For All Mum Kind

A homegrown Irish podcast for mums by mums. For All Mum Kind - The Podcast was born out of a love of chatting to other mums, sharing our experiences, guiding each other on this new journey and finding solace in the collective knowing that we all are all on our own path in motherhood and we are here to empower each other as we go along. Each episode of the podcast I invite a mum on to chat about motherhood, share their stories from the ups and downs and everything in between. Due to launch at the end of March 2019, subscribe for the latest episodes.

Happy Mother's Day and welcome to the very first episode of the For All Mum Kind Podcast. Each week I will sit down with an Irish mum to chat about their experiences of being a mother, the good the bad and everything in-between. On this episode I speak to Jessica Sheridan of lifestyle blog Burpees Babies Beauty. Jessica, a midwife herself, talks candidly to me about unexpectedly becoming a mum at 24, her labouring experience, how she battled with post natal depression and how she juggles her career, love of the gym, her joy of cleaning and being a mum and partner. Jessica also talks about her new project in conjunction with Pip & Ruby, a beautiful baby journal that allows you to chart your little one from birth to one year. The journal is available to buy here: http://bit.ly/firstbreathtofirststep Jessica's own website can be found here: https://burpeesbabiesbeauty.com And you can contact me with any questions or recommendations through the For All Mum Kind website here: https://www.forallmumkind.ie/ If you enjoy the podcast please make sure to subscribe so that the latest episodes are automatically dowloaded to your phone when released. Thanks for listening Pamela

This week I am joined by Grace Mongey of Faces by Grace. A beauty and lifestyle blog. Grace is mum to Sienna and has baby #2 arriving in a few weeks! Grace chats to me about her pregnancy and birth with Sienna, how motherhood has changed her and how she copes with her anxiety, from managing it day to day, to finding a therapist that understood her. We also discuss how the media sensationalised her social media sharing during her first birth. In a society where we see sports stars share social media content from their hospital rooms - why is it still a taboo topic for women to share aspects of their birth? With Grace’s openness regarding her anxiety I think this episode will really resonate with any mum that is experiencing anxiety for the first time or if anxiety has escalated since becoming a mum. To read more about Grace and her beauty and fashion tips head over to her website: http://www.facesbygrace.com Thank you to everyone that messaged me with such lovely comments on my first episode with Jess. If you are enjoying the episodes please rate and review and share! Thank you for listening. To message me please visit: http://www.forallmumkind.ie

In this latest episode Pamela speaks to Jen Crawford of Doulacare Ireland.  Jen has immersed herself in motherhood with her own three children, as an ante natal educator, breastfeeding counselor and a doula. Jen shares with me her motherhood journey with her three smallies, from the differences between their births, feeding and to finding a work life balance. Jen is best described as a ray of sunshine, she brought positivity to even the most difficult of challenges she was faced with when her daughter Kayla was born with a cleft palate.  Jen had breastfed her two boys and had planned to feed with Kayla but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. Determined, Jen began to express milk for Kayla and continues to pump exclusively to this day over a year after she was born. Thank you to Jen for speaking to me and if you would like more information on Doulacare Ireland you will find them here: https://www.doulacare.ie Other resources mentioned in this episode: Baby Wearing Ireland: http://www.babywearingireland.ie Extended Breastfeeding In Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/extendedbreastfeedinginireland/ NewMammies in Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/NewMammiesIrl/ If you are enjoying the series so far please let me know on Instagram and don’t forget to rate and review and share with all your mum friends. As always thank you for listening. Pamela Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

