Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Obstetrician and gynecologist who founded the world's largest recurrent miscarriage clinic and is England's first women's health ambassador.
On the island
Eight records
When I was a little girl, my dad brought home a gramophone record ... the one that I remember that we both really loved to listen to together was Nina Simone's Mr. Bojangles.
Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
I didn't really know much about Mahler until about fifteen years ago, when I started going to the proms on a regular basis. And I remember hearing this and being completely spellbound
Yestin Davies with the English Concert, conducted by Harry Bicket
I didn't really understand about classical music at all until I went to Cambridge. And my friend ... and I used to go along to Evensong ... And Yestin Davis, I just think, has got the most extraordinarily beautiful voice.
I love it because well, it's a tribute to all those miscarriage patients I've had over the years because they were so brave in coming to talk about their stories and to share those with me
Maria Callas with the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, conducted by Tullio Serafin
I've chosen a piece by Maria Callas in memory of Luba because Luba always used to love listening to Maria Callas.
Simply the BestFavourite
This track is for Jenny and Claire, my wonderful twins. They are Simply the Best, the best thing that's ever happened to me.
It's a eulogy, if you like, to my brother Martin, who died 30 years ago in a freak swimming accident. And it was written by his friends Owen Jones and Pete Milson.
Karl Leister with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Herbert von Karajan
It just gives me such hope that when I've sort of got too many deadlines that I've actually managed to get to the end.
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:32How does it feel when you receive [baby photographs from grateful parents]? Are you somebody who is emotionally reactive and attached to the result of your work?
Yes, well, it's marvellous because they are so excited and so thrilled and so appreciative and then they want to share it. And I think that's what's so lovely. You get to know them very well. I think I've learned a lot about parenthood and motherhood in particular from my patients.
Presenter asks
10:09What was the impact on you and family life during [the time your mother's mental health problems became severe]?
I just felt a bit different from the other kids because they were all doing sort of yummy mummy stuff and she wasn't like that and she wasn't there. ... And she sometimes called school and ... she would ring school and say to tell Leslie goodbye. ... So that was devastating. And I think my brother ... and he used to be very confused about it. And that's really one of the reasons why we were so close, I think, because I used to feel that I always had to look out for him.
Presenter asks
21:58What kinds of reactions have you had from your male colleagues over the years? I wonder whether that kind of being the only [woman] in the room has ever caused difficulties for you?
The keepsakes
The book
The Complete Works of George Eliot
George Eliot
the most effective feminist and a beautiful, beautiful writer.
The luxury
if I can't have the [Proms] and I've got to sort of sing to these eight, then I think I would like to ask for a non ending supply of Marmite.
Well it did. I mean before I went up to Cambridge I did a surgery job for a while ... Three or four male surgeons who really thought it was a bit odd. They'd never had a female before ... And one of them just wouldn't talk to me. He used to communicate with me via the ward sister or the theatre nurse. ... He said to the scrub sister one day, in the middle of an operation, Well, I don't suppose our SHO would be capable of passing her surgical fellowship. And behind my mask and in my pyjama suit, [I thought] right, I'm going to show you. And I passed my surgical fellowship
Presenter asks
23:25How did [the realization that health was determined less by medicine and more by social inequality] change the course of your own work?
The light bulb moment was thinking, well, rather than be interested in this tiny part of pregnancy, I need to think about women across their life course. ... understanding what can be done to improve the health of women in their latter life as well is really important because although women live longer than men, they spend a disproportionately larger interval of their life in poor health. And that can be avoided to a certain extent.
Presenter asks
23:25In 1992, you gave birth to your daughters Jenny and Claire. You've said that on their arrival, you felt both lucky and guilty. Why guilty?
They were born prematurely at 33 weeks and they had to go to special care for a month. And I had a real insight because I knew an awful lot about obstetric complications and neonatal care, but I knew nothing about being the mother of these little vulnerable things that just weighed a bit less than four pounds and were all wired up for sound. I used to get hysterical if they were moved and I didn't know where they were.
“I sometimes say to the ladies I'm looking after, I'm not sure when we're going to get to the destination, but we've got to hang on in there, do everything really methodically.”
“I really do think it's so important because they've had a bad deal for a long time.”
“The taboo thing was really, really important. It was about getting rid of the myths and getting people to understand that this was such a common problem that we needed to be able to talk about it.”