Postnatal health issues are still being ignored, overlooked, and dismissed by new mums and health professionals who are sadly pushed for time and resources. My guest on this episode - Emma Brockwell aka Physio Mum UK - is on a mission to empower women and birthing people to seek the help they need and care for themselves postnatally.Emma is a Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist and the author of the excellent book Why Did No One Tell Me? How to Protect, Heal and Nurture Your Body Through Motherhood which is a guide for women to take control of and protect their changing bodies through pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood. It might (or might not) surprise you to hear that this is the first handbook from a leading women’s health expert on prenatal and postnatal conditions.  In my chat with Emma, we cover everything from why pelvic health is so important, practical things that you can be doing if you’re pregnant to help with postnatal recovery and how to look after yourself in that fourth trimester and beyond.It’s a must-listen episode for anyone who is pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or who has recently had a baby.Buy Emma’s book here and follow her on Instagram here.This is the last episode of this series but I'll be back before you know it with series eight (can you believe it's been eight series already!)If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Not Another Mummy Podcast

Emma Brockwell (Physio Mum UK) On Protecting, Healing and Nurturing Your Body When You Give Birth

On this episode I chat to Molly Forbes, the author of Body Happy Kids and a mum of two. Molly was a guest on the podcast a few years ago, when she was a host on the Channel 4 show Naked Beach, which shone a light on the body insecurities that many of us have and helped people to overcome them.Since then, Molly has set up social enterprise Body Happy Org, has been campaigning to ban diet club adverts around and near schools and using her voice to help others raise our kids in a body happy way.We talk about what’s causing children as young as three to feel bad about their bodies, the lack of positive representation of different body shapes in books and the media and how to talk to our kids about their appearance and body issues.We also touch upon helping our kids foster a healthy happy relationship with meal times and food, using Ellen Sattyr’s Division of Responsibility and how all of this *waves arms around* is HARD when we were brought up so differently.You can buy Molly’s book Body Happy Kids here, follow her on Instagram and check out Body Happy Org and their work.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Molly Forbes On Raising Body Happy Kids

Are you dreading your children hitting the teenage years and hormones turning them into sulky, shouty, door slamming young adults? I know I am! But my guest on this episode, journalist and podcaster Lorraine Candy, says we shouldn’t worry, she is here to hold our hand through the process.Lorraine is the mum to three teens and a nine year old and she is the author of Mum What’s Wrong With You – 101 Things Only Mothers Of Teenage Girls Know which offers easy to follow, down to earth advice, lighting the way for other mums.She shares all sorts of wisdom on this episode, from someone who has been there and got the t-shirt, like navigating the big teenage milestones and the biological reason your teenager has an incredibly messy bedroom….Buy Lorraine’s book here, listen to her podcast Postcards From Midlife and follow her on Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lorraine Candy On Surviving The Teenage Years

My guest on this episode took an earth-shattering life event and turned it into a novel - Josie Lloyd is a best-selling author and mum of three. She has written 15 bestselling novels including the number one hit Come Together, which she co-authored with her husband, Emlyn Rees.In 2017, Josie was diagnosed with breast cancer and, urged by a friend to keep fit, she went down to the seafront in Brighton where she lives and joined a running group. These were all women, who, like her, were going through cancer treatment and they soon became firm friends. She didn't realise at first that it was actually a training group for the Brighton Marathon 10K and she ended up running the race just before her third session of chemo. The whole experience was so utterly uplifting and inspiring that she decided she had to write about it in her latest novel The Cancer Ladies’ Running Club.Josie chats to me about what that experience was like and how she couldn't find any fiction books about surviving and thriving after cancer, so she wrote one.Buy Josie’s book here and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Josie Lloyd On How Breast Cancer Changed Her Life

It was an utter joy to welcome Dr Ranj onto the podcast as a guest – as well as working for the NHS through the pandemic as a paedeatric doctor, Ranj published a book - How To Grow Up And Feel Amazing: The No Worries Guide For Boys. It’s a must-read book for all tween boys, covering physical and emotional changes they’ll go through as puberty hits.I talked to Ranj about what his own teenage years were like, and why he was so keen to write a book to help boys get through what can be a tricky time. We chat about the importance of encouraging boys to express their feelings, have a cry and talk to people around them if they’re struggling.It’s a fantastic book and it was great to hear Ranj’s thoughts on how to raise happy, healthy boys.Check out the book here and follow Ranj on Twitter and Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr Ranj On Raising Happy And Healthy Boys

