REAL LIFE STORIES
Meet the mums we support and read their stories
REAL LIFE STORIES
Meet the mums we support and read their stories
WHO WE ARE
Meet the mums we support and read their stories
WHO WE ARE
Meet the mums we support and read their stories
The news of a pregnancy or a recent birth is an exciting time for all prospective and existing parents. It can, however, be cruelly interrupted by the news of a cancer diagnosis and the worry that this brings to both you and your wider family.
Mummy’s Star has been set up specifically to offer support if you find yourself in this situation and we hope that by providing comprehensive information and links in this section, it will help you to get the support you need, access services that are available to you but most importantly know that you are not alone when you are going through this.
The information contained here is reviewed on an ongoing basis and will also be added to as new information becomes known about cancer in pregnancy. Likewise, as we receive more enquiries, we will add to the FAQs section in order to be able to try and answer as many of your questions in one place as possible.
Please contact us here and we can discuss more specifically how we can support you and your family.
CANCER SUPPORT IN & AROUND
PREGNANCY | BIRTH | LOSS | BEYOND
ASK THE EXPERT
Sessions providing answers to your questions from healthcare professionals.
Browse through our Ask the Expert sessions
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy delivered by Tom Dyer
Look out for new sessions
Coming soon!
Children and Talking Cancer
delivered by Caroline Leek
Menopause session - delivered by Dr Zoe Hodson, GP and Menopause Specialist
Zoe shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums face with treatment options, early onset menopause and lifestyle concerns.
SESSION 1
Lifestyle & Diet
Resources
Newson Health, My Menopause Doctor
Book, Oestrogen Matters by Avrum Blumming & Carol Tavris menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause
Lindsey Beveridge, Nutitionist
Restorative Yoga, Sam Rhode
Kathryn on Insta
skin.expertshop
A Young Woman’s Guide to Menopause
SESSION 2
Signs & Symptoms
Resources
Newson Health, My Menopause Doctor
Balance App, Tracking Symptoms menopausedoctor.co.uk/resources/the-balance-app
SESSION 3
HRT
Resources
Newson Health, My Menopause Doctor
Me & My Menopausal Vagina, Jane Lewis menohealth.co.uk/products/me-and/my-menopausal-vagina-book/
Sam Evans aka Jo Devine, Sex & Sexual Health jodevine.co.uk
Know Pain, Know Gain session - delivered by Rhea Crighton, Registered Nurse
Rhea shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums can face with pain.
SESSION 2
The Psychological Impact
SESSION 3
The Social Impact
Children and Talking Cancer - delivered by Caroline Leek, FruitFly Collective
Caroline shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums can face with children when talking about cancer.
SESSION 1
Talking to Children About Cancer
SESSION 2
Supporting and Communicating About Cancer with Children
SESSION 3
Talking to Children About Death and Dying
Nutrition and Health - delivered by Lindsey Beveridge, Recovery Nutrition
Lindsey shares her expertise and some useful information around nutrition and health.
SESSION 1
Gut Health
SESSION 2
Nutrition to Support Mental Wellbeing
SESSION 3
Nutrition and Hormone Health
Grief and Loss - delivered by Vassilia Williams: Trainer, Coach and NLP Master Practitioner
Vassilia shares her expertise and some useful information around grief and loss.
SESSION 2
Anticipation
SESSION 3
Living Alongside Loss
Cancer and Skin Care - delivered by Kathryn Hindle who is an award-winning skincare therapist with over 30 years experience
Kathryn shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums can face when looking after their skin and what treatments are available to use.
SESSION 1
Cancer and Skin Care
SESSION 2
Cancer and Skin Care Protection
SESSION 3
Cancer, Skin Care and Feeling Me
Birth Trauma - delivered by Chartered Psychologist Dr Jan Smith
Jan shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums can face around birth trauma, alongside a cancer diagnosis.
SESSION 1
What is Birth Trauma?
SESSION 2
How to cope with interruptions in bonding with your baby.
