For All Mum Kind with Amy De Bhrún

09/22/19 • 44 min

Amy De Bhrún is an actress, writer and voice over artist who has appeared on stage and screen. But she is now taking on her biggest role yet: Motherhood. There are no auditions, there is no rehearsals and more than likely things will not stick to the script. Amy joined me in studio with her beautiful baby girl Billie who, at just two months old was the perfect (and possibly cutest) guest. Amy is just finding her feet as a mother, although she has had plenty of practice as one of five sisters who all have children. But she still wasn’t prepared for that overwhelming feeling when it came time to take Billie home from the hospital. Amy found the early stages of pregnancy to be a tough slog. Hit by bouts of morning sickness - or all day sickness - and having to continue to work and audition right up to the final few weeks certainly took its toll. She didn’t have it easy when it came to her labour either. A virus meant that Billie was born by emergency caesarian. Trusting herself in the hands of the professionals Amy was faced with some tough decisions in those first few hours regarding feeding and the wellness of her child. Yoga has always been a big feature of Amy’s self care regime and it has helped her both pre and post birth to find the calm in the day as well as to become a better actress. Her self penned play I See You celebrates the life of Lady Mary Heath, a forgotten female pioneer of the aviation industry. She was performing the play while pregnant with Billie and she hopes that some of the words of empowerment resonated with her unborn daughter as much as they did with her. And we muse on how life will be for our daughters as they grow up in modern Ireland. Thank you to Amy for taking the time to meet with me, and for bringing Billie so I could get some baby cuddles. If you would like to see some of Amy’s repertoire please head to her website: https://www.amydebhrun.net Or check out her stunning Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/amydebhrun/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. 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

Previous Episode

For All Mum Kind with Ollwyn Moran • CogniKids

Ollwyn Moran is the face and brains behind Irish baby brand CogniKids. A company that is dedicated to supporting child & baby development through its range of innovative products. As a former teacher and now neurological development therapist Ollwyn is passionate about healthy brain and body development in children and her enthusiasm and knowledge is packed into her products: Dip, Grip, Sip, Crawl & Sooth. Not only is Ollwyn a superb inventor and entrepreneur, she is also a great speaker and activist on all things baby development and she made for a fascinating and entertaining guest. When both of her boys were born prematurely Ollwyn knew that they were at higher risk for having developmental issues in their future. And spotting that our home lifestyles and furnishings (carpets were out and wood floors and tiles were in) she saw the need for a product that could help kids to crawl, and that is how CogniKids was born. For Ollwyn crawling is one of the key touchstones in early brain stimulation and advancement. She is passionate that not only should kids crawl but they should do so properly to ensure both sides of the brain are being used. Too often she see parents unwittingly relying on walkers and door bouncers that she sees as detrimental to child development, so much so that they are banned in other countries and we discuss why that is so. Screens are also another bugbear of Ollwyn’s. We talk about how babies brains are not able to cope with all the flashing images that gadgets such as iPads and phones bombard the eyes with. And although you think you may be soothing your baby, actually you are just “zombifying” them and wiring them for addiction problems in later life. Ollwyn is so passionate about this she even took Dundrum shopping centre to task for the use of screens throughout their premises. We also discuss Ollwyn’s family life and how she as a single mother chose to raise her two boys in a very open household where no subject was off the table. As long as they have done their chores first that is! And we talk about how Ollwyn is able, or is not able, to juggle her business and children to find a work/life balance, or integration as she calls it. I honestly could have talked to Ollwyn for hours. Her insightfulness and knowledge about how the brain works and needs to be exercised in the right ways is just fascinating. And I was so glad that I found her Instagram stories when Alice was only just born. They were a fantastic source of knowledge from do’s and don’ts to sensory DIY tips using everyday household items and I encourage you all to check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/ollwynmoran/?hl=en And check out Ollwyn's range of products on the CogniKids website here: https://cognikids.com/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram and thanks as always for listening. 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

Next Episode

For All Mum Kind with Sarah Breen · Oh My God What A Complete Aisling

Oh. My God! This week I am joined by author, journalist and mother of three Sarah Breen. Sarah is one half of the creative team behind the award winning ‘Aisling’ series of novels. As a former country girl in the city myself, I have laughed and cried my way through both Aisling books so far and can’t wait to see her adventures in book number three: Once, Twice, Three Time an Aisling. And I equally couldn’t wait to hear Sarah’s take on motherhood, and she didn’t disappoint. Sarah’s first child was born in Arizona and Sarah elected to forgo the American hospital system and chose a natural birth centre called the Baby Moon Inn. And it was fascinating to hear how it compared to Sarah’s Irish labours. Especially in regards to the amount of post birth support she was given. Sarah was determined to breastfeed and despite facing early issues (a front and back tongue tie) she persevered and fed her first child up to her third birthday. With three babies and books under her belt I wondered how Sarah found a balance in her life and she fully admits that at the minute her life is very unbalanced and she often finds herself up to 2am in the morning “typing away like a vampire.” Although there’s nothing a good long shower can’t fix - something we both agree on. And of course we talk about her other creation: Aisling and what she would be like as a mother. Although Sarah was keeping tight lipped about what lies in the future for Aisling in both book form and screen, I think we would all agree that Aisling would enjoy organising all the baby clothes! Sarah is super busy at the moment and I was so grateful she agreed to chat with me right in the middle of her hectic press schedule. The latest Aisling book along with the previous books 'Oh My God What a Complete Aisling' and 'The Importance of Being Aisling' are available from all book shops. And you can follow Sarah on her Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjaybee/ Thanks as always for listening and if you would like to keep the discussion going please follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forallmumkind/ If you are enjoying the series so far please take the time to rate and review me on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners and new mums to find me. Thanks! 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