Hello Mama's!

In today's episode I had the pleasure of speaking with the lovely Hannah who is the Mama to 17 month old Mila from Auckland. From a marathon 30-hour labour to overcoming breastfeeding challenges and navigating the postpartum haze, Hannah shares the raw realities of motherhood.

In this conversation, Hannah shares with us her decision to take up a new job opportunity and return to work when Mila was 6 months old. A lot of people Hannah would speak to about this would tell her she would dread going back to work, it would be too much and make her feel guilty about putting Mila into daycare at 6 months old. But Hannah is here to share that her journey couldn't have been more different. Mila has thrived in daycare (aside from the daycare bugs) and Hannah has loved being back at work and is proud of how both her & Mila have managed this transition.

This conversation is a reminder of how everyone's motherhood journey will look so different and you do not have to conform to what society says you should do and feel, it is important to stay true to who you are and do what feels right to you. Hannah takes us through how she balances work and mum life, makes time for herself and her partner Tom and continues to chase her dreams.

Hannah is so honest and authentic and I am so grateful she wanted to share her journey. If you enjoy this episode, I would love if you could rate and review on your streaming platform of choice and follow along on @bumptomum.podcast for updates on future episodes.

Enjoy Mama's! xx

Hello Mama's!

I hope you have had an epic summer and 2024 has been good to you this far. I am back with the pod and super excited to be sharing the first episode of the year with you which is with Rachael from The Food Tree. Rachael is a UK-trained registered dietitian specialising in family feeding, feeding disorders, disordered eating and body image. In this episode we talk about:

• How to heal your own relationship with your body
• How to cope with the pressure of diet culture
• How to raise body confident children who have a healthy relationship with food
• How does pregnancy and childbirth affect your body image and self-esteem
• What are some of the myths and misconceptions about dieting and weight loss after pregnancy
• How can you practice mindfulness and self-compassion to improve your body image and well-being
• How can you model positive body image and healthy eating behaviors for your children
• How can you help your children develop a balanced and joyful relationship with food and their bodies
• How should we approach sugar with our children so that they have a healthy relationship with it.

I learnt so much in this chat & I really hope you will find it helpful to. If you need further support with anything that has been discussed in this conversation then you can contact Rachael here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it really helps a small podcast like mine be found by other parents! You can also follow a long on Instagram @bumptomum.podcast for updates on future episodes.

Enjoy!

Hello Mama's

The festive season is in full swing and I am loving the feeling of getting closer to the end of the year. This is the last episode for the year as I am taking some time to reset, refresh and relax over the festive season. It has been a massive year for me personally and with this podcast and I would love to hear from you as to what you would like to see/hear on the podcast next year. Please message me on IG @bumptomum.podcast with any feedback you have as this really helps me shape the direction for next year.

For the final episode this year I spoke to the lovely Di from Mama's Meals and we talked through everything from starting solids, Di's approach to food for the family, her experience with solids with her two kids and how different/similar they were, her top tips for testing toddler behaviour around meal times, her go to meals for the family, how we can incorporate family meals into our week and what inspired her to start Mama's Meals and how she balances running a business and being a Mama to two.

Starting solids and food in general can be such an overwhelming space so any help in this area is always SO appreciated. If you are wanting some 1:1 support or to download some of the resources Di has created for starting solids, you can find Di's account here or contact her through her website https://www.mamasmeals.co.nz/.

Thank you for all your love and support this year, I hope you enjoy the festive season with your families and I cannot wait to be back in your ears in 2024.

Lots of love Mama's!

Hello Mama's,

This episode is one that has been requested for a long time and I know there are a lot of Mama's out there that will resonate with this journey.

At 30 weeks pregnant after a very smooth pregnancy, Jess experienced some bleeding in the evening and within 2 hours her baby boy Casey was born by a emergency c-section. Jess shares with us her families journey, we cover:

• what was going through her mind as she came to terms with the fact her baby was going to be born at 30 weeks
• what the cause of Casey being born so early was
• what happened in the moments after he was born
• how they shifted their mindset and stayed positive in the really hard times like having to leave Casey in the hospital and go home
• their feeding journey from tube feeding to mouth feeding to breast & bottle feeding
• what NICU was like; how much they visited, what milestones they had to hit, how long they spent there
• the highs and lows of her motherhood journey to date
• the transition from NICU to home
• advice to parents on a similar journey

Casey is now 9 months old and Jess shares with us what life is like for them now and how this experience while so tough, has made them all closer as a family and is a part of their story. I really loved this chat with Jess, she has such a positive outlook on what was an incredibly challenging time and it is so nice to hear that they are all thriving.

I also wanted to echo Jess's thanks to the amazing NICU nurses who really are angels who make such a challenging time for new parents bearable. And while we are at it, a big thank you to all Nurses and Midwifes who work long hours for in my opinion, not enough pay because of their love for caring for people.

I hope you love this episode, if you do if you could rate & review on Apple Podcasts here. It is also the last few days to nominate Bump to Mum for the Listeners Choice Award in the NZ Podcast Awards so if you have a couple of minutes to nominate, I would be very VERY grateful. You can nominate Bump to Mum here.

A big thank you for Jess for sharing her story and lots of love to the Mama's and Dad's out their on a similar journey.

Chat soon Mama's!

