For All Mum Kind Pamela Prendiville

Welcome to the fourth series of the For All Mum Kind Podcast - it’s great to be back. 

In the first episode I am joined by writer, comedian and mum to Ted, Julie Jay! Ted was a “pandemic baby” and during Julie’s pregnancy she found herself locked down in her second (or perhaps spiritual home) of Dingle, Co Kerry.  A long way from home and living on the side of a mountain, Julie was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which put a dampener on her plans of eating all around her for nine months.

Julie has really missed the shared knowledge of mum and baby groups and friend interaction. And like all of us, she’s struggled to find the balance between work, family and time for herself during these truly unprecedented times. 

Finding her feet as a busy mum, Julie is often struck by ‘mom guilt’ as being the main administrator in house she feels she can struggle to feel present with Ted, while her fiancé Fred (yes, that can be confusing) is left to be the fun dad. And now that we are coming out of lockdown Julie is feeling the pressure of making memories and everything being perfect and fun. 

It was great to catch up with Julie and make sure to check out her own podcast Up To Ninety and Crimeland.

Up To Ninety:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/up-to-90/id1384941941

Crimeland:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/crimeland/id1493942937

This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

This week on the podcast I am joined by Rachael Smith. Rachael is a teacher, life and parent coach and mum to three busy, noisy boys. I was drawn to Rachael as I loved her parent coaching approach that she shares on her Instagram, for the simple reason that Rachael is realistic.

As a mum she understands the reality of parenting - the isolation and loneliness - and is passionate about the need to look after yourself, so that you can look after everyone else.

Rachael adapted the jar of pebbles and sand analogy as a guide for how to prioritise your time. Its a great way to visualise what is important, and not to get bogged down in the stress of day to day.

She also recommends taking a moment to think about what truly brings us joy, and to make a list of these so you don’t let them slip by the wayside and risk losing your identity.

After recording this podcast I took on Rachael’s advice and lost an hour in the evening to gain an hour in the morning. It really helped me recharge the batteries and to get a much needed productive hour to myself, rather than just scrolling endlessly before bed.

Rachael also gives great advice when it comes to communicating to our children which she calls the ‘positive/negative/positive’ approach. Did you know that children hear the word ‘no’ up to 400 times a day? After a while it completely loses all meaning, so it’s important to reinforce the positive parts of their behaviour.

This week a lot of mums and dads have returned to the workplace after months of being at home. The return of work also brings the return of mum guilt. The putting yourself at the bottom of the list and forgetting what self care is about. This episode is the perfect antidote to all of those bad habits that we fall into.

To learn more about Rachael’s coaching techniques check out her Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rachaelsmithcoaching/

Pamela.
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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.

Visit http://www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Clodagh O’Hagan welcomes me into her world as a solo parent to Frank and shares with me her path to motherhood. 

Having a baby was in Clodagh’s mind for a while, waiting to start a family with a partner but she didn’t meet that person. So, she set out to have a baby on her own using a sperm donor. 

She bought a two bed house in preparation and began the process of having a baby. At the age of 41 she was aware that time wasn’t on her side and regrets that she took the long route by starting off with a GP visit rather than going straight to a fertility clinic. 

Once she had chosen a clinic for her fertility treatment Clodagh had to choose a sperm donor. Clodagh describes choosing a donor being a bit like online dating. You put in your vital statistics, blood type and medical history to see who is genetically best suited to you. After that you can choose hair colour, eye colour, height and traits that give you an idea of the person. 

As we all know fertility treatment is not an easy process. It took Clodagh three cycles however, an incorrect injection, then collapsed follicles lead to two cycles being cancelled. But fortunately for Clodagh the third cycle worked and Frank was conceived. 

Clodagh and Frank now live in a perfect little bubble of their own and this time has really given them the opportunity to get to know one another and form a special bond. This weekend Frank turns one and Clodagh celebrated a year of being a mum so I am delighted to share their story on this podcast with you.

