Today I have a chat with my friend Liv Davis who is a nurse, a podcaster and mum of two boys. Liv is chatting with us today about being in a same sex family - of social infertility, conceiving her boys through sperm donor, how she navigates tricky conversations with new people and what she wishes all parents understood and could teach their own children about the uniqueness of families.You can find Liv over on her own podcast The After Birth Podcast.Hey Mama, I have a Sleep Guide for you! For birth to 18 months, this guide is steeped in evidence and laced with compassion. And you  can download the first chapter absolutely free HERE.Are we Insta pals? If not, why not? Come and hang out at @mamamatters.au!As always, thanks for being here- if you enjoy this poddy I would LOVE if you could give a rating and a review. It means the world to me. xx Hey Mama, I have a Sleep Guide for you! For birth to 18 months, this guide is steeped in evidence and laced with compassion. And you  can download the first chapter absolutely free HERE.Are we Insta pals? If not, why not? Come and hang out at @mamamatters.au!As always, thanks for being here- if you enjoy this poddy I would LOVE if you could give a rating and a review. It means the world to me. xx

Dr Kyla Smith is a Paediatric Dietitian who supports parents to help them feed their families with confidence. Her range of online memberships simplify the challenges you face in feeding your kids, from actually enjoying the process introducing solid foods, navigating fussy eating with confidence, and taking the steps out of packing school lunches and feeding the whole family. She’s also currently working on changing the way we talk about food in schools. Kyla has been a dietitian for 16 years and has a PhD in childhood weight management. She passionate about changing the way this generation of children feel about food and their bodies.

This chat with Dr Heather is so juicy and full of wisdom!We chat about: - What is reflux and does it need to be medicated?- Is there such a thing as a 'happy chucker?'- How much crying is normal in babies?- What is colic?- How seriously do we need to consider food allergies? Elimination diets? CMPI? - What's the deal with breastfeeding and drinking alcohol? What about in pregnancy?- Should we continue to avoid sushi and soft cheeses in pregnancy? Dr Heather Johnston is a medical doctor with a background in obstetrics, gynaecology, and general practice. She is now working entirely in the perinatal space through her business, Cradled, supporting families with infant feeding and breastfeeding, responsive and holistic approaches to sleep, as well as perinatal and infant mental health. Alongside medicine, she is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, an accredited Holistic Sleep Coach through Lyndsey Hookway's program, accredited in Neuroprotective Developmental Care through Possums, and is a Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator. Heather's passion is empowering parents, especially those who go against the mainstream narrative and find themselves adrift, and busting myths and misinformation that do harm or steal the joy out of parenting. She prioritises normalising normal infant behaviours and patterns, and troubleshooting when things fall outside that normal realm, to find workable and family-centred solutions that promote attachment and relational health. She is based in Palmerston North in the lower North Island of New Zealand, and sees families all over New Zealand via virtual consultations. She's also a mum of three little ones aged 1 to 6, a fur-mum of a curly-tailed cat, and a lover of hot pink and hot coffee. Hey Mama, I have a Sleep Guide for you! For birth to 18 months, this guide is steeped in evidence and laced with compassion. And you  can download the first chapter absolutely free HERE.Are we Insta pals? If not, why not? Come and hang out at @mamamatters.au!As always, thanks for being here- if you enjoy this poddy I would LOVE if you could give a rating and a review. It means the world to me. xx

Melanie is a mother of three daughters, a naturopath, and the founder of The Natal Naturopath women's health clinic who care for women in their health concerns. She has a special passion for iron-deficiency in women and went on to launch her own iron supplement IronBiotic. Through her work she aims to bridge the gap between baby-care and mother-care, and has also created her own pre and postnatal supplement, EverNatal.We chat about:- Her experience with raising twins - the unique challenges and blessings- Unhelpful advice and stigma she experienced around twins - Logistically managing bedtime with breastfeeding twins and an older sibling- Her advice for others expecting twinsYou can find Melanie here:www.thenatalnaturopath.com.auInstagram: thenatalnaturopath Hey Mama, I have a Sleep Guide for you! For birth to 18 months, this guide is steeped in evidence and laced with compassion. And you  can download the first chapter absolutely free HERE.Are we Insta pals? If not, why not? Come and hang out at @mamamatters.au!As always, thanks for being here- if you enjoy this poddy I would LOVE if you could give a rating and a review. It means the world to me. xx

Laura Rafferty lives in upstate New York with her husband, Justin, and her two sons, Jack and Ben. It’s a perfect place to live for her, as she loves all four seasons and all of the corresponding outdoor activities. Her favorite things to do are running, traveling, cooking and reading. Laura has worked in corporate America for her entire career, but writing a book has been one of her lifelong dreams. Becoming a mother gave her the content and the motivation to make that dream a reality. As an avid reader, research for the book was more of a hobby than a chore. And she shared her journey in the book to give other mamas the support and sanity check that she was looking for!Getting pregnant and having a baby was nothing like type-A Laura had planned. Tossed completely off balance, and in the midst of a global pandemic, she went from rule follower and spreadsheet organizer to rebel mama by the time her son, Jack, celebrated his first birthday.Join Laura in redefining motherhood norms through the milestones of getting pregnant, giving birth, circumcision, breastfeeding, sleeping, introducing solids, and all the phases in between. Her story shares what worked for her, and unlike many parenting books, is not meant to be a how to guide. Rather, it is meant to invite every fellow mama to awaken her rebellious side and storm the gates of any modern parenting practice that goes against her instinct!You can find Laura here: Instagram : @ rebelmamawriteshttps://www.rebelmamawrites.com/Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Mama-Breaking-Motherhood-Parenting-ebook/dp/B09BZQKW3H Hey Mama, I have a Sleep Guide for you! For birth to 18 months, this guide is steeped in evidence and laced with compassion. And you  can download the first chapter absolutely free HERE.Are we Insta pals? If not, why not? Come and hang out at @mamamatters.au!As always, thanks for being here- if you enjoy this poddy I would LOVE if you could give a rating and a review. It means the world to me. xx