Your Companion to Motherhood

You do so much preparation for your first baby but what about adding a second? How easy is the transition from a family of three to four or more? Siblings were the topic for this session with Anita Cleare, the positive parenting expert and author of the Work/Parent switch. She joined the session to talk about preparing your child for a new baby and covers not only the build-up, but the very real juggle of having more than one child to nurture and keep happy. She had loads of practical advice, touching on sibling rivalry, books to read also touched on change in general for your little people and what goes through their minds. Anita Cleare is an author, coach and founder of the positive parenting project. If you'd like to hear more of Anita's wisdom you can check out her website for details of her books, blog and resources and follow her on twitter too.  This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, during naptime or just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!) Find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can also visit letsmush.

It's something we all dread but is way more common than we all think… this week Katie is opening up a conversation about baby loss. If you'd like to miss this episode due to the sensitive content, why not listen to another of our 20 episodes providing helpful tips and advice for new and expectant mums. Joining Katie is Michelle Tolfrey who candidly talks about the experience she has had with pregnancy, loss and motherhood. In this session, Michelle created a safe and tender space for mothers to share their feelings on baby loss, and Michelle offers caring words to you if you find yourself affected in the same way.  Michelle Tolfrey is a clinical psychologist who previously worked for the NHS for over 10 years and is now the founder of Talking Heads which offers private therapy and workplace mental health services.  This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. If you are going through loss please seek out the necessary support to properly look after yourself, you can check out the below links for help.  https://www.bliss.org.uk https://babyloss-awareness.org/ https://www.sands.org.uk/usefullinks https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/bereavement-support/ https://www.novafoundation.org.uk/findingbabylosssupport Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!); find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can also visit letsmush.

How to take your little one from a bath-time hater to a happy water baby.  Lydia Phillips from Water Babies is our expert this week,  in this episode, she dives into how you can start teaching your baby to swim,  the amazing benefits that swimming gives you and your baby aiding their physical and cognitive development as well as tips on how to get cracking straight away (yes even without a pool)! And Lydia eases the nerves of mums by answering their questions and giving her invaluable advice on all things swimming.  This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before.   Find out more information on Water Babies and to find your local class click here.   Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!); find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can also visit letsmush.

"Two-thirds of couples experience a drop in relationship satisfaction after their first year of becoming parents" How can you communicate more effectively with your partner and co-parent and still feel connected? This session aims to find out. Katie is joined by Catherine Topham Sly, a BCAP accredited counsellor who specialises in relationships, and particularly the challenges of staying connected with your partner while raising a family together. Her session focuses on the typical changes that couples go through when they become parents, how to make the best of them and how to cope with the particular challenges of the lockdown period so that you can get through this as a couple stronger than ever. This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before.   Connect with Catherine and find out about her Love in Lockdown course via her website: https://insightconnection.uk/love-in-lockdown/ Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!); find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can also visit letsmush.

Whether your maternity leave is coming to an end or you've had a brilliant business idea whilst feeding at 3am, today's experts have stellar advice and confidence-boosting strategies for crafting a fulfilling career as a mother.      Victoria Tudor-Thomas and Laura Youngson have been friends since Tumble Tots and are now empowering mothers and business women as independent career coaches. They join host Katie Massie-Taylor for a session on Career Transitions, in which they look at the return to work and new ventures.   Victoria will be talking about how to make a smooth and confident transition back to work in 2021, ensuring you'll be your best at home and in the workplace once you get there. Laura tells you how you can test your business ideas during maternity leave (or around other jobs) so that if you want to step into a new venture you can do so without wasting time and resources.   This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before.   Victoria is a certified lifestyle coach working to help women get their spark back in life and their career, you can contact her or find out more about what she offers via her website: https://www.vttcoaching.co.uk/     Laura Tudor-Thomas Youngson is an entrepreneur, mother and world record holder, you can follow her on Instagram, check out her business and see her ted talk via the below links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurayoungson/ Business: https://www.idasports.co/ TedTalk:https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_youngson_conquering_the_mountain_for_equality     Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!); find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information you can also visit letsmush.com

 With the UK showing the lowest rate of breastfeeding in the world we wanted to invite an expert to talk about the reasons for that low rate and how we can better support mothers to breastfeed successfully if they choose to.   Erin Zohrehie is the 'Mummy Minder' looking after new parents as a postnatal doula and infant feeding specialist. Her goal while serving families is that they would feel relaxed and as stress-free as possible, while providing emotional and practical support. She has nearly 10 years of experience on maternity wards as well as in the community, helping new mothers initiate and continue feeding their babies for as long as they choose to.   This is Your Companion To Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time or just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before.   Contact Erin via the below link if you'd like some more tailored support with your breastfeeding journey. Website: https://www.mummyminder.com/   Download Mush, the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!); find it on the Play Store or App Store now.   Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook (mushmums) and for more information you can also visit letsmush.com  

