Senior NHS midwives Katie Benyohai and Leila Zahedi, who lead Unii’s upcoming Ultimate Antenatal Course, are back for the Unii Babies Antenatal Care episode, part two! Host Dr. Saranya’s first postpartum episode focusses on pregnancy mythbusting, the most common second opinions mums-to-be want to hear, and empowering women to ask more questions about their labour, birth and breastfeeding journeys. How do you get yourself closer to your ideal birth experience? Leila and Katie know all about it! We hope you enjoy this episode, and please check out part one! This is Unii Babies.

00:00 Intro and personal message from Dr. Saranya

00:52 Questioning induction of labour...and everything that worries you!

02:57 A midwife’s role in labour—they've got you!

06:45 Most common second opinions mums ask for from the Unii midwives.

09:51 The Unii midwives bust some myths about natural induction—and tell you what works!

11:20 What can you do to ripen your cervix?

12:18 Getting started with labour pain relief—climb the ladder of pain relief!

13:45 When should you go to the hospital (including Katie’s labour story!)?

15:46 What if the hospital sends me home when I’m in early labour?

17:24 What if I'm in active labour and labour slows down?

21:31 Leila and Katie’s funniest birth stories!

24:38 Midwife support in the fourth trimester—and how to plan for this time, incl. recovery and visitors!

26:42 Discussing your labour and birth experience with your partner.

31:10 Dr. Saranya’s breastfeeding journey and the Unii midwives advice for new mums.

38:26 When it feels like everyone else’s newborn parenting experience is perfect...

40:11 How often should a newborn be feeding? What’s normal? When should you worry?

43:55 When a baby feeds to relieve pain.

46:40 Finding your village to raise your child.

47:35 How Dr. Saranya used Unii.com’s Journey video courses on her pregnancy and newborn journeys.

50:23 Caring for your baby’s skin. Which products are best?

53:38 What should I buy for the first trimester?

55:35 The truth about sterilisers.

56:59 Dr. Saranya’s outro and thank you.

Watch Unii Babies on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsquXGqmM6afQHlyytEKYA

Follow Unii on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ask.unii/

Watch Unii’s Pregnancy Journey video course with Dr. Shree Datta: https://unii.com/en/journey/pregnancy

Watch Unii’s Giving Birth Journey with Dr. Keith Duncan: https://unii.com/en/journey/giving-birth

Midwives are specialists in what’s normal in pregnancy and birth, and there aren’t many questions Unii midwives Katie Benyohai and Leila Zahedi, co-founders of Better Births London, haven’t heard! In part one of the Unii Babies Antenatal Care episode, they speak to host Dr. Saranya about mums’ FAQs, why they are so passionate about maternal choice in labour and birth, pregnancy red flags you shouldn’t ignore, why they think more men should do midwifery, and so much more.

01:53 Expose the Expert: Get to know Leila and Katie

05:06 What inspired Leila and Katie to become midwives

10:25 What midwives do for pregnant women vs. obstetric care

12:54 What does midwife-led pregnancy and birthcare mean?

14:29 What are the advantages and disadvantages of midwifery care?

16:04 Dr. Saranya’s midwife experience during the birth of her child

19:00 How can a maternal medicine expert help you in pregnancy?

20:13 Maternal choice in high-risk pregnancy and birth

24:37 How Katie and Leila met and started Better Births London

29:42 How becoming a mum changes you as a midwife. Mums trust midwives more when they have children!

32:05 What Katie and Leila think about empowering men to become midwives!

35:28 Katie and Leila’s essential advice for student midwives

38:18 What should you expect and ask at your first midwife appointment (the booking appointment)?

41:19 How likely are you to see the same midwife throughout your pregnancy care?

42:33 What is the evidence on how continuity of midwifery care and pregnancy and postnatal outcomes?

45:11 Maternal stress at midwife appointments, induction positivity, and how to cope.

46:30 Dr. Saranya’s personal birth preferences experience in pregnancy

47:01 Midwife care after birth.

