Dear Mum

A gentle heads up: this episode includes an honest conversation about a traumatic birth and time in intensive care with a newborn, in case that's a hard topic for you to hear right now.

Dr Emily Jackman spends her days reassuring worried patients that their child's rash is probably fine…at 3am with her own kids?

She's just as lost as the rest of us.

Emily's mum to Madden and Romy, and this one's a proper mum chat. A traumatic first birth that ended in two weeks in intensive care with her newborn, and the single session of rewind therapy that finally helped her process it months later. The shock of going from one child to two, and the overstimulation nobody properly warns you about. Losing her sense of style so completely she calls it her "beige era", and finding her way back to it through colour analysis and a lot of supermarket shopping.

She happens to be a GP too, which gives her a brilliant, honest angle on the gap between knowing the medicine and surviving your own 3am panic,

…but this episode is about the mum bit, not the doctor bit.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to share with a mum who may need this, and hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts 💛

Links

Follow Emily

IG - https://www.instagram.com/emily.jackman_/

TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@emilyjackman_

Charlie:

IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder

TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:

https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees

www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

“The first thing she said to me was, can you pick me up now?" That's Giorgina Falcone on meeting her daughter Summer-Rae after her C-section.

She had to tell her no… not for six weeks.

Giorgina and I only met recently and talked for hours, so she had to come on. She's mum to Summer-Rae and Dylan, and this one is the full mum chat. Two emergency C-sections, including two days of labour before Dylan, how she was living with her sister, Giovanna, who she called her live-in midwife when she gave birth, and the NCT group that left her feeling worse - before the friendships that came later.

We also talk about mourning the life you had (not the person you were), the loneliness nobody warns you about, and perimenopause hitting so hard she couldn't remember her kids' names.

And along the way she tells me how her pregnancy underwear brand, MuthaProject, was born, and why we ALL need underwear like this!

I hope you love this episode of Dear Mum. We’re hoping to start production for Season 3 super soon, but can’t do it without your support - so please hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening or watching 💛

Links

Follow Giorge:

• https://www.instagram.com/giorgina_falcone

The Mutha Project:

• https://www.instagram.com/themuthaproject/

• https://themuthaproject.com/

GET 20% off when you enter 'DEARMUM' at the checkout until Midnight on October 1st to celebrate

Charlie:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
• TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

"You're too young to be going through perimenopause." That's what Kelly Taylor was told the first time she asked for help — so the second time, she didn't ask.

She walked in and said, "I have perimenopause. I want HRT."

Kelly's the comedy creator behind those painfully accurate class WhatsApp sketches (if you know, you know), and mum to two very different girls.

We talk about the early days of motherhood she spent "really, really good at masking", including the moment she broke down on a work Zoom call and had to shut it off entirely, and the years-long fight to get properly diagnosed with perimenopause (despite family history stacked against her).

We also get into "question your no": her simple, genuinely brilliant parenting reframe for catching yourself before an automatic "no," and why mum brain deserves way more credit than it gets. Kelly had me REALLY laughing - and I hope this makes you feel both entertained and seen.

Don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening or watching. It really helps us create this podcast for the mums who need it

Links

Kelly Taylor:
https://www.instagram.com/thisiskellytaylor

Charlie:IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunderTT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunderYT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

Content Warning: this episode includes conversation around a serious postpartum health scare (sepsis). Please listen with care.

"You can't let me die tonight."

That's what Aimee Vivian said to nurses four weeks after having her daughter — the night she genuinely didn't know if she'd make it through sepsis.

Aimee's a Capital Radio presenter, mum to 14-month-old Charlie, and one of the most refreshingly honest guests we've had on this show. We talk about her whirlwind route into radio, going back to work at four months postpartum out of financial necessity as a self-employed presenter, and the sepsis diagnosis that nearly took her life — and completely changed how she sees herself.

We also cover the stuff that makes this show what it is: judgment between mums, the pressure to be a "cool mum" online, and why she's started buying twenty pairs of jeans just to find the one that actually fits (and returning the rest).

Thank you SO much for being here - don't forget to follow or subscribe wherever you're listening to support the pod! 💛

Links:

Aimee:

@aimeevivian

Charlie:

IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder

TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:

https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees

www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions

🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

TRIGGER WARNING - this episode includes an honest conversation about miscarriage and pregnancy loss, in case that's a hard topic for you to hear right now. Listen with care.

"It took me about six months to really bond with them."

Dr Anita Mitra is a gynaecologist, cancer surgeon, and the voice behind Gynae Geek… and is here on Dear Mum being honest about something almost nobody admits to out loud.

Anita and I go back years, long before either of us had kids, and this conversation covers a lot: meeting her husband on labour ward mid-emergency, self-scanning herself pregnant with twins in an empty ward on a bank holiday, and the miscarriage she went through before them — including being asked, the same weekend, whether she was still able to come in for an on-call shift.

We talk honestly about not feeling the instant "rush of love" everyone promises you'll feel, the intrusive questions people ask twin parents, and why "no is a complete sentence" might be the best piece of advice we've had on this show yet.

I hope you loved this episode as much as I did - and please consider hitting SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW wherever you get Dear Mum, as it really helps us continue to bring these conversations to mums who need them most 💛

Links

Anita Mitra:
IG - @gynaegeek
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/gynaegeek

Charlie:
IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️
Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

"Have you tried putting your baby down drowsy but awake?"

A statement SO many of us mums have been told… but why!? It’s a question the wonderful Alice Liveing has us all asking in this episode, which will make you laugh (and maybe swear a little) on Dear Mum.

Alice is a personal trainer, an old gym friend of mine from way before either of us had kids, and mum to eight-month-old Jeanie - she’s also a much loved content creator and blogger.

