Growing

Work trips, Tassie trips and guilt trips — oh my.

This week is packed with growing pains and glimmers. Beth is feeling the heavy weight of trying to practise what she preaches as a woman, mother and business owner and wondering how the hell we’re supposed to do all the things we want to do, and do them well - without guilt?

We talk mum guilt, trusting your instincts, leaning on support, and celebrating big milestone breakthroughs. Plus, flying with babies and toddlers… watch this space.

And, of course, both girls are off on trips so expect some adventures to debrief next time.

Beth: Pelvic health physio. Immediate, genuinely great results. Consider this your sign to book the appointment. 

Lil: Aldi frozen dumplings. Prawn Hargow and Xiao Long Bao. Easy, breezy, freezy.

Plus, her Medela hand-held pump for mums wanting to pump without committing to the whole kit and caboodle.

A huge thank you to ergoPouch — their swaddle bags are a staple in both our households.

Use GROWING20 for 20% off site-wide. T&Cs apply.

RECOMMENDATIONS, RECIPES + REBUILDSGROWING SPONSOR

Beth’s hit the bodily fluids trifecta this morning - covered in vomit, poo and wee all before 8am. And on this we chat about the many layers that come with loss in identity in motherhood and how hard it is to actually dress comfortably and practically and still feel like ourselves. Sleep remains sticky however the good news on that front is bunk beds have entered the household and are a huge success. 

Lil is captain community and trying to work out are we just *trashed* by a Friday and is her walk and talk group better as a hump day treat on a Wednesday? Good news is they’re almost at the finish line of the marathon that is toilet training. And the crowd went wild. 

Lil’s recommending her April 29 Phone Strap  because in this gig two hands are a luxury and you deserve to look good while juggling. 

Lil’s recipe quick and easy (but actually going to fuel your day) kind of breakfast Recipearce Breakfast Burritos. Batch prepare them, freeze and enjoy. 

Beth’s recipe is good old zucchini slice but this one has some delicious charred corn on top. 

Beth’s bunk beds - Juniper Temple and Webster 

And if this episode made you laugh, nod along, or feel a little less alone, share it with a mum, leave us a review, and come hang out with us on Instagram @growingthepodcast

We’re back from spring break, Glimmer Girls and the holiday hangover is real.

This week we’re debriefing travelling with kids, the logistics of babies on planes, pram drama, road trips, and the beautiful realisation that the things that once looked so hard eventually just becomes kind of  normal. Naivety helps.

Beth is deep in a particularly gritty six-month stage with the twins’ very very (very) broken sleep, breast refusal, feeding changes and the emotional whiplash that comes with motherhood and some choices being taken out of our hands. 

Lil is in full spring-reset mode: wardrobes, toy rotations, baby clothes, the house, the whole damn lot. Plus the eternal question: how the hell do I dress myself? Tips please. 

We’re reminded, two things co-exist. You can be deeply grateful and completely depleted. You can adore your children and not enjoy a particular stage. You can know you’re doing a good job and feel like you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing.

RECIPE | RECCOMENDATION | REBUILD

Beth: Slow and steady, getting back to Pilates, paying attention to her core and pelvic floor, and remembering that consistency counts.

Lil: Well and truly off the bandwagon - but the house has had a little spring rebuild. Does that count? 

Lil’s loving Beeji Hats -  cute, dorky, scrunchable and extremely durable and has an affiliate code if your little one needs a hat refresh LB20. And for the Mums IKKARI shower oils  because sometimes you want to be a sexy slippery seal without having to moisturise. 

Beth is recommending a watch The Five Star Weekend juicy, easy, relaxing viewing that won’t haunt you after the kids finally go to bed. Jeans: Rolla’s Gigi Barrel Jeans postpartum-friendly barrel-leg perfection. 

Green Goddess Salad  prep the salad and dressing separately and keep them in the fridge for an easy meal situation. 

And, as always, if you’re enjoying Growing, please share it with a mum, leave us a review or pop us in your group chat. It genuinely helps us keep doing this little thing we love.

*SPRING BREAK THROWBACK* The Transition From 1 - 2

Please note this is a throwback episode, the ergoPouch code shared in todays episode is not currently active.

This week, Beth reflects on the first year of life with two little ones — the joy, the love, and the messy, beautiful reality of it all.

She shares candidly about the parts of motherhood that haven’t necessarily gotten easier, but instead have become part of the rich fabric of daily life — the laughter, the chaos, and the constant juggle of toddlers, work, and relationships. It’s a season that feels relentless at times, but also deeply rewarding as new rhythms settle in.

