Parenting Unpacked

Trigger Warning: We discuss about Birth Trauma and PTSD

We recorded this episode way back in January 2024 and here it is for your ears all the way at the other end of the year in November 2024. We had the best of intentions getting episodes to your ears many many months ago but alas, life gets in the way. However, we did manage to record a few episodes back then and here is the first of the (non)Lost Episodes. We hope you enjoy! Siobhan & Kristyn Follow us on Instagram: @science_minded @drkristynsommer @parentingunpackedpodcast

We are BACK! It's been a minute since we've shared an episode with you and since we were last in your ears, two new babies have joined our respective families! But now we are back, and we can't wait to catch you up on everything. After having tried (and failed) to record and share several episodes this year due to very little spare time, several children underfoot and also managing our outside of social media *real people* jobs, we have decided to give a new format a go this season. We're calling "Voice Notes from Motherhood". Let us know what you think! Follow us on Instagram: @science_minded @drkristynsommer @parentingunpackedpodcast

Re-live the trauma of the baby days with Siobhan and Kristyn as they recount just how many baby “must-haves” turned out to be “must-have-NOTs”, from carseats, prams to mamaroos and owlets. Get the full low down as we dive in to all things baby.

In this episode, Siobhan and Kristyn discuss their planning for their respective postpartum periods, the second time around! In particular, Siobhan shares her experience of working with Kathryn Millhouse from @‌_motherup to prepare a postpartum plan and she shares some of the great ideas and prompts that she's included. This is an episode packed full of practical and flexible ideas for postpartum support. Siobhan’s Postpartum Planning resources on Canva: Draft/pared down version of my Postpartum Planning Canvas:https://www.canva.com/design/DAFfNavl5vg/U_VyDy0RqJK4Wz0GSH4V9A/edit?utm_content=DAFfNavl5vg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton Postpartum Planning Lists (including shopping list/toddler list/jobs for people to do list): https://www.canva.com/design/DAFfNRLxdwk/2UY2CTLL3PZJhWr9GxEyxg/edit?utm_content=DAFfNRLxdwk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton Things I’m doing differently/same: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFbvXEiaqY/0gV0c0abHjmtIV0-pKl2Dg/edit?utm_content=DAFbvXEiaqY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Description: In this episode Kristyn and Siobhan talk all things toilet training - pee, poo and potty! Kristyn also shares about a research project she has going on all about making therapy better for autistic people. Find out more here - https://www151.griffith.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=YY8LXD3XT9ATPJCE Resources discussed in this episode: The Incredible Poo Party by Zoe Panto: https://www.amazon.com.au/Incredible-Poo-Party-Zoe-Panto/dp/0987644041 ‌

In this episode, Siobhan and Kristyn interview with Sarah R. Moore from @dandelionseedpositiveliving on Instagram. She has a book “Peaceful discipline”. She was trained by Dr Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score) and Dr Dan Siegel (author of The Whole Brain Child). We tackle all the tricky stuff including whether timeout is ever okay?

Kristyn and Siobhan catch up and talk about Social Media, maternal mental health, and influencers - do social media influencers have a responsibility to account for how their content affects their followers' mental wellbeing?

In this episode Kristyn and Siobhan chat with Dr Bec Thornton, the National Health Promotion Manager for Red Nose. Red Nose is Australia’s leading authority on safe sleep and Siobhan and Kristyn ask Dr Bec lots of curly questions about the application of safe sleep practices in real life.  Red Nose have a great range of resources to support parents available on their website - https://rednose.org.au/section/education

In today’s episode, Siobhan has a chat with Tiffany from @simplifyingchildhood. They talk about all things play-based and child-led learning and discuss the problems associated with the current push for formalised education in the early years, including the focus on attainment and success over relationship.  They also have an interesting discussion about the place of ‘self-care’ in motherhood.  You can find Tiffany at https://simplifyingchildhood.com.au/ or on Instagram at @simplifyingchildhood.

In this episode, we talk about Australia's stolen generation and the impact this has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' attachment to community and country. The following link is to a testimony from a woman who was stolen - https://www.stolengenerationstestimonies.com/donna-meehan.html  We also discuss Jacinta Ardern's decision to step aside as the New Zealand Prime Minister, daycare drop-off challenges, and being “too proud” (or not) to ask for help (particularly in early parenthood).

In this episode, we chat with two amazing women - Bec and Krista. Krista has a medical condition that means she  is unable to fall pregnant, and when she shared this information with her friend Bec, Bec offered to act as her surrogate.  As a result, Krista is now mum to a beautiful 8-month-old baby girl! Bec and Krista very generously share with us the highs and lows of their journey and how they navigated both the legal and medical hurdles involved. We are so honoured and grateful that they shared their story with us - and we are so excited to share it with you.

