Raising with the village
Raising with the Village
Because it really does take a village to raise a child — and most of us don’t have one anymore.
Raising with the Village is a podcast about the real stories of parenthood — from pregnancy to the early school years and everything in between. Each episode shares an honest, unfiltered conversation with a parent who’s been there: through the highs, the lows, the unexpected turns and the moments that change everything.
No experts. No judgement. Just real people sharing their experiences — because when we talk openly about what we’ve been through, we help someone else feel less alone.
Whether you’re preparing for your first baby, navigating the chaos of toddlerhood, or simply figuring it out one day at a time, this is your virtual village — a place to listen, relate, and remind yourself that you’re doing better than you think.
🎧 Hosted by Maeva,
Parent, storyteller, and believer that there’s power — and comfort — in sharing our stories.
Raising with the village
#4- Grace - When your child stops growing
In this episode, Grace shares her family’s journey through discovering that both of her young children have growth hormone deficiency — from spotting early signs, to seeking answers when her instincts told her something wasn’t right, to navigating diagnosis, testing, treatment and life on daily injections.
It’s a story about persistence, parental intuition, advocating for your children, and the enormous difference early diagnosis can make.
💬 In this episode:
- Spotting the first signs that her son’s growth had stalled — and why she trusted her instincts
- The long process of ruling out allergies, food intolerances and “catch-down growth”
- How she pushed for referrals and why private healthcare accelerated the diagnosis
- What happens during endocrine testing: IGF-1 blood tests, stimulation tests, and MRIs
- Understanding growth hormone deficiency and why early diagnosis matters
- Starting treatment: daily injections, bedtime routines, and the emotional side for young children
- Realising her daughter also had the same condition — and how symptoms can look different
- The impact of treatment: energy levels, confidence, muscle strength and rapid catch-up growth
- Finding community through the Child Growth Foundation
- Grace’s advice for parents concerned about their child’s centile chart or growth trajectory
🩺 Useful Resources:
- Child Growth Foundation
https://childgrowthfoundation.org - NHS – Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children
https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/conditions-we-treat/growth-hormone-deficiency/ - NICE – Human Growth Hormone (Somatropin) in Children
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta188 - Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – UK-WHO Growth Charts
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/growth-charts - MAGIC Foundation (Growth Disorders Support)
https://www.magicfoundation.org
💛 Raising with the Village
This podcast is about real parents sharing real stories — because no one should feel alone in parenthood.
New episodes every Thursday!
🌐 Website: https://raisingwith.co.uk/
📸 Instagram: @raisingwiththevillage
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all major platforms.
If you’d like to share your own story — about birth, parenting, or family life — get in touch via the website or Instagram DMs.