Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide to Parenthood

Want to become a Mum but haven't met the right person yet? Or would you prefer to have a child on your own? How do you go about making your dream a reality and what might you need to consider along the way?
This week on Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide to Parenthood Podcast, we welcome Alisha Burns, founder of the Solo Mum Society who has done just that - become a mama on her own - and geared her life around helping other women to do the same. If this is something that you have ever considered or you want to feel inspired by her incredible journey, then this is the episode for you.
In this episode Alisha shares: 
- Her journey to become a Solo Mama by Choice
- Recommendations around the first steps to take if you think you may like to be a solo mama
- Insights into sperm donation and how to go about selecting and acquiring sperm 
- Tips on how to navigate the cost of being a solo parent
- How do you know if being a solo parent is the right choice for you?
- The best parts of being a solo parent
- The hardest part of being a solo parent
- What people don't tell you about being a solo parent
- One of the biggest worries for a solo parent is that they are robbing their child of another parent. Alisha shares her thoughts around this and what her community of solo parents and kids think
- Advice for tackling negative comments people may make if you decide to become a solo parent
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Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide To Parenthood Podcast is proudly supported by Mustela natural origin skincare, by parents' side since 1950.
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Parents You've Got This offers antenatal and postnatal parenting education and Masterclasses from the planning phase to early preschool. Learn more: ⁠⁠parentsyouvegotthis.com.au⁠⁠
Credits: Producer Dean Thomas, Camera person Tim Hehir, Content and Hosts Parents You've Got This

Do you have a picky eater? Is every mealtime stressful?
Don't worry, we have you covered with this episode of Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide to Parenthood Podcast
Feeding Difficulties in Children: Expert Help for Picky Eaters, Food Refusal & Mealtime Stress.
This week's topic can be surprisingly complex for families. Food can be one of life's greatest pleasures, but if you have a little one who finds food challenging, it can become a daily battle.
From picky eaters to food refusal, difficulties chewing and swallowing, or other feeding challenges, these can all be really stressful for parents and family mealtimes.
To help with feeding and mealtime challenges, we welcome Nicole Wu, Speech Pathologist and Co-Founder of Learn to Eat Love to Eat, to the podcast chair.
We discuss:
- What the role of a speech therapist is when it comes to feeding and mealtime challenges
- When parents should start to be concerned about their child
- How do we know if it is developmentally normal to refuse food- Some children have a very limited number of foods they are happy to eat.
-Nicole shares her tips on how to increase your child’s food variety
- Signs your child may be having difficulties with swallowing
- Food texture struggles and Nicole's tips to help
- Gagging 
- Dribbling. What’s normal, and when to see a speech therapist about excessive dribbling
- Nicole's Top Tips to make mealtime more fun
- What an assessment looks like for fussy eating 
Never forget Parents You've Got This 
Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide To Parenthood Podcast is proudly supported by Mustela natural origin skincare, by parents' side since 1950.
Follow us Social: 
Instagram: @parentsyouvegotthis_au
Threads @parentsyouvegotthis_au
TikTok: @partentsyouvegotthis_au
Facebook: @parentsyouvegotthis
__________________________________
Parents You've Got This offers antenatal and postnatal parenting education and Masterclasses from the planning phase to early preschool. Learn more: ⁠⁠parentsyouvegotthis.com.au⁠⁠
Credits: Producer Dean Thomas, Camera person Tim Hehir, Content and Hosts Parents You've Got This

This week we welcome back our Paediatrician Expert Dr Lexi Frydenberg to help us understand what tests are routinely conducted when your baby is born.

When your newborn arrives, they undergo a series of tests to ensure they are fit and healthy or to see if any interventions are necessary for their health. In this week's episode we unpack exactly what those tests are and what's involved.

We discuss:
- The APGAR test - what it is and how your baby is scored 1 minute after being born and again at 5 minutes
- What the 5 key components of the APGAR score are
- Why a scale is used for the APGAR score and what it means for your baby if they are given a low score
- When your baby is born your baby will be checked head to toe to ensure everything is as it should be. We discuss in detail the examination of the baby's heart and lungs, hips, eyes, and spine
- Why oxygen saturation is checked and how this is tested
- The Heel Prick test - what the test is, how the test is conducted and what potential serious disorders are screened for 
- Newborn hearing tests - what is involved, and why it is tested in hospital
- We discuss newborn immunisations (Vitamin K and Hepatitis B) and why you might consider these
- Dr Lexi shares her tips and tricks to help babies and parents with newborn screening tests.