In this latest episode Pamela speaks to journalist, broadcaster, MC and mum to Ferdia & Oscar… it’s Deirdre O’Shaughnessy. Dee very honestly discusses her two births and the startling differences between them. Having practiced the Gentle Birth Method during her first pregnancy Dee shares how she used the method, albeit briefly, during her surprisingly fast labour with Ferdia. With her second pregnancy Dee’s own intuition told her that it wasn’t going to be a straight forward birth and at 36 weeks asked her own mum to stay with her in case an early arrival was imminent. Once Dee began to feel the early signs of labour, herself and her husband depart for the hospital only for her maternal instincts to become true. Dee is very passionate about breastfeeding and we discuss the support role the HSE should and can provide to new mums. Starting with improving the meals provided during your maternity stays, paediatric tongue tie checks before mum and baby leave the hospital and additional at-home support. As a new mum it’s often difficult to recognise unusual behaviour with your baby, as you may think that it is normal behaviour as we know no different. Dee shares with me how Ferdia was undiagnosed with reflux and CPMI for over a year and at one moment was told it was “a laundry issue not a medical issue.” Dee’s wit and west cork charm makes this a very light hearted chat about motherhood but as we all know parenthood has it’s ups and downs. To read more from Deirdre check out her website: https://deshocks.com Resources mentioned in this episode: Surviving Reflux Ireland: Dealing with Reflux, Colic, CMSPI & Gi Issues https://www.facebook.com/groups/RefluxIreland/ Dr. Justin Roche, The Tongue Tie Clinic https://www.drjustinroche.com

Aoibhín is a new mom with many strings to her bow. She began her career as an actor threading the boards at home and away while also becoming a regular on the small screen. She has since become one of Ireland’s most familiar faces adding presenter, voice over artist, entrepreneur and wellness advocate to her cv but admits her most exciting and rewarding role of all is new mom to baby Hanorah. Summer 2018 brought with it one of the hottest Irish summers on record, myself and Aoibhin were both pregnant during this summer and we share our survival stories. Aoibhin shares with me that Hanorah was born on the hottest day of the year and when Hanorah came home the biggest challenge was keeping the house cool - an unusual challenge to have to face in Ireland! One of my favourite quotes from this episode is when Aoibhin shares her insight on social media ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ , as a new mum I think we can often find ourselves comparing ourselves to other mums and its so important to remember you are on your own path in life. You do you, everyone else is taken! As a freelancer Aoibhin didn’t have a maternity leave like a-lot of us mums would have and finding a work life balance was difficult. We discuss is the idea of women juggling it all putting an unnecessary pressure on us? Aoibhin’s down to earth attitude and glass half full outlook creates a heartfelt and honest episode on motherhood. For further information on Beo Wellness please head to: https://beowellness.ie If you are enjoying the series so far please let me know on Instagram and don’t forget to rate and review and share with your mum friends. As always thank you for listening. Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

New Episode with Lucy Wolfe This week I am joined down the line from her home in Cork by full time sleep consultant and mother of four, Lucy Wolfe. Many of you will know Lucy from her appearances on Virgin Media’s Morning Show and from her book - or bible to some parents - The Baby Sleep Solution. Lucy takes the science of sleep seriously and has helped countless parents both directly and indirectly to help them create better sleep patterns for their children. Lucy however wasn’t always a sleep consultant and she tells me about how her experience with her first child led her into her current field of work. Lucy shares with me a mix of tips as to how to achieve better and longer sleep with your child and reveals some amusing anecdotes about her own journey through motherhood. Myself and my husband have both read and practice the guidelines in Lucy’s book and they have worked for us with Alice so I was delighted when Lucy agreed to record a podcast with me. I found her to be a warm and engaging speaker and I hope that if anyone is struggling with sleep that this episode is a help to you. Lucy’s website is: https://sleepmatters.ie And she also posts regularly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucywolfesleep Due to a scheduling clash Lucy and I were unfortunately not able to meet in studio so this podcast was recorded over Skype. This however means the recording standard is not necessarily to the quality that I would usually aim for and I hope that this does not diminish your enjoyment of the podcast. Over the past couple of weeks the podcast has gained many new listeners and I would love to hear your thoughts. Some of you have introduced yourself on Instagram but I love to hear your feedback so please keep it coming. As always thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so the podcast can reach as many mums as possible. Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Welcome to the seventh episode of the podcast! Thank you to everyone that has been listening, messaging me and sharing the podcast. The response has been overwhelming and I am beaming with delight that the episodes are resonating with mums. This week I chat to Emma Dowling of Empowered Mama. Emma is a Pre and Post Natal Strength and Fitness coach, she is mum to Jacob, an entrepreneur and a believer in finding your inner power. Emma and I chat about celebrating the female body, speaking to your body as if she was your best friend and referring to your body as “her”. These small changes can change your mindset towards your body. Emma shares her thoughts on ‘bouncing back’ after having a baby and how we need to celebrate our new bodies. We also discuss how self care for all mums is so important and Emma shares that her self care is giving herself permission to rest, so she naps when Jacob naps without feeling guilty that the house is a mess. Emma also talks about her decision to bottle feed Jacob. As a health professional she knows that breastfeeding is best but she knew for her own mental health bottle feeding is what she needed to do. Emma found the thought of feeding being solely her responsibility a huge pressure and she couldn’t do it. Whether mums bottle or breast feed each mum needs love and support on their journey and every journey is individual to that mum. On a personal note I think this is a really beautiful episode, how Emma encourages woman to find their inner power, how to love their bodies by making a few small changes and her absolute honesty in what she needed to be a happy mum! Thank you to Emma for joining me for a chat and I hope you enjoy the episode. During this episode I refer to Orlaith Donlon [https://www.instagram.com/orlaithdonlon/] and Emma mentions Sarah from The Better Life Project [http://www.thebetterlifeproject.ie]. If you would like more information on Emma and her pre & post natal strength & fitness classes please visit her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowered_mama_/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

