Not Another Mummy Podcast

Ruth Crilly is a hugely successful model and beauty blogger and vlogger, having started her blog A Model Recommends in 2010. She has an audience of over 300,000 on YouTube and is the co-founder of Colab Dry Shampoo.

She’s also a mum of two and she talks to me here about her family life in rural Somerset, how much of that family life she shares online and how she juggles motherhood with her busy career. Ruth tells me about her soon-to-launch app – The Night Feed – which aims to give mums feeding their babies during the night something to read that’s totally tailored to them.

We also chat about something that many mums will identify with - finding elements of those early baby years a bit boring, how she tackles that boredom with getting a bit creative with games and why she believes she is a better mum because she works.

Follow Ruth on Instagram and on YouTube, read her blog A Model Recommends and find out more about The Night Feed.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please note: This episode deals with trauma. If you have been through a trauma you feel remains unresolved, please listen with care. You may wish to ensure that you have someone to listen with you; or to talk to about anything that arises for you. If you find it difficult, you can speak to a healthcare professional and find lots of resources for help on the Make Birth Better website.

Emma Svanberg is a perinatal clinical psychologist and mum, who is on Instagram as @mumologist. Her aim is to get mental health chat out of the clinic and into the real world. She is the co-founder of Make Birth Better and the author of the book Why Birth Trauma Matters.

On this episode, Emma talks to me about what birth trauma is, the differences between PTSD and post-natal depression, the things we can do if we feel we’ve had a traumatic birth and who to speak to if we feel it’s affecting our day to day lives.

I also chat to Emma about how much of a force for good Instagram is – raising awareness for mental health issues, people showing vulnerability, and talking about what has worked for them - and how much it’s actually creating a mental health problem.

Buy Emma’s book Why Birth Trauma Matters and follow her on Instagram.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may have heard a lot of talk about the fourth trimester – the 12 weeks following giving birth – but why do people go on about it and what should we be doing in that period? My guests on this episode are two people who know their stuff, and they’ve written a book all about the fourth trimester.

Alexis Stickland is a midwife, ante-natal teacher and mum of three. Beccy Hands is a doula, an ante natal and post natal massage therapist and a mum of two. Together, they wrote The Little Book Of Self Care For New Mums and they chat to me about how important it is for a new mum to focus on three things: caring for her newborn, healing physically and adjusting mentally. They give suggestions on how we can prepare, on a practical level, and how we can recruit the help of our partner, family members and friends to assist us in our fourth trimester.

Buy Alexis and Beccy’s book here and follow them on Instagram (Beccy is here and Alexis is here).

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you’re pregnant with your second baby, everyone thinks you know what you’re doing but often, you don’t! Having a second baby comes with a whole new set of challenges and my guest this week has written a book which helps guide you through them. Sarah Ockwell-Smith says she isn’t keen on the ‘expert’ label but she’s written ten books about parenting so make of that what you will!

The Second Baby Book has lots of advice and useful tips on navigating your second pregnancy, birth and beyond. She talks to me about how dropping your standards with your second baby can often be the key to coping – she advises trying to relax into it and trying not to feel guilty about it. (Which is easier said than done!)

Find out more about Sarah’s book, check out her website and follow her on Twitter.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re not following my guest this week, on Instagram, you need to remedy that immediately. Rosie Ramsey is a mum of one, a presenter, a podcaster, an actress and so much more.

We talk about why so many of us present our lives as being glossy and perfect on social media when actually, lots of us live a reality that’s slightly scruffy, chaotic and mundane. Rosie chats to me about how seeing such a polished version of life can affect your mental health and how she strives to keep it real when she’s posting on social media. We also discuss how it’s OK to mute someone on social media if you think what they’re posting is having a negative effect on you.

There’s also lots of chat about Rosie’s life with husband, comedian Chris Ramsey and their son Robin, she tells us who she likes to follow on Instagram and there’s even a little Instagram lesson at the end for all social media fans out there….

You can follow Rosie on Instagram and check out her podcast Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest, Kate Rogers, is a mum of one. She had a healthy pregnancy and a straight forward birth, but in the days after her son Frank was born, her whole life was flipped on its head when they discovered that Frank had contracted Group B Strep during the delivery, which led to him developing meningitis. The infection left Frank with a brain injury and he now lives with Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy.