Every child is different and their development will differ too, from babies that “bum-shuffle” rather than crawl to potty training procrastinators. Your Companion To Motherhood expert this week is Dr Oscar Duke who joins host Katie to tackle questions, queries and concerns around baby milestones. Oscar is a doctor, broadcaster, author and dad, in this episode he breaks down all things development and looks at milestones such as walking, talking and smaller things like smiling, Katie and Oscar explore the timescales for these advancements and the signs to look out for.  You'll also hear some great advice on ways to encourage your baby's development, despite the lack of social contact during the pandemic, however, as Oscar says you shouldn't worry too much if your child doesn't hit each of these milestones on the nose, allowing a little time for the learning process along the way but he also sheds some light on when you should seek advice about your baby's advancement. Check more of Oscar's work through the links below. Oscar's Website Oscar's Book: How to Be a Dad The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy, Birth & Dirty Nappies And Recent Radio Programme: The Science of Dad

The important muscle that you probably need to work more. In this episode Physiotherapist, Emma Brockwell joins Katie to talk about pelvic floor health. As any new mum will agree, after birth you may find you have weakness in your tummy or pelvic floor which can result in instability, back pain and bladder and bowel issues.  Emma tells you the reasons why this happens, what to look out for, how to check yourself, what to consider when returning to exercise and even running, which is her speciality.  And as always mums on Mush put their questions to Emma.  This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. Follow Emma on Instagram, check out her new book, or find out how you can work with her via her website. Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!), find it on the Play Store or App Store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information. , You can also visit letsmush.com

Want to pick the brains of a paediatrician? This episode is packed full of brilliant baby health wisdom... Your host Katie Massie-Taylor is joined by Dr Victoria Agunloye, a Senior Paediatric Registrar. In this episode, you'll hear Victoria's invaluable advice on dealing with fever, coughs, colds, colic, reflux as well as which rashes need medical attention and which are nothing to worry about. Victoria has a wealth of advice and knowledge to help reassure your concerns whilst regular doctor's appointments aren't always readily available, helping you to understand what requires a trip to the doctors and what can be treated at home.  And like all of the Experts on Your Companion To Motherhood, Victoria answers some of the questions posed to her by mums whilst live on Mush.  You too can join in the Q & A of the live morning meetups on Mush via the App which you can download here.  This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. The Hello Juno App which Victoria mentions is available on iPhone now and will be coming to Android soon, it allows you to get advice from a qualified consultant:, download it here. Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums (and expectant mums!), find it on the Play Store or App Store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information. , You can also visit letsmush.com

Keeping your little one safe is probably something that is on your mind 24/7 so here are some golden nuggets of practical first aid advice for you and your baby. Jenni Dunman is Your Companion To Motherhood expert this week, paediatric first aid expert and founder of Daisy First Aid. Jenni was in the police for over 10 years and says she knows through experience that basic first aid knowledge can save lives. Through Daisy First Aid Jenni wants to empower mums with first aid knowledge so that you can be assured you know the right actions to take with topics like burns and choking hazards.  In this episode, you'll hear Jenni give advice on how you can avoid common accidents around the home as well as a step by step guide on the treatment for choking and burns. This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. You can book invaluable courses with Daisy First Aid through their website, and check out their free resources they have on Facebook. Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com Update Description

An alternative method of learning that allows your child to be at the centre of their own development. This week Your Companion To Motherhood welcomes Mostessori expert Simone Davies.  In this episode Simone breaks down all of the different nursery environments and what to expect in each. Then she focusses on her specialism of Montessori and the approach they take, from handling bad behaviour, independence and guiding children to learn skills themselves. Hear how you can incorporate Montessori activities into your home to inspire curiosity and responsibility in your child.  Simone explains the unique set up of their classrooms and the ways in which they encourage self-expression, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills and how you can replicate at home. This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first year of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. Check out Simone's Book The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being or listen to Simone's own podcast about Montessori here. And visit her website for more information or to connect with her Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

From the terrible two's to full-on supermarket wobbles, they're not always avoidable however today's expert Olivia Gormally covers how to deal with all types of behaviours and creating some positive reward systems. Olivia Gormally (Livvy) is a Children's behaviour expert, parent coach and founder of “Let's Ask Livvy”. she has 20 years experience working with children and helped hundreds of parents deal with their child behaviours. In this episode, you'll hear Livvy discuss why certain behaviours arise and how to better help you understand what's going on in your toddlers head when they throw a tantrum. How you can work out what triggers make them unhappy and what response they're actually looking for from you.  You'll hear why language is so important when trying to understand behaviours, and Libby covers reward systems that instil positive connections to certain behaviours your child shows, as well as working with your partner so that you don't contradict one another and how you can promote positive behaviours as a unit. If you'd like to find out more about Livvy's services or to see the information she shared via her blog check out Her website: www.letsasklivvy.co.uk And follow her on Instagram Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Nobody looks forward to the dentist, so this episode brings all of the crucial information around your baby's teeth right to you. No appointment needed. This week's guest is Katie Davis, dentist and CEO of Habox, the UK's first subscription service for children. In this episode, Katie covers how to make brushing your baby's new teeth as simple and easy as possible. She stresses this is what's most important in the early stages to set in those routines and good habits around oral health. As always you'll hear Katie answer questions that the mums on Mush had during the live 11am session and has some great answers surrounding sugar, snacking and sippy cups. Check out The Habox website to see all of the resources and products available there. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Do you think of healthy eating as just another burden? Or are you unsure what your body needs most after having your baby? This week's expert can help you! The New Year has brought with it a new lockdown and finding the effort to eat healthily is hard right now. However, the focus of this episode of Your Companion to Motherhood is YOU and how to nourish your body with Australia-based nutritionist Melissa Finlay. A mother herself, Melissa knows the feeling of being sleep-deprived with a long list of things to do, so she gives you meal prep and time-saving hacks along with very important advice and knowledge on improving your nutrition to support breastfeeding.  Mellisa offers you lots of tangible tips and ideas that you can implement to get a grasp on your health and nutrition without spending seemingly all day in the kitchen trying to cook the perfect healthy meal. She will be covering how you can utilise the food you eat to give you sustained energy throughout the day and avoid the “3pm slump". Visit Mel's Website: melissafinlaynutritionist.com to see the wonderful resources she has including an e-book and tool kit. Or you can Check out Mel's Facebook page. Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

If you worry about your child struggling to be apart from you when lockdown ends and normality resumes, this week's episode has all of the advice for you. The expert on this week's Your Companion to Motherhood is Psychologist Kimberley Bennett, founder of The Psychologist's Child. Kimberley specialises in separation anxiety, brain development and how this relates to the different attachment styles that your baby will develop.  When your child makes the transition over to pre-school, day care or nursery there can be a lot of emotions that are felt by both you and your child about being away from each for long periods of time that you haven't experienced before, how can you work through these stages together? Kimberley breaks down the developmental stages your child will go through, how this affects their attachment and ways to make it easier for you both. Kimberley suggests some brilliant ways of making that transition smoother, like “the love button”, she also shares some books that she found useful with her own son. If you'd like more advice and support on separation Kimberley has also written her own e-book with accompanying webinar, titled - Gently Supporting Successful Separations: Preparing to Return to Work and Easing Separation Anxiety for your Little One. You can find out more about that here. If you'd like to find out more about the services that Kimberley offers you can visit her website: thepsychologistschild.com or follow her on Instagram @the_psychologists_child E-book and webinar Download Mush - the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums; find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Being a mum can be stressful at anytime but in 2020, especially so! This weeks guest on Your Companion To Motherhood is Emma Svanberg, clinical psychologist better known as the Mumologist. Emma specialises perinatal mental health and helps mums and mums to be gain the knowledge and tools to manage stress in every day life. She will be talking through the pressures and situations that can cause us anxiety, ways in which it could manifest for and how to teach your little ones about the emotions they will experience. Emma also leads a short breathe focus practice giving you a small example of ways you can bring things back during stressful and testing times.  This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first six months of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. You can contact Lucy via her website: talking-lab.com or you can check out Lucy's YouTube channel for more invaluable advice on communication and language: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YuU6x38mgfzOmXXit2dhg Download Mush- the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums; find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

If you've been through it before or not, you might think potty training can be a little, well, poo. (pardon the pun) This weeks expert joining Katie on Your Companion to Motherhood is potty training consultant and mother of two Allison Jandu, based in the US Allison set up her own consultant agency to offer tailored advice for parents and little ones to leave nappies behind them.  In this potty training masterclass, Allison gives you a step by step guide on how to start the transition from nappies to potties and pants, she will talk you through the best ways to make the experience the best for you and your baby. Alison answers questions toward the end of the podcast putting to rest some big questions when it comes to readiness, training pants and sleep. You can contact Allison, find out more about her consultancy and check out her tips on Instagram via the links below - www.pottytrainingconsultant.com  www.instagram.com/pottytrainingconsultant This is your companion to motherhood, these episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in first six months of motherhood you can listen while your feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks, think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