In the eighth episode of the podcast I am joined by food writer, photographer and mother of three Lilly Higgins. I have known Lilly for nearly ten years through Twitter and Instagram, but this was the first time I had the pleasure to meet Lilly, and to use her own words back at her: she does not disappoint. Lilly comes from a large family and we talk about how this shaped her as a mother. Being able to cope with the chaos is a valuable skill in motherhood. Being a freelance food journalist Lilly talks about how on her first pregnancy she found the work/life balance difficult to cope with. But that was nothing compared to adding a second and then a third child to the family.* Best known for her love of food (honestly her carrot cake recipe is one of the best!) Lilly is surprisingly easy going when it comes to the issue of weaning. She believes whatever method best suits your baby is the one that ultimately is going to work for you. Although you should probably start with the carrots before moving on to the cake. We also touch on the issue of hospital food and how the necessary support and nourishment in those key early days of becoming a mum is severely lacking in the hospital canteens across Ireland. Lilly’s enthusiasm is infectious and the laughs came thick and fast. Her love of her children shines through the whole podcast and I hope you enjoy this warm and lighthearted episode. To see Lilly’s stunning food photography check out her Instagram, and be sure to watch her stories for the real behind the scenes look into family life: https://www.instagram.com/lilly_higgins_/ ~ Pamela *Lilly references the book Coping With Two by Simon Cave which is available to buy from Easons here: https://www.easons.com/coping-with-two-simone-cave-9781848508125 Subscribe to For All Mum Kind on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen to For All Mum Kind Kind on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Aisling Drummond is one of my oldest and dearest friends who’s path to motherhood is an unusual one. Just weeks after her wedding Aisling was diagnosed with a BRCA gene mutation - the gene which leads to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer - and Aisling’s whole planned timeline of life events was thrown into disarray. At the time Aisling had just bought a house in Dublin, was happily working in hospitality and looking forward to starting life as newlyweds. And just over a year later she found herself quitting her job, living in west Cork and the mother to her beautiful son Toby. In this episode Aisling talks both candidly and bravely about the life choices that she made during this time, her long protracted labour which scarred her both physically and mentally and how she lived with pain for almost a year after giving birth. We also talk about her journey through breastfeeding and a regular topic on this podcast, tongue tie and how it almost robbed her of the first few months with her son. But despite all this Aisling is one of the most positive and relaxed mums that I know, and anyone who follows her story on Instagram will have seen her great adventures with Toby wether its playing in streams or discovering new foods while baby led weaning. Aisling has recently taken the huge leap in becoming self employed and we talk about how this is possibly Aisling’s biggest step towards self care along with being a Marie Keating Foundation peer to peer supporter, helping others who have been given similar diagnosis to herself. I hope you find this frank and honest episode as interesting and affirming as I did, and that if any of the issues raised feel familiar to what your experience may have been or may still be, it gives you the confidence that you are not alone and their is support out there. To continue Aisling’s story please head over to her blog or her Instagram: http://lifeisbothamajorandaminorkey.com https://www.instagram.com/lifeisbothamajorandaminorkey/ To see the work that the Marie Keating foundation does please head to: https://www.mariekeating.ie Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