47:31 Why antenatal classes like Unii.com’s Ultimate Antenatal Course are so important for creating community, as well as empowered pregnancy and birth!

49:57 How the midwives and the unii.com Journey courses fill in information gaps for expectant mothers.

51:52 Katie’s personal antenatal course experience.

52:32 How Katie and Leila help pregnant women with morning sickness.

53:46 Should you be taking antiemetics when you are vomiting in pregnancy?

55:51 Anaemia, blood tests at around 28 weeks pregnancy, hepcidin, and when and how to take iron supplements.

58:37 Bleeding in pregnancy.

1:00:41 Brown discharge towards the end of pregnancy.

1:01:21 Pregnancy growth scans, questions about a baby measuring small, difference in sonographers/abdominal measurements.

1:04:56 Popular food safety questions in pregnancy– answered by Unii’s midwives!

1:06:50 Nutritional guidelines for pregnancy– when they change.

1:07:33 Monitoring foetal movements, what to look for, and disproved guidance.

Unii Babies Podcast Home: https://unii.com/en/podcast/unii-babies

Follow Unii Babies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ask.unii/

Dr. Su Laurent, Unii.com’s top consultant paediatrician, sits down with Unii Babies host Dr. Saranya for a chat about baby development, covering everything from milestones to autism, talking, teething, and tummy time. You’ll even hear Dr. Su’s golden rules of parenting. Dr. Su has supported hundreds of parents in some of London’s busiest hospitals over the last thirty years. She can do the same for you from the comfort of your own phone, laptop, or other device when you take her Baby Development Journey video course at unii.com.

Unii Babies Episode Highlights

02:27 What if your baby isn’t meeting their milestones?

02:49 Dr. Su’s Golden Rules of Parenting

04:50 Premature and overdue babies’ milestones

05:49 Baby development milestones that it’s OK to skip

06:28 Babies who resist standing, hypermobility in babies

07:14 Babies that don’t like tummy time

08:00 Dummies and baby development, teething pain, and talking

9:58 Bilingualism and babies: speech delays and brain development

11:24 Baby talk vs. speaking to babies with proper grammar and vocabulary

12:32 Are babies born with fully developed personalities?

13:34 Can you spoil a baby by holding it?

14:53 How Dr. Su introduced her eldest child to a new sibling. Why small age differences make things harder

16:21 Encouraging parents to celebrate each child’s milestones as the happen

17:11 Delayed development and autism diagnosis in babies

18:59 Getting to know your baby

19:32 The benefits of reading to babies

20:00 The benefits of singing to babies

20:57 Dr. Su’s songs for her babies

21:30 Having autism symptoms investigated

22:13 Creating a stimulating, nurturing environment for your baby

23:52 How safe is screen time for a baby’s development?

25:37 Where should you put a baby to sleep? When do you put your baby in the nursery?

27:04 Baby development and swimming

27:25 Baby development and exploring the world. Which toys should you buy?

28:13 Keeping babies safe while they explore

Unii Babies Podcast Home: https://unii.com/en/podcast/unii-babies

Take Unii’s Baby Development Journey video course: https://unii.com/en/journey/baby-development

Learn more about Dr. Su Laurent: https://unii.com/en/expert/dr-su-laurent

Follow Unii on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ask.unii/

Unii Baby Nutrition Expert Dr. Venita Patel is an NHS community paediatrician and registered nutritional therapist with over thirty years' experience. She’s helped hundreds of parents with their babies' eating and can support you anywhere and supports them 24/7 at unii.com through her Baby Nutrition Journey video course. She joined host Dr. Saranya Ravindran in Unii Babies’ London studio to talk about baby nutrition from pregnancy through the first year of life, covering everything from gut health to allergies, feeding routines, and the best food and drink choices. Don’t miss this essential episode of Unii Babies!

