaped his life. He explains why trauma is relational, how healing happens through relationships, and why therapeutic parenting focuses on repair over punishment. This is a must listen for all parents about how you don't need to be perfect, you just need to relate. 
Key takeaways include the power of adult-led, fast, authentic repair, choosing “time in” over “time out,” balancing structure with flexibility, and learning from triggers. Practical, hopeful guidance for carers and parents supporting children who’ve experienced trauma.
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.

When the Expert Wonders: A Midwife’s Honest Confessions

In this episode, I sit down with Lucy Nicholson, a midwife with over 15 years’ experience, to talk about the very real pressures parents feel to be “perfect” — and why even the experts carry their own worries about pregnancy and early parenthood.
Lucy opens up about her own journey, from navigating expectations to making choices about care. She shares:
How to choose (and change) caregivers in a way that feels right for you
The role of self-compassion in easing new parent stress
Why building community matters — and how her Nesting Lotus classes create a safe, supportive space for parents
We also touch on something many parents face but few talk about: SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction), a painful pelvic condition that can affect mobility and confidence during pregnancy. Lucy offers her insights on how gentle movement in water can help, but please make sure you seek further medical advice if you are experiencing symptoms of SPD.
It’s a warm, honest conversation packed with reassurance and practical takeaways — for anyone navigating pregnancy, postpartum, or the messy middle in between.
👉 You might also like to go back and listen to our episode with Professor Helen Ball on sleep — another myth-busting, reassuring chat that parents tell us makes a big difference. Link to episode
 
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.

From Orphanage to PhD: Mothering on My Own

Becoming a parent is challenging - but imagine becoming a parent without a partner, in a country you didn't grow up in and feeling that you couldn't tell the people who raised you that you were pregnant.
In this truly inspirational episode I speak to Jill Samukimba, who shares her journey from orphanage beginnings to earning a PhD while raising her son largely on her own. Jill describes how unexpected community support, faith groups and small acts of kindness helped her through pregnancy, study and early parenting.
She reflects on the challenges of asking for help, managing self-judgment, and the urge to overcompensate for childhood loss, and offers concise advice: be patient, remember hardship is a phase, lean on others, and trust that you will get through it.
 
🎧 Please listen with care — and join the conversation in the Podcast Lounge. By Your Side app. 
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.

When Joy Turns to Fear: One Mum’s Postnatal Psychosis Story

Most people have never heard of postnatal psychosis — until it happens to them.
In this incredibly brave and honest conversation, Abbi shares her personal experience of postnatal psychosis after the birth of her first baby. From the early signs and terrifying thoughts, to seeking help, hospitalisation, and what recovery really looks like — this episode is raw, important, and full of quiet strength.
We talk about:🧠 What postnatal psychosis can feel like from the inside🚑 How Abbi got help — and what she wishes more people knew🫶 The power of being listened to without judgement💛 What healing has looked like — and how she's using her story to help others
If you or someone you love is struggling, this episode is here to say: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone. There is a way through. AbBi is living proof.
 
🔗 Please remember: this episode shares one person’s experience. If anything resonates with you, or you’re concerned about your mental health, we encourage you to seek professional support.
You can find more information and help at apni.org — the Association for Postnatal Illness.
🎧 Please listen with care — and join the conversation in the Podcast Lounge if you feel able. By Your Side app. 
 
The conversations shared on this podcast reflect personal experiences and professional insights, but they’re not a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. If you’re struggling or have questions about your wellbeing or your baby’s, please speak to a qualified professional. You’re not alone, and help is available.

Reading to Babies, Even Without Books — with Stephanie Montgomery

You don’t need a stack of books or a perfectly curated nursery to start your baby’s reading journey.
In this heartening and practical conversation, Katie is joined by Dr. Stephanie Montgomery — educator, early literacy advocate, and all-round story enthusiast — to explore how even the simplest moments can nurture a love of language from the very beginning.
Together, they dive into:
How stories help shape early communication and emotional connection
Why reading isn’t about the book — it’s about the bond
Easy ways to build early literacy, even without books at home
The everyday power of rhythm, rhyme, and your baby hearing your voice
Whether you're a bookworm or just trying to keep your eyes open through nap traps and night feeds, this episode is a gentle reminder that every story you tell — even the silly ones — is building something important.
🎧 Tune in now and let’s keep the conversation going in the Podcast Lounge, inside the By Your Side app. 

Daycare, Early Learning & the Awe of Babyhood — with Dan Wuori

What if babies are some of the best teachers we’ll ever have?
In this uplifting episode, Katie is joined by Dan Wuori — senior advisor at the Hunt Institute, early learning expert, and one of the internet’s favourite voices on baby development — to explore how young children experience the world, what great early learning really looks like, and the quiet lessons babies offer if we know how to notice.
They talk about:
🧠 What makes quality daycare actually quality
🪁 Why early learning is built through play, not pressure
🌟 How babies invite us to slow down and rediscover awe
Whether you’re a parent thinking about childcare options, or just wondering how to support your baby’s learning without all the noise, this conversation will leave you feeling informed, grounded, and reminded of the magic in the everyday.
🎧 Listen now — and come share your reflections in the Podcast Lounge, inside the By Your Side app. 
 
📖 Find out more about Dan and his book 'The Daycare Myth' here - https://danwuori.com/
 
👀 check out Dr Dan Wouri's socials - https://www.facebook.com/p/Dr-Dan-Wuori-61560432244491/    https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-wuori-4168a2134/
 

Five Simple Things: Building Connection and Brainpower with Dr Cornelia

The conversation doesn't have to end here.
👉 Head on over to the podcast lounge
the space where you can ask your questions, share your thoughts and connect with other parents that get it. Because you don't have to do this on your own. 👈
 
In this episode of By Your Side, Katie sits down with Dr. Cornelia Ochola — a brilliant Kenyan paediatrician with over 15 years' experience walking alongside parents through the early years.
Together, they explore the heart of responsive caregiving: what it really means to tune into your baby, why the little moments matter most, and how connection in the early days can shape a lifetime.
Dr. Cornelia shares her own story — the moment that changed how she practised medicine — and walks us through five simple, powerful ways every caregiver can support their baby’s development.
This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about learning to see, to listen, and to trust that how you show up today… matters more than you think. ❤️

Finding Connection: The Lifeline of Parent-Toddler Groups with Jo Gordon

The conversation doesn't have to end here.
👉 Head on over to the podcast lounge
the space where you can ask your questions, share your thoughts and connect with other parents that get it. Because you don't have to do this on your own. 
 
What if something as simple as walking to a toddler group could change your whole week — or even your whole parenting journey?
In this episode of By Your Side, Katie chats with Jo Gordon, founder of Daniel’s Den — a network of parent-and-toddler groups with a big mission: to ensure that every family has access to a welcoming space within walking distance.
Jo shares how her own experience as a new mum sparked a movement, and why showing up to a local group — even when you feel nervous or out of place — can offer connection, community, and a deep sense of belonging.
We talk about:
What to do if you feel shy or anxious about going to a group for the first time
Why face-to-face connection matters more than ever in early parenthood
The importance of local, low-cost, and inclusive support
How to find or even start your own group if there isn’t one nearby
Whether you're curious about toddler groups or just feeling a bit isolated in your parenting day-to-day — this conversation is a gentle reminder: you don’t have to do this alone.
🔗 Find out more about Jo’s work at danielsden.org.uk, and explore free parenting resources and support at byyoursideapp.com or via the episode notes.