On this, the final episode of series four of the For All Mum Kind podcast, I continue my chat with teacher, Montessori and respectful parent and mum of four Gemma Daly. This conversation is all about play and I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Gemma has taken the knowledge she gained from being in the teaching profession and turned it into a successful YouTube channel called The Hidden Gem. Her tips and techniques on how to play with your child and how to turn the ordinary into interesting are utterly invaluable. It may be something as simple as putting pom-poms on a fire guard, but these are all things to spark your child’s imagination and stimulate the learning process.

Gemma introduced me to the idea of ‘schemas’. The little simple repetitive actions and urges that you may notice your baby doing, that are actually the building blocks to the much larger milestones of life. Have you ever watched a baby repetitively take something in and out of a box? This is the schema of learning about volume and it is the reason why as an adult we can pour milk into a cup of tea without spilling it.

We talk about toys and which toys are best to invigorate the creative process. It’s not always the most flashiest toy that may stand out of the shelf that is best for your smallie. Active toys make passive learners, and passive toys make active learners. In fact the best thing we can actually give our children is the space to move around and explore in.

We discuss the concept of Gross Motor Development and Gemma tells me why she is not stressing about the triplets hitting arbitrary milestones and allowing them to develop at their natural pace. Did you know that a baby can’t actually sit up by themselves until they are able to crawl? Gemma is a hive of information and this episode is full of gems for parents to pick up.

And finally we chat about the work of Maria Montessori and how we should follow our child’s natural interests and that each child is like a kernel of popcorn - they may be in the same pot, but they will all pop at different times.

To follow Gemma please check out her Instagram and YouTube channel:

https://www.instagram.com/the.way.we.play/

https://www.youtube.com/thehiddengem

Thank you for listening to season four of the Four All Mum Kind Podcast. I would like to thank all of my guests who took the time to speak with me. My sponsor The Gardiner Family Apothecary for their support throughout the recording of the show., my family and you the listener for all your kind messages.  If you would like to continue the conversation, please follow me on Instagram at ForAllMumKind where I would love to hear from you.

https://www.instagram.com/forallmumkind/

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This week on the podcast I chat with teacher, Montessori and respectful parent, mum of four Gemma Daly. 

2020 for Gemma was the best and worst year of her life. She gave birth to triplets and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. 

Gemma shares with me her path to pregnancy. Following two miscarriages and an irregular monthly cycle Gemma took it upon herself to have a fertility investigation. She had her son Oscar but trying to conceive now was more difficult. After the investigation she learned that she had low AMH level, low egg count and was recommended for IVF. 

However, Gemma conceived naturally and it turned out she was pregnant with… triplets!

Pregnancy was scary for Gemma for so many reasons. She was offered a selective reduction, which she declined. At 27 weeks Gemma was admitted to hospital and at 30+5 weeks the triplets, Sebastian, Ashton and Hendrix were born. 

Giving birth in the pandemic has been difficult but the extended hospital stay with no visitors, followed by the boys needing care in the NICU was a very tough time for Gemma. One of the unexpected challenges that Gemma faced was how hard it was to feel connected to the babies, the shock of seeing them in the NICU and the impossibility of holding them all at the one time.

There was an expectation on Gemma to be bouncing out of the bed and walking to the NICU but after a tough pregnancy and section she needed more support. Once Gemma was discharged she continued to express milk and bring it to the hospital daily. She felt that although they were in the NICU, the one thing she could do was feed them. 7 out of 8 feeds a day were from Gemma, the other feed was supplied by donor milk.

One by one Sebastian, Ashton and Hendrix came home and settled into a family of six. Gemma opens her heart in this episode to share the ups and down of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. In fact we got on so well that I decided to split the podcast into two, so look out for a further episode next week where I chat to her about her love of Montessori and respectful parenting.

To follow Gemma please check out her Instagram and YouTube channel:

https://www.instagram.com/the.way.we.play/

https://www.youtube.com/thehiddengem

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

I was delighted to invite broadcaster, sea swimmer and mom to Roddy & Pixie, Paula MacSweeney to the podcast. Paula was an absolute delight and we could have easily talked for hours - if we didn’t both have two ticking time bombs asleep in the room next door.

I found Paula to be just like her radio and online persona, a truly positive and generous person, and despite discussing some difficult topics on this episode, Paula does it with a touch of humour and a sense of “what will be, will be” something that we can all learn from.

Once deciding to get pregnant, Paula became pregnant quite quickly. The pregnancy she really enjoyed and although she had morning sickness she feels that was part of the course. Paula had tried hypnobirthing in advance of giving birth but Roddy had other intentions and remained breached, resulting in a caesarean section birth.

During Paula’s second pregnancy an early scan indicated that something was wrong. After an examination she was told her pregnancy was ectopic and would require surgery. Although devastated, Paula knew she had to do this for her health and even when the resulting procedure meant that she lost a fallopian tube, Paula didn’t let it bring her down. Two cycles later Paula was pregnant again with baby Pixie. I cannot commend Paula enough for her acceptance, clarity and openness around the subject of pregnancy loss and ectopic pregnancy.

