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...

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....

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

With Induction of Labour becoming increasingly more prevalent in Australia today, its important we understand why it is recommended and what risks come with having an induction. This episode dives deep into some of the many indications for induction today… opening up whether research fully supports those recommendations or not (hint – some of the reasons doctors may suggest you be induced actually aren’t supported by current research!) We take the risks of inductions seriously, looking at the...

More than a third of Australian women today have their labours induced. As this method of intervention becomes more and more common, it’s important that we understand exactly what an induction is, why its recommended and what the risks are that come with being induced. As I say in most of my episodes, being informed and educated well in advance will mean that if this is something that ends up being recommended or brought up at some point near the end of your pregnancy, you don’t feel...

Breastfeeding and sleep! Two of the biggest, most stressful parts of motherhood, so of course they overlap… Today Kate delves deep into the relationship between breastfeeding and sleep, opening up ideas like co-sleeping, breastfeeding a baby to sleep, offering a bottle overnight and more. She also shares information on breastfeeding past 1 year, the benefits, how it works with return to work, if pregnant again, and even tandem feeding

96% of Australian women intend to breastfeed but at 4 months of age only 39% of babies are exclusively breastfed. Clearly something is going on here. Today I speak with Lactation consultant, midwife and mum of two, Kate Visser about some of the common issues and questions that arise around breastfeeding. In part 1 of our conversation Kate delves into pain and nipple damage, tongue ties, supply issues and whether breast size impacts milk production