I love, love, love babies. But we all know motherhood is hard work, and when you’re a young mum, it comes with its own set of challenges. So, I invited Fiona Small, the founder of Young Mums Support Network (YMSN) and two incredible young mums – Yannicke Clarke and Dylan Downs – on to the podcast to talk about what young mums face in today’s society.

 

Young mums certainly don’t have it easy. From healthcare professionals informing them of their pregnancy as if it’s bad news, to families bearing the brunt of the housing crisis, to postnatal mental illness, there are many difficulties that arise when you’re a young mum.

 

Thankfully, even though society doesn’t treat young mothers as it should, pioneering women like Fiona have created organisations like YMSN. YMSN does all sorts of amazing things, focusing on driving social change to end child hunger and malnourishment, help with home management and getting mums on benefits back to work.

 

We also read out the stunning poem Reading to You by the brilliant Hollie McNish. She writes with such insight about what it means to be a mother, covering topics on breastfeeding in public, her body through pregnancy and as a mum, and finding a place to scream once in a while.

 

It’s a real eye-opener listening to these stories of young motherhood and I am super excited to share this episode with you.

 

As always, mad, mad love.

 

You can find out more about YMSN and the various programs they offer here: https://ymsn.co.uk

 

Hollie McNish’s poetry from the book Nobody Told Me is an honest and beautiful snapshot of the realities of motherhood. You can devour it here:  https://holliepoetry.com

 

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