We talk about the reality-check of early motherhood - the four months of relentless crying, not leaving the house for weeks, and the strange identity shift of going from a packed, busy career to feeling, in her words, "like the most uninteresting person ever."

We also get honest about the mental load of feeling like you're never quite doing anything well enough - as a mum, a friend, a wife, a business owner - and why she's back in therapy to work through it.

If you want to follow Alice, the links are below - and please do hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening, as it helps us keep growing this show and bringing you more Dear Mum Moments 💛

Links

Alice Liveing

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/aliceliveing/
  
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAjZSBvf4ymFRw9Z9Ff9duQ
• Give Me Strength App - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/give-me-strength/id1560651240

Charlie:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
• TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:

• https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
  
• 
  www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

A gentle heads up: this episode includes an honest conversation about postpartum anxiety and depression, and briefly touches on a parent's dementia diagnosis, in case that's a hard topic for you to hear right now.

"Can you come and watch me sleep?" That's the request Lina Perez made to friends during her second postpartum — and the fact that most said no is exactly why this episode matters.

Lina is a mum of two, business owner, and founder of RestoreHer postpartum retreats. We have an honest, deeply relatable conversation about the realities of postpartum mental health, the loneliness of motherhood for high-functioning women, and what real support actually looks like.

Lina opens up about her experience of postpartum anxiety and depression with her second baby — despite having had a straightforward first postpartum — and shares how the sudden shift from running businesses and managing hundreds of tasks to being told to "just stop" triggered panic attacks, sleep paralysis, and a complete loss of identity.

She introduces her powerful concept of the "missing middle": the gap in support between a GP with five minutes and a prescription pad, and wellness circles that don't speak to a woman with a mortgage and bills to pay.

We also discuss the neuroscience of postpartum, the challenge of asking for help when you've always been the capable one, and how RestoreHer was born from desperation to create a space where mums can truly rest, heal, and connect with like-minded women.

If this episode resonates, there’s many more episodes of Dear Mum to listen or watch. And be sure to hit FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your chosen platform so you’re notified about new episodes every Thursday. 💛

Links

Lina / RestoreHER:

• Website - https://restoreher.co.uk/
  
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/restoreher_retreats/

Charlie:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
• TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:

• https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
  
• 
  www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

If Chaneen Saliee isn’t already on your radar, she should be, because this mum of three is a beautiful force!

Founder of breastfeeding-wear brand ‘Chic and Discreet’, Chaneen is also a content creator who just so happens to be our first guest to bring her baby, Dare, into the studio with her (fair warning: he steals the show).

We talk about the whiplash of going from free-spirited world traveller to mum of one, then two, then — after a seven-year gap — a surprise-announced third. Chaneen tandem breastfed her older daughters until they were three, and this time round she's doing things differently: setting boundaries, accepting help, and actually taking care of herself alongside the baby.

There's a beautiful thread running through the episode too… her youngest's middle name, Everest, chosen to honour her mum, who passed away before he arrived.

Honest, warm, and full of genuinely brilliant parenting hacks (all hail "lying down parenting").

Don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening so we can bring more amazing conversations to the mum group chat, and thank you for being here 💛

Links

Chaneen Saliee

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/chaneensaliee/
  
• Shop Chic and Discreet - https://www.chicanddiscreet.com/

Charlie:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
• TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions around infertility and becoming parents through surrogacy.

"I walked into a room full of cots, and it was like a lightning bolt." That's the moment Louenna Hood describes as the turning point… the second she knew she was going to adopt.

Louenna's spent her whole career looking after other people's children, over 100 babies, a Norland nanny training, and now the app and book that's helped thousands of parents (myself included).

She chose to build her family on her own terms, no father, no partner, just her in her quest for motherhood. We talk about the trip to Ukraine that changed everything, the foster-to-adopt process, and the day Alice arrived — three days old, "dropped off by the stork."

Louenna's honest about what it's really like to parent through adoption: staying open with Alice about her story, meeting her birth parents, and why she pushes back on the idea that adopted children are simply "lucky."

This is truly a special episodes, so don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening so we can bring more amazing conversations to the mum group chat 💛

Links

Louenna Hood:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/nannylouenna
• FB - https://www.facebook.com/nannylouenna
  
• The app - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nanny-louenna/id1508344643
• Website - https://louenna.com/

Charlie:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunder
• TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunder
• YT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions around infertility and becoming parents through surrogacy.

"You're not going to be able to have kids." That's what Charlie Watson was told at 16, and it's the starting point for one of the most powerful conversations we've had on this show.

Charlie's a dietitian, a marathon runner, and mum to Bertie and Woody — both born via the same surrogate in the US, after Charlie was diagnosed with MRKH, a condition that meant her uterus never fully developed. We talk about keeping that diagnosis in a box for over a decade, the surrogacy process itself (which is nothing like most of us imagine), and what it actually felt like to become a mum in a way she never expected to.

We also get properly honest about the stuff nobody admits: finding it harder to bond with her second than her first, the guilt that followed, and why "I'm not juggling it well" might be the most relatable thing any of us can say out loud.

I hope you loved this chat as much as me. Please consider sharing this to your mum group chat, and don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE wherever you’re listening 💛

Links:

Charlie Watson on IG - https://www.instagram.com/therunnerbeans?igsh=MWl6Y3J2c21yazhvZg%3D%3D

Charlie:
IG - https://www.instagram.com/charlielaunderTT - https://www.tiktok.com/@charlielaunderYT - https://www.youtube.com/@charliebarkerr

💪 Bumps & Burpees:
https://www.instagram.com/bumpsandburpees
www.bumpsandburpees.com

Produced by Bear Lane Productions 🎙️Music licensed via PremiumBeat - 4WJJ2ROAVKXSJCGW