For All Mum Kind with Caroline O Connor • Solid Start

On this, the final episode of series four of the For All Mum Kind podcast, I continue my chat with teacher, Montessori and respectful parent and mum of four Gemma Daly. This conversation is all about play and I hope you find it as interesting as I did. Gemma has taken the knowledge she gained from being in the teaching profession and turned it into a successful YouTube channel called The Hidden Gem. Her tips and techniques on how to play with your child and how to turn the ordinary into interesting are utterly invaluable. It may be something as simple as putting pom-poms on a fire guard, but these are all things to spark your child’s imagination and stimulate the learning process. Gemma introduced me to the idea of ‘schemas’. The little simple repetitive actions and urges that you may notice your baby doing, that are actually the building blocks to the much larger milestones of life. Have you ever watched a baby repetitively take something in and out of a box? This is the schema of learning about volume and it is the reason why as an adult we can pour milk into a cup of tea without spilling it. We talk about toys and which toys are best to invigorate the creative process. It’s not always the most flashiest toy that may stand out of the shelf that is best for your smallie. Active toys make passive learners, and passive toys make active learners. In fact the best thing we can actually give our children is the space to move around and explore in. We discuss the concept of Gross Motor Development and Gemma tells me why she is not stressing about the triplets hitting arbitrary milestones and allowing them to develop at their natural pace. Did you know that a baby can’t actually sit up by themselves until they are able to crawl? Gemma is a hive of information and this episode is full of gems for parents to pick up. And finally we chat about the work of Maria Montessori and how we should follow our child’s natural interests and that each child is like a kernel of popcorn - they may be in the same pot, but they will all pop at different times. To follow Gemma please check out her Instagram and YouTube channel: https://www.instagram.com/the.way.we.play/ https://www.youtube.com/thehiddengem Thank you for listening to season four of the Four All Mum Kind Podcast. I would like to thank all of my guests who took the time to speak with me. My sponsor The Gardiner Family Apothecary for their support throughout the recording of the show., my family and you the listener for all your kind messages.  If you would like to continue the conversation, please follow me on Instagram at ForAllMumKind where I would love to hear from you. https://www.instagram.com/forallmumkind/ ____________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.  Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. 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

This week on the podcast I chat with teacher, Montessori and respectful parent, mum of four Gemma Daly.  2020 for Gemma was the best and worst year of her life. She gave birth to triplets and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  Gemma shares with me her path to pregnancy. Following two miscarriages and an irregular monthly cycle Gemma took it upon herself to have a fertility investigation. She had her son Oscar but trying to conceive now was more difficult. After the investigation she learned that she had low AMH level, low egg count and was recommended for IVF.  However, Gemma conceived naturally and it turned out she was pregnant with… triplets! Pregnancy was scary for Gemma for so many reasons. She was offered a selective reduction, which she declined. At 27 weeks Gemma was admitted to hospital and at 30+5 weeks the triplets, Sebastian, Ashton and Hendrix were born.  Giving birth in the pandemic has been difficult but the extended hospital stay with no visitors, followed by the boys needing care in the NICU was a very tough time for Gemma. One of the unexpected challenges that Gemma faced was how hard it was to feel connected to the babies, the shock of seeing them in the NICU and the impossibility of holding them all at the one time. There was an expectation on Gemma to be bouncing out of the bed and walking to the NICU but after a tough pregnancy and section she needed more support. Once Gemma was discharged she continued to express milk and bring it to the hospital daily. She felt that although they were in the NICU, the one thing she could do was feed them. 7 out of 8 feeds a day were from Gemma, the other feed was supplied by donor milk. One by one Sebastian, Ashton and Hendrix came home and settled into a family of six. Gemma opens her heart in this episode to share the ups and down of her pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. In fact we got on so well that I decided to split the podcast into two, so look out for a further episode next week where I chat to her about her love of Montessori and respectful parenting. To follow Gemma please check out her Instagram and YouTube channel: https://www.instagram.com/the.way.we.play/ https://www.youtube.com/thehiddengem ___________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.  Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. 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

