Season 4 of Stretch Marks with Sinead O'Moore returns on Wednesday 19th July 2023 - because when it comes to parenting/working/budgeting/living/loving/coping - we are still stretched to f@$* Joined by inspirational guests, experts and friends Sinead hopes to help us flow with whatever life is throwing at us, calling out the areas of over stretch and leaves us feeling more empowered, proud and confident about the versions of ourselves we are growing in to. This is the anti-bounce back. This...

So here we are - episode 10.  I wanted to leave you with a conversation with a woman who’s pulled me back to balance more times than I can remember.  Suzy Reading is a Chartered Psychologist specialising in wellbeing, stress management and facilitation of healthy lifestyle change.  She is an accredited yoga teacher and through her integrated work she supports people feeling frazzled, stressed, reactive tired and overwhelmed - so all of us then!  The author of 9 books the latest of which REST...

I admire Aoibhín Garrihy so much - 3 under 3, projects that fuel her passion and always on the go. I compare myself (badly) to her and all it seems she can so effortlessly achieve. But ya know what... we are all the same. Women trying our best, doubting ourselves, comparing ourselves and feeling oh so stretched in this life we love. We talk about the stretch of 3 under 3, the road back to finding ourselves, the burden of comparison and the comfort found in creativity, business and...

Business // Babies // Boundaries // Backing yourself - it's a stretch. I'm joined by Jane Asple Keating, founder and creator of Emma by Jane, the luxury Irish jewellery and accessories brand. With a 19 month old Jane knows the business and baby juggle. We talk about working in the labour ward, how the pressure of breastfeeding was a stretch too far and how important it is to back yourself, your goals and your dreams while still searching for the unattainable boundaries so many of us...

Child behaviour//tantrums//dis-regulation//discipline This was a really highly requested episode. So I asked Dr. Claire Conlon, Senior Clinical Psychologist and founder of The Caterpillar Clinic to join me and to answer your questions. ​ She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Trinity College Dublin & works to support parents as well as children as she understands the pressures we face today without judgement. For us to support positive child behaviour we must also ask...

Kin Keeping // The Mental Load // Motherwhelmed The unseen work that goes on in our head is a very real and fraying stretch. Join editorial director of Image Magazine Dominique McMullan and I (your host Sinead O'Moore) as we have a bit of a mam-rant about it all being too much. New to Kin Keeping?? Read Dominique's article here https://www.image.ie/self/kin-keeping-excuse-me-while-i-scream-into-a-pillow-699468 Hosted by Sinead O'Moore Get in touch at @stretchmarkspodcast This season is...

This is an episode for anyone who is navigating the stretch of losing a parent. Trigger warning // grief // breast cancer Sarah Mc Ginn host of Life's Too Short podcast, joins me to tell her story of losing her mother and becoming a mother in the same week. We talk about breast cancer and birth.  Life and death.  We talk about her mother Anne and her daughter Annie.  And we talk about how life is TOO short  There are lots of really amazing reasons why I wanted to talk to Sarah for this...

It's International Women's Day & this episode is about the strength of women today, the courage of the women in our past and the protection of the women of the future. It's about being born in Bessborough Mother and Baby Home, the culture of silence that prevents connection and healing and how way the universe brought two women together. I'm joined by Nessa Hurley and Anne O'Connell as they share the gratitude they have to the woman who gave birth to them, the happiness they felt as...

Micheál Brennan worked non-stop his whole life - until it no longer made sense. With fatherhood came perspective, options and the decision to step out of his career to be home with his girls. We talk about the stretch from a dad's perspective, mens mental health, having a laugh and being assessed for ADHD as an adult. If we are to stretch equally into our new selves//lives//roles we need to understand what the men we love are going through. None of this is easy but Micheál is showing men...

Clémentine MacNeice is a hugely popular and successful fashion stylist. And a woman who privately dreamed of starting her family. In this episode we go deep into how miscarriage can stretch our hearts and our fears. *trigger warning of loss * Clémentine speaks beautifully and compassionately about her experience of a missed miscarriage at a scan, a second early loss shortly after and how her dreams suddenly became quiet worries. While she couldn't find the words at the time, she remembers...

83% of our listeners have experienced separation anxiety. It's a very real - very normal thing. But one that can feel like a massive stretch at the time. PLUS: We have NEWS as we go through our own podcast host separation. Sinead X Caroline This season is supported by Vitabiotics. With 50 Years of innovation in nutritional science, Vitobiotics has been pushing boundaries to help our families feel at their best. With products to suit all stages from preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and...

This is the last episode of season 2, proudly supported by Pregnacare. To wrap up, we're taking it back to you: the mother. What does self care look like for you? Have you time for it? Is it another stretch? Is it one thing too many on your to do list? How do we take care of ourselves? In this episode we also hear from listeners who share their most significant stretches so far and the micro moments of calm that bring them back to centre. Stay tuned for future episodes and follow us on...

