Allen & Unwin ends pelvic floor taboo with Ledwick

Allen & Unwin has acquired Helen Ledwick’s Why Mums Don’t Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo.

Clare Drysdale, group associate publisher at Atlantic Books, obtained world rights, including audio and translation, to the non-fiction book from Kerry Glencorse at Susanna Lea Associates.

"When Helen Ledwick discovered she had a prolapse after the birth of her second child, she was devastated, not just by the constant discomfort but also by the pervasive shame she felt and the lack of available information and support," the synopsis reads. "When she learned that one in three women have pelvic floor disorders, she was horrified... and determined to do something about it.

"In this warm, factual and anecdote-rich look at a taboo subject, Helen shares her story along with those of many other women. From postpartum care to incontinence, with expert advice on returning to sport, the impact on sex and intimacy, and having another baby after pelvic floor injury, Why Mums Don’t Jump is a groundbreaking book that will have readers laughing, crying and cringing as finally women come together to banish the stigma around pelvic floor issues."

Ledwick is a former BBC journalist and an award-nominated podcast creator. She worked as a senior producer and on-air voice at BBC Radio 5 Live for more than 10 years, having started her career in local radio and spent time as a producer at BBC Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. In 2020, she launched "Why Mums Don’t Jump", a podcast about pelvic floor problems after childbirth. 

"When I wrote an anonymous post on Instagram four years ago, it didn’t occur to me for a second that it would lead to such amazing things – that I would be sharing my own story with the world, or the stories of the brave and badass women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting," she said. "I’m beyond excited to be writing this book and hope that it will go some way towards ending the stigma around pelvic floor problems after babies, which are as prolific as they are taboo."

Drysdale said: "Helen’s podcast and Instagram community have provided a lifeline to the many women who previously endured pelvic floor maladies with silence and stoicism. Why Mums Don’t Jump will provide hope, reassurance and humour where it is sorely needed and we couldn’t be prouder to be working alongside Helen to erase the shame surrounding these incredibly common conditions."