Hello Mama's!

This is a special one, Co- Founder of Viva La Vulva, Stevie has kept a relatively low profile during her career but agreed to speak with me about all things motherhood and business. In this chat we cover:

• her inspiration to start a business focused on postpartum care
• her own pregnancy and postpartum journey
• breastfeeding
• sleep and how co-sleeping works for her family
• the mental load of motherhood
• being overstimulated
• what the work and motherhood juggle looks like for her and what time she took off when her daughter Sunny was born
• what her favourite Viva La Vulva products are and how they can be used during postpartum recovery and beyond
• weaning & the emotions that come in postpartum

Stevie is so honest, relatable and inspiring and I am personally very grateful to have products like the Viva La Vulva range on the market to support women in their postpartum journey and normalise what it is like to give birth.

If you would like to check out the full range of products you can find them here https://www.vivalavulva.co.nz/products. Stevie & the Viva La Vulva team have also kindly shared a discount code for you to use, BUMPTOMUM will get you 15% off the range so happy shopping Mama's!

If you enjoyed this episode and enjoy tuning into Bump to Mum I would be so grateful if you could follow this link - https://www.nzpodcastawards.com/nominate and nominate Bump to Mum for the People's Choice Award in the 2023 NZ Podcast Awards. I love bringing this podcast to you so your support is very appreciated.

Speak soon Mama's!

• her journey to pregnancy
• finding out she was pregnant with twins and how that pregnancy was for her
• the birth of her boys which ended in an emergency caesarean
• recovery from birth and the early fourth trimester days
• what life is like as a Mama to twins - sleep, getting out of the house, routine, feeding, highs and lows
• her feeding journey - pumping and mixed feeding
• returning to high performance sport - what recovery has looked like for her and how she has now got to a point where she is back training with the Blackstick squad to qualify for the 2024 Olympics
• nutrition tips for Mama's and how she has found the solids journey with the boys

Hello Mama's

Anyone else wondering how it's October already?! You are going to love this chat. When Claire and I spoke about recording this episode her initial reaction was that she felt she hadn't had any real struggles in motherhood so it wouldn't be very interesting for anyone to listen to as she has had a really positive journey with Gia but that is exactly why I said we should chat! It is equally as important to share a really positive motherhood journey as it is the struggles in other journeys.

Claire shares with us her pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey with her baby girl, Gia who is now 8 months old. In this chat we cover:

• Claire's pregnancy & birth
• dealing with birth trauma for both Claire and her husband and how they worked through this and how it has changed her perspective on future births
• adjusting to motherhood and learning to slowdown
• Claire's breastfeeding journey
• hardest and most enjoyable season of motherhood
• starting solids
• sleep training
• plans for returning to work & so much more!

This chat was so much fun to record and just a great Mum chat! Claire is so sweet and I loved hearing her share journey with Gia and how content and happy she is in her new chapter of life as a Mama.

If you enjoy this chat, please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and follow a long on @bumptomum.podcast for updates on future episodes as well as some general Mama chat.

Enjoy!

• what support and guidance Renee offers families
• her approach to parenting
• the mental load of parenting
• how do we regulate our emotions?
• overstimulated/touched out - how can we still show up for our children?
• how do we set limits with our children?
• when it all feels like chaos, kids behaviours are making you want to snap - what should we do & how do we put measures in place to avoid this?
• often toddlers get a bad wrap when it comes to having big emotions & feelings, tantrums - why does this happen & what can we do as parents to help them understand these feelings?
• how do we draw the line between allowing our children to feel the emotions they have but not set the tone and run the household?
• what are some daily practices you would suggest for families?
• how do we prepare and talk to our children about new siblings?

• Book recommendation from Renee , Fair Play- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44071899
• Get in touch with Renee to purchase resources for a peaceful place - https://www.littlepeoplebigemotions.co.nz/
• Renee's IG - https://www.instagram.com/_littlepeoplebigemotions/

Welcome back to season 3! I am very excited to share this season of the podcast with you which includes more great Mama chats as well as informative episodes with experts in their field. To kick things off, I spoke to Olivia who is a Mama to 3 under 5; Gus, Greta and Hugo. Olivia takes us through her pregnancy with Hugo where at her antenatal scan they discovered Hugo was missing the lower half of his left arm. Olivia shares with us her journey through pregnancy which involved fetal medicine and genetic testing, her birth and her families experience raising a child with a limb difference. We also talk through:

• how her family explain & talk to their older children about Hugo's disability
• Olivia and her husbands personal journey of coming to terms with Hugo's disability
• what life looks for Hugo now and plans for the future
• hardest and most enjoyable season of motherhood
• Olivia's advice for other families

Olivia really wanted to share her experience as she found it personally very isolating and scary and her hope is that her story will provide comfort for other families experiencing something similar. Olivia is happy for you to connect with her if you want to chat more, her IG is @livvyandluna.I hope you enjoy this conversation, if you do please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and follow along on Instagram @bumptomum.podcast for updates on future episodes and fun chat.

Chat soon Mama's!

• sleep journey
• feeding journey
• most challenging season
• what I would have done differently and the same
• piece of advice or lesson learnt to share with new Mum me
• navigating grief
• how we celebrated Louie's first birthday
• & much much more!

• Wishbone Flip here.