To follow Clodagh and Franks day to day life follow Cloadgh on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/clodeine/

And her blog is BabyFrank:
http://babyfrank.co

Enjoy,  

Pamela.
______________________________________

This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit their website for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.
https://gardinerfamilyapothecary.com
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Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This week’s podcast focuses on sleep with mother of three, and certified child sleep consultant Erica Hargaden. Erica shares the how and why she became interested in sleep and the reason she created Babogue Sleep Solutions.

At 7 months her eldest child Quinn was waking up to 12 times a night. He was a fussy baby, almost impossible to put down and almost certainly suffering from Silent Reflux - not that anyone would help her diagnose that. Exhausted and sleep deprived Erica called for reinforcements in the form of her mother. The Erica that she met was a grey shell of the daughter she knew.

Her mum reassured her that there was nothing wrong with her or Quinn and took a gentle approach to fixing Quinn’s sleep patterns. She slowly taught Quinn how to self soothe and this was the beginning of Erica’s interest in sleep.

Erica offers one to one coaching as well as the Sleep Series Solution to support families with babies and children that are having sleep issues. Each sleep series depending on the age of the child offers five different methods to suit different parenting styles. In total she has helped over 2,500 families in 30 different countries to get a better nights sleep - and I salute her for that.

Myself and Erica explore the world of sleep, discussing tips, sleep aids and words of wisdom. Her stories on Instagram are well worth following:
https://www.instagram.com/babogue_sleep

And you can find out more about the 7 Steps To Better Sleep on her website:
https://babogue.com
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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

Orla Harrington is one of the many mums that I’ve met through Instagram over the years. But her journey with her son Rowan was one that stood out to me. And her ‘100 Foods Before One’ idea actually influenced my own weaning journey with Peter.

In the third trimester of her pregnancy with Rowan, he was diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Orla was signed off work for bed rest until week 37 when she was induced. Despite all the fear and stress caused by this, Rowan was born at 5lb 5oz and he was perfect. But this is where Orla’s post natal care began to diminish. 

Breastfeeding was a part of motherhood that Orla dreamed of. She had been harvesting colostrum while pregnant and had prepared for challenges due to Rowan’s small size. However, the negativity and lack of support that she was given at the very start meant that Orla felt incredibly let down. However she was determined, and following support from a lactation consultant and a lactation counsellor, a tongue tie release, and lots of hard work and perseverance, she exclusively breastfed from 4 months. 

At 6 months Orla began weaning Rowan and she wanted to introduce 100 foods to him before he was one. As a vegan family this led to its own challenges which meant Orla had to get creative - although he wasn’t too keen on the lime or the pomegranate! I have been following Rowan’s weaning and I have found it so inspiring, influential and accessible.  

Orla is a joy to chat with, her fierce determination, resilience and kindness shines through. To follow her please check out her Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/orla.harrington/

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This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934.

You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. 

Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25.

Pamela x

Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz

This weeks podcast is with Caroline O’Connor, dietician, lactation consultant and mum of four. This episode is full of tips and tricks of how to wean your baby and also feed your fussy toddler.

As a dietician Caroline provides evidence based advice and began sharing content online as she was fed up with the amount of misinformation that was out there. I find Caroline’s advice to be honest, practical and most importantly, achievable. She shares great examples of how to provide a simple but varied diet for kids.

Weaning can be a very daunting time for parents, starting with how to introduce food variety, portion size, allergens and more. Caroline demystifies it all and offers superb advice. As each child weans differently I think there is advice here for all parents from babies to toddlers.

We discuss the benefit of carbohydrates in kids diets and its importance for brain function. Pasta for example is great for kids, its a food that kids are comfortable with and as it comes in so many shapes and colours its a great food to keep kids open to change when it comes to their food.

If you enjoyed this podcast with Caroline you can find her on Instagram where she shares great meals suggestions and advice:
https://www.instagram.com/solidstart.ie/

Her website is http://solidstart.ie and Caroline offers a range of courses also.