SESSION 3
How to cope when you feel you have lost your identity of being a mum.
SESSION 4
How can we support baby loss?
SESSION 5
How can we support partners experiencing baby loss?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - delivered by Tom Dyer
Tom shares his expertise and some useful information around Acceptance and Commitment Therapy’ (ACT).
SESSION 1
What is ACT?
SESSION 2
What is ACT helpful for?
SESSION 3
How and when should ACT be used?
SESSION 4
How to access ACT.
Cancer, intimacy & sex - delivered by Liz O'Riordan who is a speaker, author, storyteller
Liz shares her expertise and some useful information around the challenges our mums can face around libido, intimacy and sex, alongside a cancer diagnosis.
SESSION 1
Libido
SESSION 2
Intimacy
SESSION 3
Sex & breaking down barriers
Resources
Liz O’Riordan (Instagram @Liz_ORiordan ) liz.oriordan.co.uk
Jo Divine (Instagram @jo.divine & @samtalkssex ) jodivine.com
YesYesYes yesyesyes.org & Sutil sutillube.com
Lacey & Flynn laceyandflynn.com
Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause
Welfare & Benefits - delivered by MIke David
Mike from Maggie's shares his expertise and some useful information around welfare and benefits.
SESSION 1
Welfare and benefits
Anxiety - Delivered Claire Francis
Claire shares her expertise and some useful information about the challenges our mums can face around anxiety.
SESSION 1
Introduction
SESSION 2
Coping with scan anxiety
SESSION 3
When should you seek support?
SESSION 4
The difference between needing emotional support and professional support
Everything in place - delivered by Louise Johnson from St Cuthbert’s Hospice
and Mum, Jen Beaumont
Louise and Jen share their expertise and some useful information about how to put everything in place
in preparation for the end of life.
SESSION 1
Introduction to everything
in place
SESSION 2
How to start conversations about death
SESSION 3
About the everything in place course
Living with & beyond cancer - delivered Dr Cordelia Galcut who is a Counselling Psychologist
Cordelia shares her professional expertise and personal experiences with cancer to provide some useful information
on sharing emotions and feelings in and around cancer.
SESSION 1
Sharing emotions and feelings
SESSION 2
Emotions & feelings after treatment finishing
SESSION 3
Fear of recurrence
Cancer & exercise - delivered by Sarah Newman from GetMeBack
Sarah shares her personal experiences with cancer, and her expertise as a cancer and exercise specialist
to provide some helpful guidance and tips on how exercise can safely complement post-cancer recovery
and during ongoing treatment. *PLEASE NOTE: This session discusses baby loss.
SESSION 1
Cancer and exercise
Sarah retrained as a cancer and exercise specialist, founding Get Me Back in 2019 following her own cancer diagnosis. She now delivers cancer exercise sessions for charities such as Future Dreams and Ovacome, as well as her work with private clients.
During the session, Sarah will discuss how exercise saved her after her cancer diagnosis during pregnancy, giving her back some control of her body and mind during treatment. Using her own experience, Sarah now supports her clients to do the same before, during, and after their own cancer treatment.
Get Me Back getmeback.uk
Can Rehab Trust canrehabtrust.org
5k Your Way 5kyourway.org
Understanding Breastfeeding, Grief, and Trauma - delivered by Professor Amy Brown,
a specialist in Maternal and Child Health
Amy has spent the last 16 years researching breastfeeding grief and trauma. She has published research and books in this specialist area. She shares her expertise to help provide an understanding in the context of cancer and pregnancy, why women grieve when they are unable to breastfeed.
SESSION 1
Understanding breastfeeding, grief, and trauma
SESSION 2
Acknowledging trauma and breastfeeding
SESSION 3
Supporting grief and breastfeeding
SESSION 4
The importance of breast
donor milk
Living with Secondary Cancer - delivered by Sarah Clarke a Transformational Life Coach
Sarah shares her own experiences of living with secondary cancer.
SESSION 1
Balancing your healthcare and family needs
SESSION 2
The dilemma of what to say to children, and making memories