When I first saw Emma Carpenter’s (aka this_mama_doodles) brutally honest take on motherhood as depicted in her artwork that she shares on Instagram, I knew I had to have her on the podcast. What I didn’t know at the time was that not only is Emma an amazing artist, she is also a midwife and an enthusiastic and eloquent speaker who made a truly excellent guest. Just like her drawings, Emma’s views on parenting do not come sugar coated. She shares what it is truly like to be a mother, hairy legs and all. There is no pretence and no pretending that motherhood isn’t anything but hard. But she does it with a sense of humour and a dry wit that cuts straight to the point. Emma describes her start to motherhood as nothing short of ‘catastrophic’. Her pregnancy was littered with illnesses and food aversions and at one point she even went blind! Through her teens Emma struggled with an eating disorder so she knew she would be in the high risk category for postnatal depression, and despite trying to prepare herself and her family for a bumpy road ahead she was still taken completely off guard by the crushing anxiety and extreme loneliness that followed the birth of her son Jack. Now however Emma finds herself in good mental health and is able to reflect through her art the daily struggles of parent life, body image and her relationship with her husband and child. And with baby number two on the way I can’t wish Emma enough health and happiness over the exciting months ahead. I hope you enjoy the episode. Pamela x To see Emma’s artwork please follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this_mama_doodles/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Kathy Milliken of Bump, Baby & Me lives and breathes all things baby and motherhood. Even before she became a mother to two beautiful girls herself, she was already helping mums with their pregnancy journeys with pre and postnatal yoga & massage classes. Kathy is now also a GentleBirth instructor, she’s training as a breastfeeding counsellor, she blogs on motherhood and is currently setting up a series of workshops to support women through this transitional time - she is one busy lady! But thankfully she found time in her schedule to sit down with me for a chat about her own experiences of becoming a mum and her thoughts on motherhood on the whole. You’ll find Kathy to be an impassioned, knowledgeable and powerful speaker about motherhood and womankind. In this episode we talk about how she found her own path to being a mother to be very transitional and that it doesn’t always go how we envisioned it be - and the fact that our parenting goals and achievements are so constantly shifting is totally normal and ok. We are all just doing our best and need time to learn the new skills of being a mother. We discuss Kathy’s two very different births and how after her first labour was a caesarean, she fought for her second to be a natural birth. And how the phrase “once a caesarean always a caesarean” doesn’t have to be true. Even if her second daughter almost ended up as an unplanned home birth when things moved much quicker than she expected it to! We talk about the need for rest and nourishment during the 4th trimester and how Kathy used the excellent website Meal Train (https://www.mealtrain.com) to get her whole support network involved in this period. The difficulties of breastfeeding, and all types of feeding for that matter, and how important it is to get the best information and understanding so you can achieve a feeding method that best suits you and your baby. All before things take an emotional turn when we talk about how mums need to remember to take care of themselves through all of the chaos. Kathy is currently curating a series of Empowering Parents Workshops that will cover all manner of subjects from child behaviour to first aid for newborns. The workshops start in June and if you would like to find out more you can find a list of events on her website: http://www.bumpbabyandme.ie I hope you enjoy the episode. Pamela x To read the full piece of Kathy's that I quoted from in this episode please head to my website: https://www.forallmumkind.ie/2019/episode11kathymilliken Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Emma O’Leary is a Clare lady who has found her home in the heart of Dublin with her husband Michael and three boys, Luke, Olly and Andy. She is a speech and language therapist but most will know her from her parent and lifestyle blog Life With Tiny Humans: http://lifewithtinyhumans.com Emma’s honest, tongue in cheek and unfiltered accounts of motherhood have gained her a loyal following (including her No. 1 fan her own Mother) of which I am one, so I was delighted that she agreed to be my final guest of the first season of For All Mum Kind. Although she has lived in Dublin for the past 13 years, Emma has lost none of her west coast charm and finds the funny side in all things mummy related. Even when on each of her pregnancies she was struck down with debilitating bouts of hyperemesis, Emma still manages to find the light. Perhaps her sunny yet sardonic take on motherhood came from her own mother who is still a massive support to her and we discuss how her own childhood shaped her and allowed her to become her own children’s “best toy.” Emma shares with me her thoughts on body image, how the step up from two kids to three was almost more then they could chew, as well as sharing her own birth stories and how she didn’t let labour get in the way of the pull of Gilmore Girls and good Chinese! Emma is an absolute hoot and I loved recording this episode, and I hope you all enjoy listening to it. I plan to take a short break now and would like to thank all the mums who took time out of their busy schedules to come and have the chats with me. I also want to thank everyone who has listened and a special thanks to those who make the effort to reach out to me. The response to the first series has been staggering. I went into this process thinking that if I just help one mum then it would be worth doing, so to hear from so many was nothing short of overwhelming, so thank you! If you want to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram to see my adventures with Alice over the summer and to see what I have planned for the future of For All Mum Kind: https://www.instagram.com/forallmumkind/ Thanks again Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

