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 @basiclabelcoFor 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.

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@hypnobubsAnd 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