For All Mum Kind

Emma O’Leary is a Clare lady who has found her home in the heart of Dublin with her husband Michael and three boys, Luke, Olly and Andy. She is a speech and language therapist but most will know her from her parent and lifestyle blog Life With Tiny Humans: http://lifewithtinyhumans.com

Emma’s honest, tongue in cheek and unfiltered accounts of motherhood have gained her a loyal following (including her No. 1 fan her own Mother) of which I am one, so I was delighted that she agreed to be my final guest of the first season of For All Mum Kind.

Although she has lived in Dublin for the past 13 years, Emma has lost none of her west coast charm and finds the funny side in all things mummy related. Even when on each of her pregnancies she was struck down with debilitating bouts of hyperemesis, Emma still manages to find the light.

Perhaps her sunny yet sardonic take on motherhood came from her own mother who is still a massive support to her and we discuss how her own childhood shaped her and allowed her to become her own children’s “best toy.” Emma shares with me her thoughts on body image, how the step up from two kids to three was almost more then they could chew, as well as sharing her own birth stories and how she didn’t let labour get in the way of the pull of Gilmore Girls and good Chinese!

Emma is an absolute hoot and I loved recording this episode, and I hope you all enjoy listening to it. I plan to take a short break now and would like to thank all the mums who took time out of their busy schedules to come and have the chats with me. I also want to thank everyone who has listened and a special thanks to those who make the effort to reach out to me. The response to the first series has been staggering. I went into this process thinking that if I just help one mum then it would be worth doing, so to hear from so many was nothing short of overwhelming, so thank you!

If you want to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram to see my adventures with Alice over the summer and to see what I have planned for the future of For All Mum Kind:

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

Thanks again

Pamela x

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Kathy Milliken of Bump, Baby & Me lives and breathes all things baby and motherhood. Even before she became a mother to two beautiful girls herself, she was already helping mums with their pregnancy journeys with pre and postnatal yoga & massage classes. Kathy is now also a GentleBirth instructor, she’s training as a breastfeeding counsellor, she blogs on motherhood and is currently setting up a series of workshops to support women through this transitional time - she is one busy lady!

But thankfully she found time in her schedule to sit down with me for a chat about her own experiences of becoming a mum and her thoughts on motherhood on the whole. You’ll find Kathy to be an impassioned, knowledgeable and powerful speaker about motherhood and womankind.

In this episode we talk about how she found her own path to being a mother to be very transitional and that it doesn’t always go how we envisioned it be - and the fact that our parenting goals and achievements are so constantly shifting is totally normal and ok. We are all just doing our best and need time to learn the new skills of being a mother.

We discuss Kathy’s two very different births and how after her first labour was a caesarean, she fought for her second to be a natural birth. And how the phrase “once a caesarean always a caesarean” doesn’t have to be true. Even if her second daughter almost ended up as an unplanned home birth when things moved much quicker than she expected it to!

We talk about the need for rest and nourishment during the 4th trimester and how Kathy used the excellent website Meal Train (https://www.mealtrain.com) to get her whole support network involved in this period. The difficulties of breastfeeding, and all types of feeding for that matter, and how important it is to get the best information and understanding so you can achieve a feeding method that best suits you and your baby. All before things take an emotional turn when we talk about how mums need to remember to take care of themselves through all of the chaos.

Kathy is currently curating a series of Empowering Parents Workshops that will cover all manner of subjects from child behaviour to first aid for newborns. The workshops start in June and if you would like to find out more you can find a list of events on her website: http://www.bumpbabyandme.ie

I hope you enjoy the episode. Pamela x

To read the full piece of Kathy's that I quoted from in this episode please head to my website: https://www.forallmumkind.ie/2019/episode11kathymilliken

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When I first saw Emma Carpenter’s (aka this_mama_doodles) brutally honest take on motherhood as depicted in her artwork that she shares on Instagram, I knew I had to have her on the podcast. What I didn’t know at the time was that not only is Emma an amazing artist, she is also a midwife and an enthusiastic and eloquent speaker who made a truly excellent guest.

Just like her drawings, Emma’s views on parenting do not come sugar coated. She shares what it is truly like to be a mother, hairy legs and all. There is no pretence and no pretending that motherhood isn’t anything but hard. But she does it with a sense of humour and a dry wit that cuts straight to the point.

Emma describes her start to motherhood as nothing short of ‘catastrophic’. Her pregnancy was littered with illnesses and food aversions and at one point she even went blind! Through her teens Emma struggled with an eating disorder so she knew she would be in the high risk category for postnatal depression, and despite trying to prepare herself and her family for a bumpy road ahead she was still taken completely off guard by the crushing anxiety and extreme loneliness that followed the birth of her son Jack.

Now however Emma finds herself in good mental health and is able to reflect through her art the daily struggles of parent life, body image and her relationship with her husband and child. And with baby number two on the way I can’t wish Emma enough health and happiness over the exciting months ahead.