We discuss Paula’s love of breastfeeding, or her “superpower” as she calls it. A negative of online that Paula shares is when she shares snippets of her breastfeeding journey, this almost always results in a flurry of messages from keyboard warriors who like to tell her how she is mothering all wrong. We talk about the pandemic and how it has changed her family unit for the better. And also about Paula’s love of sea swimming and how it has taught her to accept her body and that true self care is more about getting a good night’s sleep than having your hair and nails done.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it and don’t forget to follow Paula on her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/paulamacsweeney/

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This episode is all about skin. Our own skin, our children's skin and how our skin changes through pregnancy and postpartum. I sit down with two amazing women to discuss how we should care for our body’s largest organ.

The first is dermatology nurse specialist and mum of two Selene Daly. Selene is a skin expert but also a realist. Her understanding, experience and practically of skincare is second to none.

Selene was a dermatology nurse before having children, but it wasn’t until she had her own family that she truly understood the impact of caring for an infant/child with a skin condition.

If you take away anything for this episode, it is for you and your family to wear sunscreen everyday from March to October. Selene shares some of the frightening statistics around skin cancer in Ireland and how the greatest habit we can give our children is a robust sunscreen regime:

Hat, Sunglasses, Sunscreen.

Mum of three Joanna Gardiner is the CEO and current custodian of her family’s long running business The Gardiner Family Apothecary, which has been making award winning skincare products in Ireland for over 87 years. As a mum Joanna saw the need for easy to use, yet effective products for children with sensitive skin and with the help of her father developed the Elave range.

As a CEO Joanna sees the benefits that flexible and remote working offers families and how industry leaders like Joanna can influence industries to change work practices. She herself felt like she missed out on some aspects of her children’s upbringing and is now looking to address that for her employees.

We also discuss the history of the Gardiner Family Apothecary and how it grew from one man in a van to the company it is now and where she sees it in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Joanna for her support of this season of For All Mum Kind.

You can follow Selene and her store on  Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/selenedaly/

And you can discover more about The Gardiner Family Apothecary here:

https://www.instagram.com/gardiner_family_apothecary1934/

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

*Trigger Warning - This episode contains conversations about parental and sibling loss that some may find upsetting*

This week I am joined by an award winning entrepreneur, owner of Love Cherish Boutique and she's a mum to Ned & Molly, Maeve Dennehy. 

Speaking to Maeve was like speaking to an old friend, her charm, wit, sincerity and openness created an episode with moments of hilarity, sincerity and sadness. 

Maeve shares her path to motherhood, how her sister Karen’s cancer treatment spurred her to look into her own fertility and subsequently needing fertility treatment. Maeve discusses her fertility cycles, conceiving Ned and then how she went on to conceive Molly naturally. Maeve offers some sage advice to anyone undergoing fertility treatment. 

Myself and Maeve find a common ground through our fertility treatments but also the passing of our mothers. How we cherish the memories we have with our mothers. I share the analogy of the film Inside Out, how I practice not tainting memories of my mom with sadness and choose to reflect on them with happiness. Maeve believes that her daughter Molly was a blessing from her mom and her sister, that there is another lady in her life. 

Being self-employed has its advantages as Maeve discusses, freedom is the key benefit for Maeve and her family. To be able to drop off and collect the kids and to be available for the kids also. Through the pandemic Maeve grew her boutique and online store, a testament to the hard work and commitment from Maeve and her team. 

You can follow Maeve and her store on  Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lovecherishboutique/

 Or visit her superb website to get all the latest gorgeous fashions:

https://www.lovecherish.com

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

**Trigger Warning - This episode contains conversations about miscarriage and parental loss that some may find upsetting**

This week I am joined by model, former Miss Ireland and mum to Sadie, Sarah Morrissey. 

In this deeply personal chat Sarah shares for the first time her struggle to have a second child. Having took almost two years to conceive Sadie, Sarah had no expectations that having a second baby would happen any easier. But she did not expect it to be as difficult as it has been.

Since trying to conceive her second child, Sarah has had three miscarriages in a row and is also coping with the grief from the death of her mother. A painful and lonely time during lockdown as Sarah up until now has kept the pregnancy losses private.

We also discuss lifestyle balance and the anxiety Sarah felt as she returned to work a few weeks after Sadie’s birth. At the time she had the guilt of working as well as the guilt of turning down work. When she was working she felt when someone said “Who has her today?” what they were really saying was “Why aren’t you at home with her?”.

Sarah has shared her story of miscarriage and fertility to support the open conversation of miscarriage, to highlight the difficult path to motherhood that many women endure and the emotional, physical and emotional pain many women endure from miscarriage, fertility and returning to work. If you are affected by any of the discussions in this podcast The Miscarriage Association Of Ireland website has many resources that can help you:

https://miscarriage.ie

Hope is an important message for Sarah, she is forever hopeful for a second baby and that everything will work out in the end. And I truly believe it will for her.