00:00 Intro 01:45 Dr. Venita’s typical days as an NHS paediatrician and registered nutritional therapist 03:10 What inspired Dr. Venita to become a community paediatrician 03:45 Why Dr. Venita went into nutritional therapy 04:28 What is the difference between a dietitian, nutritionist, and nutritional therapist? 05:58 How becoming a mum changed Dr. Venita as a doctor 07:15 The baby nutrition questions she gets most often — vomiting, reflux, colic, and constipation—and her approach. 08:45 What would Dr. Venita do to help with baby nutrition information if she were a world leader? 09:51 The importance of a baby's first 1000 days for their nutrition 10:58 The best source of baby nutrition 11:46 Baby gut health: microbiota and oligosaccharides 13:30 Baby gut health and Caesarean section 14:44 Symbiotics and baby gut health 15:44 Preventing mastitis with probiotics 17:20 Where can we get gut information about gut health in pregnancy and for our baby after birth? 17:56 Can you wean your baby earlier than six months? 18:42 Baby allergies and weaning 20:00 Genetic inheritance of allergies 20:26 Your baby’s first meals 22:17 Iron consumption and babies 23:38 Starting your baby on fish—types and precautions 24:23 Vegan and vegetarian diets for babies 25:13 Introducing cow’s milk to your baby’s diet 25:53 The best fruits and vegetables for weaning 26:47 Is “five a day” manageable for babies? Do you need to peel fruits and vegetables? 28:15 Homemade vs. shop-bought food for babies 30:00 Organic vs. inorganic food for babies 30:40 Restricting salt and sugar for babies 31:30 The health benefits of seasoning baby food with spices 33:00 The best food textures for babies—how can they help with your baby’s development? 35:00 The best supplements for babies 36:23 Picky eating and food refusal 37:20 How dummies impact weaning 38:18 Do you need a feeding routine for your baby? 39:29 Including a baby in family meals 40:23 Where should parents go for baby nutrition help? 41:05 Baby-led weaning: Pros and Cons 42:51 Babies and water 43:59 Babies and healthy fats 44:58 Supplements Omega 3 for Baby 45:25 Babies watching you eating 46:31 The benefits of letting your baby play with food 47:26 How do I know if my baby is eating too little or too much? 48:45 Mistaking your baby’s feeding cues 49:44 When should you worry about your baby’s weight? 51:05 Signs of nutritional deficiencies 51:54 Food disrupting sleep and food diaries 53:28 Dr. Saranya’s quick quiz: Expose the Expert

Watch Dr. Venita Patel’s Unii Baby Nutrition Journey here: https://unii.com/en/journey/baby-nutrition

Follow Unii on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ask.unii/

Unii Baby Feeding Expert Wendy Lever, IBCLC, was inspired to become a lactation consultant by her own maternal experience, and we're constantly impressed by the breadth of her expertise. She is also a total feeding nerd, and her passion for her work is infectious. She speaks to our host, A&E paediatric consultant Dr. Saranya Ravindran, about breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and weaning, from what's normal to when to resist the marketing directed at parents. She’ll give you her expert opinion on the best bottle and formula to buy, as well as how to know when breastfeeding is going well, when to stop, and what to choose as your baby’s first foods. Wendy shares the facts and busts some myths along the way.

00:00 Intro

01:32 How can you tell when breastfeeding is going well?

02:50 Why breastfeeding is for lazy mums

03:07 When should breastfeeding stop? The WHO’s view vs. Wendy’s!

04:27 Is weaning mum’s choice or baby’s?

04:52 Choosing the right bottle and teats

05:50 Letting the baby stop and start bottle feeding at their own pace

06:18 The only bottles Wendy DOESN’T recommend

06:56 How to choose the right baby formula

07:28 What do leading formula brands have that others don’t?

08:39 How close are baby formulas to breastmilk?

09:15 Why breastmilk is superior to formula.

09:47 How your specific breastmilk helps to cure your specific baby’s first cold.

11:20 The important vitamin breastmilk canNOT provide

12:22 How baby formula evolves with each generation

13:42 The best ways to cope with baby reflux, including conservative management

16:18 The power of a good latch in breastfeeding

17:02 Does hungry baby formula help?

17:30 How bottle-feeding parents can replicate natural breastfeeding.

