The Postnatal Podcast

In this episode I’m chatting with my friend, Amy Richmond. Amy is a mum to one and works as a social worker.

This episode goes deep into some of the dilemmas that new mums face during that transition to becoming a mum. This has been one of my favourite episodes to record as we discuss lots of things that I experienced myself during early motherhood so lots of it resonated with me.

We talked about Amy’s preparation for that time postnatally, she focused mainly on the birth but did one major thing that had a positive impact on her time postnatally. Amy visited a breastfeeding café during pregnancy. She then went on to have some difficulties and visited the breastfeeding café for support with this in the very early days after her daughter being born.

Amy talks about not being prepared for what early motherhood would be like and she struggled with finding everything difficult and as though she was doing it wrong. We talked about the struggle of integrating the identity you had before having children with your ‘mum’ identity and Amy admitted that’s something she’s still getting her head around.

It was this conversation that I really enjoyed having with Amy because it’s something that I’ve found few women are talking about but in my experience it brings up a lot of difficult emotions for new mums. This is a major area that I focus on in the work I do supporting women with their emotional wellbeing during early motherhood as I feel it can really contribute to low mood and feelings of overwhelm for new mums.

I know I say this every time but I really enjoyed recording this episode and I really hope you enjoy listening. If you do then please leave me a review on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast as that helps it to be found by more mums. Also if you know someone who would benefit from hearing this conversation then please share with them.

If you’d like to learn more about self care and looking after your emotional wellbeing as a mum then you can download my free self care toolkit here. 

Download it now!

Trigger warning – in this episode we talk about postnatal anxiety and about Sally’s admission to a psychiatric hospital before she became pregnant. 

This week I’m chatting to Sally Golightly. Sally is a birth and postnatal doula and she also runs maternal journal Yorkshire. Sally has two children.

In this episode we talk about Sally’s postnatal experiences; she describes her first as magical. It involved lots of rest which supported Sally’s recovery. Although this is a podcast focusing on postnatal experiences we did cover some aspects of Sally’s birth. Sally prepared meticulously for birth and she had a really positive birth experience. This is important to note because Sally is of the view that this experience had a knock on effect on her postnatal experience.

 Sally and I discussed how women’s birth experiences often have a massive impact on how they feel postnatally. Sally also talked about sometimes worrying about sharing her birth story with others as she realises there was an element of luck (she talks about ‘things lining up’) combined with lots of preparation during pregnancy. Sally said she realises lots of women prepare for the birth they want but things don’t end up going according to plan and she feels strongly about not wanting to upset these women by sharing her positive experience.

I understand what Sally is saying as birth and birth trauma is such an emotive topic and I would never want to upset or offend anyone who didn’t have the birth experience they wanted. However, I also think it’s unfair and also potentially doing a disservice to others for women who have had a positive birth experience to feel unable to share their story for fear of upsetting other mums. I am of the view that talking about these positive birth experiences could potentially change the way birth is viewed. I see both sides of the dilemma and there’s definitely a bigger conversation there for another time.

Sally later talks about her postnatal experience with her second son; this was quite different to before and led to her being diagnosed with postnatal anxiety.

She talks about some techniques she used to manage her anxiety, one of these being journaling. Sally talks about setting up a branch of maternal journal in Yorkshire. Maternal journal is a group where women get together and use journaling as a tool to talk about their motherhood experiences. It’s an absolutely fab way to get mums talking about the realities of mum life in a safe, supportive way and is massively beneficial for mums’ mental health.

I really hope you love this episode as much as I’ve loved recording it. If you do then please leave a review via iTunes, leave a review and share it with another mum who you think would find it useful – this makes all the difference!

I’ve also got a free download of wellbeing tips for mums. if you need something to help you manage your emotions. It's got self care and postnatal planning tips. 

Download that here

Find out more about Sally here

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Maternal Journal Website 

Today I have my friend. Jalpa Patel, on the podcast. Jalpa is a mum of one and she talks to me about her experiences during those first few days, weeks and months after birth.

Jalpa talks about not preparing much during pregnancy to prepare for looking after her own emotional wellbeing in those early days of motherhood. Jalpa did lots of practical prep and preparation for the birth but didn’t really focus on what her needs would be once her baby arrived.

