As someone whose background includes many years as a childcare educator, I've always been big on encouraging children to use their imagination and explore their world through play.

Perhaps with our modern tendency towards busyness, I've observed a tendency for parents to overcomplicate play.

If you've listened to some of my other podcast episodes, you'll know that I'm a fan of simplicity and being in touch with nature and this is no different when it comes to play.

I'm thrilled in this episode to be talking with Sarah Bolitho, who is a therapeutic play practitioner. Sarah and I have similar attitudes to play for children and you'll hear some great insights in this episode on areas including pretend play and how to use it to build the parent-child relationship and simplify the idea of what it means to play.

Play is an incredibly important part of your child's life and you'll hear why in this episode.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Helen and First Time Mum's Chat." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- for a smooth journey into the exciting world of parenthood. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast.

Subscribe now!

I think it's fairly safe to say that parenting children and bringing them up is a challenging time and I've interviewed many amazing people on this podcast who've shared great insights and tips to help with this! This week I'm going in a different direction and I'm interviewing an extraordinary lady whose journey I'm sure you'll find fascinating.

Tanya Hackney is a mom of 5 and I was thrilled to meet her and find out all about her life. Tanya and her husband followed a dream they had from when they were teenagers of doing something unusual with their lives. They wanted to hop on a sail boat and sail the world! Not only did they follow their dream but they did it with 5 children aboard the sail boat!

In this episode you'll hear Tanya talk about their lives on the high seas and how she brought up one of her children from when they were only a baby on the sail boat.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Helen and First Time Mum's Chat." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- for a smooth journey into the exciting world of parenthood. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast.

Subscribe now!

Many of the moms I speak with find their postpartum recovery a difficult time, with often a lack of resources and information readily available to them.

For many, this is a scary, uncertain time and there's no instruction manual or welcome package to help you along is there?

Getting used to the new normal is hard and there are so often questions you need answers to, right!

This week's guest knows where you're coming from and has some excellent tips to help you. Leslie Abraham is a perinatal osteopath who is originally from France where she did her training and has lived in the USA since 2016.

When Leslie moved there, she noticed a lack of help and information available to women and decided to offer her wealth of knowledge to them.

You'll hear from Leslie on topics such as how to help heal tearing after birth. Be sure to listen to the end of the interview so you don't miss any of Leslie's excellent tips.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Helen and First Time Mum's Chat." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- for a smooth journey into the exciting world of parenthood. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast.

Subscribe now!

When you're postpartum, it's important to continue being mindful of what you are eating since you've also got your little one's health to consider.

It's also important to be alert and constantly on the look out for evidence of any allergies or problems so that you can adjust your diet if needed to suit your baby.

In this episode, I speak with Nava Simkah a certified holistic health and nutrition coach, maternity coach and massage therapist who had some great tips and insights on nutrition for new moms. You'll also hear tips on how to help them when they are experiencing problems such as bloating, diarrhea and constipation.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Helen and First Time Mum's Chat." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- for a smooth journey into the exciting world of parenthood. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast.

Subscribe now!

Can you think of anything more fun than dancing with your baby?

I must say that when mother of 3, Audrey Bready first told me that this is what she did I was impressed. During our chat you'll hear Audrey talk about loads of ways that dance is beneficial to your postpartum healing, including how it strengthens your musculature and pelvic floor and it's advantages over a reliance solely on using kegels.

Audrey also talks about how it helped her heal from a traumatic birth that caused her injury.

As you will know if you've listened to my podcast previously, I'm all for anything that will help build a closer bond with your baby and you'll hear Audrey talk about how she uses dance to connect and do this and how it helps her kids free their emotions and let them out.

And don't worry if like me, you can't spin like Najinsky or even the thought of doing splits makes your eyes water, Audrey has lots of ideas to help you get started.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Helen and First Time Mum's Chat." <-- If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people -- just like you -- for a smooth journey into the exciting world of parenthood. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast.

Subscribe now!

Many of the parents that I speak with often feel guilty when they yell at their kids. At times, being patient and not losing it is easier said than done and we've all been there.

Of course it leaves you with feelings of guilt and regret when you see the effect that it has on your little one and you're often left thinking, there's got to be a better way for me to handle this next time! Unfortunately with the stresses of modern life and with next time often occurring too soon, you do exactly the same thing and so it continues...

Meanwhile your little one is learning new ways in life to get you flustered and annoyed and on and on it goes.

In this episode I am talking with Debbie Godfrey who knows her stuff when it comes to parenting education. She's been doing it for over 30 years and through her business, Positive Parenting, she's served schools, community centers and organisations throughout the world.

You'll hear Debbie and I talk all about positive parenting and how you can implement it and you'll hear some great examples of how to discipline your children in a positive way that doesn't damage their self-esteem.

