Mum Will Know

Pelvic floor dysfunction is often seen as a normal consequence or symptom of pregnancy and postnatal life. But as women's health physio Laura Watt shares “just because it is common doesn’t mean that it is normal”.

In today’s conversation Laura shares how important pelvic floor rehab is following childbirth. We talk through topics including return to exercise, scar massage for both caesarean and perineal scars, getting back into sex, how to look after your pelvic floor & signs that maybe something's a bit off.

This is one episode every woman who's ever given birth should listen to.

For links to connect with Laura, check out the show notes here

In today’s episode I speak with mum of three Pamela about her experience with premature babies. She had her three sons at 35, 34 and 33 weeks which has meant she’s spent a lot of time in NICU and Special Care Nurseries. Pamela shares with us some of the hard realities that come with having premature babies – things like being separated from your newborn as they are transferred to a different hospital, initial feelings of meeting and holding your tiny newborn who fits in the palm of your hand. She talks openly about the challenges of managing going to and from the hospital to see baby whilst looking after older kids at home and heaps more. 

Pamela has clearly had a different pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience to a lot of us, and one which you could expect to be quite traumatic, but in speaking with her about it all she is just so positive. She speaks of how much of an impact the nurses caring for her babies had made, and what support was so necessary in getting through that time.

To connect with Pamela find her @basiclabelco

For show notes and access to more episodes click here

Acuneedling – What is it and how can it help during pregnancy, labour and postnatally? Today I chat with Lauretta of Ballarat Born about the benefits of acuneedling / acupuncture during the perinatal period.

To connect with Lauretta find her social pages in the show notes

Today my husband Jorge and I chat about our daughter Esther’s birth. She’s nine weeks old now, and this is potentially one of the only times we have talked about the birth with each other. Esther being the second child means that this postpartum time has been busy with entertaining Rupert, our firstborn… and having had Esther in lockdown meant that we haven’t had the usual storytelling that comes when people visit (because we haven’t had anyone visit). So, today’s conversation is unrehearsed, off-the-cuff, reflections on my most recent birth. 

If you’re keen to hear my first birth story with my son Rupert, check out episode 2 “My Breech Birth”

For 10% off TENS machine hire through Bliss Birth use code MWK10.

What effect does the way we parent have on our children? Is there a correlation between our parenting, discipline, teaching of our kids and their learning?  In this episode Hannah Alexander explains how important the way we parent our young kids is in their development, their mental health, the way they see themselves and the world.

She talks about parenting styles and in particular focusses on positive, reflective, responsive parenting. She shares practical tips on discipline and the language we use with our kids. Hannah also shares a huge list of resources for further reading on this subject.

To get links to these resources and to connect with Hannah head to the show notes

If you’ve had a baby before, or even have nieces and nephews or friends with young kids you’ll remember that feeling of shock and astonishment at how quickly babies change. You see it physically as they change from a floppy, pink skinned, sleepy newborn to a chubby toddler. You see it as they grow interested in the world, start babbling and later talking, rolling, crawling and walking. Some months it feels like the are a different child every week and that they pick up new skills every single day. It’s incredible.

In today's episode Paediatric Physiotherapist Nicole Pates of Western Kids Health talks all things motor development in babies’ first two years. She opens up the anxiety-provoking topic of milestones and delves into what a parents’ role is in children meeting these milestones. We look into concepts of purposeful and sensory play and Nicole shares her thoughts on the many modern toys that can be helpful or not so helpful to physical development.

For the full show notes and to get links to Nicole's website and Instagram pages, click here

Babywearing is not a new concept. In fact, carrying babies on their mothers, or other care givers chest, hip or back has been around forever. But in Western culture today, with designer prams and working mothers, babywearing isn’t seen as the norm.

Today I chat with babywearing consultant Brooke about why we need to keep wearing our babies. The benefits, the challenges, FAQs and what options there are...

To find out more from Brooke check out the show notes

Starting solids, fussy toddlers… mealtimes can be really stressful with young kids. But they don’t need to be! Today I chat with Paediatric Dietician Dr Kyla about how to make mealtimes stress-free.

For more episodes, links to Dr Kyla's instagram and websites and access to show notes click here

For World Breastfeeding Week I’m chatting with two of my high school besties about their breastfeeding experiences. We cover cracked, bleeding nipples, tongue tie, the emotional toil and guilt around feeding the baby you love, and also have a few laughs over way too much boobs on show in public.

If you’re after more educational, researched backed info on breastfeeding including the benefits of breastfeeding for mum and baby, or to hear from some lactation consultants talk on many topics and FAQs around breastfeeding, then scroll back through Mum Will Know history and find episodes 6, 7, 27 and 39.

Check out the show notes and more episodes at www.mumwillknow.com

You never want your baby to be the one that needs assistance at birth, help with breathing or an admission to the special care nursery… but it does happen. 

In today’s episode I speak with Paediatric doctors-in-training Freya and Anne from You’re Kidding Right Podcast about some of the common issues that arise in term newborns in their first week or so of life.

We cover the very first intervention required at birth – resuscitation. And then look into some of the common reasons babies are taken to the nursery including respiratory issues like Transient tachypnoea of the newborn, infection, and pneumothorax, as well as jaundice, low blood sugars and feeding issues.

To catch the full show notes and links to hear more from Freya and Anne, click here.