First Time Mum's Chat

During the life of this podcast, I've had a number of guests who have shared their postpartum journeys and how they have struggled, as well as professionals who specialise in helping moms through their postpartum struggles.

In this week's episode I'm sharing the ways in which baby massage can help moms through postpartum depression and anxiety.

You'll hear me:-

• Explain how baby massage doesn't just help your little one but it helps you as well.
• Talk about why the many benefits of baby massage relating to areas including improving their sleep and the stimulation of their digestive, immune and other systems helps make life easier for you and better able to cope with postpartum challenges.
• Share details and findings from two studies done in the United Kingdom and Norway which showed evidence that baby massage was a positive influence on moms suffering postpartum depression and anxiety.

And much more....

Many of the women I speak with find themselves lost after pregnancy which is hardly surprising. Not only do you need to recover from giving birth but you've also got another precious life to support and you hardly have the luxury of time on your hands to adapt to your new circumstances!

It's all about hitting the ground running isn't it!

This week's guest, mom of 2, Jill Wright, knows all about this after feeling lost and being thrown into a tailspin when her journey into parenting commenced. Jill is a mindset mentor, time management guru and alignment coach for moms and after re-aligning and rediscovering herself she embarked on a journey to share her knowledge and tools with other moms who were facing the same struggle with overwhelm, chaos and guilt.

During our chat you'll hear Jill talk about:-

• How intuition is the key to everything and how reconnecting with yours helps everything come more easily.
• How to learn to recognise those moments in your life where your intuition is aiming to talk to you.
• The importance of making quiet time so that your intuition's quiet voice has space to come out and really speak to you.

And much more...

Giving your child the right start and building a really solid foundation is crucial for their emotional development and in this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm chatting with certified toddler yoga teacher and infant massage and baby yoga instructor, Jen Cooper.

You'll hear Jen and I talk about various topics including encouraging and developing emotional resilience, emotional intelligence and mindful activities.

Not surprisingly, the topic of self care comes up on First Time Mum's Chat fairly regularly and it's something that many moms struggle with, whilst juggling the needs of their little one. It's of course easy to suggest contacting friends and relatives to see if they can give you time out but this isn't always practical or even possible in some situations.

This week's guest wellbeing coach, LaKeisha Entsuah helps working moms create systems and routines for a better work/life balance to ensure they avoid burnout. LaKeisha is a mom of 3 who found that there was never enough time in the day to do what needed to be done and whatever she did never felt enough! She's made it her mission to support women with practical tools and support and her approach is centred on helping moms get in touch with their needs, so they show up as their best self each and every day. I very much like LaKeisha's approach of building a proactive self-care routine that fully aligns with each mom's personal and professional goals.

During our chat you'll hear LaKeisha talk about :-

• The importance of figuring out who you are and what your interests are and what things really get you going.
• Working out what things bring you joy and what things that you do, make you perk up.
• Her 4 step process that she takes her clients through and how figuring them out will help you figure out your life and how to live with less stress and more joy.
• Knowing what phase of the self-care cycle you are currently in and the 3 phases of your restoration phase.

And much more...

I've always been a fan of healing techniques that bypass our minds and egos and get straight to our bodies, allowing no-nonsense, often faster healing and in this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm exploring EFT tapping with Certified Transformational EFT Coach, Maria Yakimchuk.

Maria helps moms struggling to find joy and fulfillment in motherhood to clear their past traumas and emotional blocks.

During our chat, you'll hear Maria explain:-

• What EFT (emotional freedom technique) is and how it helps process negative memories and traumas of various size and impact.
• How bypassing your thinking brain and bringing in the autonomic nervous system enables you to go straight to your body where a lot of the healing happens faster.
• How results can be obtained more quickly than traditional therapy and address the root cause.

And much more ....

The journey of being pregnant and bringing children into the world is a challenging one. Imagine what it's like for a mum who is disabled in a wheelchair and on her own.

This week on First Time Mum's Chat I'm speaking with transformational and empowerment mindset coach Shanice Green who has brought up two amazing children whilst being wheelchair bound and with neurological conditions.

You'll hear Shanice talk about:-

• Her unique experiences as a mom and the importance of parenting your way and learning to adapt to your unique environment and needs.
• Why you must believe in yourself, learning not to take on board other people's judgments and not allow them to disempower you.
• How you can encourage and condition your little ones from an early age to develop a level of independence.

And so much more...

This week on First Time Mum's Chat I'm revisiting the challenges of balancing motherhood with work. I'm speaking with Nicole Cumberbatch who as a corporate VP in Florida faced a challenging transition to motherhood when she gave birth to her son.

During our chat, you'll hear Nicole talk about:-

• The challenges of managing her time balancing a busy work schedule versus the time needed for her young son.
• How as a successful woman her expectations that motherhood would be easy were quickly quashed.
• The challenges of handling employers who can be inflexible and lack empathy for new moms.

And much more ....

Way back in the very first episode of first Time Mum's Chat, I had a chat with mum of 4, who shared her experiences of teething. I spend quite a bit of time showing parents how to help with teething during my baby massage classes, and I'm often asked by my listeners for more tips.

So this week I'm revisiting teething and you'll hear me talk about some common symptoms of teething and how they relate, and I'll also share a number of holistic tips to help soothe your little one during this challenging time.

The symptoms I discuss include:-

• General irritability
• Drooling
• Biting and gnawing

And More!

A recurring theme that regularly comes up on First Time Mum's Chat is the importance of planning for your pregnancy and postpartum period with the right mix of people to support you.

You need to start putting this together now and not make the mistake that so many do, leaving it until after they're pregnant or have even given birth! Trust me, by then it's too late and you'll face a big struggle finding the time and energy for these tasks!

If you're at this time in your life then you'll want to listen to this week's guest who can help you "find your village" and provide essential help to you. Andrea Ippolito used her experiences from the challenges she faced during her own pregnancy and postpartum period to found a much needed service, which provides moms with a range of services delivered virtually. You'll hear Andrea:-

• Share the top 3 issues relating to breastfeeding that moms come to see them about.
• Why it's so important to have a lactation consultant to support you during pregnancy and as part of your postpartum care team.

And much more...

For many moms, breastfeeding has its challenges and I'm regularly asked for tips and advice on breastfeeding a newborn, particularly from those moms that are experiencing challenges with their breastfeeding.

In this week's episode, I'm chatting with lactation counselor Lacy Reason all about breastfeeding. Lacy is a mum of 3 who teaches mums how to breastfeed and helps them through their challenges.

During this episode you'll hear Lacy talk about:-

• Tips to reduce soreness when breastfeeding.
• Tips to help your baby when they have tongue tie or a lip tie.
• The difference between foremilk and hindmilk.

And much more...