Take a listen now because this episode has got some great insights for you.

👉 Check out Debbie's website here: https://www.positiveparenting.com

Now, if you're really serious about building a magical bond with your baby and enhancing your confidence as a new parent, I've got just the thing, it's my 4 simple baby massage routines cheatsheet, just click right here to get your hands on it.

👉 https://www.mybabymassage.net/babymassageroutines

👍 In the mood to tell about your experiences as a first time mum? Shoot Helen an email at [email protected]

You were someone before pregnancy - but where did that person go? Motherhood is a gift of unimaginable love and happiness but in between playdates and naptime, you can't help but miss certain things from your old life and answering to your real name instead of "mom".

In this episode I am speaking with Zelmira Crespi a mother of 5 and co-author of Happy Mom, Happy Kid. Between them Zelmira and her friend Maria Montt who has a background in child psychology, have 9 children and decided to write a book answering their question, what really happens to moms when they go into motherhood.

Checkout this episode now because we've got some great insights for you.

👉 Check out the Happy Mom Happy Kid website here: https://www.happymomhappykid.com

Now, if you're really serious about building a magical bond with your baby and enhancing your confidence as a new parent, I've got just the thing, it's my 4 simple baby massage routines cheatsheet, just click right here to get your hands on it.

👉 https://www.mybabymassage.net/babymassageroutines

👍 In the mood to tell about your experiences as a first time mum? Shoot Helen an email at [email protected]

Having a baby is a traumatic event in so many ways, right! Your body adjusts and changes so much during your pregnancy and now you've given birth, you need to ensure you take care of you and do what you can to return to normality.

For many women, issues such as bladder incontinence, pelvic floor weakness or prolapse occur and it's a difficult time. In this episode, I'm speaking with Tonie Lough, a personal trainer and author of "Getting to the Core of Postpartum Fitness".

Tonie talks about specific exercises you can use to retrain your natural system of core strength and bladder control. I hope you enjoy the insights that Tonie shares. 

Listen now because this episode has got some great insights for you.

👉 Check out Tonie's website here: https://www.momathomefitness.com

Now, if you're really serious about building a magical bond with your baby and enhancing your confidence as a new parent, I've got just the thing, it's my 4 simple baby massage routines cheatsheet, just click right here to get your hands on it.

👉 https://www.mybabymassage.net/babymassageroutines

👍 In the mood to tell about your experiences as a first time mum? Shoot Helen an email at [email protected]

Having a baby is an enormously stressful event on families in lots of ways. Of course there is the physical toll on the mother both before birth and postpartum but one area that is often neglected and underestimated, is the stress that the new arrival often causes to the parent's relationship and harmony.

In this episode, I'm talking with marriage coach, Tiffany Tuttle, who had her baby during COVID. You'll hear Tiffany talk about the stress it put on her relationship and how it almost led to the breakup of her marriage.

Tiffany and her partner refused to give up and together they brainstormed and came up with strategies to make their lives work whilst raising their baby. Tiffany is passionate about helping parents navigate their early stages in parenting to ensure their relationships continue to flourish and do not suffer and you'll hear some excellent tips and strategies in this episode which you won't want to miss!

So listen now because this episode is going to be a really important one for you.

👉 Check out Tiffany's Facebook Group here: https://facebook.com/groups/betterafterbaby1

Now if you're really serious about building a magical bond with your baby and enhancing your confidence as a new parent, I've got just the thing, it's my 4 simple baby massage routines cheatsheat, just click right here to get your hands on it.

👉https://www.mybabymassage.net/babymassageroutines

✍️ In the mood to tell about your experiences as a first time mum? Shoot Helen an email at [email protected]

In the hectic, chaotic world that we live in today, it's very easy to forget about the wonderful human beings we are and the qualities we are born with and the skills we acquire and develop throughout our lives.

Today's guest, Sinead Kavanagh, has found clarity in her life and lives and breathes this and is committed to helping parents on their journey. Sinead is The Holistic Parent and in this episode, you'll hear about the four cornerstones that have built her life, her business and her relationships and the importance of maintaining an even balance amongst them. These are:-

1. Self-awareness/self-efficacy
2. Resilience
3. Autonomy
4. The locus of control

In this episode Sinead asks you to consider do you know who you are, do you know what triggers you, do you know how you cope with life when it throws you lemons and are you fulfilling your own needs?

When you love yourself, it's easy for others to love you and today you'll hear Sinead give many valuable tips on how to do this.

So listen now because this episode is going to be a really important one for you.

Check out Sinead Kavanagh here 👉 https://theholisticparent.ie

Now if you're really serious about building a magical bond with your baby and enhancing your confidence as a new parent, I've got just the thing, it's my 4 simple baby massage routines cheatsheat, just click right here to get your hands on it.

👉 https://www.mybabymassage.net/babymassageroutines