18:46 How frequently should a newborn baby be feeding? What does feeding on demand mean?

20:05 Look out for these newborn feeding milestones.

20:53 How Wendy fed her own newborns! What is a contact baby?

21:55 How to deal with tongue-tie that impacts feeding.

23:37 Coping with feeding “two under two.” Breastfeeding in pregnancy and tandem feeding.

25:02 How do you know when your baby is ready to wean? Signs of readiness for solid foods.

26:30 Introducing water to your newborn’s diet. When is it really needed?

27:55 The best first foods to wean your baby onto

28:50 Are purees good for your baby’s weaning process?

29:31 Homemade purees vs. shop-bought baby foods

30:44 Safe seasoning for baby’s foods

Watch Wendy’s first Unii Babies episode: https://unii.com/en/podcast/unii-babies/episode/podcast-wendy-part-1

Watch Wendy’s Unii Baby Feeding Journey Video Course: https://unii.com/en/journey/baby-feeding

Follow Unii on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ask.unii/

Unii Paediatrics Expert Dr. Su Laurent, MBBS, FRCPCH, is a consultant paediatrician with over three decades of experience. She leads our Unii.com Journey video courses on newborns and baby health and development. In this Unii Babies episode, Dr. Su speaks to our host, consultant paediatrician Dr. Saranya Ravindran (whom she trained!) about a baby's health in their first year, how to identify common problems, and when to reach out to a doctor. This is an essential one!

00:00 Intro

01:07 Connecting with parents through unii.com

01:53 How becoming a parent changes you as a doctor

02:28 Noisy baby sleep

04:07 Rewarding baby and child cases Dr. Su’s experienced

04:57 Baby and toddler constipation

05:55 Taking your baby's temperature

08:16 Supporting your baby when they’re distressed

09:16 Psychological impact of chronic eczema on babies

10:41 Baby vaccinations

11:56 Your baby in the hospital

13:30 Baby’s internalising your stress

14:56 Baby head banging

16:07 Baby safety precautions

18:28 Nappies—what to buy, what’s normal, when to change them, and nappy rash

21:29 How clean is too clean? Do germs benefit babies?

22:39 Trapped wind and baby-burping advice

23:45 Bathing your baby

24:50 Is a baby massage class worth it?

27:00 Coping with crying

28:53 Taking babies on airplanes

30:11 Dealing with your baby's fever

31:26 Baby-safe pain medication

32:25 Baby vomiting: what's normal?

Watch Dr. Su’s Unii Baby Health video course:

https://unii.com/en/journey/baby-health

Watch this episode at unii.com:

https://unii.com/en/episode/heres-something-parents-worry-about-far-too-much

Follow Unii: @ask.unii

Unii Pregnancy Expert Dr. Shree Datta is an award-winning obstetrician and gynaecologist with over two decades of experience at some of London's most prestigious hospitals. She co-created video courses for couples on pregnancy and conceiving a baby with Unii.com and joins Dr. Saranya Ravindran, Unii Babies host and consultant paediatrician, to talk about early signs of pregnancy, the best lifestyle changes to make, miscarriage, and other frequently asked questions about the three trimesters. This episode was filmed at Unii's London headquarters towards the end of Dr. Saranya's first pregnancy. We're delighted to share such a special conversation between two members of our Unii.com family with mums-to-be. Enjoy!

00:00 Intro

01:48 Why Dr. Shree chose obstetrics and gynaecology

03:10 An average workday for Dr.Shree

04:31 Increasing women's comfort with discussing intimate health, Davina McCall and fibroids

07:26 Pregnancy scans

08:01 Eating in pregnancy

09:02 Baby movements in pregnancy

10:33 Geriatric pregnancy

12:50 Dying hair in pregnancy

13:31 Managing stretch marks in pregnancy

14:47 Recognising the baby's sex from how you're carrying them

16:08 Safe amounts and types of caffeine in pregnancy

17:29 A glass of wine in pregnancy

17:49 Eating for two

19:41 Pregnancy safety and electromagnetic fields

21:12 Choosing a pregnancy test

23:29 Choosing contraception

25:07 When to share your pregnancy news

26:40 Choosing your obstetrician

29:23 Morning sickness

29:50 Prenatal supplements

33:10 Normal first trimester weight gain and other symptoms

34:39 Risk of miscarriage and potential symptoms

36:47 Getting pregnant after a miscarriage

41:50 And are there any specific do's and don'ts in the second trimester?

