Mum Will Know

Breastfeeding a newborn – normal. But breastfeeding a toddler, is that normal? Yes, in fact the World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding to 2 and beyond. So why don’t we see it and talk about it more?

Today I speak with IBCLC Susie Prout about the practicalities of breastfeeding older kids. We talk about introducing solids, introducing boundaries around breastfeeding. How breastfeeding works with changes to life like returning to work, being pregnant, tandem feeding. We talk about if breastfeeding older children affects their emotional dependence and some tips on weaning, for when the time is right.

To find out more about Susie, check out the show notes

New parenthood is hard enough when you throw together a newborn baby, limited communication and never enough sleep… but then to receive overwhelming amounts of well-meaning but often conflicting advice, can leave even the most maternally gifted of us scrambling and losing our minds in stress.

Today’s episode focusses on providing evidence-based information to help parents understand their babies more, in order to enjoy this special time with their newborns, despite the challenges that may arise. I speak with Dr Pamela Douglas of The Possums Clinic about specific issues including reflux, allergies, babies’ sensory needs and sleep. 

To find out more and to get links to The Possums Clinic, check out the show notes here.

And here’s Pamela’s book ‘The Discontented Little Baby Book’

Eager to learn how you can prepare for an easier birth? Enter Gail Tully and her Spinning Babies philosophy. 

Today, we talk about the baby’s role in birth, and how women can be empowered through knowledge of anatomy and physical preparation to ensure all their different body parts work in harmony to create a smoother birth experience.

For the full show notes and links to Spinning Babies website and social pages, click here.

Who doesn’t love a massage!? When you’re worked up, exhausted or stressed, having a massage can literally work wonders. So why not start massaging our kids? Other cultures have been doing this for centuries… so it’s time we caught up!

Today I chat with Deb Sirone of Nurture Me Massage about baby massage. We cover the many benefits and research that supports this practice and some practical do’s and don’ts when starting to massage young bubbas.

To catch links to Deb’s social pages and website check out the show notes.

Also if you’re trying to chase down the books she recommended, look no further:
-       Your Baby is Speaking to You by Kevin Nugent https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/n9Md6
-       Infant Massage, A Handbook for Loving Parents by Vimala McClure https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/bWXd9 

Sydney-based Nutritionist Monique Cormack shares practical and evidence-based advice on women’s health with particular focus on fertility and preparing to conceive, pregnancy and the often-overlooked postnatal period.

To access the show notes and links to connect with Monique, head to www.mumwillknow.com

For part 3 of my mini series on Childbirth Education options, I speak with Calmbirth director Karen McClay. Following in her father’s footsteps as a midwife and Calmbirth educator, Karen opens up how birth is not just about birthing a baby, but the birth of a mother too. She delves into the importance of acknowledging the emotional side of birth and parenting and discusses how the event of giving birth is monumental in preparing a couple to face parenthood. Karen shares exactly what to expect from a Calmbirth course and offers wisdom on the importance of education in all aspects of life.

If you’re trying to chase down her recommended resources, look no further…

Books:
-       Ina May Gaskin “Guide to Childbirth” https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/QZBAz
-       Rhea Dempsey “Birthing with Confidence” & “Beyond the Birth Plan”
-       Heng Ou “The First 40 Days” https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/rkVLB
-       Oscar Serrallach “The Postnatal Depletion Cure” https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/PJoRq
-       Elly Taylor “Becoming Us” https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/eyDeZ 

Website:
-       The Possums Clinic with Pamela Douglas https://possumsonline.com/ 

Head to the show notes for links to the Calmbirth website and social media pages.

Antenatal and birth education is so important in preparing women and their partners for birth and parenthood. But the amount of options for courses can be a bit overwhelming… So today I speak with Nadine Richardson, founder of She Births, all about her scientifically verified childbirth classes. You’ll get an idea of what to expect from the She Births program as well as a look into how attitudes towards birth can impact our experience, and why birth education is so important.

ALSO ALSO ALSO, I have a 10% off discount code for She Births online courses!! 
Use mumwillknow10 for 10% off!

And if you’re looking for the recommended books Nadine mentioned these are the ones to chase down:
- Sheila Kitzinger classics like Birth Crisis https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/Vz746
- Janet Balaskis New Active Birth https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/gMYog 

Australia in Summer is known to be beautiful, warm and an ideal holiday destination. Although, with the sun and outdoors also comes snakes, spiders, sunburn, dangerous tides and rips, and a whole host of other potentially dangerous risks… especially when thinking about our kids! It can be somewhat overwhelming, and the idea of taking your kids to the beach or away camping might feel too much of a hassle. But, as I always rant on about, education and being prepared can set you up with the information and skills to equip you with confidence for whatever is to come. 

So as we head into Summer, Rach from Tiny Hearts Education has generously shared some top Summer Safety tips. She covers topics like water safety, sun safety, how to respond to bites and stings, outdoor injuries and even shares some important information about babies’ tolerance to heat. This is a really important conversation to be having, so share it with any parents or parents to be!

To find links to Tiny Hearts Education, check out the show notes here 

Antenatal education is not only known to positively affect a woman’s birth outcome but also her perception of birth. But there are so many different options out there, from hospital classes to private classes… How do we know what is going to be best for us?! 

MINI SERIES! WOO! Over the next month or so I’m bringing to MWK ears a range of interviews about different antenatal education courses.

This episode I speak with Hypnobirthing Australia founder Melissa Spilsted about one of Australian families most popular antenatal education course. Melissa explains what Hypnobirthing is, why the Hypnobirthing Australia courses differ to other antenatal and birth courses, and why education is so important for families in the lead up to their birth. 

To find out more about Hypnobirthing Australia courses check out these links:

Hypnobirthing Australia: https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au/?affiliates=354 

Hypnobubs online course: https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au/product/hypnobubs-hypnobirthing-online-course/?affiliates=354 

Positive Caesarean Birth Course: https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au/positive-cesarean-birth-online-course/?affiliates=354 

Instagram:

@hypnobirthingaustralia

@hypnobubs

And here are Melissa’s recommended books:

Dr Sarah Buckley “Gentle Birth, Gentle Parenting”

https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/Qa4BM 

Michel Odent “Birth & Breastfeeding” among other books…

https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/VJBJa 

And for further show notes or access to past episodes head to www.mumwillknow.com

The number of women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes in Australia has more than doubled every year for the past decade! This increasingly common diagnosis comes with a lot of fear and often feelings of guilt. So, as always, it’s worth looking into what is going on, what in fact Gestational Diabetes is, how much control we as pregnant women have over its diagnosis and management, and what it means for our baby’s health, and our health, both during the pregnancy and in years to come. In this episode Melbourne dietician Robyn Compton answers all these questions and more...

To get the full show notes and Robyn’s contact details head to www.mumwillknow.com