Woman's Hour

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Magazines & Reviews

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

BBC Radio 4 FM

Woman's Hour: Birth trauma, Sleepwalking, Lolita Chakrabarti

Birth trauma, Sleepwalking, Lolita Chakrabarti

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Birth trauma, Sleepwalking, Lolita Chakrabarti

Lolita Chakrabarti discusses her new Radio 3 drama Calmer, which stars Meera Syal.

Lolita Chakrabarti talks to Nuala McGovern about her new Radio 3 play Calmer, a visceral drama about three generations of women, starring Meera Syal.

How many women have decided not to have more children after a traumatic birth?  The UK’s first inquiry into traumatic childbirth has found that too often poor care is normalised, with devastating effects on women’s mental and physical health.  Nuala McGovern talks to one Woman’s Hour listener who decided she couldn’t face having another child after a traumatic birth, and to the author of the report, Dr Kim Thomas, about its recommendations. 

Journalist Decca Aitkenhead regularly sleepwalks.  She talks to Nuala about her night-time escapades which include finding herself locked out in the middle of the night, eating food she’d find disgusting when awake and incredible strength that has seen her smash furniture to pieces.  She’s joined by neurologist and sleep expert Prof Guy Leschziner who explains what’s going on in our brains when we sleepwalk, and how women are affected. 

New analysis from the TUC, the Trades Union Congress, says that more than 1.5 million women have dropped out of the workforce because of long-term sickness. The figure marks a 48% increase compared with five years ago.  Nicola Smith, Head of Economics at the TUC, tells Nuala McGovern what may be stopping women from returning to work. 

Award-winning playwright and actor Lolita Chakrabarti discusses her new Radio 3 play, Calmer. All about motherhood and chaos, it follows three generations of ultra-successful women in one family - but their lives are not as ‘good’ as they appear on paper.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Olivia Skinner

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Woman's Hour

Birth trauma, Sleepwalking, Lolita Chakrabarti

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4