This episode is a short preamble about my up coming venture. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

In this episode I reflect on parental guilt and how our need to be perfect parents gets in our way.Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

In this episode, I reflect on how the issue of control influences our parenting and our ability to experience parenthood. I share my struggles with my tendency to want to control my children and how I am slowly learning to let go.Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

In this first episode of season three, I define parenting and parenthood and explain how I understand and plan to reflect on these concepts throughout the season. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by BecomePodcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

This is a short introduction to the third season of my podcast which will focus on parenthood and parenting.Featuring the poem 'On Children' by Khalil Gibran From The Prophet (Knopf, 1923). This poem is in the public domainPodcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

My conversation with Johanna is a bit different from previous conversations because not only do we talk about her experiences of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum phase but she also shares her struggles with endometriosis. This is a very informative episode where Johanna shares her experiences with such openness and honesty. We also discuss the challenge of letting go of the idea of a perfect birth and how that can be hard for those of us who are advocators of natural birth. Listening to Jo...

A poem about my connection to my ancestors, identity and belonging. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

This is episode is the first where I have a conversation with a couple. Anne and David share their experiences with me with such open-heartedness and candor. In our conversation, they share their experience of Anne having a cesarean section, and we get their perspectives both from Anne, as she experienced it, and from David, as he witnessed her going through labour and birth. We talk about the postnatal experience and Anne's experience of postnatal depression, and this conversation really und...

In my conversation with Chisom Udeze, an entrepreneur who works with diversity, equity and inclusion, we discuss issues of control and self care. Chisom shares her vulnerability during pregnancy and poignantly reflects back on her experiences and what they have taught her. She is indeed a phenomenal woman and I so appreciate how she opens up and talks about her experiences so honestly and openly. I am sure many women will benefit from listening to this conversation. Relevant links...

A poem about three generations of women. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

Mavhu Farai Hargrove is a Zimbabwean American mother, grandmother, wife, postpartum doula, and educator. In this episode, she shares about her hospital and home births, and during our conversation, Mavhu's passion and commitment to sharing and preserving her cultural heritage from Zimbabwe shines through. We have a shared heritage and this enriches our discussion. Mavhu, shares her experiences of support before, during and after her births, and her reasons for becoming a postpartum doula. We ...

This poem is a tribute to my paternal aunts, the strong women who were an example to me and who I now honour. It is a reminder of how we as women need to support each other, how we are torch bearers from generation to generation and how we have a responsibility to those who are coming after us.XDtPDYskD51ekeUEeeKY Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

My first guest in this second season of my podcast is Sarifa Moola-Nærnes, a South African mother, wife, Anti-racist, Afrikan feminist, Relationship, Teams and Individual Coach, Speaker, Facilitator and Trainer. Sarifa is the founder and director of Ubuntu Coaching AS in Norway. Her company offers relationship and team coaching – individually or in groups, self-awareness women’s retreats and Afrikan women’s Sankofa retreats, Diversity, Inclusion and Ubuntu Training and motivational work...

A poem inspired by the documentary Woman Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography; Styling by Become

The second series of my podcast will build on the reflections I had in the first series, but this time I am having conversations with women I admire and respect. I am not speaking to well-known celebrities, but to women like you and me, women who are stepping out of their comfort zones, and sharing of themselves in different ways. Podcast guests are often experts of some sort or other people who are seen as knowledgeable in their fields. This is not what I wanted to do, I wanted to talk...

This is the last episode in the first series of this podcast. I continue my reflections on the importance of keeping our babies close and cover the topic of 'baby wearing' - or carrying our babies close to our bodies. I discuss the importance of this for the healthy attachment and development of our babies. I also touch on why babies cry and reflect on the controversial sleep training method of letting your baby cry themselves to sleep.Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photography...

Getting our babies to sleep or sleeping with our babies is something that I am sure every parent has had to grapple with at some point in their parenting journey, especially in those early postpartum weeks. In this episode, I reflect on co-sleeping and sharing our beds with our babies and why this can be an important part of our parenting journey, especially in the early days.Useful references:https://sarahbuckley.com/Gentle birth, gentle mothering by Sarah Buckley (chapters 11 & 13...

Midwives do a great job to support women during pregnancy and birth, and we often criticize them when things go wrong, or when they do not act as we expect them to. In this episode I reflect on the role of midwives, the challenges they face and how the maternity care system's focus on being efficient, effective and saving costs, has an effect on their ability to be with woman. I remind us to honour, support and appreciate the work they do. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran Pondicherry Photogr...

In this episode, I reflect on the celebration that we have during pregnancy called the baby shower, why we do this, and what it has become. I present an alternative way to celebrate the mother or mother-to-be, the mother blessing ceremony or ritual. Something that I feel focuses more on nurturing the woman. I also touch on another type of mothering, something I don't focus on this in this podcast - adoption, and why we should celebrate adoptive mothers too. Podcast artwork: Photo by Kumaran P...

In this episode, I reflect on a difficult topic - loss. Losing a baby during pregnancy or birth is one of the most difficult and painful things we can experience. It is also something that is not much talked about - women tend not to share their experiences, because it's hard, it hurts, they feel vulnerable - many reasons. I have chosen to talk about loss and share my experiences as I feel that this is important and that many women often feel lonely at this time, and they feel that no one und...