For All Mum Kind with Laura O Mahony

05/31/20 • 55 min

Season 3 of the For All Mum Kind Podcast returns and I’m delighted to be kicking it all off with hilarious Cork based comedian and mother of two Laura O Mahony. Laura is an absolute riot, and is not one to be scared of sharing her thoughts and experiences of motherhood. The self proclaimed ‘Queen of the C Section’ Laura is a true advocate of expectant mothers being in control of their labour experience. No matter what that birth looks like, every mother should be armed with the knowledge and the ability to consent to whatever they do and don’t want to happen to their bodies. In her first labour, despite a family history of c-sections, she was guided towards a vaginal birth. Although very uncomfortable with the thought of having a sweep, she still consented because that’s what she felt she was supposed to do. And when the doctors floated the idea of a section they were surprised when she replied “yes please!” Her second, an elective c-section, was more like a tip to the spa with a bit of surgery in the middle. Laura is adamant that mothers should be honest with each other about their experiences. Especially when it comes to breastfeeding. As controversial as it may be, Laura hated the process of breastfeeding and felt massive pressure and guilt about that fact. I love how honest she is about feeling the loss of her own identity as she took on the role of the mother. It is not easy ladies, and if you are struggling you are not the only one out there. As it is now only six weeks or so until we welcome our second child into the world, we discuss what it was like introducing Polly, her little three-nager to her new little brother. And all the tantrums, cake and trips to the park it took to convince her that this was all going to be ok. I really had fun recording this episode and it was just the tonic I needed right now and I hope you feel the same listening to it. If you would like to keep up to date with Laura and her hilarious takes on life you can follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauralolslots/ I will be returning to my usual weekly release pattern for the rest of this season, so look for a new episode landing every Sunday morning. Don’t forget to let me know if you enjoyed it and share the episode with your other mum friends. 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

Special: The Covid-19 Episode

Dr. Laura Lenihan, Lucy Wolfe, Joanna Fortune & Kathy Milliken join Pamela to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on families & motherhood. Time Stamps 1:06 - Dr. Laura Lenihan 16:54 - Lucy Wolfe 27:25. - Joanna Fortune 41:07 - Kathy Milliken 50:20 - Guided meditation From speaking to people this week you can hear the anxiousness, worry, concern and overwhelm in their voices relating to impact of Covid-19. We’ve all been impacted in someway and we are all concerned. This week on the podcast I’ve done things a little bit different, I’m chatting to four mums who are experts in their fields. Dr. Laura Lenihan, who like myself is also pregnant, discusses the new movement restrictions, the changes to maternity services and the impact Covid-19 on the fourth trimester. Sleep expert Lucy Wolfe returns to the podcast to share her knowledge on the impact of stress on sleep, how to use this time at home to improve sleep and guidance on the time change this weekend. Psychotherapist and author of the ‘15 Minute Parenting’, Joanna Fortune, chats with me on blending teaching with playing, parental guilt on screen time and as parents what is the greatest thing we can do now? And finally Kathy Milliken from Bump, Baby & Me shares with me why we need to let go of the ‘should’ and just be in the moment, how to find the positives, and Kathy concludes the episode with a short meditation. I hope it provides solace, reassurance and information to you during these stressful time. As for the rest of Series 3 I am not sure what the future holds. I know for sure that I will not be able to keep my usual weekly release pattern. Perhaps I will release episodes as and when (and if!) I can record them. Or sadly it may end up being the six episodes I released last weekend. If so I hope you enjoyed listening to them and as always I want to say a massive thank you to all the mums who took the time to chat with me and to all of you who have listened. Stay safe. Stay home. Pamela x For more from this episodes guests please check out the following websites: Dr Laura Lenihan: https://www.instagram.com/drlauragp/?hl=en Lucy Wolfe: https://sleepmatters.ie Joanna Fortune: https://www.instagram.com/joannafortune/?hl=en Kathy Milliken: https://bumpbabyandme.ie 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 Aoife Bermingham · Mum On The Run Blog

Blogger, travel enthusiast and mother to three (and one angel), Aoife Bermingham joins me on this week’s episode of the podcast. Most will know her from her Mum On The Run blog or her Instagram full of stunning and motivational early morning swims. Aoife was inspiring to chat with. Living in a busy household Aoife always makes time to get to the beach in the morning to set herself up for the day ahead - even if that means getting up at ten to five in the morning! As mums we can all relate to feeling that part of your identity can get swallowed up in being a mum. During the last few weeks of the lockdown Aoife felt this more than ever, and took this time to reflect on getting “the me” back. We chatted about when Aoife returned to the workplace after maternity leave and the feeling of overwhelmingness that was increased by the open plan office environment. PTSD and panic attacks after the loss of her son Oisin made Aoife take control of her life. She made some big life decisions, but ones that were ultimately for the good of herself and her family. These didn’t come easy and it took time for her choices to come to fruition, but she knew she needed to choose her own path in life. Aoife talks about the need to connect with other people. Be that friends, family or professionals. We can all carry too much of a burden on our own and it doesn’t need to be this way. Grief comes in waves and while we cope through the ups and downs of grief, we don’t have to do it alone. If you enjoyed this chat with Aoife please go and check out her Mum on the Run blog and Instagram feeds. 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