44:20 Lifting heavy objects while pregnant

46:26 Weight gain in late pregnancy

48:21 Are there any beauty products that may not be safe in pregnancy?

50:13 Cutest moments that Shree’s had in clinic

51:38 What is the oral glucose tolerance test?

54:36 How can I monitor foetal movements?

58:05 How accurate are due dates?

01:00:11 What are some signs of premature labour?

01:02:44 What if I’m anxious about or afraid of delivery?

01:04:25 How should I approach my birth plan?

01:08:10 Does Dr. Shree recommend hypnobirthing?

01:11:36 How can I deal with pain and swelling in the third trimester?

01:15:05 How can I sleep better in the third trimester?

01:17:32 When should I avoid sex in pregnancy?

01:19:09 What are some red flags in the third trimester?

Go to Unii Babies episode page: https://unii.com/en/article/podcast-shree

Take Dr. Shree’s Unii Pregnancy video course: https://unii.com/en/journey/pregnancy

For Unii Babies Ep. 3, Baby and Toddler Sleep, host and paediatrician Dr. Saranya Ravindran sits down with Unii sleep expert Sam Sadighi. She’s an award-winning sleep coach who works with babies, children and adults to help them get the best rest possible. Join Sam and Saranya as they discuss how much sleep babies need, how to make sure they get it, and overcoming common problems right through to the toddler years. One in three new parents struggles to get their babies to sleep and, when unii.com was founded, we knew we needed Sam. This is an essential episode for any new or expectant parent!

00:00 Intro

02:20 How poor sleep affects overall wellbeing

04:04 How her personal experience as a mum and insomniac has helped her professionally

06:53 How a sleep coach works with you and your family

10:52 Why sleep is so important for babies and toddlers

11:59 Children who don't meet sleep requirements

14:40 Baby sleep equipment to buy before birth

16:16 Co-sleeping for mum and baby

19:11 Is falling asleep with a bottle OK?

20:26 What poor sleep in childhood looks like

22:20 Sleep crutches: tips and tricks

26:03 When to remove dummies

27:20 Head banging for sleep

29.53 Screen time and sleep: recent research suggestions

31:54 Diet and sleep

34:24 Crying and sleep: letting a baby bawl

37:36 Sam's favourite bedtime stories

39:27 The best sleeping conditions for babies and toddlers

43:18 Sleep training: myths and facts

45:30 When to move your baby from a cot to a bed

47:57 Fear of the dark and night visits from toddlers

49:46 Toddlers testing boundaries

52:00 Snoring and identifying problems

54:14 Sleepwalking

57:04 Childhood nightmares and night terrors

59:06 Are lie-ins on weekends beneficial?

01:03:22 Bedtimes in different cultures

01:07:47 What if your child's too tired to stick to their sleep routine?

01:10:02 Sam's most challenging cases

01:13:16 More sleep routine hurdles

01:15:27 Tracking your baby's sleep

01:19:43 Prescription sleep medication for children (including melatonin)

01:22:07 Sam's no.1 piece of sleep advice for parents

01:23:07 How much sleep babies and toddlers should be getting

01:24:12 What you'll get out of Sam's Unii Journeys: Baby Sleep and Toddler Sleep

Go to Unii’s episode page: https://unii.com/en/episode/the-sleep-expert-this-is-how-you-and-your-child-can-sleep-better

Watch Sam's Baby Sleep Journey here: https://unii.com/en/journey/baby-sleep

Watch Sam's Toddler Sleep Journey here: https://unii.com/en/journey/toddler-sleep

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the Unii Babies podcast or on the unii.com website.