The Science of Motherhood

Your pelvic floor supported your baby for months, and the aftercare plan was a quick "do your Kegels". With so many experiencing leaking and prolapse, postpartum recovery deserves a far bigger conversation.
From protecting your body in pregnancy and birth to rebuilding strength afterwards, there’s evidence-based guidance that can change how recovery feels. Knowing what’s common, what’s treatable, and when to ask for support helps you feel steady and supported.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White chats with Jess Jenkins, women’s and pelvic health physiotherapist, founder of the Move App, and known as The Mama Physio, to explore what an informed relationship with your pelvic floor looks like. Together they cover pelvic floor relaxation, perineal massage, prolapse and pessaries, and the postpartum myths that delay support.
This is Part 1 of the six-part Postpartum Series.
You’ll Hear About:
How to relax and strengthen your pelvic floor
What the evidence says about perineal massage
Why a second trimester physio visit helps
What prolapse feels like and how pessaries help
Why leaking and pain after birth are treatable

Your pelvic floor responds to the right care, and you’re allowed to ask for that care at any stage. Whether you’re pregnant, newly postpartum, or further along in your recovery, support is available and there’s nothing to feel embarrassed about.
Send this to a friend who’s pregnant or newly postpartum and would love clear answers about her pelvic floor. And subscribe so you don’t miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Part 1 of the Postpartum Series
03:06 Meet Jess Jenkins, The Mama Physio
04:53 Kegels and the Role of Relaxation
07:29 When Your Pelvic Floor Can’t Relax
12:21 Pelvic Floor and Bowel Health in Pregnancy
16:56 Perineal Massage, the Evidence, and What to Use
23:30 Diastasis Recti and Those Burning Ribs
26:46 How Common Prolapse Is and What Stage One Means
31:28 Prolapse Symptoms and Perimenopause
33:39 Prolapse Rehab and Pessaries
38:09 Pelvic Floor Myths, Leaking, and Painful Sex
43:15 How Motherhood Changed Jess’s Practice
48:23 Jess’s Final Takeaway and Where to Find Her
Resources & Links
Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
Connect with Renee on LinkedIn: Renee White
Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Connect with Jess Jenkins
Website: themamaphysio.com.au
Instagram: @the.mama.physio
Move App Instagram: @movewiththemamaphysio
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia’s first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer
The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice.

Puberty is arriving earlier for our kids than it did for most of us, and it can catch you off guard before you've worked out what to say. Feeling unprepared is a normal place to start, and small conversations are enough to get going.
The conversations that help most can begin well before the big questions arrive. This conversation gives you the words, the timing and the reassurance to begin.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Dr Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, co-founders of Less Awkward and co-hosts of the This Is So Awkward podcast. Cara is a Harvard and Johns Hopkins trained paediatrician and the author of the bestselling Care and Keeping of You series, which has guided a generation of kids in the US through puberty. Vanessa is a bestselling author and educator who founded Dynamo Girl, a programme that builds girls' self-esteem through sport and body literacy. Together they wrote This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained, and they now bring the same science and warmth to classrooms through a health and sex education curriculum for kindergarten through to 12th grade.
In this conversation they cover the first signs to look for, what researchers think is driving the shift, and easy ways into the talk, from car rides to bath time.
You'll Hear About:
What the first signs of puberty look like
Why puberty is starting earlier for kids today
When to start the puberty conversation
How to circle back when the moment passes
Why staying connected supports wellbeing into adulthood

A short chat in the car, a pause during a movie, or a second try after the supermarket all count as starting. Small conversations add up to a child who knows they can come to you.
Share this with a friend who has a child heading towards puberty and isn't sure where to start. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
Connect with Dr Renee White
Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
Connect with Renee on LinkedIn: Renee White
Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Connect with Dr Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett
Learn more about their work at Less Awkward
Connect with Less Awkward on Instagram: @less.awkward
Explore Less Awkward's digital health and sex education curriculum for kindergarten through to 12th grade, That Health Class, which blends science with joy. Find out more in the curriculum kit and read testimonials from schools.
A parallel parent curriculum sits in The Hub, so the lessons are fully transparent and adults can catch up on what they may never have learned.
Books mentioned in this conversation
This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained by Dr Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett
Teenhood: Confessions & Lessons for the Trickiest Phase of Parenting by Vanessa Kroll Bennett (releases 19 January 2027)
The Care and Keeping of You series by Dr Cara Natterson
Untangled by Dr Lisa Damour
The Curse of the Good Girl by Rachel Simmons
The New Puberty: How to Navigate Early Development in Today's Girls by Dr Louise Greenspan and Dr Julianna Deardorff
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer
The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

