The Science of Motherhood

Have you ever seen a headline claiming a certain food can boost your fertility and rolled your eyes? You're not wrong to be sceptical, and most of what circulates online about diet and conception is wellness noise dressed up as science.
This time, the science actually holds up. A new 2026 study traces a real, step by step mechanism from what's on your plate to whether an embryo implants.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White breaks down a new mouse study linking dietary fibre, gut bacteria and the uterine immune system. She walks through how the pathway works, where the research falls short, and what's reasonable to take from it if you're trying to conceive.
You'll Hear About:
Why mouse studies are used in fertility research
What the new 2026 fibre study found
How gut bacteria influence uterine immune tolerance
Why this mechanism doesn't yet prove human benefit
What foods support this specific fibre pathway

You don't need to overhaul your diet to take this seriously. Paying attention to fibre quality, not only quantity, is a small, evidence-backed step available to you now. The mechanism is real, even if the guarantee isn't, and that still counts for something.
If this episode helped you look at fertility diet advice differently, share it with a friend who's trying to conceive and wading through conflicting information. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
📲 Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
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.

You've sat through an antenatal appointment focused on blood pressure and bump measurements, wishing there'd been room to talk about how you were actually feeling. Midwives want that room too, working inside appointments measured in minutes. There's real momentum building to bring emotional wellbeing further into that time together.
Two researchers went looking at exactly what that momentum looks like in practice, and how to act on it without asking midwives to find time they don't have.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Lesley Pascuzzi, childbirth educator and perinatal mental health researcher, and her colleague Nicole Freeman, midwife and PhD researcher in early pregnancy care, to unpack what midwives told them about supporting mental health during pregnancy. Together they explore where the system falls short, and the pilot program already testing a different way forward.
You'll Hear About:
Why the current model centres illness over wellness
What midwives believe a well woman looks like
How time pressure shapes mental health conversations
Why continuity of care changes everything
What the new pilot program is testing

Knowledge is the foundation of advocating for your own mental health, in pregnancy and beyond. The more you understand about your options, the more equipped you are to ask for exactly what you need.
If you've ever left an appointment feeling rushed or unheard, send this to a friend who's navigating pregnancy right now. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
📲 Follow Renee on Instagram: fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Connect with Lesley Pascuzzi on LinkedIn: Lesley Pascuzzi
Connect with Nicole Freeman on LinkedIn: Nicole Freeman
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.

Your parents or your in-laws are going to tell you they did things differently and you turned out fine, right in the middle of a conversation about sleep safety or feeding choices, and you can feel the eye roll building before they've even finished the sentence. Their love is real, and you don't have to brace for it each time they visit.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White unpacks what grandparents and in-laws genuinely need to know before the baby arrives, cutting through outdated advice to share what the current evidence actually supports, what's changed, and what's genuinely worth doing differently.
You might be pregnant or newly postpartum and quietly dreading the moment a well-meaning relative tells you how it used to be done. If you're the grandparent listening in, most of those moments come down to a gap in information that's easy to close. Start the conversation early, and you give your village the chance to actually hold you up, the way you deserve.
You'll Hear About:
Why vaccinations protect newborns before six weeks
How updated safety guidance differs from old advice
What matrescence means for the woman you love
Why cuddles are something to be earned
How to offer help without the unsolicited opinions

You don't have to manage anyone else's feelings while you're still learning your own baby. The right people in your life will meet you with curiosity instead of correction, and that's the kind of village worth building around yourself and your baby.
Share this with the grandparent, aunty, or friend who wants to support you well, and with the parent who needs the words to start this conversation early. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links
📲 Follow Renee on Instagram: fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
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.

The mental and emotional weight of trying to conceive doesn't disappear once you're pregnant, or once the baby arrives. For many women, it quietly shapes everything that comes after.
Sometimes the hardest part isn't the fertility treatment itself. It's carrying the aftermath of it into motherhood without anyone acknowledging that you went through something significant to get there.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Dr Edna Lekgabe, certified perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist practising in Melbourne, to explore the mental health dimensions of the trying to conceive journey. They cover the difference between normal anxiety and clinical anxiety, how IVF trauma shows up in the body long after treatment ends, and why perinatal mental health challenges are never a personal failing.
This is the final episode of the six-part Trying to Conceive series on The Science of Motherhood.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
Why what you're feeling is a nervous system response, not a character flaw
How to recognise when anxiety has moved from visitor to renovation
What IVF trauma looks like in the body and why it often goes unidentified
How medication decisions are made with a risk-versus-risk framework
Why reaching out early makes a difference

Your mental health through this journey is part of the journey. It deserves the same attention as everything else. There is support available, and you deserve to use it.
If this resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to The Science of Motherhood so you never miss an episode.
Resources & Links
Connect with Renee
📲 Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services: ifillyourcup.com
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
Connect with Edna
📲 Connect with Dr Edna on Instagram: @drednalekgabe
🌐 Dr Edna Lekgabe's website: drednalekgabe.com.au
🌐 Wraparound mental health care for women and parents: warmhealthcollective.com.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.

The emotional side of a fertility journey is real, and it's the part that often goes unspoken. You can walk into treatment prepared with every medical question imaginable and still feel blindsided by the weight of the waiting, the uncertainty, and the grief that can come when things don't go to plan.
That gap deserves more airtime than it gets.
In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White sits down with Dr Giselle Crawford, fertility specialist and gynaecologist with more than ten years of experience in obstetrics, gynaecology, and infertility care, to explore the emotional terrain of fertility treatment and what genuinely good care looks like from the inside. They cover everything from managing expectations through the IVF process, to navigating grief, supporting your relationship, and knowing when to pause.
This episode is Part 5 of the Trying to Conceive series on The Science of Motherhood.
You'll Hear About:
Why emotional preparation matters as much as medical readiness
How to understand the concept of attrition in IVF
What stress actually does (and doesn't) do to fertility outcomes
How partners can move from spectator to co-pilot
Why stopping treatment isn't giving up

Having language for what you're going through makes it easier to carry. This episode gives you that, alongside the science to back it up.
If someone you love is navigating fertility treatment right now, this is the episode to share with them. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.
Resources & Links:
📲 Follow Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_
🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services: ifillyourcup.com
🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies
🌐 Dr Giselle Crawford's website: www.drgisellecrawford.com.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.