You can follow Sarah on her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sarahmorrisseymodel/

This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This weeks podcast is with Caroline O’Connor, dietician, lactation consultant and mum of four. This episode is full of tips and tricks of how to wean your baby and also feed your fussy toddler.

As a dietician Caroline provides evidence based advice and began sharing content online as she was fed up with the amount of misinformation that was out there. I find Caroline’s advice to be honest, practical and most importantly, achievable. She shares great examples of how to provide a simple but varied diet for kids.

Weaning can be a very daunting time for parents, starting with how to introduce food variety, portion size, allergens and more. Caroline demystifies it all and offers superb advice. As each child weans differently I think there is advice here for all parents from babies to toddlers.

We discuss the benefit of carbohydrates in kids diets and its importance for brain function. Pasta for example is great for kids, its a food that kids are comfortable with and as it comes in so many shapes and colours its a great food to keep kids open to change when it comes to their food.

If you enjoyed this podcast with Caroline you can find her on Instagram where she shares great meals suggestions and advice:

https://www.instagram.com/solidstart.ie/

Her website is http://solidstart.ie and Caroline offers a range of courses also.

Orla Harrington is one of the many mums that I’ve met through Instagram over the years. But her journey with her son Rowan was one that stood out to me. And her ‘100 Foods Before One’ idea actually influenced my own weaning journey with Peter.

In the third trimester of her pregnancy with Rowan, he was diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Orla was signed off work for bed rest until week 37 when she was induced. Despite all the fear and stress caused by this, Rowan was born at 5lb 5oz and he was perfect. But this is where Orla’s post natal care began to diminish. 

Breastfeeding was a part of motherhood that Orla dreamed of. She had been harvesting colostrum while pregnant and had prepared for challenges due to Rowan’s small size. However, the negativity and lack of support that she was given at the very start meant that Orla felt incredibly let down. However she was determined, and following support from a lactation consultant and a lactation counsellor, a tongue tie release, and lots of hard work and perseverance, she exclusively breastfed from 4 months. 

At 6 months Orla began weaning Rowan and she wanted to introduce 100 foods to him before he was one. As a vegan family this led to its own challenges which meant Orla had to get creative - although he wasn’t too keen on the lime or the pomegranate! I have been following Rowan’s weaning and I have found it so inspiring, influential and accessible.  

Orla is a joy to chat with, her fierce determination, resilience and kindness shines through. To follow her please check out her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/orla.harrington/

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This week’s podcast focuses on sleep with mother of three, and certified child sleep consultant Erica Hargaden. Erica shares the how and why she became interested in sleep and the reason she created Babogue Sleep Solutions.

At 7 months her eldest child Quinn was waking up to 12 times a night. He was a fussy baby, almost impossible to put down and almost certainly suffering from Silent Reflux - not that anyone would help her diagnose that. Exhausted and sleep deprived Erica called for reinforcements in the form of her mother. The Erica that she met was a grey shell of the daughter she knew.

Her mum reassured her that there was nothing wrong with her or Quinn and took a gentle approach to fixing Quinn’s sleep patterns. She slowly taught Quinn how to self soothe and this was the beginning of Erica’s interest in sleep.

Erica offers one to one coaching as well as the Sleep Series Solution to support families with babies and children that are having sleep issues. Each sleep series depending on the age of the child offers five different methods to suit different parenting styles. In total she has helped over 2,500 families in 30 different countries to get a better nights sleep - and I salute her for that.

Myself and Erica explore the world of sleep, discussing tips, sleep aids and words of wisdom. Her stories on Instagram are well worth following:

https://www.instagram.com/babogue_sleep

And you can find out more about the 7 Steps To Better Sleep on her website:

https://babogue.com

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Clodagh O’Hagan welcomes me into her world as a solo parent to Frank and shares with me her path to motherhood. 

Having a baby was in Clodagh’s mind for a while, waiting to start a family with a partner but she didn’t meet that person. So, she set out to have a baby on her own using a sperm donor. 

She bought a two bed house in preparation and began the process of having a baby. At the age of 41 she was aware that time wasn’t on her side and regrets that she took the long route by starting off with a GP visit rather than going straight to a fertility clinic. 

Once she had chosen a clinic for her fertility treatment Clodagh had to choose a sperm donor. Clodagh describes choosing a donor being a bit like online dating. You put in your vital statistics, blood type and medical history to see who is genetically best suited to you. After that you can choose hair colour, eye colour, height and traits that give you an idea of the person. 

As we all know fertility treatment is not an easy process. It took Clodagh three cycles however, an incorrect injection, then collapsed follicles lead to two cycles being cancelled. But fortunately for Clodagh the third cycle worked and Frank was conceived. 

Clodagh and Frank now live in a perfect little bubble of their own and this time has really given them the opportunity to get to know one another and form a special bond. This weekend Frank turns one and Clodagh celebrated a year of being a mum so I am delighted to share their story on this podcast with you.

To follow Clodagh and Franks day to day life follow Cloadgh on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/clodeine/

And her blog is BabyFrank:

http://babyfrank.co

Enjoy,  

Pamela.

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit their website for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

https://gardinerfamilyapothecary.com

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Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz