First Time Mum's Chat

When you're a new mom it's hard finding time for yourself isn't it! You hardly have a minute to breathe! Many of the moms I speak with yearn for opportunities to get out and enjoy the great outdoors again and they often reminisce about hiking and other adventures.

Those with family either interstate or overseas also face the logistical challenges of finding the time and coping with the cost associated with visiting them.

Today's guest, Jodi Fried who is an empowerment coach for women, is no stranger to these challenges! Jodi lives in the United States but is originally from South Africa and with four children and a 30 hour flight to contend with, to visit great grandparents and other family, she's had some challenges to overcome!

In this episode Jodi shares some great tips and insights on how to find that spark again and to build that adventurous life you crave with your new family.

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

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In this episode I'm speaking with Kristin Mallon, who is a board certified nurse midwife, breast health expert, published author and a mother of four.

Kristin has attended over 1,000 births so has a huge wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things childbirth.

I used the opportunity to ask Kristin some of the burning questions that I'm often asked by mums who are just embarking on their parenting journey and there's some great tips and insights in this episode on topics including the first hour after birth and latching.

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

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"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!

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Not surprisingly, many of the moms I speak with are often nervous and frightened about the next stage of their lives after having their baby.

After all, there's lots for them to consider including caring for their newborn, recovering from birth, particularly where there's been any trauma and adapting to caring for their little one. And to add to the stress, their relationship is often put to the test as more and more time is demanded of them.

A postpartum doula provides crucial essential emotional, physical and mental support to new moms, easing the stress in their lives. Kristin Revere is the co-owner of a doula agency located in Michigan in the US and provides birth support and classes for new moms, including a new online course and they have students located all over the world. You'll hear from Kristin about their amazing community and the support they can provide to mums like you.

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

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"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!

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Not surpisingly, healthy eating and nutrition are topics which often come up on First Time Mum's Chat and I've interviewed a number of wonderful ladies on these topics.

My observation is that the focus is often mainly on weight and of course for new mums, ensuring that their intake is beneficial to breastfeeding.

However, something that I feel is often neglected when eating regimes are being revised and planned is the topic of brain health. Too often, this takes a back seat and you'll hear from today's guest, holistic nutritionist and Brain Health Coach, Julie Gervais about why this is so important.

After all, by feeding our brains healthy nutrient dense foods, we are providing it what it needs to help us live fuller and richer lives.

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

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"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!

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Welcome to a very special episode of First Time Mum's Chat. Yes, this is the 50th episode of the podcast and I'm excited to have reached this amazing milestone! I'd like you to picture me blowing out the 50 candles on my virtual birthday cake.

Since January, 2021 I've talked with loads of amazing ladies from countries including Australia, the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US from all walks of life.

My goal is to help mums embarking on their parenting journey with helpful useful tips and insights to help them support their little ones and we've covered many great topics over these 12 months to help you!

In this episode I'm doing something different. Firstly, I'm going to look back over this year by sharing some snippets with you from some of the episodes and then to whet your appetites, you'll also hear some snippets from some episodes that are coming in the first few months of 2022.

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.

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"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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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"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!

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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!