Episode Details

In this episode, Niamh is joined by Aoife Lennon, perinatal educator, IBCLC, former Home Economics teacher and founder of Bumps & Bainne. Aoife describes herself as a “full-time challenger of the polite nonsense that surrounds birth and breastfeeding” — and this conversation very much lives up to that energy.

Aoife shares her journey from nearly 20 years in secondary teaching to building a values-led birth work business, shaped by her own birth experiences, motherhood, and a powerful shift in priorities. We talk honestly about fear, identity, financial risk, mindset work, and what it really takes to step away from a “safe” career and back yourself.

This episode goes deep into themes that so many birth workers grapple with but don’t always say out loud:
 – feeling called to this work but unsure how to make it sustainable
 – the emotional weight of leaving a pensionable job
 – the importance of community (or “the village”) in both motherhood and business
– why not everyone needs to like you ... and why that’s actually a good thing
– leaning into your authentic voice online, even when it feels uncomfortable

Aoife also speaks candidly about building her business slowly and steadily, charging her worth, and the role that mindset and peer support have played in helping her stay the course. This is a conversation about courage, feminism, motherhood, and redefining success on your own terms without the hustle-bro nonsense.

If you’re a doula, lactation consultant, antenatal educator or birth worker who’s ever thought “there has to be another way”, this episode will land right in your chest.

Connect with Aoife:

• Instagram: @bumps_and_bainne
• Website: www.bumpsandbainne.ie

If this episode resonated with you, send us a DM and let us know what landed. These conversations matter — and you’re not meant to do any of this alone.

Working alone in clients' homes comes with risks most birth workers aren't prepared for. Niamh created this free guide to share the 8 safety protocols she learned over two decade of home visits (first in social care services, then in birth work) from what to ask on your intake form to positioning yourself for safety. It takes 2 minutes to read and might be the one thing that matters.

Download free: yourbirthbiz.com/safet

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