Growing Up Raising Us

In this episode, we are joined by Leonie Akhidenor (she/her) from Parenthood pod. Leonie and her husband are parents to two boys, aged 4 and 3. During her pregnancies and postpartum periods, Leonie experienced both pre and postnatal depression and anxiety. She discusses the impact of these experiences on her motherhood journey and how they motivated her to start her own podcast. Over the years, Le...

In this episode, we're joined by Stacey (she/her). Stacey and her husband, Craig, are parents to a three year old son, Michael. Stacey's journey to motherhood was influenced by her decision to become a parent sooner due to a fibroma in her uterus. She experienced a miscarriage at 12 weeks during her first pregnancy. In her pregnancy with Michael, she faced Hyperemesis Gravidarum, leading t...

In this episode, we are joined by Shan (she/her), a first-time parent to an 18-month-old daughter named Winter, alongside her husband Brad. Before becoming a parent, Shan was working as a beauty therapist and since, she’s recently started her career as a sleep consultant. During Shan's pregnancy, her waters broke prematurely at 30 weeks gestation, resulting in a condition known as preterm prem...

In this episode, we're joined by Nicole (she/her). Nicole and her husband are parents to two boys, Elliot (7) and Hamish (4). Nicole's first pregnancy with Elliot led her to find a private midwife, valuing continuity of care. She had a quick labour, a water birth in a birth suite, but soon faced difficulties. Despite extensive postpartum preparation, the early days and weeks proved to be u...

In this episode, we are joined by Lucinda McKimm (she/her) of Ready or Not podcast. Her and her husband, Haydn, live in Rye on the Mornington Peninsula, and are parents to a 15-month-old son, Ray, and Lucinda is newly pregnant with their second child. Lucinda shares her journey of conception with her second, which happened more quickly than anticipated after stopping breastfeeding. They’d expected...

CW: Postnatal Anxiety, OCD, Intrusive Thoughts In this episode, we’re joined by Amy (she/her). Amy and her husband, Andy, have a blended family with four children. While three of the children are Amy's stepchildren from Andy's previous relationships, they recently welcomed their daughter, Lola, who is now 14 months old. Amy's experience as a mother has been shaped by the challenges of Lola's healt...

SURPRISE! I'm pregnant! All the feels! In this episode, my partner Hagan and I chat about our feelings around having a second baby. We muse on work, support, energy, juggling the love and attention for two babies, our relationship, and the uncertain transition from one to two.  The first part of the episode shares a segment from when I was 7 weeks pregnant, then one from 13 weeks, and a final one...

Welcome to the second part of Georgia’s story. Georgia (she/her) and her husband, Matt, are parents to triplets Finn, Marlo, and Jude.  In this episode, Georgia shares her experience with her triplets' early days and the rest of their journey in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Special Care Nursery (SCU). For five days, the triplets remained in the NICU, which coincided with the iso...

CW: This episode touches on the topic of foetal reduction, so I’ll let you decide if you would prefer not to listen right now or come back to the ep at a later date. In this episode, we're joined by Georgia (she/her), who, along with her husband Matt, is a parent to triplets named Finn, Marlo, and Jude. Finn and Marlo are identical and shared a placenta, while Jude is fraternal and had his own...

In this bonus episode, we're joined by Addison (Addi) Landry (she/her). Addi founded her own business, the Uplifted Collective , as a space for nurturing the feminine. She works as a postpartum and provides fertility and pre and postnatal care and support for women, focusing on vitality and holistic health. Her studies in Energy Medicine and Applied Nutrition allow her to treat issues within t...

In episode 24, we’re joined by Aimee (she/her). Aimee and her husband Jared are parents to their daughter Ivy who’s 2 years and 3 months, and are expecting another baby in the next few months.  Aimee takes us through Ivy’s pregnancy, a typically ‘normal’ pregnancy up until 36 weeks when she was diagnosed with Preeclampsia. Having hoped for a drug-free, vaginal, water birth, she felt that all of he...

In this episode, we're joined by Lidija (she/her). Lidija is a mother to her five-year-old daughter, Nika, and has been with her partner, Lachie (he/him), for 14 years. They are also proud parents to their dog, Kino. Lidija shares their love story, starting from how they met at a house party to their first kiss in Lidija's backyard by the veggie patch. During Lidija's pregnancy with Ni...