We start this year the way we left the last, with chaos! In this episode, we chat about how we celebrated Christmas and the gifts we gave our toddlers (some were immediate winners, others have taken time). We also talk about the whining phase, the onslaught of “why's” from our toddlers, what is happening with daytime naps and what we’re planning to do in 2023 (apart from Siobhan giving birth and Kristyn trying to find another job because hers finishes in January 2024)!

Buckle in because Siobhan and Kristyn are exhausted and burnt out after of long year of researching, social media-ing, podcasting, parenting, working in child cares and so on. The effects of this show in the pure chaos that is this episode. Kristyn talks about her horror experiences in academia as a woman and a mother. The girls chat about casual, systemic and culturally ingrained sexual assault and harassment. They jump around topics A LOT. Kristyn realises she has more than one friend and now has absolutely no idea what to do with that knowledge or friendship. They talk autism, disability, gendered norms and stereotypes.   They also discuss teaching kids about boundaries around physical affection and how its not obligatory after receiving gifts. Its the last episode of the year and wow, it was long, chaotic and full of so. many. belly laughs. and quite a few swear words (so watch out for those little ears when listening). This is Kristyn, Siobhan and the Parenting Unpacked team signing off for the year, we will see you in the new year, hopefully rested, restored and rejuvenated (but let’s be honest we will probably be exhausted, tired and shattered after two weeks of bringing Christmas joy to our toddlers.)

In this episode of parenting unpacked we chat with Dr. Jess Stokes Parish.  Jess is an ICU nurse, researcher, and science communicator.  She has created a really useful template called CRABS which helps you interpret the reliability of the information you see on social media. Also, Siobhan is back and healthy (and hiding in a cupboard in an effort to improve our audio quality)!

In this episode, Kristyn has a chat with Lopamudra Goswami. Lopa is an Indian research scholar currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Griffith University in Australia. Her research since 2014 has revolved around Indian surrogate mothers in Gujarat (once known to be the surrogacy capital of the world) and Karnataka, which has lent itself towards her Ph.D. thesis. She is invested in gaining a deeper understanding of mental health in surrogate mothers post relinquishment of their surrogate babies and in offering safe transition spaces for the mothers' post-delivery. Through her research, she is hoping to draw more focus on the surrogate mothers themselves and develop an interpretation of their surrogacy experience through their personal lens. Lopa has in-depth field experience in collecting data from rural areas in India and works relentlessly towards being more involved in fieldwork than being at her work desk.

In this episode of Parenting Unpacked we talk with baby & toddler holistic sleep coach, and fellow scientist, Dr. Laura Gainche @scienceforallwomen.  We talk about the variation in infant sleep, why wake windows, pitch-black rooms, and white noise might not work for your child, and how tiny changes can have a huge impact. We also dive into a little bit of the science behind Santa with much more to come in the next (or a future) episode,   And you'll get to hear a little about journal club which is heading to this podcast feed very soon! ‌ As promised in the episode, here is the link to the dinosaur construction toy: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0995KVK9G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A1JCZI0SMBWQA5&psc=1 and to the little positive self-talking snowboarder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N38rK8fj58g&ab_channel=BYUUniverse or https://www.tiktok.com/@chasing.sage/video/7146268559554071854?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7146268559554071854&lang=en

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Lisa (@drlisa.researcher) to talk about science communication in the parent and child space.  We also chat about her own personal journey with having a second baby after postpartum depression and '2 under 2'.  Partway through the episode, Kristyn starts to have a panic attack during what seems to be a beautiful and healing conversation for Lisa and Siobhan - illustrating that everyone can perceive and experience something different when hearing someone’s story. Tune in to find out about Dr. Lisa’s experience and hear how Siobhan, Lisa and Kristyn navigated the 'almost panic attack' and how they shifted perspectives to alleviate the guilt and fear.

Trigger warning: we talk about postpartum anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation, and thoughts of harm to self and baby in this episode. If you aren’t ready to hear this one yet, that is okay! If this episode brings up challenging feelings for you please seek out some support - the PANDA helpline (1300 726 306) is one option for support in Australia. We have exciting news, Siobhan is having a baby!! If you haven't been with us from the start, go back and listen to episode 4 “Siobhan’s story”. It describes the challenges Siobhan faced in early motherhood and gives some context as to why having a second baby was such a huge decision. Kristyn isn’t there yet, so asks Siobhan a billion questions about how she and her partner decided to have another baby and what postpartum plans she has in place to protect her mental and physical health this time around.

In this episode of Parenting Unpacked we chat with Jess Guy @infantsleepscientist about, well, infant sleep! We talk with Jess about the differences between sleep trainers and 'not' sleep trainers and the red flags on social media that may help you spot sleep trainers in disguise.  In this episode, we also discuss the trouble with not being able to rate businesses on Instagram and how kids learn from technology better the more familiar with it they are. In other news, we need a nickname for our listeners so please send in your suggestions to @drkristynsommer, @science_minded or @parentingunpackedpodcast!