First Time Mum's Chat

Many of the parents I speak with find the time when they are expecting their little one to begin speaking a highly anxious time. Of course, the medicos and other childhood experts will give you rough timeframes of when this should happen, leaving you to work out your own child's developmental timeframe. For many, if that timeframe has past and they are still not starting their speech, they beg...

I'm sure you'll agree that there's no shortage of educational resources to help mums during their pregnancy. However, these are sadly lacking after your little one is born and you're beginning your parenting journey. Studies show that many mums will face the challenges of baby blues, postpartum anxiety or postpartum depression and I feel it is extremely valuable for mums to have a...

I often highlight and discuss on First Time Mum's Chat the importance of having the right mix of people ready to support you when you've given birth and adapting to your new life with that additional member of your family that demands so much of your time! Doulas provide invaluable support and assistance and in this week's episode I'm chatting with postpartum doula, Heather Magill....

Over the years I've often heard of craniosacral therapy and what it does and how it works has always intrigued me! I knew that it could do a lot for adults but also wondered whether parents could use it to help their little ones. I was unsure whether it was sufficiently gentle for that purpose when they are so tiny and fragile. In this week's episode I'm chatting with mum of 2, Meaghan...

I often talk with parents who are finding bathtime challenging with a little one who clearly is not enjoying the experience. In this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat, I'm going to share a number of ideas relating to bathtime, which you can include in your daily bath time routines. I've used these during my many years working as a childcare educator, and they have always been...

This week, I'm talking with J'Nel Metherell who is a lactation consultant located in the UK about the obsessive weighing of newborns. I was drawn to speak with J'Nel after reading a post she had written on Instagram about obsessive weighing. I could tell immediately that she had hit on a troublesome area because her post had plenty of comments from young mothers who clearly identified...

When you're a busy mum and often time poor, making and maintaining friendships can be a daunting task. This becomes an even greater challenge when you are living away from family and friends. You've got to start over again from scratch, finding new friends, new schools and community. Mum of 2, connection mentor and coach and host of the Connected Mom Life podcast, Emily Siegel has experien...

In this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm chatting with midwife Beau Wilson about active birthing. I'm a big fan of holistic solutions and was fascinated when Beau told me all about the holistic childbirth education and support that she provides to families. I particularly like the way in which she empowers and gives both the mums and partners that she trains a level of i...

Whether your little one is on the way and you want to learn about how to plan a good bedtime routine or you've already given birth and are faced with sleep issues or queries, then this episode is for you! This week on First Time Mum's Chat I'm chatting with pediatric sleep specialist, Hilliary Giglio. Hilliary battled with sleep issues with her child which left her sleep deprived and s...

Mums face quite a challenge when trying to navigate their new life after giving birth. In this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm exploring the challenge of financial stress which is something many of the mums I speak with face. I'm talking with financial coach, Candice Bakx-Friesen, who is a mother of 4 active kids. You'll hear Candice talk about what steps you can ta...

Having worked as a childcare educator for many years since the 1980's, I've spent many years planning activities for babies, infants and toddlers. Not surprisingly I've seen many changes in how we do things and in the family unit. Being of an age where I knew life before the likes of computers and smartphones, I'm very concerned with the impacts of technology on infant development...

Last week on First Time Mum's Chat I had my first of two chats about healing following birth trauma with Holistic Pelvic Care Practitioner and Restorative Pilates Instructor, Prudence Todd. During that episode we discussed about healing your body and now in this week's episode Prudence and I are exploring healing emotionally after your birth when there's been trauma. During our chat, y...

The subject of healing your body after the trauma of birth is not surprisingly a topic that has been explored on First Time Mum's Chat in a number of episodes. In this week's episode I'm talking with Prudence Todd, a previous Midwife and now Holistic Pelvic Care Practitioner and Restorative Pilates Instructor. Prudence helps women heal emotionally and physically after birth trauma in h...

When your little one is ready to start solids, they may experience challenges such as constipation. As a baby massage instructor I regularly teach parents techniques to help their little one through these challenges. In this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat, you'll hear tips on how to help prevent constipation in babies from Jennifer House, an author and Registered Dietitian fro...

During the life of this podcast, I've had a number of guests who have shared their postpartum journeys and how they have struggled, as well as professionals who specialise in helping moms through their postpartum struggles. In this week's episode I'm sharing the ways in which baby massage can help moms through postpartum depression and anxiety. You'll hear me:- Explain how baby mas...

Many of the women I speak with find themselves lost after pregnancy which is hardly surprising. Not only do you need to recover from giving birth but you've also got another precious life to support and you hardly have the luxury of time on your hands to adapt to your new circumstances! It's all about hitting the ground running isn't it! This week's guest, mom of 2, Jill Wright, kn...

Giving your child the right start and building a really solid foundation is crucial for their emotional development and in this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm chatting with certified toddler yoga teacher and infant massage and baby yoga instructor, Jen Cooper. You'll hear Jen and I talk about various topics including encouraging and developing emotional resilience, emo...

Not surprisingly, the topic of self care comes up on First Time Mum's Chat fairly regularly and it's something that many moms struggle with, whilst juggling the needs of their little one. It's of course easy to suggest contacting friends and relatives to see if they can give you time out but this isn't always practical or even possible in some situations. This week's guest well...

I've always been a fan of healing techniques that bypass our minds and egos and get straight to our bodies, allowing no-nonsense, often faster healing and in this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm exploring EFT tapping with Certified Transformational EFT Coach, Maria Yakimchuk. Maria helps moms struggling to find joy and fulfillment in motherhood to clear their past traum...

The journey of being pregnant and bringing children into the world is a challenging one. Imagine what it's like for a mum who is disabled in a wheelchair and on her own. This week on First Time Mum's Chat I'm speaking with transformational and empowerment mindset coach Shanice Green who has brought up two amazing children whilst being wheelchair bound and with neurological conditions....

This week on First Time Mum's Chat I'm revisiting the challenges of balancing motherhood with work. I'm speaking with Nicole Cumberbatch who as a corporate VP in Florida faced a challenging transition to motherhood when she gave birth to her son. During our chat, you'll hear Nicole talk about:- The challenges of managing her time balancing a busy work schedule versus the time neede...

Way back in the very first episode of first Time Mum's Chat, I had a chat with mum of 4, who shared her experiences of teething. I spend quite a bit of time showing parents how to help with teething during my baby massage classes, and I'm often asked by my listeners for more tips. So this week I'm revisiting teething and you'll hear me talk about some common symptoms of teething an...

A recurring theme that regularly comes up on First Time Mum's Chat is the importance of planning for your pregnancy and postpartum period with the right mix of people to support you. You need to start putting this together now and not make the mistake that so many do, leaving it until after they're pregnant or have even given birth! Trust me, by then it's too late and you'll face a...

For many moms, breastfeeding has its challenges and I'm regularly asked for tips and advice on breastfeeding a newborn, particularly from those moms that are experiencing challenges with their breastfeeding. In this week's episode, I'm chatting with lactation counselor Lacy Reason all about breastfeeding. Lacy is a mum of 3 who teaches mums how to breastfeed and helps them through thei...

I regularly receive enquiries from moms wanting to know more about cloth diapers versus disposables and have been on the hunt for someone to chat with on First Time Mum's Chat and I was delighted to recently connect with April Duffy, who runs a very busy community on Facebook which is entirely dedicated to cloth diapers. This buzzing community has in excess of 50,000 members and what better pl...