This episode is essential listening if you’re in your 20s, 30s or 40s. Which sounds like I’m really bigging myself up, but it’s my guest, not me, who is delivering all of the wisdom.Maisie Hill is a women’s health practitioner, author and podcaster who is doing everything she can to spread the word about perimenopause and getting us in tune with our menstrual cycles. Her latest book Perimenopause Power is a guide to that transition into menopause, packed with information and helpful advice. Reading it opened my eyes and spurred me on to speak to a menopause specialist about my own symptoms.On this episode, Maisie tells me why perimenopause needs to be more widely discussed – and from a younger age – and what women in their 20s can be doing to help their health when perimenopause hits. She’s a great guest with lots of useful explanations and helpful tips. Once you’ve listened, share this episode with a friend to get the conversation going with as many people as possible!Visit Maisie's website, buy her book Perimenopause Power and follow her on Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Maisie Hill On Perimenopause And Our Hormones

Do you talk to your children about race – and racism – and if so, how often? My guest on this episode Uju Asika encourages all parents to start this conversation as early as possible and not to feel awkward about it.Uju is a mum of two and the author of Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World. We talk about how the conversation will be different, depending on your children’s skin colour, and why it’s important not to take the ‘colour blind’ approach to parenting.Uju shares her fears over her black sons – once considered cute by passers-by and now in their teenage years, being viewed and treated differently. We also discuss language and people’s desire to find a term that neatly categorises everyone that isn’t white.Buy Uju’s book here and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Uju Asika On Talking To Our Kids About Race

My guest on this episode is mum of three Hayley McLean. All three of Hayley’s children were assumed male at birth but her second-born, Noa, identifies as female.Hayley tells me what it’s like to be the mum of a transgender child, from the early signs through to Noa telling her parents, in no uncertain terms, that she is a girl. Hayley talks about how they’ve fully supported Noa and about the reaction they’ve had from friends and family. We talk about her decision to write about their experiences on her blog and social media, in the hope that it offers some support to other families going through something similar.You can follow Hayley on Instagram and read her blog Sparkles & Stretchmarks.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hayley McLean On Raising A Transgender Child

Separating from your partner would be one of the worst things that could happen to you, right? Well, no, according to my guest on this episode, it doesn’t have to be.Amy Ransom is a mum of three and the author of The Soul-Soaring Virtues of Separation: 111 Learnings to Heal Your Heart and Help You Fly – a guide to reframing separation, looking at it as the start of something new rather than the end of something. Amy talks to me about her own separation and how she used her spirituality and the Law of Attraction to turn it from something that was devastating into something positive.Her book shares 111 things she learned on her own separation journey and is an inspiring, supportive guide for anyone who’s going through a separation.Buy Amy’s book here and follow her on Instagram here.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amy Ransom on Turning Separation Into A Positive

Imagine a world where women don’t lose their jobs, or miss out on promotions, because they’re pregnant or have just had a baby. I can’t even picture it, because so many women experience maternity discrimination, today, in 2021. My guest on this episode, Joeli Brearley, lost her job the day after she told her employer she was pregnant and went onto launch the charity and campaigning group Pregnant Then Screwed.Joeli is a mum of two and campaigns for better rights for pregnant women and mothers, including asking for three months’ ring-fenced parental leave for both parents at 90% of salary, properly subsidised childcare from six months old and increasing the time limit to raise a tribunal claim from three months to six months.Her book Pregnant Then Screwed: The Truth About the Motherhood Penalty and How to Fix It is a must-read expose of the practices and systems that force women out of their jobs because they’re having or have had a baby, and about how we can challenge them and demand a fairer, level playing field.Joeli talks to me about her own experiences of losing her job while pregnant, why expecting mothers to raise a tribunal claim within three months when they’re in a vulnerable place is unacceptable and why it’s critical that the government invest properly in the childcare system. We also talk about flexible working and how the pandemic has affected it.** Pregnant Then Screwed are currently running a campaign with Grazia to ask the government to commission an independent review of childcare funding and affordability. Sign it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/586700 **You can follow Pregnant Then Screwed on Twitter and Instagram, check out their website and buy Joeli’s book here. For advice on employment rights, call their helpline on 0161 222 9879. If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and author Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joeli Brearley On Maternity Discrimination The Motherhood Penalty

Over the past year or so, most of us have become increasingly reliant on the communities around us – our neighbours, WhatsApp groups of friends, even people we’ve never met but follow on social media. Community has become so important and my guest on this episode knows just how vital they are.Robert Douglas is a dad of two and has built up a community of dads online with his Instagram account @this_father_life. His day job is community-minded too - running a social enterprise which supports and facilitates young people from diverse backgrounds to get into a career in film production.Robert chats to me about why all of this matters and how there are so many interesting stories on our doorstep but we often aren’t aware of them. He also talks about his fears raising black sons and the effect BLM 2020 has had on them.Follow Robert on Instagram and follow his social enterprise too.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Robert Douglas on The Importance Of Community