In this episode, I'm joined by Matilda (⁠ @matildathenutritionist ⁠) and Olivia Maree ( @wildnwell.counselling ) from @isthisflatteringpodcast join me to discuss body image, nutrition, and to answer your questions. The questions we address in this episode are: - How does the concept of "bouncing back" after pregnancy affect people's mental health and self-esteem, and what are some alternatives to...

TW: Postpartum anxiety and depression, intrusive thoughts In this episode, I'm joined by Jess (she/her), a mother to a 14-month-old son named Ryker. Jess and her husband have been together for 12 years and married for the last 6. After conceiving just five months after getting her implanon out, Jess felt overwhelmed by the prospect of parenthood, as she hadn't prepared herself for the life...

In this episode, I'm joined by Ash (he/him), a father living in Hobart, Tasmania, with his partner Chelsea (she/her) and their two-year-old son, Luen. Ash shares their journey of becoming parents. Ash and Chelsea went through the process of IVF for 2.5-3 years and sadly experienced a miscarriage in the process. They made the move from Melbourne to Tasmania during their IVF journey and we speak...

In this episode, I'm joined by Aviv (she/her), a new parent who, alongside her partner Harry, recently welcomed their baby boy, Eden, into the world. Aviv shares her unique journey through childbirth, feeding challenges, and the profound changes she's experienced in her relationships and self-identity as a mother. Aviv takes us back to her unexpected quick labour, where she had initially i...

In this bonus episode, I’m joined by Anwyn (she/they) and her daughter Yvanya (she/her) who share their insights and experiences on their mother-daughter relationship. Through a series of thoughtful questions, the duo reveals the depth and complexity of their bond, spanning different life stages and family dynamics. They explore the qualities they admire in each other, how differences have shaped...

In this episode, I'm joined by Anwyn (she/they), the mother of Yvanya (28) and Markus (26). We have the pleasure of hearing about Anwyn's experiences raising children in the 90s and 2000s, and how the landscape of childbirth and child rearing has changed over the years. Anwyn also shares how her own identity, relationships, and career paths have evolved alongside her parenting journey. And...

CW: In this episode we discuss Taylah’s experience of depression and feelings of isolation. If the topic feels too much for you right now, you may want to come back to the episode at a later time, and if it does bring anything up for you I have listed some resources below that I encourage you to visit. Join Taylah (she/her) as she shares the next chapter of her story, where she opens up about an e...

Welcome to the first part of Taylah's story. Join us as Taylah (she/her) opens up about the complexities of conceiving a baby in a new relationship and the added challenge of having a second baby when her first was only 10 months old. In this episode, she takes us on a journey through her two unique birth experiences, including a home-birth with her first and a free-birth with her second. You&...

In this episode, we’re joined by holistic lactation consultant Joelleen Winduss Paye , who shares her expert advice on breastfeeding. Drawing on her experience as a lactation consultant, midwife and naturopath, Joelleen provides practical tips for preparing to breastfeed before your baby is born, dispels common misconceptions about breastfeeding, and explains how to tell if your baby is getting en...

In this episode, I'm joined by Claire Tonti (she/her), a Naarm based singer-songwriter, mother of two, and podcast host. Claire's podcasts include the award-winning show  ⁠Suggestible⁠  and  ⁠TONTS⁠ , where she celebrates women's stories by talking to writers, experts, thinkers, and deeply feeling humans about their lives. She's also recently reconnected with herself through her mu...

In this episode, I’m joined by Ash (she/her), who's a single mum to a five year old daughter. She shares her beautiful and unique transition into parenthood. Before becoming a parent, Ash had a vibrant career in theatre and cabaret, but an unplanned pregnancy on the copper IUD while not in a relationship led her down an unexpected path. So we speak about our shared journeys of navigating IUD pregn...

Join us in this week's bonus episode as we chat with Miles Hellyer (he/him), the husband of Hannah who was also featured in this week's main episode. Miles shares his parenting journey so far, his experience of supporting Hannah through her pregnancies, births, and postpartum periods, and how his relationships have evolved over time - with his children, Hannah, and his friends. We also delve into...

In this episode, I'm joined by Hannah (she/her), one of the hosts of the beautiful and informative podcast Baby Brain !  As a parent of two, Hannah shares her experiences of pregnancy, birth, sleep, and feeding. She also shares her inspiring journey of resilience through loss, including how she found strength after losing both her father and sister during her parenting journey, and her experie...