Having a baby - the sh!t they don’t tell you in books
Written & Performed by Lou Cox
The journey to motherhood is fraught with the most painful and awkward moments for all women. This comedic and brutally honest one woman show takes the audience on an emotional and at times highly entertaining rollercoaster.
From morning sickness to hypno-birthing classes to labour, you won’t find this stuff in the pregnancy books! No holds barred; get ready for a whirlwind of witty anecdotes and graphic storytelling with an ending no mother could ever imagine.
Advisory | Contains strong language.
This show is not for the faint hearted!
Catch this brand new production from Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026.
"Funny, honest and totally heart-breaking"
"Incredible piece of writing"
"Side splitting humour and raw emotion"
"I have never laughed and cried so much in one show"
“I marvel at writers like John Sullivan, with his knack of creating loveable character relationships, like Del-boy and Rodney, who can switch the comedy narrative to the most sombre and touching moments. But if this takes genius, it’s a whole other ballgame to take a monologue twisting comedy from tragedy to the stage, when it comes from the heart of personal experience. What begins as part stand up routine, part PowerPoint presentation, ends with the most unfeigned emotional piece of theatre you’re likely to witness.
Lou runs off a frank and quite brilliant stand-up routine akin to a most alternative, brutally honest and graphic guide to pregnancy, and while keen to state each case is different from any other and many women like to talk about their experiences, she describes the stark revelations of mental and physical changes due to her own maternity, with comical precision. This self-observational comedy would be plentiful for a trip to Live at the Apollo, and whilst this is impossible to summarise without spoilers, the conclusion to her story is not bathed in the glory of childbirth, nor amusing anecdotes of post-natal activities.” Devizine magazine 2026
Written & Performed by Lou Cox
Director: Lou Cox
Technical team - John Winterton and Bethany Ramsey
Running time: 45mins
Date & Time: Saturday 17th October @7.30pm
Content Warnings: Strong language, baby loss
Audience Guidelines
Latecomers will not be admitted. Ticket purchases are non refundable.
Concession prices apply to students; under 18s; pensioners; those on disability and unemployment benefits; Equity, BECTU & SDUK members.
The Bread & Roses Theatre is an unfunded venue that continues to operate on ticket sales only. Donations help support independent arts and theatremakers, an essential step in preserving the future of fringe theatre.
Venue: The Bread and Roses Theatre
Home of The Lambeth Fringe, The Bread & Roses, is an award-winning and innovative fringe pub theatre.
A 50-seat fringe venue above The Bread & Roses Pub, the theatre programs a wide-spread variety of productions for local as well as far-reaching audiences. Equality, diversity and artistic quality are at the forefront of the theatre's programming, which features in-house productions as well as many visiting companies. The theatre regularly hosts touring shows and has worked with award-winning ensembles with decades of experience but also frequently welcomes and supports emerging theatre-makers taking their first steps. The programme includes new writing, contemporary revivals, reinvented classics and occasionally also devised work, improvisational theatre, comedy events, family shows and physical theatre.
Recently renovated, The Bread and Roses Theatre features brand new tiered seating, with 50 new individual seats, and a professional floor.
Theatre: Capacity 50, full rig, lighting desk and sound system. Projector and mics hire-able.
Perfect for: Theatre, new-writing, WIP, solo shows and boundary pushing work.
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