The seventh series of Not Another Mummy Podcast kicks off with the brilliant Hollie McNish as my guest. Hollie is an award-winning poet and writer, with books like Nobody Told Me and Plum and loads of sell-out live shows under her belt. Hollie is a mum of one and lots of her poetry is about motherhood – warts and all. Her new book, though, Slug… And Other Things I’ve Been Told To Hate is about birth, death and everything in between.Hollie talks to me about what lockdown was like for her as a solo parent, why she worries what the other mums at school think of her poetry and how she feels about sharing some of her innermost thoughts with the world. She tells me what it was like when her poem Embarrassed went viral and we chat about why it’s so ridiculous that the culture we live in has made so many mums (us included) feel embarrassed to breastfeed in coffee shops.You can buy Slug here and follow Hollie on Twitter and Instagram.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can buy my book OMG It's Twins now. ﻿Producer: Imogen HartMusic: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hollie McNish On Being Honest About Parenthood

There’s little that will prepare you for the moment you hear the words: “You’re having twins!” You might feel shocked, delighted, scared, horrified, amused – or a mixture of all of the above.As a twin mum myself, I’ve got first-hand experience with the emotional rollercoaster of having two babies at once and I wanted to write a book which will guide parents from the moment they find out, through the pregnancy, birth and beyond. Excitingly, OMG It’s Twins is here and available to buy from bookshops. Filled with gorgeous illustrations by Veronica Dearly and easy to digest chapters, this is the book for anyone who is expecting, or has just welcomed, two little bundles of joy.But of course, I don’t know it all, so when writing the book, I interviewed a whole raft of experts, from midwives, psychotherapists to nutritionists, parenting experts, as well as getting  helpful anecdotes from other twin mums, and for this episode of the podcast I wanted to chat to one of those experts – Sophie Burch. Sophie is a Hypnobirthing Practitioner,  a pregnancy and birth coach and author of The Beyond Birth Guide which aims to educate and empower. She’s also a twin mum! So it was brilliant to chat to Sophie about her experiences and the techniques she teaches as a pregnancy and birth coach.Check out Sophie at The Mamma Coach, buy The Beyond Birth Guide and follow her on Instagram.OMG It’s Twins is available to buy now on hardback or Kindle.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you! Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry.   ﻿Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Special Episode! OMG It's Twins: Sophie Burch on Being A Twin Mum and Preparing For A Multiple Birth

It’s the end of the series – and a Christmas special – with the brilliant Anna Williamson as my guest, talking about how to look after our mental health at the busiest time of the year.Anna is a TV presenter (catch her on the new series of Celebs Go Dating on Channel 4), podcaster and author. She’s also a qualified life coach and she’s done lots of work around smashing the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Her books – Breaking Mad and Breaking Mum and Dad look at her own experiences of mental health problems and gives solutions and coping methods aplenty. Her podcast Breaking Mum And Dad discusses different aspects of family life and mental health (listen to the episode I recorded with her here).During our chat, Anna talks me through her journey with mental health – from the mental breakdown she had during her 20s when she was in a high pressured job working in kids’ TV and in a bad relationship… to suffering from severe anxiety during pregnancy and the birth of her son. She tells me how she then took control of her mental health during her second pregnancy and the birth of her daughter by requesting an elective caesarean.Anna has loads of great advice on looking after our mental health so if things are feeling a bit hectic and overwhelming right now, this should help.Check out Anna’s books, listen to her podcast and find out more about her life coaching.If you enjoy this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can pre-order my book OMG It's Twins (out March 2021) now.﻿Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anna Williamson On Looking After Our Mental Health At Christmas Time

It’s the penultimate episode of the series (next episode is a Christmas special *jingles some bells*) and my guest this week is former social worker and child development trainer Becky Goddard-Hill. Becky is the author of brilliant book Create Your Own Calm which is an activity book for pre-teens and teens to work through and learn about being emotionally resilient. And we all need a bit of resilience in 2020, am I right?It’s a lovely book that they can either do on their own, or you can sit with them and chat through the activities.Becky chats to me about why it’s important to focus on our kids’ emotional wellbeing, we talk about how this just wasn’t stuff we discussed when we were growing up, and she gives loads of tips on how to help our kids manage anxiety, stress and just everyday life!Buy Becky’s book Create Your Own Calm and check out her other books here. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, check out her blog Emotionally Healthy Kids and listen to her podcast of the same name.If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can pre-order my book OMG It's Twins (out March 2021) now.﻿Music: Epidemic SoundArtwork: Eleanor Bowmer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Becky Goddard-Hill On Supporting Your Children's Emotional Wellbeing

Host Alison Perry chats to a different guest each episode about parenting and family issues, covering topics like post natal depression, guilt, birth, self-care, body confidence, fertility, juggling work and life, divorce and more...