Julie Tenner is a mother of four, an experienced facilitator of deep women’s work, a naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist, counsellor, doula, intimacy and relationships coach and co-host of the Nourishing the Mother podcast. Julie’s wisdom has been such an influence on my parenting journey, and I’m so honoured to have her on the podcast. In this episode, we have a juicy chat about birth and motherhood as a rite of passage, parenting as a spiritual practice and so much in between. To connect with ...
Aug 22, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Today I'm chatting to Kate Thomson about how her professional experience as a midwife and Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor informed her postpartum, and how she helps other women. ~ Traditional Chinese medicine protocol for postpartum ~ food prep ~ home birth ~ breast feeding supply issues ~ donor milk ~ matrescence And heaps more. Find Kate here: https://www.themamasalchemist.com/ and here: @themamasalchemist If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend!...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Ninety two per cent of parents report increased disagreements with their partner in their first year of family. Sixty seven per cent are less happy in their relationship. And relationship concerns are a leading cause of anxiety or depression in pregnancy and early parenthood – affecting as many as 1 in 3 mothers and 1 in 5 dads. Enter Elly Taylor, a perinatal relationship expert, author and founder of Becoming Us. She believes that partners can actually grow closer through parenthood, instead of...
Aug 07, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 1
SEASON TWO, BABY! It's on the way, and the first episode is dropping on Sunday. Here, a little on what to expect, as well as a bit of a life update. See you Sunday!
Aug 05, 2021•9 min
@cocoonbynaomi www.cocoonbynaomi.com
Apr 11, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 87
In this week's episode, Bridget Brennan, journalist and former Europe correspondent for the ABC, tells her story of returning from London mid-pandemic to become a first-time mother. Despite moving back in large part for family support, border closures put an end to that plan. And after the crushing realisation that her mother wouldn't be able to be with her for the birth and postpartum, her father passed away just a day after her little boy was born. We talk about everything from the incredible ...
Mar 28, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Going from one child to two was without a doubt the hardest part of my fourth trimester this time around, and I know I'm not alone. Whether it's your second child or your sixth, the change of family dynamics is a big shift that is keenly felt by our older children (and us!). In this episode, respectful parenting coach Alex Emms (@kidsflourish) shares her wisdom as she goes through this shift herself, as a mum of a 3 year old and an 8 week old. Find Alex at www.kidsflourish.net If you loved this ...
Mar 14, 2021•58 min
Jess, a mum of one with another little one on the way, shares her rollercoaster postpartum and how she conquered anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. With the help of a counsellor, she found the link between a past sexual trauma in her twenties and her birth trauma, processed it and is now expecting her second child. If this brings up anything for you, please consider talking to a counsellor on the PANDA helpline: 1300 726 306 (Monday-Saturday 9am-7.30pm AEDT)
Mar 07, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Melanie Richardson shares how she went from a self-confessed control freak to surrender in this episode. We talk bedsharing, mother guilt, sex (or lack thereof), overactive pelvic floor and lots more.
Feb 28, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 83
When should you start a baby on solids? What are the best first foods? How do you time it with milk feeds? What's the deal with baby led weaning and purees? I asked Luka McCabe--midwife, mum and nutrition consultant--to share some of her extensive wisdom on how to feed our tiny people and I learned a ton! Order her book, Milk to Meals, at www.boobtofood.com and follow her on Instagram @boobtofood
Feb 21, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Kate is the deputy editor of Insight Out and a mother of two. In this episode, Kate generously shares her experiences with endometriosis, surprise pregnancy, c-section, attempted VBAC, tongue tie, mixed feeding and more.
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr 26 min
I'm thrilled to have renowned neonatal paediatrician Dr Howard Chilton join me for this episode. He's a wealth of knowledge, so I asked for his take on two questions that occupy new parents' minds: what's going on with my babies sleep? And do they have reflux? I found his take on both these issues both reassuring and revolutionary when I first came across his work when Margot was small. I hope you find them interesting too! Apologies for the change in sound halfway - our Zoom call dropped out re...
Jan 31, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 80
In this ep, Gabby - an old friend and yoga teacher - discusses her two really different first and second births (one hospital and one home birth) and postpartums (one that she didn't feel ready for and the next that she was very supported through). We chat about everything from placenta previa to breastfeeding and mum guilt, birth trauma and the stretch from one child to two. Thank you Gabby xx
Jan 18, 2021•53 min
Rosie Ricketson is an artist and mother from Braidwood, New South Wales, and she offers women holistic pregnancy and postpartum support, education and coaching. In this episode, she shares the work she did and the support she set up to have a positive postpartum period with her daughter. To find out more about Rosie and how you can work with her: www.rosierick.com or @_rosierick_ Side note: Rosie took the SheBirths course - if you're keen to do the online course I have a discount code (cocoon10)...
Jan 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Okay, you're past the first few months of motherhood, and you're just feeling... a bit crap. Listen in to hear the signs of postnatal depletion, what the physiological markers are and what exactly to do about it with naturopath, postpartum doula and mum of two, Kate Harrison. Because, as Kate says, you don't want feeling like crap to be your new normal. Find Kate: www.littleyarrow.com Instagram @littleyarrow
Dec 27, 2020•39 min
Amber Giles is a journalist and mum of one, and in this episode she shares her experience of discovering pre-eclampsia during labour, successful breastfeeding, postpartum anxiety - and what happened when she didn't feel that in-love buzz she'd expected. Amber chats about how she got through a tricky start with the help of her partner, family, friends and professionals and how she navigated the huge identity shift that motherhood brought. Oh and keep your ears peeled for her UberEats hack for avo...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Kyra Lee is a social worker who specialises in working with pregnant women and new parents in difficult circumstances - and when she fell pregnant herself, she had to work hard to let go of all the trauma and worst-case-scenarios that she'd seen and heard. In this episode, we talk about hypnobirthing, her labour (induction, postpartum haemorrhage, fourth degree tearing), birth trauma, recovery complications and PTSD. But it's not all grim! A positive breastfeeding experience, good physical recov...