The birth stretch: in this episode Sinead and Caroline finally share a similar experience and that's two very positive birthing experiences (or 3 if you count the number of kids between them). They recount their birth stories, the highs and lows, the contractions, the tears, the absolute overwhelm of coming out the other side and everything else. Of course, not everyone's experience of bringing their baby into the world is a positive one. For many, there's also trauma, panic, emergencies and...

This episode is supported by Pregnacare. Here, Caroline and Sinead share their respective experiences with feeding: from boob to bottle and everything along the way. Feeding is perhaps the biggest stretch of all. One that brings a lot of stress (if you're having difficulty) and also plenty of other people's opinions. We hear from listeners about their baby feeding experiences in those first few formative months before solids are introduced and they're eating waffles off the floor. Hosted on...

This episode, supported by Pregnacare, explores the trying to conceive stretch which can take such an emotional, physical and mental toll. Getting that positive result on the pregnancy test, wondering if it will ever happen for you, assuming it will happen the second time because it worked for you the first time. As always, with involvement from our listeners and instagram followers in our polls and questions, we try to voice the lived experience of Irish women on their varying journeys to...

Welcome to The Pregnancy Stretch: the mother of all stretches and where it all begins. This episode is proudly supported by Pregnacare, offering a range of supplements to see you through conception, pregnancy and beyond. For this episode, Caroline and Sinead once again share their experiences - both of which differ immensely, as per usual - while hearing from you about how your pregnancy/pregnancies went, from the joyous moments of first kicks to the worry and everything in between. For more,...

In this episode of Stretch Marks, we are talking all things toddlers. The tantrums, the negotiating and how to keep sane through what can be a bumpy year or two (which, of course, can still be filled with so much love and countless gorgeous moments). Again, Carolines comes at this from the perspective of a first timer, while Sinead has learned by toddler number 2 to ride the waves. Follow us on @StretchMarksPodcast for more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tears packing away the 0-3 month old baby grows or tears on the first day of school - watching our children grow up is a massive stretch. This week, supported by DropChef (listen for our *discount code for 30% off your first 2 orders from DropChef), we're talking about how we wish away the day but don't want the years to pass. BRING TISSUES! With input from you we dive into which milestones break our hearts, why we get so emotional as they grow and how we can soothe the growing pains of the...

This week, supported by DropChef (listen for our *discount code), we're talking about judgement. The judgement we experience from others when we become parents. Unfortunately it's something we've ALL experienced. How do we handle that? Why do we experience that? We loved your input on this one. Caroline shares her experience of being trolled - never fun - while Sinead asks how much of the judgement we experience is real or perceived. Thank you to our episode sponsor, DropChef. We are always...

This episode, supported by DropChef (listen for our *discount code), is all about the career stretch. The going back to work stretch, the trying to juggle it with childcare stretch, the 'how do I pick up where I left off?' stretch, the 'is it really worth my while working when I have to pay so much for childcare?' stretch. The gender stretch. There's a HUGE amount of stretching in this part of parenting; maybe you don't want to go back to work. Maybe you have to. Maybe you really want to....

It's been too long. Sinead and Caroline pop back into your ears for a catch up episode before returning with their full second season packed full of juicy discussions involving all of your input with polls and questions over on @StretchMarksPodcast Instagram. For now, they're debriefing after travelling with toddlers, talking about the various stretches they've had this summer and how Sinead's getting on since getting her sleep back and saying goodbye to breastfeeding. Hosted on Acast....

Parenting in a hotter location, hurrah! On this episode of Stretch Marks, Caroline - as per usual - opens up the contents of her forever fretful mind, this time it's all about taking that first trip with her 21 month old. Sinead talks through the reality of travelling with little ones, what's worked for her. As always, plenty of insight from Stretch Marks listeners on how they really feel about holidays with kids, whether they need a holiday after the holiday and what's made their adventures...

This week on @StretchMarksPodcast Caroline and Sinead are talking all things sleep. Their different approaches to and experiences of sleep since becoming parents. The go-with-the-flow style versus a more structured approach, what worked or is working for you? Listener participation covers topics such as co-sleeping, sleep training, and how a lack of sleep, especially in those early days, can impact us both physically and mentally. It's normal and to be expected for your sleep to take a hit,...

The good stretch: the love, the pride, the ways in which we've grown for the better, the moments that make all of the stretching completely worth it. In this episode Caroline and Sinead share their takes on how they've stretched in way that are nothing but positive and discuss the ways in which we can celebrate the people we have become. As always, the hosts get an insight into how you're feeling: what has changed for the better for you? Is the love greater than you ever thought possible?...

Join us on @StretchMarksPodcast on Instagram to get involved with our polls and questions. This week on SM we are talking all things postnatal anxiety. Caroline shares her experience - it was intense, while Sinead offers insight into what needs to happen in order for mothers to feel more supported and prepared for their postpartum mental health journey. We are also joined here by special guest Jessica Urlichs, one of our favourite poets and writers on the subject of motherhood, with whom...