Never forget Parents You've Got This
Parents You’ve Got This - The Expert Guide To Parenthood Podcast is proudly supported by Mustela natural origin skincare, by parents' side since 1950.

Follow us Social: 
Instagram: @parentsyouvegotthis_au
Threads @parentsyouvegotthis_au
TikTok: @partentsyouvegotthis_au
Facebook: @parentsyouvegotthis
__________________________________
Parents You've Got This offers antenatal and postnatal parenting education and Masterclasses from the planning phase to early preschool. Learn more: ⁠⁠parentsyouvegotthis.com.au⁠⁠
Credits: Producer Dean Thomas, Camera person Tim Hehir, Content and Hosts Parents You've Got This

Is Shared Care the right pregnancy care option for you?
When you first see that positive pregnancy test, it can feel equally exciting and overwhelming. Suddenly your mind is filled with questions. Understanding the right pregnancy care for you and your growing baby can be a little confusing.
This week on Parents You’ve Got This - The Expert Guide to Parenthood Podcast, we are talking about Shared Pregnancy Care, a popular form of pregnancy care which offers both the convenience and comfort of your own local GP, combined with hospital expertise.
To help us navigate the logistics, the benefits and the ‘what ifs’ we have our GP Expert Dr Bill Bateman in the podcast chair.  
We discuss:
- What Shared Care is 
- How Shared Care works
- Who is part of the Shared Care team and what role they play
- How the Shared Care model is offered
- How many antenatal appointments patients have during their pregnancy with Shared Care
- What makes somebody a good candidate for shared care
- Are there any requirements for a pregnancy to be suitable for Shared Care
- How much does Shared Care cost
- How GPs and hospitals ensure they are on the same page regarding patient care
- The one thing Dr Bill wishes every pregnant mama knew about shared care before they started
Never forget Parents You've Got This 
Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide To Parenthood Podcast is proudly supported by Mustela natural origin skincare, by parents' side since 1950.
Follow us Social: 
Instagram: @parentsyouvegotthis_au
Threads @parentsyouvegotthis_au
TikTok: @partentsyouvegotthis_au
Facebook: @parentsyouvegotthis
__________________________________
Parents You've Got This offers antenatal and postnatal parenting education and Masterclasses from the planning phase to early preschool. Learn more: ⁠⁠parentsyouvegotthis.com.au⁠⁠
Credits: Producer Dean Thomas, Camera person Tim Hehir, Content and Hosts Parents You've Got This

Have you got a NICU or Special Care Baby?
In this week's episode of Parents You’ve Got This - The Expert Guide to Parenthood we discuss the NICU and Special Care experience.  Most parents don’t expect to have this experience as part of their parenting journey and it can come at quite a shock.
If you are currently going through this experience our hearts got out to you. Joined by our Paediatric Physiotherapist Fran Finlayson, in this episode we discuss the common reasons your baby may be admitted to special care or the NICU, what the special care/NICU experience entails and some tips to help you through the journey. 
We discuss:
- What the NICU and Special Care Units are
- The main difference between the two
- The most common reasons a baby would be taken to the NICU or Special Care
- What a typical day in the NICU or Special Care looks like for a baby
- The NICU can be quite overwhelming and stressful for parents: a white room with little cribs, oxygen, monitors, and alarms going off. Fran talks us through what to expect
- Many parents feel nervous about handling or settling their baby in the NICU and worry they won't bond with their child. Fran shares her tips to help parents feel more confident and involved during this time
- The role of a physiotherapists to support babies in the NICU or Special Care nursery
- The NICU can be a stressful environment for families emotionally and mentally. Fran shares what the different support services are available for parents during their baby’s stay, and how can families look after themselves during this time
- What happens when a baby is ready to leave the NICU
- For babies born premature or medically unwell, what some of the early signs parents should watch for once they are home are, and when should they seek extra support or follow-up care
- What Fran wishes every parent knew about the NICU/Special Care experience.  
Never forget Parents You've Got This 
Parents You've Got This - The Expert Guide To Parenthood Podcast is proudly supported by Mustela natural origin skincare, by parents' side since 1950.
Follow us Social: 
Instagram: @parentsyouvegotthis_au
Threads @parentsyouvegotthis_au
TikTok: @partentsyouvegotthis_au
Facebook: @parentsyouvegotthis
__________________________________
Parents You've Got This offers antenatal and postnatal parenting education and Masterclasses from the planning phase to early preschool. Learn more: ⁠⁠parentsyouvegotthis.com.au⁠⁠
Credits: Producer Dean Thomas, Camera person Tim Hehir, Content and Hosts Parents You've Got This
Thank you Think HQ for the beautiful podcast recording space