Shadowing Practice: Food for new mums ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Georgie.
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And I'm Beth.
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Leaving home, getting married and a parent dying are three of the most important experiences in many people's lives.
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But perhaps the most defining moment in some women's lives is the miracle of birth – in other words,
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having a baby.
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Throughout pregnancy, a lot of care and attention is given to expecting mums.
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But as soon as the baby is born,
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this attention moves to the newborn baby – making sure they are healthy, warm and safe.
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We talk a lot about baby nutrition,
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but what the mother eats can be just as important – especially the first meal after the intense effort of giving birth.
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whether it's chicken soup, a glass of champagne or a good old cup of tea.
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In this programme, we're talking about what women eat and drink in the first few weeks after having a baby.
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And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
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But first, I have a question for you, Beth.
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A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks.
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But when does an unborn baby's stomach start to grow in the mother's womb?
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Is it a at three b at five weeks or c at eight weeks?
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Er, I'll say the baby's tummy starts to grow at about five weeks.
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OK Beth, we'll find out if that's the correct answer later in the programme.
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Giving birth is not called labour for nothing.
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It's hard work, leaving the new mum physically and emotionally exhausted
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and in need of food that's nourishing for both herself and her baby.
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Here's Alison Oman-Lowie, Deputy Director of Nutrition to the United Nations World Food Programme,
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explaining more to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.
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A woman who is breastfeeding and during that postpartum time,
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the first six months, she could need up to 650 additional calories a day,
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which actually is quite a bit more than she even needed in addition during pregnancy.
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Alison says that women need to eat even more calories postpartum,
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meaning after childbirth, than they do during pregnancy.
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That's especially true for mothers who are breastfeeding feeding their baby directly with milk from her breasts.
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How new mums get those extra calories changes from place to place,
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and different cultures have developed their own traditions about what foods are best.
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For Chinese-American mum, Heng Wu,
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roast pig trotters were one of the best things to eat after childbirth because they contain a lot of collagen,
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which helps produce breast milk.
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And when Ruma, whose Punjabi family originally comes from India,
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gave birth to a baby boy,
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her mother cooked panjiri, a kind of spicy nut mix with cashews,
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almonds and melon seeds to promote breast milk and help the healing process.
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Listen now as Ruma explains how important her mother's help was to BBC World Service programme,
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The Food Chain.
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So the first 10 days were amazing.
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My mum came to stay.
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And it, gosh, it was so important because I was on,
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I had a C-section, so I had,
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I was on very strong painkillers.
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I was in a daze anyway.
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And to be honest, because she was here,
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I was fed, you know,
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so she would look after me while I would look after baby.
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And my husband was very hands-on as well.
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So that first 10 days,
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whilst it was really hard,
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I didn't fall apart, which I might have done if I'd been by myself.
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When Ruma talks about her mother's help,
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she uses the word gosh,
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an exclamation used to show a feeling of wonder or surprise.
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Ruma also says she was in a daze because of medicine she was taking for pain.
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If someone is in a daze,
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they feel confused and cannot think clearly,
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maybe because of a shock or surprise.
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Luckily, Rumour had help from her mum and also her husband,
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who was very hands-on, meaning that he was closely involved in organising things and making decisions,
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and didn't leave it up to someone else.
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Along with her mother's healthy home cooking,
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the help Rumour got from her family meant she didn't fall apart.
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A phrase which means become so emotionally disturbed that you're unable to think
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or act calmly or to deal with the situation you're in.
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New mums have to be expert jugglers,
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balancing a new baby and recovering from childbirth with getting too little sleep.
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No wonder they need hot, healthy food to eat!
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Right, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question, Georgie?
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Sure.
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I asked you when an unborn baby's stomach starts to grow.
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You guessed it was at five weeks,
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which was the correct answer, Beth!
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At about five weeks, the cells forming a baby's stomach,
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lungs, bone and brain all start to divide and grow.
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Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme,
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starting with postpartum, meaning following childbirth.
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Breastfeeding is feeding a baby directly with milk from the mother's breasts.
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The exclamation gosh is used to express a feeling of surprise or wonder.
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If you're in a daze,
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you feel confused and unable to think clearly,
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often because of a shock or surprise.
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If someone is hands-on, they're closely involved in organising things and making decisions,
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rather than just talking about it or getting someone else to do it.
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And finally, the phrasal verb,
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fall apart, means to become seriously emotionally disturbed so
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that you are unable to think calmly or to deal with the difficult situation you are in.
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Once again, our six minutes are up.
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Join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
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Goodbye for now.
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Bye!

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the "Food for new mums" episode from BBC Learning English is a fantastic opportunity for English learners to improve their speaking abilities. The video discusses the significance of nutrition for new mothers and provides a relatable context that many can connect with, whether they are parents or just curious about cultural practices surrounding childbirth. Practicing speaking through this video not only enhances vocabulary but also contextualizes phrases related to motherhood and nutrition.

Utilizing the shadowing technique, where learners imitate spoken language by repeating phrases after hearing them, can significantly improve fluency and pronunciation. As you listen and repeat, focus on the rhythm and intonation of the speakers. This method can tremendously boost your English speaking practice, making it easier to recall and utilize these expressions in natural conversation.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • “...can be just as important” - This phrase illustrates comparison and highlights the significance of maternal nutrition alongside baby nutrition.
  • “...leaving the new mum physically and emotionally exhausted” - This construction shows the use of participle clauses to explain the consequences of an action, which is useful for learners to express cause-and-effect relationships.
  • “She could need up to 650 additional calories a day” - The modal verb "could" indicates possibility, allowing speakers to suggest scenarios or needs without certainty, a valuable structure in everyday conversations.
  • “For Chinese-American mum, Heng Wu, roast pig trotters were one of the best things to eat after childbirth” - This expression introduces direct speech and personal anecdotes, enriching conversational skills as learners share their experiences.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing, pay attention to some tricky words and phrases that may pose challenges. For instance, the term “postpartum” may be challenging due to its syllable structure. Similarly, “collagen” and “panjiri” feature unique sounds that may not exist in every learner's native language. Focus on listening carefully to how these words are pronounced in the video, and use a shadowing app to practice them repeatedly.

Another critical aspect is the natural flow of speech. The accents and intonation patterns of the speakers may differ from your own, making it essential to listen actively and practice imitating their speech. This will help you sound more fluent and confident in conversations.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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