Jalpa talked about her transition into being a mum as amazing. However, she said she also experienced down days and she struggled to adjust. Jalpa describes not really being able to but her finger on what was wrong as everything was going well. However, she said she did struggle with her emotions at times.

Jalpa talks about having an amazing support network around her to help with practical and emotional support.

Jalpa is of Indian heritage and she shared some information about Indian cultural traditions that happen during the time postnatally. Jalpa talked, about there being an expectation for new mums to rest for around 6 weeks and to eat specific foods that nurture and replenish the body.

Jalpa and I talked about what she would have done differently. She said she would have tried to prepare herself more emotionally and think about what she would need in those early days.

Jalpa's top tips for pregnant and new mums

-        Utilise the support around you.

-        Take care of yourself.

-        Know that you can do it, have faith in yourself. 

In this episode cognitive hypnotherapist Naomi Woolfson of More Mojo for Mums shares simple techniques of how to calm your mind and body. She shares the self-hug acupressure technique and two questions you can ask yourself to help you feel better in the moment.

 

She invites you to join her free mini-course ‘5 Days, 5 Ways to Calm’ sharing exercises that range from 20 seconds to 20 minutes, that will not only allow you to feel so much better in the moment but will bring your body out of stress response therefore building your resilience. Join free group now no sign up required all videos within topics for each day.

 

 

Want to know more about Naomi?

 

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More Mojo for Mums Website- Mindfulness and mindset for mums

 

Today I’ve got something a little bit different. I managed to persuade my fab business coach, Rachel Smith, to record a really helpful visualisation exercise that I have used and found really helpful.

 

Rachel is a transformational business coach, supporting women to step into their future selves and grow their brilliant business.

She uses coaching, NLP, EFT and her many years of running successful businesses to support her clients to take their business to the next level and generate consistent months of 5K a month and beyond.

When Rachel is not working, she loves spending time with her family including her husband, her teenage son and her 9 year old daughter.  And when she is not spending time with her family, she loves nothing better than watching Netflix, exercising or hanging out with her girlfriends.

 

In this episode Rachel shares a visualisation exercise.

 

Your mind is a powerful tool.  Throughout the day, your mind is constantly looking for and presenting evidence that matches your version of the world.

When you want to make any changes to your world, whether that is your mindset, your health, your relationships, your confidence etc., you have to start this work within, otherwise before too long you may have reverted to your old ways of thinking and feeling.

A really brilliant and very powerful way to retrain your mind and increase your belief that you can and will achieve your deepest desires is using visualisation.

Rachel has created this visualisation audio for you to listen to that will gently guide you through a beautiful relaxation exercise to a place where you meet your future self!

 

“When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Viktor E. Frankl

 

Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed, get comfy and press play.

Please be aware that whilst listening to this visualisation you are taking full responsibility for your well being.

 You can relisten to this visualisation as many times as you want.

 Where can you find out more about Rachel?

 

Website: www.rachelsmithlifecoach.com

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In this episode I’m chatting with Gillian Duncan. Gillian is mum to two teenage boys. She is the founder of Clarity junction and is also an author of a book about sleep.

Gillian talks to me about both of her pregnancies. During her first pregnancy she was told it was unlikely her pregnancy would reach full term. She experienced a lot of complications during that pregnancy and talks about her anxiety surrounding this pregnancy. This anxiety continued when her baby was born and led to her experiencing postnatal depression which Gillian talks about in detail.

Gillian also talks about her relationship with sleep over the years; she experienced insomnia and difficulties sleeping before pregnancy. Her anxiety surrounding pregnancy and early motherhood exacerbated this Gillian’s health started to suffer because of her poor sleep.

This led to Gillian researching about sleep and writing a book about insomnia. Gillian talks about the book and about how mums can get as much sleep as possible during those early stages of motherhood.

I really enjoyed talking to Gillian and I really hope you enjoy the episode!

Gillian’s tips on getting more sleep.

-       Avoid looking at your phone and keep the lights low in the hour before going to bed. Looking at your phone signals to your brain to wake up so scrolling through your phone at bedtime is not the best idea if you’re struggling to sleep.  