I was delighted to invite broadcaster, sea swimmer and mom to Roddy & Pixie, Paula MacSweeney to the podcast. Paula was an absolute delight and we could have easily talked for hours - if we didn’t both have two ticking time bombs asleep in the room next door. I found Paula to be just like her radio and online persona, a truly positive and generous person, and despite discussing some difficult topics on this episode, Paula does it with a touch of humour and a sense of “what will be, will be” something that we can all learn from. Once deciding to get pregnant, Paula became pregnant quite quickly. The pregnancy she really enjoyed and although she had morning sickness she feels that was part of the course. Paula had tried hypnobirthing in advance of giving birth but Roddy had other intentions and remained breached, resulting in a caesarean section birth. During Paula’s second pregnancy an early scan indicated that something was wrong. After an examination she was told her pregnancy was ectopic and would require surgery. Although devastated, Paula knew she had to do this for her health and even when the resulting procedure meant that she lost a fallopian tube, Paula didn’t let it bring her down. Two cycles later Paula was pregnant again with baby Pixie. I cannot commend Paula enough for her acceptance, clarity and openness around the subject of pregnancy loss and ectopic pregnancy. We discuss Paula’s love of breastfeeding, or her “superpower” as she calls it. A negative of online that Paula shares is when she shares snippets of her breastfeeding journey, this almost always results in a flurry of messages from keyboard warriors who like to tell her how she is mothering all wrong. We talk about the pandemic and how it has changed her family unit for the better. And also about Paula’s love of sea swimming and how it has taught her to accept her body and that true self care is more about getting a good night’s sleep than having your hair and nails done. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it and don’t forget to follow Paula on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulamacsweeney/ _______________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. 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

This episode is all about skin. Our own skin, our children's skin and how our skin changes through pregnancy and postpartum. I sit down with two amazing women to discuss how we should care for our body’s largest organ. The first is dermatology nurse specialist and mum of two Selene Daly. Selene is a skin expert but also a realist. Her understanding, experience and practically of skincare is second to none. Selene was a dermatology nurse before having children, but it wasn’t until she had her own family that she truly understood the impact of caring for an infant/child with a skin condition. If you take away anything for this episode, it is for you and your family to wear sunscreen everyday from March to October. Selene shares some of the frightening statistics around skin cancer in Ireland and how the greatest habit we can give our children is a robust sunscreen regime: Hat, Sunglasses, Sunscreen. Mum of three Joanna Gardiner is the CEO and current custodian of her family’s long running business The Gardiner Family Apothecary, which has been making award winning skincare products in Ireland for over 87 years. As a mum Joanna saw the need for easy to use, yet effective products for children with sensitive skin and with the help of her father developed the Elave range. As a CEO Joanna sees the benefits that flexible and remote working offers families and how industry leaders like Joanna can influence industries to change work practices. She herself felt like she missed out on some aspects of her children’s upbringing and is now looking to address that for her employees. We also discuss the history of the Gardiner Family Apothecary and how it grew from one man in a van to the company it is now and where she sees it in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Joanna for her support of this season of For All Mum Kind. You can follow Selene and her store on  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selenedaly/ And you can discover more about The Gardiner Family Apothecary here: https://www.instagram.com/gardiner_family_apothecary1934/ _______________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.  Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. 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

*Trigger Warning - This episode contains conversations about parental and sibling loss that some may find upsetting* This week I am joined by an award winning entrepreneur, owner of Love Cherish Boutique and she's a mum to Ned & Molly, Maeve Dennehy.  Speaking to Maeve was like speaking to an old friend, her charm, wit, sincerity and openness created an episode with moments of hilarity, sincerity and sadness.  Maeve shares her path to motherhood, how her sister Karen’s cancer treatment spurred her to look into her own fertility and subsequently needing fertility treatment. Maeve discusses her fertility cycles, conceiving Ned and then how she went on to conceive Molly naturally. Maeve offers some sage advice to anyone undergoing fertility treatment.  Myself and Maeve find a common ground through our fertility treatments but also the passing of our mothers. How we cherish the memories we have with our mothers. I share the analogy of the film Inside Out, how I practice not tainting memories of my mom with sadness and choose to reflect on them with happiness. Maeve believes that her daughter Molly was a blessing from her mom and her sister, that there is another lady in her life.  Being self-employed has its advantages as Maeve discusses, freedom is the key benefit for Maeve and her family. To be able to drop off and collect the kids and to be available for the kids also. Through the pandemic Maeve grew her boutique and online store, a testament to the hard work and commitment from Maeve and her team.  You can follow Maeve and her store on  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovecherishboutique/  Or visit her superb website to get all the latest gorgeous fashions: https://www.lovecherish.com ___________________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary.  Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. 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