I am delighted to let you all know that after a short summer break, the For All Mum Kind Podcast will return for its second series on August 25th to mark 1 year since I myself became a mum. Join me, Pamela, over the next few weeks as I chat to new group of amazing Irish mums about their experiences of becoming mothers. Each Sunday I’ll be joined by mums from all walks of life, from the fashion industry, media, the world of fitness, as well as baby experts giving their tips and honest accounts of what it’s really like to be a mum. In the meantime head over to my Instagram account, ForAllMumKind, where I am currently running a competition to win a mum & baby hamper to celebrate the launch of the second season and to thank you all for your support. Make sure you are subscribed to the For All Mum Kind feed on your podcast provider of choice so you’ll receive every episode automatically every week. As always thanks for listening and for all your lovely reviews and comments. And I’ll see you next week for the first episode of Season 2 with Irish designer Emma Manley. ................................................... COMPETITION DETAILS I have collaborated with some of my favourite brands and products to bring you a competition! To win these five mum and baby products: @Bellababystores Clouds 3 in 1 Travel Cot @Elvie Pelvic Floor Trainer @my_expertmidwifeireland Mum and Baby Hamper @gillbooks @Lucywolfesleep The Baby Sleep Solution & Aileen Cox Blundell The @Babyledfeeding Cookbook and The Baby Friendly Family Cookbook @Drbronner Baby Mild Range Hamper @presencepr ................................................... Entering is easy… 1. Like the Series 2 announcement post on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B1UPi1XHwv0/ 2. Make sure you are following @forallmumkind and @Bellababystores 3. Tag a friend who you think would love this prize and you can enter as many times as you like. One comment equals one entry. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday 25th August 2019. ROI Entries Only. T & C's Apply. Thank you to all the brands for their support.

Today’s episode with designer Emma Manley is a special one as not only is it the launch of Series 2 of the For All Mum Kind Podcast, it also marks one year since I myself became a mum. If you had told me a year ago that not only would I have a gorgeous, thriving baby girl but that I would be starting the second series of my own podcast, I would have told you that you have the wrong Pamela. But what a year it has been and I have enjoyed every - well nearly every - minute of motherhood and being able to share those experiences with you and the other mums that I have interviewed. And what better way to end a weekend of celebrating my little girl than with launching a brand new series…. In this launch episode I am joined for the first time by not one but two guests, the delightful fashion designer and entrepreneur Emma Manley and also her 5 month old son Tadhg. Both were charming guests and occasionally as chatty as each other! As Emma is a fashion designer of course pregnancy chic was top of the agenda. Emma very much believes in sustainable fashion and being able to keep your own style throughout pregnancy and beyond and despite a few early mishaps - tight leather skirts are a definite early pregnancy no no - watch this space for some new Manley pieces inspired by her journey so far. Being self employed returning to work as early as possible was a necessity for Emma. And despite the obvious wrench of being away from your child, Emma found the process of returning to her creative space to be rewarding as well as challenging. Despite an uneventful pregnancy Emma’s birth story was anything but. When her waters broke five weeks early her well thought out birth plan was cast aside as she put herself in the hands of the medical service. As a first time mum she talks about the naivety we all share on our first birth and how she is now a firm believer in the epidural. I want to thank Emma and Tadhg for taking the time to come talk to me. If you would like to see Emma’s designs please go to her website: https://www.manley.ie Or look out for one of her Irish designer pop-up stores "Bloss" https://www.manley.ie If you want to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and as always thanks for listening. Pamela x