What if the most important part of the tongue-tie conversation happens before anyone looks in your baby's mouth? A new review from three surgeons on tongue-tie and breastfeeding says it's worth knowing what that is.
If someone's mentioned a tongue-tie during a hard week of feeding, a fix that takes minutes can sound like relief, and that makes complete sense. The review points to what needs to happen first, and it gives you a clear set of questions to bring to your midwife, GP or lactation consultant.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White unpacks the review and what it means for you. She explores who may benefit from a frenotomy, which method has the evidence behind it, and the support worth trying before anyone picks up the scissors.
You'll Hear About:
Why tongue-tie procedures rose 420% in a decade
Why what the tongue can do matters most
Who benefits and how strong the evidence is
What the research says about scissors versus laser
What to ask before agreeing to a snip

A frenotomy can be a helpful tool for the right baby once skilled feeding support is in place, and if it changed everything for you, that experience is real. You're allowed to ask for a whole feed to be watched, to understand the method, and to know who will check how feeding is going afterwards. Wanting those answers first is a sound way to look after you and your baby.
If a friend is up at 3am googling tongue-tie, send her the link to The Science of Motherhood and let her know she's allowed to ask questions first. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
Connect with Renee on LinkedIn: Renee White
Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
If you're worried your baby isn't gaining weight or getting enough milk, please see your GP, child health nurse or lactation consultant straight away.
The Australian Breastfeeding Association National Breastfeeding Helpline is free and open 24 hours a day on 1800 686 268 (1800 mum 2 mum).
For additional information, visit the Australian Breastfeeding Association website.
Research discussed: Lingual Frenotomy for Breastfeeding Difficulties: Indications, Surgical Techniques and Multidisciplinary Care in Infants and Young Children. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. PMID 42543437
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer
The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

Miscarriage is far more common than we're told, and the silence around it can leave you feeling like you're the only one. If someone has said "at least you can get pregnant" or suggested you focus on the baby you already have, you're allowed to feel those words missed the mark. Your loss is a loss, and you deserve support that treats it that way.
Whether you're grieving now, pregnant again and carrying a lot of worry, or wondering how to support someone you love, there's more help out there than you might realise.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Samantha Payne, co-founder and CEO of the Pink Elephants Support Network, to explore early pregnancy loss and the support available. Samantha shares her story of three miscarriages, how her grief became a three-year campaign that changed Australian law, and what care, workplaces and loved ones can still do better.
You'll Hear About:
Why the 12 week rule needs rethinking
How a three year campaign changed Australian law
What free support exists after pregnancy loss
What current guidelines say after two losses
How to support someone through pregnancy loss

Grief after pregnancy loss moves at its own pace, and you deserve to feel held, heard and supported through it. Share this conversation with a friend, sister or colleague who could use it. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
Connect with Renee
Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
Connect with Renee on LinkedIn: Renee White
Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Connect with Samantha Payne
Pink Elephants Support Network: pinkelephants.org.au
Instagram: @pinkelephantssupport
LinkedIn: Samantha Payne
Pregnancy loss support
Pink Elephants Pregnancy Loss Helpline, delivered by PANDA on 1300 726 306. It's free and open seven days a week.
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer: The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

If you're a Type A personality, you've probably mapped out almost everything, from the pram research to the hospital bag spreadsheet. And if a quiet voice is asking what happens when you can't control it all, that voice belongs to someone who cares deeply and wants to get this right.
Your planning brain is one of your greatest strengths as a mama. It needs a slightly different job description once baby arrives, and the research shows where to point it.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White unpacks how to prepare for motherhood as a Type A personality, from the surprising origin of the label to what the research says about perfectionism, your remodelled brain and your baby's body clock. She also shares her two-part framework, control the controllables and embrace the spontaneity, along with a confession about a spreadsheet and an algorithm from her first baby.
You'll Hear About:
Where the Type A label actually came from
Why perfectionism makes motherhood feel harder
How your brain is remodelled for motherhood
Why babies run on a different clock
How a two-part framework balances control and spontaneity

Your planning strength has a wonderful home in motherhood, from a stocked freezer to a support team waiting in your corner. With that in place, you get to give yourself permission to let go of the rest and enjoy meeting your baby, one thirsty, hungry or sleepy day at a time. And if the need for control starts tipping into constant worry, reaching out early is one of the most Type A things you can do.
If you know a Type A mama who has a spreadsheet for the hospital bag, send it her way. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
Connect with Renee on LinkedIn: Renee White
Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Hear Dr Elseline Hoekzema explain your changing brain in Ep 237. Pregnancy Rewires Your Brain. Here's What You Gain
Support for new and expecting parents from PANDA on 1300 726 306, Monday to Saturday, or visit panda.org.au
This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.
Disclaimer: The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.