<p>This week, award-winning BBC broadcaster, journalist and author Emma Barnett joins us to challenge everything we think we know about the newborn bubble. Emma's new book, Maternity Service, tears through the toxic positivity of early motherhood with refreshing - and often hilarious - honesty.</p><br><p>From the physical reality of recovering from a C-section to the quiet grief of losing your pre-baby identity, Emma holds nothing back. She also opens up about 21 years without an endometriosis diagnosis, six rounds of IVF, and how she's learned to survive - and thrive - with a chronic pain condition while raising two children and fronting some of the UK's biggest radio programmes.</p><br><p>Follow Well Enough on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wellenough" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></p><p>Follow Emilie on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emilielaviniauk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> </p><br><p>Timecodes:</p><p>00:00 Introduction: Why Maternity Leave Is a Lie</p><p>01:01 What Is Maternity Service? The Book Explained</p><p>01:31 Six Rounds of IVF and 21 Years Without a Diagnosis</p><p>02:01 Matrescence: How Your Identity Shifts When You Become a Mother</p><p>04:10 Can You Ever Really Prepare for Becoming a Mother?</p><p>05:03 Toxic Positivity in Motherhood</p><p>06:30 Reframing Motherhood as a Tour of Duty</p><p>07:35 The Physical Reality: Healing a Broken Body After Birth</p><p>08:57 C-Sections, Too Posh to Push, and the Stigma of Stomach Surgery</p><p>09:50 What Is a Hypertonic Pelvic Floor? What No One Tells You</p><p>11:25 The Loneliness of New Motherhood Nobody Talks About</p><p>12:22 Identity Loss: Your Maternity Uniform and the Flattening of Self</p><p>14:01 IVF, Bruising, and the Hidden Uniform of Fertility Treatment</p><p>16:29 Delayed Gratification: The Survival Skill Every Mother Needs</p><p>18:20 Perimenopause, Grief, and the Pressure to Have It All</p><p>21:23 Maternity Discrimination and the Psychology of Being Replaced</p><p>23:30 Is Boredom on Maternity Leave Normal? Yes, and Here's Why</p><p>24:40 Writing a Letter to Your Pre-Baby Self</p><p>26:35 Ready to Talk: Emma's New BBC Podcast on Women's Interior Lives</p><p>30:50 The Best Books on Motherhood Emma Recommends</p><p>39:00 Living With Endometriosis: The Diagnosis That Took 21 Years</p><p>42:20 Endometriosis and IVF: When Getting Pregnant Becomes a Crisis</p><p>49:30 Emma's Tip for Feeling Well Enough: The Power of Music</p><br><p>Episodes of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0mdcpkb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Ready to Talk</em></a> with Emma Barnett are available every Friday on BBC Sounds.</p><p>Buy Emma’s book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maternity-Service-Letter-Mothers-Front/dp/1405966610/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maternity Service</a> - out in paperback March 12th</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>