With most kids returning to school this week, we as parents are often worried about how they will cope in their new environments. Will they make new friends easily? Do they have the mental toughness to take any criticism? Are they spending too much time looking at screens and how is that affecting them? Fiona Forman is a leading expert in childhood wellbeing. She has over 30 years experience as a primary school teacher, a masters in Positive Psychology and is the co-creator of the Weaving Wellbeing Programme and in this podcast we discuss some of the key components as to how this programme works to build positive mental attachments in the children she works with. Wellbeing has become a buzzword over the past few years. And while we are often concerned about our own mental health, are we paying enough attention to our children’s mental coping skills? With so many new pressures on our children from social media, technology and simply genetics it is so important to be acutely aware of the role that we play as the main adult in their lives. Fiona believes that even in today’s busy lifestyles that every “micro-moment” we spend with our kids can be spent being a positive role model. Anxiety and mental health issues are on the rise in Irish children and Fiona tells me how to identify and label these emotions to normalise them and in turn build up coping mechanism that your child can take on in later life. We also talk about the ‘Self Esteem Movement” and how sometimes despite our own intuition, constant praise and can actually be detrimental to their development as they fail to build up the necessary resilience to cope with what the world will throw their way later in life . I found Fiona to be a fascinating guest and her advice and knowledge will definitely influence my own parenting style as Alice gets older. To read more on the Weaving Wellbeing Programme please check out the website here: http://weavingwellbeing.com If you want to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