This episode is a warm hug and a big exhale for any parent anticipating change, moving through transition, or simply wondering what life with two kids might feel like on the other side of that first year.

This episode of Growing is proudly brought to you by ergoPouch and their Drift Home Baby Monitor. With a 360° pan tilt camera, an integrated sound machine, and a built-in What to Wear temperature guide, it takes the guesswork out of safe sleep and helps you feel confident at bedtime.

Shop ergoPouch here - CODE NOT VALID - apologies.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts

Share this episode with a fellow parent who could use some solidarity and a reminder that joy can live right alongside the juggle.

Follow us on Instagram @growingthepodcast for more real-life reflections on parenting, pregnancy and matrescence.

Welcome to our Summer Break Throwback! This is one of our most popular episodes. Probably because we don't hold back. Enjoy!

P.S. As this is a throwback episode, our Ergopouch code is unfortunately not valid at this time.

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These are our confessions. Two heavily pregnant (and slightly cranky) midwives jump on the mic and… really bare all.

This one is unhinged in the best possible way - a chat that’s equal parts silly, honest, and deeply relatable. We lean all the way into the TMI, covering everything from pregnancy cravings to sex dreams and libido, with a casual sprinkle of vulval varicosities and anal fissures (because nothing is off limits here). 

It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s a big dose of solidarity for anyone in the thick of pregnancy - and a moment of silence for our poor husbands who were really on the receiving end of pregnancy irrits. 

We’re so grateful to be in your ears and appreciate your patience with us. Next week, we’ll be back with a real-time update on our postpartum transitions after welcoming our baby boys (!!) just four days apart in early March. 

This week Beth has given a little bit of extra and unexpected love to her first baby, PowerBirth  which comes heavy with logistics, literal migraines, a lot of moving parts, but also loads of gratitude and joy.

There’s something really lovely about returning to a part of yourself and your work that you’ve had to put down for a while, and remembering just how much you love it.

Lil’s baby is teething. So her household has officially had a case of the grizzle grumps. But, as we know all too well, growing teeth isn’t easy - hence the entire premise of this segment: growing pains can be literal growing pains.

Meanwhile, Lil is teetering on the edge of falling off her rebuild bandwagon and has decided that perhaps the rebuild is actually a magnesium hot chocolate in bed, a Strawberry Vanilla Burst Loco Love⁠  and a Kindle. And honestly? Who are we to argue with that. That is actual self care. Pssttt.. Beth has a code for the hot choc: BIRTHWITHBETH 

She’s also recommending that everyone in her life listen to The Imperfects episode on Matrescence that includes you glimmer girls. 

Beth is loving her Aesop body wash and Mixa moisturiser and her current rebuild is simple: upping her steps, especially now she can get out and about a little more easily with the twins.

And an honourable mention goes to the Babybee LUNA2 Double Pram⁠ Lil picked hers up on Marketplace and, full disclosure, Beth has worked with Babybee — but the sentiment remains: that’s a bloody great double pram for getting two babies in and out of the car.

And as always, come hang out with us over on Instagram @Growingthepodcast and tell us what you’re growing through, what your current rebuild looks like and, most importantly, what you’re currently recommending to your fellow Glimmer Girls.

Beth stumbled down a Reddit hole - yes, Glimmer Girls, you read that right. Picture this: two babies, breast refusal, broken sleep and all that comes with life with twins at five months. It’s a lot. Beth has done a beautiful job of finding the reframe, reddit aside, because sometimes, when you’re deep in it, that’s all you can do.

However… we are also experiencing significant and rapid hair loss. Of course we are. 

Lil has revisited the toddler trenches she’s been stuck in, with a bit of a lock-in this week. She’s well and truly (and happily) surrendered to being deep in parenthood - with a few little signs that perhaps this is just the season she’s in right now. (Subtext: Ooshie swap IYKYK). 

REBUILD

Consistency for Beth  again the rebuild isn’t always dramatic. It’s just continuing to show up for the things that make you feel good.

Lil’s getting a Fresh haircut and TBC does and should she just lop it all off. 

RECIPES + RECOMMENDATIONS

Pesto chicken in a pitta wrap. An easy little winner that has made its way firmly into Beth’s rotation.

Spanakopita meatballs. YUM. That’s all. Love Lil. 

Air Toobz. A great toy with endless fun, good for the rotation!

THE UNDIES UPDATE

Thank you for your recommendations because, honestly, this is the kind of important investigative journalism we are here for. The Glimmer Girls have spoken and Boody was the clear winner, with Nat’V Nala and Jaymes also getting plenty of love.

Come join the conversation over on Instagram @growingthepodcast and tell us what you’re rebuilding, what you’re eating and what you’re currently trying to keep alive including but not limited to children, herbs and hair.