I hope you enjoy the episode. Pamela x

To see Emma’s artwork please follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this_mama_doodles/

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

Aisling Drummond is one of my oldest and dearest friends who’s path to motherhood is an unusual one. Just weeks after her wedding Aisling was diagnosed with a BRCA gene mutation - the gene which leads to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer - and Aisling’s whole planned timeline of life events was thrown into disarray. At the time Aisling had just bought a house in Dublin, was happily working in hospitality and looking forward to starting life as newlyweds. And just over a year later she found herself quitting her job, living in west Cork and the mother to her beautiful son Toby.

In this episode Aisling talks both candidly and bravely about the life choices that she made during this time, her long protracted labour which scarred her both physically and mentally and how she lived with pain for almost a year after giving birth. We also talk about her journey through breastfeeding and a regular topic on this podcast, tongue tie and how it almost robbed her of the first few months with her son.

But despite all this Aisling is one of the most positive and relaxed mums that I know, and anyone who follows her story on Instagram will have seen her great adventures with Toby wether its playing in streams or discovering new foods while baby led weaning.

Aisling has recently taken the huge leap in becoming self employed and we talk about how this is possibly Aisling’s biggest step towards self care along with being a Marie Keating Foundation peer to peer supporter, helping others who have been given similar diagnosis to herself.

I hope you find this frank and honest episode as interesting and affirming as I did, and that if any of the issues raised feel familiar to what your experience may have been or may still be, it gives you the confidence that you are not alone and their is support out there.

To continue Aisling’s story please head over to her blog or her Instagram: http://lifeisbothamajorandaminorkey.com

https://www.instagram.com/lifeisbothamajorandaminorkey/

To see the work that the Marie Keating foundation does please head to:

https://www.mariekeating.ie

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

In the eighth episode of the podcast I am joined by food writer, photographer and mother of three Lilly Higgins. I have known Lilly for nearly ten years through Twitter and Instagram, but this was the first time I had the pleasure to meet Lilly, and to use her own words back at her: she does not disappoint.

Lilly comes from a large family and we talk about how this shaped her as a mother. Being able to cope with the chaos is a valuable skill in motherhood. Being a freelance food journalist Lilly talks about how on her first pregnancy she found the work/life balance difficult to cope with. But that was nothing compared to adding a second and then a third child to the family.*

Best known for her love of food (honestly her carrot cake recipe is one of the best!) Lilly is surprisingly easy going when it comes to the issue of weaning. She believes whatever method best suits your baby is the one that ultimately is going to work for you. Although you should probably start with the carrots before moving on to the cake. We also touch on the issue of hospital food and how the necessary support and nourishment in those key early days of becoming a mum is severely lacking in the hospital canteens across Ireland.

Lilly’s enthusiasm is infectious and the laughs came thick and fast. Her love of her children shines through the whole podcast and I hope you enjoy this warm and lighthearted episode. To see Lilly’s stunning food photography check out her Instagram, and be sure to watch her stories for the real behind the scenes look into family life:

https://www.instagram.com/lilly_higgins_/

~ Pamela

*Lilly references the book Coping With Two by Simon Cave which is available to buy from Easons here:

https://www.easons.com/coping-with-two-simone-cave-9781848508125

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

Listen to For All Mum Kind Kind on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Welcome to the seventh episode of the podcast! Thank you to everyone that has been listening, messaging me and sharing the podcast. The response has been overwhelming and I am beaming with delight that the episodes are resonating with mums.

This week I chat to Emma Dowling of Empowered Mama. Emma is a Pre and Post Natal Strength and Fitness coach, she is mum to Jacob, an entrepreneur and a believer in finding your inner power.

Emma and I chat about celebrating the female body, speaking to your body as if she was your best friend and referring to your body as “her”. These small changes can change your mindset towards your body. Emma shares her thoughts on ‘bouncing back’ after having a baby and how we need to celebrate our new bodies. We also discuss how self care for all mums is so important and Emma shares that her self care is giving herself permission to rest, so she naps when Jacob naps without feeling guilty that the house is a mess.

Emma also talks about her decision to bottle feed Jacob. As a health professional she knows that breastfeeding is best but she knew for her own mental health bottle feeding is what she needed to do. Emma found the thought of feeding being solely her responsibility a huge pressure and she couldn’t do it. Whether mums bottle or breast feed each mum needs love and support on their journey and every journey is individual to that mum.

On a personal note I think this is a really beautiful episode, how Emma encourages woman to find their inner power, how to love their bodies by making a few small changes and her absolute honesty in what she needed to be a happy mum! Thank you to Emma for joining me for a chat and I hope you enjoy the episode.

During this episode I refer to Orlaith Donlon [https://www.instagram.com/orlaithdonlon/] and Emma mentions Sarah from The Better Life Project [http://www.thebetterlifeproject.ie].

If you would like more information on Emma and her pre & post natal strength & fitness classes please visit her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/empowered_mama_/

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

New Episode with Lucy Wolfe

This week I am joined down the line from her home in Cork by full time sleep consultant and mother of four, Lucy Wolfe. Many of you will know Lucy from her appearances on Virgin Media’s Morning Show and from her book - or bible to some parents - The Baby Sleep Solution. Lucy takes the science of sleep seriously and has helped countless parents both directly and indirectly to help them create better sleep patterns for their children.