-       Start a bedtime routine to help you relax before bed. This can involve listening to calm music, meditating, taking a bath, reading a book or using an essential oil diffuser with a relaxing scent. Self care is so important (as I’m sure you’ve heard me bang on about before!)

-       Try to avoid alcohol and eating food before bed as this can act as a stimulant and wake us up. Alcohol also inhibits REM sleep which leads us to feel less rested.

-       If you are really sleep poor then a nap during the day will help.

-       Stay in bed, if you struggle to sleep don’t get up. It’s still rest even if you aren’t asleep.

How to find out more about Gillian

Clarity Junction  

Sleep  by Gillian M. Duncan 

Today I’m chatting with Maranda Bower. Maranda is a Postpartum bliss coach – supports women deeply in healing their body after child birth with a focus on nutrition, sleep and hormone balance.

This is another shorter episode focusing on what new mums can do to take care of themselves during the current COVID-19 health crisis.

Maranda talks about postpartum nutrition and how the postpartum body functions differently to pre-pregnancy. Maranda shares lots of information about how women can support their immune systems during the health crisis and also how women can use ritual and rhythms to heal and reduce anxiety.

This is a really lovely episode and I hope you love it. If you do then please subscribe on Itunes and share with a mum friend who you think would find it useful. This really helps to spread the word about the podcast and help more pregnant and new mums to enjoy motherhood as much as possible.

Where can I find out more about Maranda? 

https://www.serenitygrows.com/

Today I’m chatting with Emma Cottam. Founder of Isabella & Us, creator of The Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums and host of the Positive Wellbeing Podcast for Mums.

This is another shorter episode focusing on what pregnant and new mums can do during the current health crisis to reduce any anxieties or worries they have about COVID-19.

Emma talks about her own experiences with perinatal mental health issues.

She also talks about the importance of taking care of yourself during these difficult times. Emma says this is important now, more than ever. Even if it is taking 5 minutes a day to do something that is purely for you – that will help.

Emma shares some ideas for self care activities that are easy to carry out at home and she also shares some resources she has created to help mums while they are on lockdown.

I really hope you enjoy the episode. If you do then please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and share with a mum who might find it useful. This really helps to spread the word about the podcast and get it in front of as many women as possible.

How to find out more about Emma

https://isabellaandus.com/

Today I’m chatting to Emily Gilliland. Emily is a personal trainer specialising in working with pregnant and new mums.

This is another shorter episode focused on providing short, practical hints and tips to help pregnant and new mums while they are stuck at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

In this episode we talk about how exercise can help you to feel better. Emily shares her ‘core breath’ technique that is useful not only for strengthening tour core and pelvic floor postnatally but also helps with mindfulness and can be used to help you relax quickly if you’re feeling stressed out.

I really hope you enjoy the episode. If you do then please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and share with a mum who might find it useful. This really helps to spread the word about the podcast and get it in front of as many women as possible.

I have some more lockdown episodes coming up over the next few days; you’ll need to subscribe to the podcast so you can find out when they are ready.

Where to find Emily

http://www.emilygfitness.co.uk/

https://www.strongermother.com/

I’m chatting to Alex Heath today.

Alex is a clinical hypnotherapist and used to work as a birth doula. Alex is the founder of the website ‘traumatic birth recovery’ for parents and professionals who have been impacted by perinatal trauma.

This is another additional episode that has been recorded during the COVID-19 health crisis and aims to provide support to women who are currently pregnant and are worried about how COVID-19 may impact on their birth.

Alex shares insights into how she is managing the lockdown; she has been fluctuating between highs and lows and is trying to be gentle with herself. Alex also practices self care techniques such as yoga and meditation which helps.

Alex talks about women connecting with their power and being proud of themselves for growing and nurturing their baby. Alex talks in detail about birth trauma, how it can happen and what women can do to try to prevent it from happening.

Alex gives some really useful advice such as the importance of arming yourself with as much antenatal education as you can, so you know what to expect during labour. Alex also talks about women needing to find their voice and speak out if they are worried or frightened during labour. This can really help women to feel more in control of their labour.

There is so much useful information this episode for pregnant women. It’s definitely a listen for anyone who is pregnant and worried about giving birth at the moment.

Where you can find Alex

https://traumaticbirthrecovery.com/