Kate talks about caring for Frank, now age two, and what it was like to go from taking a seemingly healthy baby home from hospital to being given a diagnosis of meningitis. She's such an inspiration and manages to stay positive despite the challenges that life has thrown her way.

You can find out more about Group B Strep at Group B Strep Support, find out about Group B Strep testing here and you can follow Kate (and gorgeous Frank!) on Instagram - this post in particular illustrates the positive attitude that Kate has, go have a read.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The traditional family set up, with mum, dad and 2.4 children feels like a very outdated notion, doesn’t it? Families can be made up of two mums, two dads, a single parent, foster parents – the possibilities go on! My guests this week are two women who are step mums.

Sarah Powell is a radio and TV presenter, podcaster, wedding celebrant, coach and columnist for Red magazine… and she has two step-daughters.

Zoe Hardman is a radio and TV broadcaster, website founder and podcaster – and is mum to two little ones of her own and a step-daughter.

Both of them have quite different experiences of step parenting but they each have lots of advice on navigating the role, on meeting your partner’s children for the first time, on dealing with potential feelings of jealousy towards a step child and any insecure feelings that might emerge, on developing a good relationship with your partner’s ex, and lots more.

Follow Sarah on Instagram and find out more about her work here. Follow Zoe on Instagram and check out her podcast Made by Mammas.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Body confidence is something that gets talked about a lot. "Love your body" people cry! But it's not always that easy. And it's not like there's one issue or problem that everyone with low body confidence has, that can be 'fixed' with a few quick confidence tips or hacks. I've met people who hate their tummy, their upper arms, their bum, I know people who are a size 8 but hate their boobs, or who have a skin condition and hate wearing clothes that show it - I'm sure you could name people who feel like this too. Maybe you feel like this. 

My guest on the podcast this week says it's a wonder any of us feel OK about our bodies when we are bombarded by unrealistic images of bodies in the media, and on social media, every day. Molly Forbes is a broadcaster, co-host of podcast Body Cons and currently she's a host on Channel 4 programme Naked Beach, which sees her help different people deal with their body hang ups in each episode. Molly's also a mum of two and talks to me about how she talks to her kids about bodies in the hope that they grow up to love theirs.

Molly says there's no right or wrong way to feel about your body, and that coming to terms with it and starting to like it and love it is a process.

Follow Molly on Instagram, listen to Season One of podcast Body Cons and watch Naked Beach.

You can read a transcript of this episode on Not Another Mummy Blog.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Ria Clarke, a mum of one and a doctor specialising in women's health. Three years ago, Ria was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum which causes severe nausea, vomiting and often dehydration during pregnancy. As someone who suffered from fairly bad morning sickness, and struggled to go about my usual day to day business, I find it hard to imagine what Hyperemesis must be like.

But as Ria explains, she had to be admitted to hospital, had to take time off work and is still feeling the after effects from the trauma that the condition caused.

Ria also chats about what it's like to be a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, and talks about why there are five times more black women who are dying in pregnancy and childbirth than white women.

You can follow Ria on Instagram and find out more about Hyperemesis Gravidarum at Pregnancy Sickness Support.

You can read a transcript of this episode on Not Another Mummy Blog.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Producer: Imogen Hart, Create Productions

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this episode of Not Another Mummy Podcast is Simon Hooper – aka Father of Daughters. Simon has over 900,000 followers Instagram where he shows life from a dad’s point of view. He’s dad to four girls and you might have heard of his wife too – Clemmie

Hooper, who is on Instagram as Mother of Daughters. (Listen to Clemmie's episode of the podcast here).

Simon is also the author of a Sunday Times Bestseller – Forever Outnumbered – in which he talks about what it’s like to be the only man in a house of females!

On the podcast, Simon talks to me about life with girls, and also how he balances ‘Insta fame’ with being just a regular dad. Simon explains that he and Clemmie have guidelines on what they will and won’t post online, and talk to their older girls about whether they’re happy to feature in their online content. We also talk about twins – he gave me some excellent tips which were much needed as when we recorded this episode, I was heavily pregnant with my twins!

Follow Simon on Instagram and buy his book, Forever Outnumbered, here.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.