What are meaningful words? How can you make the most of the words you are saying to your baby? In this fourth instalment of Your companion to Motherhood, we have communication and language specialist Lucy Darby- founder of Talking Lab. Lucy has been a speech and language therapist for 5 years having worked for the NHS she now runs her own company helping parents to communicate with their little ones in the best way possible. Lucy has a 16-month-old daughter called Silver. In this episode, you'll hear the techniques Lucy shares professionally and how she practices what she preaches with Sliver. You'll hear how giving your baby choice over small things in their daily life will allow them to be great communicators and Lucy also covers how signing fits into the journey of your little one learning to talk. And Lucy answers some very interesting questions from mums on Mush. This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in the first six months of motherhood which you can listen to while you're feeding, changing, during nap time and just going about your day to day tasks. Think of it like a conversation with a friend who has been there before. You can contact Lucy via her website: talking-lab.com or you can check out Lucy's YouTube channel for more invaluable advice on communication and language: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YuU6x38mgfzOmXXit2dhg Download Mush- the mum friend-making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums; find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Going from milk feeds to finger foods is a big and messy process- how do you navigate this big change? Theresa McCarthy is a registered nutritionist who set up Happy Tums with her friend Nicola because together they wanted to cut the confusion around weaning and provide tips based on solid scientific advice. Theresa covers the signs that your baby is ready to move over to solid foods, how to go about baby led weaning, allergens, how you can add the right nutrients, the importance of your milk feeds throughout their first year and what foods you shouldn't be including in their diet straight away. Theresa also answers questions from mums who are experiencing weaning with their babies and she gives some very practical advice and steps to implement.  We also find out exactly where she stands on baby rice! This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in first six months of motherhood that you can listen to as you navigate your approach to motherhood and the first few months with your baby.  Think of it like a conversation with a friend who's been there before. Theresa McCarthy is a registered nutritionist and runs Happy Tums with friend Nicola together they run weaning workshops and you can connect with them through the links below: happytums.co.uk facebook.com/happytumsuk instagram.com/happytumsuk Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Sleep is one of the most precious things in the life of a new mum, often elusive and confusing.  What are the best ways to help your baby (and you) make the most of sleep and nap times? In this episode sleep consultant, Kate Cohen from Sleep Time Baby talks about how you can establish great sleep and set up the foundations for your baby including what might be stopping sleep as well as debunking some of the old wives' tales.  This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in first six months of motherhood that you can listen to as you navigate your approach to motherhood and the first few months with your baby.  Think of it like a conversation with a friend who's been there before. If you'd like to speak to Kate about sleep consultancy or join her mailing list for more tips please follow the below links: sleeptimeconsulting.co.uk facebook.com/sleeptimeconsulting/ Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

"We are really not supposed to do this alone." Postnatal doula Jenna Rutherford shares her birth experience to shine a light on all the emotions that come with motherhood. "People assume I'm a doula because I had a really positive experience but it was the opposite." When Jenna gave birth to her first child she admits it was a difficult time; she was diagnosed with postnatal anxiety and began receiving CBT therapy. This all lead her to become a doula, wanting to help other women look after themselves and cope with the emotions that come with the life-changing event that is having a child. Jenna shares some sage advice on the emotions you could experience and how to deal with these as well as how best to look after yourself so that you can be the best for your baby. This is your Companion to Motherhood. These episodes are designed to provide you with detailed information on the various steps in first six months of motherhood that you can listen to as you navigate your approach to motherhood and the first few months with your baby.  Think of it like a conversation with a friend who's been there before. Jenna runs The Minimalist Doula and is also a yoga teacher.  To connect with Jenna please follow the links below: theminimalistdoula.com facebook.com/theminimalistdoula Download Mush the mum friend making app to connect with other mums and expectant mums, just like Jenna says this isn't a journey you should take on your own, find it on the play store or app store now. Follow Mush on Instagram or Facebook and for more information, you can visit letsmush.com

Coming soon- Your Companion to Motherhood- brought to you by Mush. Covering topics from pregnancy to the end of your baby's second year, think of it like a conversation with a friend who's been there before. Subscribe now to ensure you don't miss an episode.