TV Chef and author Sophie Morris is a new mum who’s not afraid to tell it how it is when it comes to motherhood. As a nutrition coach who specialises in baby & child nutrition she knows the importance of giving your child the best start in their food journey. But it was Sophies’ difficult start to her motherhood journey that first bought her to my attention. Sophie was a young and healthy women and after seeing her friends around her having babies she naturally thought that once she started trying herself she would soon have an adorable baby in her arms. But after a year of counting and measuring her cycles Sophie and her partner were still no closer. She felt alone and at her wits end. But once she opened up to her close friends she soon realised that nearly all had a similar story of how difficult they found it to get pregnant. Sophie couldn’t believe the secrecy that existed around fertility and vowed to not be another quiet voice. Eventually Sophie fell pregnant and she now has a beautiful baby boy Wrio. Despite feeling terrible anxiety through her pregnancy about the precious cargo she was carrying, when it came time for her body to enter the birthing stage, although quicker than she had anticipated, she was overwhelmed by the instinctive strength of the female body. Although nothing could prepare Sophie for the equally huge challenge of the first few months of sleep deprivation that left her exhausted, disoriented and her tank empty. Sophies’ honesty about the difficulties she faced during this period is as refreshing as it is brutal. Obviously food plays a massive part in Sophie’s life and she has thrown herself feet first at introducing Wrio to the wonderful world of food. Many of her recipes and guides can be found in her Instagram Stories: https://www.instagram.com/sophie_morris/ They are well worth checking out and you can visit her website here: https://www.sophiesnutrition.com Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Ollwyn Moran is the face and brains behind Irish baby brand CogniKids. A company that is dedicated to supporting child & baby development through its range of innovative products. As a former teacher and now neurological development therapist Ollwyn is passionate about healthy brain and body development in children and her enthusiasm and knowledge is packed into her products: Dip, Grip, Sip, Crawl & Sooth. Not only is Ollwyn a superb inventor and entrepreneur, she is also a great speaker and activist on all things baby development and she made for a fascinating and entertaining guest. When both of her boys were born prematurely Ollwyn knew that they were at higher risk for having developmental issues in their future. And spotting that our home lifestyles and furnishings (carpets were out and wood floors and tiles were in) she saw the need for a product that could help kids to crawl, and that is how CogniKids was born. For Ollwyn crawling is one of the key touchstones in early brain stimulation and advancement. She is passionate that not only should kids crawl but they should do so properly to ensure both sides of the brain are being used. Too often she see parents unwittingly relying on walkers and door bouncers that she sees as detrimental to child development, so much so that they are banned in other countries and we discuss why that is so. Screens are also another bugbear of Ollwyn’s. We talk about how babies brains are not able to cope with all the flashing images that gadgets such as iPads and phones bombard the eyes with. And although you think you may be soothing your baby, actually you are just “zombifying” them and wiring them for addiction problems in later life. Ollwyn is so passionate about this she even took Dundrum shopping centre to task for the use of screens throughout their premises. We also discuss Ollwyn’s family life and how she as a single mother chose to raise her two boys in a very open household where no subject was off the table. As long as they have done their chores first that is! And we talk about how Ollwyn is able, or is not able, to juggle her business and children to find a work/life balance, or integration as she calls it. I honestly could have talked to Ollwyn for hours. Her insightfulness and knowledge about how the brain works and needs to be exercised in the right ways is just fascinating. And I was so glad that I found her Instagram stories when Alice was only just born. They were a fantastic source of knowledge from do’s and don’ts to sensory DIY tips using everyday household items and I encourage you all to check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/ollwynmoran/?hl=en And check out Ollwyn's range of products on the CogniKids website here: https://cognikids.com/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Amy De Bhrún is an actress, writer and voice over artist who has appeared on stage and screen. But she is now taking on her biggest role yet: Motherhood. There are no auditions, there is no rehearsals and more than likely things will not stick to the script. Amy joined me in studio with her beautiful baby girl Billie who, at just two months old was the perfect (and possibly cutest) guest. Amy is just finding her feet as a mother, although she has had plenty of practice as one of five sisters who all have children. But she still wasn’t prepared for that overwhelming feeling when it came time to take Billie home from the hospital. Amy found the early stages of pregnancy to be a tough slog. Hit by bouts of morning sickness - or all day sickness - and having to continue to work and audition right up to the final few weeks certainly took its toll. She didn’t have it easy when it came to her labour either. A virus meant that Billie was born by emergency caesarian. Trusting herself in the hands of the professionals Amy was faced with some tough decisions in those first few hours regarding feeding and the wellness of her child. Yoga has always been a big feature of Amy’s self care regime and it has helped her both pre and post birth to find the calm in the day as well as to become a better actress. Her self penned play I See You celebrates the life of Lady Mary Heath, a forgotten female pioneer of the aviation industry. She was performing the play while pregnant with Billie and she hopes that some of the words of empowerment resonated with her unborn daughter as much as they did with her. And we muse on how life will be for our daughters as they grow up in modern Ireland. Thank you to Amy for taking the time to meet with me, and for bringing Billie so I could get some baby cuddles. If you would like to see some of Amy’s repertoire please head to her website: https://www.amydebhrun.net Or check out her stunning Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/amydebhrun/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Oh. My God! This week I am joined by author, journalist and mother of three Sarah Breen. Sarah is one half of the creative team behind the award winning ‘Aisling’ series of novels. As a former country girl in the city myself, I have laughed and cried my way through both Aisling books so far and can’t wait to see her adventures in book number three: Once, Twice, Three Time an Aisling. And I equally couldn’t wait to hear Sarah’s take on motherhood, and she didn’t disappoint. Sarah’s first child was born in Arizona and Sarah elected to forgo the American hospital system and chose a natural birth centre called the Baby Moon Inn. And it was fascinating to hear how it compared to Sarah’s Irish labours. Especially in regards to the amount of post birth support she was given. Sarah was determined to breastfeed and despite facing early issues (a front and back tongue tie) she persevered and fed her first child up to her third birthday. With three babies and books under her belt I wondered how Sarah found a balance in her life and she fully admits that at the minute her life is very unbalanced and she often finds herself up to 2am in the morning “typing away like a vampire.” Although there’s nothing a good long shower can’t fix - something we both agree on. And of course we talk about her other creation: Aisling and what she would be like as a mother. Although Sarah was keeping tight lipped about what lies in the future for Aisling in both book form and screen, I think we would all agree that Aisling would enjoy organising all the baby clothes! Sarah is super busy at the moment and I was so grateful she agreed to chat with me right in the middle of her hectic press schedule. The latest Aisling book along with the previous books 'Oh My God What a Complete Aisling' and 'The Importance of Being Aisling' are available from all book shops. And you can follow Sarah on her Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjaybee/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forallmumkind/ If you are enjoying the series so far please take the time to rate and review me on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners and new mums to find me. Thanks! Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz