Welcome back to The Kick Pregnancy Podcast! We’ve been very busy behind the scenes and are so excited to be back in your ears. 

In this episode, we’re discussing everything about the menstrual cycle. We have many frequent questions from listeners about their periods and the symptoms they’re experiencing so Dr Pat is pulling back the curtain today to answer every question that impacts the cycle. 

We’ll delve into how the menstrual cycle works, the days of the cycle, how the cycle changes throughout a woman’s life, the causes for irregularities, PCOS, Endometriosis, treatments, pregnancy and so much more. 

There are many temporary factors that can impact your period such as weight loss, emotional stress, the Covid vaccine and over-exercising to name a few. Dr Pat will explore each of them to explain how they impact your body and what they mean for your cycle. 

This episode is perfect for all women to learn more about their menstrual cycles and understand when there may be a need to seek medical help.

 LINKS

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When you become pregnant, endless information is thrown at you regarding what foods you can and can’t eat for the next 9 months. It can be very difficult to work out what is scientifically accurate and what has just been passed down from older relatives. 

In this episode, Brigid is talking about safe food in pregnancy with food and safety expert, Gary Kennedy. Gary has worked with more than 1000 companies and government departments to ensure their food handling is safe and complies with health standards. 

In this festive time of year, we’re all going to gatherings where food will be laid out on tables or at the barbeque in the backyard for an extended amount of time. We wanted to talk to an expert to keep you safe during the holidays and ensure your pregnancy is healthy. 

We discuss how to store food safely, how to choose safer food options when you’re out and about, what food is best to avoid and why, and what the safer options are for you at Christmas. 

This episode is absolutely jam packed full of useful and insightful information. Gary is a wealth of knowledge and we’re very grateful to have him on the show today to help educate pregnant women to make safer food choices.

 LINKS

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This episode has a trigger warning for parents who have experienced loss. 

Planning your pregnancy after the loss of a baby can be a very difficult and anxious time. There are thousands of worries running through your mind and you will want to check on the health of your baby constantly. But it’s important to remember there is also life, hope and joy after loss. Our next guest will bravely share her own story to help other parents open up and support each other to heal. 

In this episode, Brigid is talking with the inspiring and remarkable Priyanka Saha. Priyanka has founded the Lily Calvert foundation and set up the storytelling platform ‘The Murmuring of Ten Million’. She is also a lawyer, runs a cyber security company, and is on the board of a regional Victorian health service. 

Priyanka’s first-born daughter, Lily, died when she was just 10 months old from an incurable brain condition known as Miller Dieker Syndrome. She found out she was pregnant again only one week after the funeral for Lily. This was such a terrifying and challenging time for her and her partner trying to handle all of the anxiety and dread that there would be something wrong. 

Priyanka defines a ‘rainbow baby’ as sunlight shining through water to create a rainbow. This means allowing the happiness and the sadness to sit alongside one another - feeling happy does not cancel out your grief. Once you understand this, you will begin to find peace. 

Priyanka courageously shares her experience of parenting a child who is dying and speaks candidly about the realities of trying to conceive and go through pregnancy after loss. By sharing her story she is hoping to help others to navigate the highs and the lows, grief and joy, and the anxieties that exist during pregnancy and parenting your rainbow baby.

 LINKS

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Clotting in pregnancy and during the postpartum period can be a significant concern for a new Mum. To treat clots, doctors will try to adopt a preventative approach and prescribe anticoagulants during pregnancy and the postpartum phase to reduce the risk in at risk patients. 

But who is an at risk patient? 

Will the baby be affected? 

In this episode, we are discussing everything you need to know about clotting. Pregnancy increases your risk of clotting by 5 to 10x and the postpartum period increases your risk 15 to 35x! 

We’ll talk about the different factors that increase your risk and the type of preventative measures that doctors will prescribe. We’ll go through exactly what you can expect when taking anti-coagulants during your pregnancy and after you’ve given birth. To ensure you have the full picture, we’ll discuss the signs and symptoms of a clot and explore how your hospital will diagnose it. 

The potential of developing a clot can understandably cause anxiety in new Mums so we wanted to inform you all about how this is prevented, diagnosed and treated to assuage your concerns. Let us know if you have any questions or thoughts on this topic, we’d love to hear from you.

 LINKS

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Can you choose the sex of your baby? 

This is probably one of the most commonly asked questions when someone becomes pregnant and has been requested from one of our listeners.  

It’s easy to understand why people would want to choose the sex. Perhaps you have a family of three boys already and are hoping for a girl or vice versa. 

In this episode, we discuss the stories floating around that promise to deliver a certain sex. Everybody has heard them - whether you have to face north at the time of conception or schedule your perfect date and time of conception with numerical planning - we’ve heard them all. 

We’ll explore the Shettles Method and if there is any merit to this procedure. 

Unfortunately, there is only really one way to guarantee the sex of your baby and that’s through IVF. We’ll talk about how this method works to ensure a particular sex and the strict limitations to using this procedure in Australia.

We’ll also discuss the disappointment and guilt new parents can feel when they have a baby that isn’t the sex they were hoping for. This feeling can continue on into parenting, so it’s important we look at how to handle these emotions to support each other.

 LINKS

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We have all heard about how important iron is during pregnancy, but did you know that it is just as important when you are pre-pregnancy and breastfeeding? 

In today’s episode, we are talking about all matters relating to iron. Pregnant mothers' bodies need to literally make more blood to support the growing baby, and to do this she needs adequate iron levels. Through the birthing process, women lose blood, so it is important that you are not iron deficient or anemic leading into it because you need to have blood to spare. 

The challenge is that you may think low iron symptoms, such as feeling tired, are because you are pregnant, but in actuality, you may be iron deficient. 

Remember, it is so important to advocate for yourself with your doctor to ensure that you are being tested for iron deficiency (both through hemoglobin and ferritin) if you are feeling tired, fatigued, exhausted, or depressed. 

We all need iron, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman. But women have the added complexities of the pre-pregnancy phase, the pregnancy phase, the breastfeeding phase, and the loss of iron through menstruation. 

We love hearing from you! Send us your questions for our next podcast through Speak Pipe so we can have your voice on the show.

 LINKS

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If there was a gold standard for being a Dad, it’s sure to look like Mitch Papas, who joins us today to talk about how to be a supportive partner during pregnancy and beyond.

In this episode, Mitch shares the journey he and his wife, Georgia, went on as they planned to conceive and the importance of being curious, doing research and supporting your partner as much as you can. 

We talk about tracking cycles, learning about your partner’s medical history, and thinking ahead so you can speak to your employer about taking time off work. Mitch shares his practical advice for how Dads can be the best possible support to their partners and we also talk about the importance of celebrating men who are doing so.

We’ll be releasing Part 2 to this episode on how to be a great partner in childbirth, which will be exclusively available only for members in the Grow My Baby program. Join up to check it out.

 LINKS

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•  Ask a question on the podcast:  Send a voice message to     GrowMyBaby

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Nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy is pretty common, which doesn’t make it any less yucky, but most women do start feeling better around 12 weeks. Unfortunately for some women who are diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), their experience is much more severe. We have a lot of compassion for those women battling through pregnancy.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum is something that has been somewhat misunderstood and these women can be seen as someone with morning sickness who just complains a lot. We want to break that stigma today as we unpack what HG is, how it’s diagnosed, the common treatments and when it will finally end.

Dr Pat sheds some light on what happens when nausea doesn’t get under control, when hospitalisation may be necessary, how to make sure you and your baby get the nutrients you require and the importance of looking after your mental health throughout pregnancy and beyond.

If you’re battling morning sickness or even worse, HG, hang in there and make sure you visit your GP for a checkup.

 LINKS

•  Instagram  @thekickpregnancypodcast
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have an important bonus episode for you today to keep all our listeners up to date with the latest Australian recommendations for the Covid vaccination during pregnancy. 

Due to the nature of Covid, we’re learning information as we go along. In this episode, Pat gives us the run down on previous advice from the Australian government and how this advice has changed now that we have more significant data on the effects of Covid and the Covid vaccine in pregnant women.

Pat explains what an mRNA vaccine is, how it works, the possible side effects and sheds some light on some of the “Instanews” you may have heard on social media.

 LINKS

•  Instagram  @thekickpregnancypodcast_
•  Facebook  @thekickpregnancypodcast
•  Ask a question on the podcast:  Send a voice message to     GrowMyBaby
• 
  

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We get a lot of questions coming in through our DM’s and this episode is a response to a request from one of those lovely listeners who was diagnosed with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) at week 15 of pregnancy.

What is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, you ask? Apart from being a mouthful to say, it can also be referred to as pelvic girdle pain and it’s something I struggled with during my third and fourth pregnancies. And let me tell you, it’s painful. 

To help answer some questions surrounding pelvic girdle pain, what it is, why women get it and what can be done about it, I’m joined by Kath Baquie, a perinatal physiotherapist, mum of three young girls with plenty of personal and professional experience in the area. 

Kath is the founder of FitNest Mama, an online membership providing support and inspiration for pregnant women and new mums. In this episode we talk about the different reasons why some women develop pelvic girdle pain, the common risk factors and different ways to help ease the pain and discomfort associated with it. 

We talk about the importance of taking care of our bodies as they undergo such huge change throughout pregnancy and childbirth and Kath’s recommendation for all women to engage in a postnatal rehab plan. 

If you’ve got a little niggle or perhaps battling severe discomfort, this episode will be really helpful for you. Don’t put up with pain if you don’t need to!

 LINKS

•  Instagram  @thekickpregnancypodcast_
•  Facebook  @thekickpregnancypodcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.