Dec 13, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Rhiann McGarry describes her fourth trimester as "treacherous". An older first time mum, she endured multiple losses before having an ultimately successful and smooth IVF pregnancy... only to be faced with a lonely and shocking fourth trimester - shocking, she says, because her expectations were way off, her baby was unsettled and not fond of sleep, and her friends had had kids a decade before she had. Listen in to hear the wisdom she's earned from her rocky but ultimately rewarding transition t...
Dec 06, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 74
How does a nurse, midwife and Calmbirth educator do birth and beyond? In this week's episode, Jen Troy of Seasons of Mama joins me to share it all - and her top tips. If you're pregnant, this ones a must listen! Find Jenna (and her beautiful products, including affirmation cards) at @seasons_of_mama She's kindly shared a 15% off code for listeners, too: cocoon15
Nov 29, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 73
ICU nurse and mum of one, Elle Blanks, had an "amazing" first three months of motherhood, thanks to investing in her postpartum period, both by nurturing herself and allowing others to nurture her. In this episode, Elle chats to me about her experience with IVF, the birth of her little boy, and how despite breastfeeding issues, sleep deprivation and limited family support she had a wonderful postpartum period.
Nov 08, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 72
It's home birth awareness week, so I wanted to share this story - one of the many positive home birth stories i soaked up as I prepared to birth my son. Zoe's two postpartums were quite different, and she attributes a lot of that to the way she birthed. Enjoy!
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 20 min
Bernadette Lack is a midwife, personal trainer, mum and pelvic floor expert--she has helped hundreds of women sort out their post-baby pelvic floors with her Core and Floor Restore programs. Here, she shares her own experience with incontinence, pregnancy, home birth, and restoring her pelvic floor health... and gives plenty of tips on how you can too. Side note: when we recorded this ep, I was still pregnant and B was newly pregnant (but not publicly sharing that!). She's now in her third trime...
Oct 24, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 70
Fellow postpartum doula and mother of one Emmeline Tyler shares her experience of what it's been like for her to go through pregnancy, birth and postpartum as an autistic woman. Tune in to hear about her surprise pregnancy, living and working in Arnhem Land, and her positive birth experience. Emmeline has a background in anthropology and linguistics, with experience working and living in remote Aboriginal communities. Through this experience, she has witnessed an authentic community and has seen...
Oct 18, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Robin McLeavy is a doula, hypnobirthing educator and actor who is able to articulate the experience of becoming a mother like no one else. Our conversation spans birth and postpartum, of course, but then we went into home birth, feminism, matrilineage, the mother wound, raising boys, parenting styles, gender politics, relationships and oh so much more. This conversation absolutely lit me up. For some reason my voice is a bit muffled on this recording - my apologies. But fortunately, the person w...
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 68
So often we think of postpartum as a six week period that ends with a GP check. Why aren't we talking more about the massive shift that occurs for women way beyond those early weeks? Whatever you want to call it: psychological, spiritual, psychic... the identity shake up is real, and so is the change of pace. This week Anne-Marie joins me for a chat about her transition to motherhood and how she's handled a busy, successful career with parenting her two girls.
Sep 27, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 67
A little six week update from me! I'm chatting about what I've been eating, the amazing meal train organised by friends, the role of my midwife and doulas, my physical recovery, breastfeeding, sleep, how my anxiety and mental health has been and lots more.
Sep 14, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Dietician Renee Jennings joins me on the podcast to chat about all things nutrition - she specialises in maternal health and is a mum herself. When she was pregnant with her first baby, she thought she knew all the right things to eat, but she's since discovered some surprising menu items that she's now incorporating into her second pregnancy, and she's sharing it all with us. As well as all her expert advice (including how to make the best porridge and all her tricks for making the most of free...
Aug 30, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 65
It's taken me a few weeks to get my head around Cormac's birth: after a long, slow wait for his arrival at 42 weeks (on top of the pregnancy that took me through the horror bushfire season and the start of the pandemic) and a measured start to labour, at the end it was all fast and furious. Amazing but also confusing: what just happened? How did I not know he was coming? Wait, was I in transition? In this episode, my lovely doula Jerusha Sutton (www.jerusha.com.au) talks me through this amazing,...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Tara Ali is a writer and mother of two, and in this episode she shares her two very different postpartums: her first baby was born after eight years of trying to conceive, and five rounds of IVF. When she fell pregnant with her second child, she found herself facing serious relationship challenges. Listen in to hear how she navigated complex issues as her pregnancy progresses and separated from her partner during her postpartum period, all while managing the needs of a toddler and a newborn. Tar...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 63
Arianna Taboada is a Maternal Health Consultant for entrepreneurs: she helps make their maternity leave and transition to motherhood smoother – while keeping their business thriving. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, what we're focusing on in today's episode could totally change the way you think about planning for your postpartum... it did for me! Her eco map is a brilliant way to plan your move into parenthood (whether for the first or third time). We also talk about harnessing th...
Aug 09, 2020•39 min