Lucy however wasn’t always a sleep consultant and she tells me about how her experience with her first child led her into her current field of work. Lucy shares with me a mix of tips as to how to achieve better and longer sleep with your child and reveals some amusing anecdotes about her own journey through motherhood.

Myself and my husband have both read and practice the guidelines in Lucy’s book and they have worked for us with Alice so I was delighted when Lucy agreed to record a podcast with me. I found her to be a warm and engaging speaker and I hope that if anyone is struggling with sleep that this episode is a help to you.

Lucy’s website is:

https://sleepmatters.ie

And she also posts regularly on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lucywolfesleep

Due to a scheduling clash Lucy and I were unfortunately not able to meet in studio so this podcast was recorded over Skype. This however means the recording standard is not necessarily to the quality that I would usually aim for and I hope that this does not diminish your enjoyment of the podcast.

Over the past couple of weeks the podcast has gained many new listeners and I would love to hear your thoughts. Some of you have introduced yourself on Instagram but I love to hear your feedback so please keep it coming. As always thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe so the podcast can reach as many mums as possible.

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

Aoibhín is a new mom with many strings to her bow. She began her career as an actor threading the boards at home and away while also becoming a regular on the small screen. She has since become one of Ireland’s most familiar faces adding presenter, voice over artist, entrepreneur and wellness advocate to her cv but admits her most exciting and rewarding role of all is new mom to baby Hanorah.

Summer 2018 brought with it one of the hottest Irish summers on record, myself and Aoibhin were both pregnant during this summer and we share our survival stories. Aoibhin shares with me that Hanorah was born on the hottest day of the year and when Hanorah came home the biggest challenge was keeping the house cool - an unusual challenge to have to face in Ireland!

One of my favourite quotes from this episode is when Aoibhin shares her insight on social media ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ , as a new mum I think we can often find ourselves comparing ourselves to other mums and its so important to remember you are on your own path in life. You do you, everyone else is taken!

As a freelancer Aoibhin didn’t have a maternity leave like a-lot of us mums would have and finding a work life balance was difficult. We discuss is the idea of women juggling it all putting an unnecessary pressure on us?

Aoibhin’s down to earth attitude and glass half full outlook creates a heartfelt and honest episode on motherhood.

For further information on Beo Wellness please head to: https://beowellness.ie

If you are enjoying the series so far please let me know on Instagram and don’t forget to rate and review and share with your mum friends.

As always thank you for listening.

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

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In this latest episode Pamela speaks to journalist, broadcaster, MC and mum to Ferdia & Oscar… it’s Deirdre O’Shaughnessy.

Dee very honestly discusses her two births and the startling differences between them. Having practiced the Gentle Birth Method during her first pregnancy Dee shares how she used the method, albeit briefly, during her surprisingly fast labour with Ferdia. With her second pregnancy Dee’s own intuition told her that it wasn’t going to be a straight forward birth and at 36 weeks asked her own mum to stay with her in case an early arrival was imminent. Once Dee began to feel the early signs of labour, herself and her husband depart for the hospital only for her maternal instincts to become true.

Dee is very passionate about breastfeeding and we discuss the support role the HSE should and can provide to new mums. Starting with improving the meals provided during your maternity stays, paediatric tongue tie checks before mum and baby leave the hospital and additional at-home support.

As a new mum it’s often difficult to recognise unusual behaviour with your baby, as you may think that it is normal behaviour as we know no different. Dee shares with me how Ferdia was undiagnosed with reflux and CPMI for over a year and at one moment was told it was “a laundry issue not a medical issue.”

Dee’s wit and west cork charm makes this a very light hearted chat about motherhood but as we all know parenthood has it’s ups and downs.

To read more from Deirdre check out her website:

https://deshocks.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Surviving Reflux Ireland: Dealing with Reflux, Colic, CMSPI & Gi Issues

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RefluxIreland/

Dr. Justin Roche, The Tongue Tie Clinic

https://www.drjustinroche.com

In this latest episode Pamela speaks to Jen Crawford of Doulacare Ireland.  Jen has immersed herself in motherhood with her own three children, as an ante natal educator, breastfeeding counselor and a doula.

Jen shares with me her motherhood journey with her three smallies, from the differences between their births, feeding and to finding a work life balance.

Jen is best described as a ray of sunshine, she brought positivity to even the most difficult of challenges she was faced with when her daughter Kayla was born with a cleft palate.  Jen had breastfed her two boys and had planned to feed with Kayla but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. Determined, Jen began to express milk for Kayla and continues to pump exclusively to this day over a year after she was born.

Thank you to Jen for speaking to me and if you would like more information on Doulacare Ireland you will find them here: https://www.doulacare.ie

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

Baby Wearing Ireland: http://www.babywearingireland.ie

Extended Breastfeeding In Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/extendedbreastfeedinginireland/

NewMammies in Ireland Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/NewMammiesIrl/

If you are enjoying the series so far please let me know on Instagram and don’t forget to rate and review and share with all your mum friends.

As always thank you for listening.

Pamela

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