Lil is deep in the toddler trenches - food refusal, parental preference, running away (quite fast) and the weighty question “am I actually doing any of this right?”. We chat boundaries, big feelings, finding your parenting style and the push and pull of parenting a tiny person who understands far more than they can actually regulate. Beth mentions Dr Siggie for child development support if you are also looking for a little software upgrade. 

Beth is five months in with the twins and off the back of vaccinations with two babies she’s had a big old week and discovered that perhaps four children is many, many children. The glimmer is she’s feeling the excitement and joy of stepping back into paid work (a little more) and is reminded of just how much she loves her job and business baby PowerBirth. 

OUR REBUILDS

Beth: Getting back into Pilates — two classes a week, three weeks running. Turns out everyone was annoyingly right: exercise does make you feel better.

Lil: Early morning walks with Ben and the boys. If you're already awake, you may as well go for the river walk.

RECIPE + RECOMMENDATIONS

Pistachio Chocolate Dates: Dates + pistachio butter + melted chocolate = an elite little sweet treat. Pop the filled dates in the freezer before dipping them in chocolate so they hold their shape. Perfect for our pregnant listeners wanting to get their date fix. Pistachio Papi is the elite spread, could also just use pistachio butter. 

Australia Post App: Lil has also discovered parcel tracking and parcel lockers and is wondering why nobody told her sooner. Also for our pilates princesses Leelo Active - Buttery, secure Pilates princess pants. 

And Glimmer Girls - we want to hear from you. What parenting software are you currently upgrading? What does your rebuild look like? 

Come tell us over on Instagram @growingthepodcast and join the conversation. 💌

Okay, this week we're going straight in. Lil’s house nearly went up in flames but actually just went up in fog (brain fog). She’s also navigating the stretch that comes with more kids and her relationship has had a welcome little reset (of sorts). 

Beth has happily welcomed weekends back into the chat in a really wholesome, no-pressure kind of way. But her growing pain is a big one, so brace yourselves. We hold hands while navigating the surprisingly heavy realisation at reaching the end of growing her family and how utterly unready she and her husband  feel about the finality of saying goodbye to pregnancy, newborns and the early-baby years.

It’s big and bittersweet. Perhaps the biggest surprise is realising that you can be completely content with your family while still grieving the end of a chapter you aren't quite ready to close.

Rebuild - Beth has been hitting her exercise classes hard and finding a new flow—and a little more confidence along the way. Get it, girl. Lil is trialling a weekend digital detox. Hallelujah. Brick praise be. 

Recipe - Lil made this wintry chicken soup for her household and it slaps in the most nourishing way.

Recommendation, but actually a reverse recommendation: Girly girls… what knickers are we wearing?! Seamless, comfortable, breathable, natural fibres… does the perfect pair exist? Please tell us what you're buying.

And have you downloaded Too Good To Go?! Mystery boxes aplenty, potentially enough to feed many a little mouth. Beth’s into it. 

And as always, come and join the conversation over on Instagram at @growingthepodcast. Tell us: are you feeling the brain fog, how did you handle closing the baby chapter? 

Rebuild, Recipes & Recommendations

Okay, so we’re a good four-and-a-bit months into life with our little babies and, truth be told… the tired in us is tired.

Beth has been managing naps for the better part of five years now and, look, it’s a lot. Speaking of five years, her first baby has just celebrated her fifth birthday, and isn’t that just magic in itself?

Meanwhile, Lilly’s house is also a little bit chaotic on the sleep front. It’s working… kind of. But she’s had the realisation that self-care and an exercise routine probably aren’t going to look convenient in this season of motherhood and she’s choosing to prioritise them anyway.

Recipes & Recommendations

Beth is recommending her LED face mask. We know… it’s wildly indulgent, but Beth’s verdict? Worth it. Here’s a little comparison to save you the research. 

Lil is living in her cosy Linen House dressing gown.

Recipe Tin Eats’ Birthday Cake is every bit as delicious as everyone says it is. Yes, it’s involved. Yes, it’s absolutely worth it.

Lil’s current breakfast obsession is a throw-together porridge with cinnamon, sultanas, peanut butter and a splash of vanilla. Add an egg while cooking for extra protein, or top with Greek yoghurt to serve.

And on the rebuilding front? Lil has treated herself to a few new exercise outfits because she deserves them and she’s a Pilates Princess, after all. Beth has booked her first exercise class in. 

Yehaaa. Look at us go.

As always, come and join the conversation over on Instagram at @growingthepodcast⁠. We’d love to know what’s one small thing you’re doing this week to rebuild and refill your cup?