{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/67e84dbb735649420e522af7/67fa0ebab51a627d15fb4d5f?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Stepmum Pressure: Parenting Without Biological Kids ","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/67e84dbb735649420e522af7/1744440960326-92145baf-0497-4c67-ab80-e5064d839337.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Being a stepmum without your own children? People have opinions.</p><p>Choosing not to have kids? Even more.</p><p>And if you want to be a mum but life has other plans? That’s a whole different kind of heartbreak.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Blended, Kate Ferdinand is joined by Priscilla Appeaning and Nathalie Holmes-Lewis for a powerful and honest conversation about the pressure on women to sacrifice their bodies and mental health for motherhood, what it means to step-parent without biological children of your own, and how motherhood expectations shape emotional identity in blended families.</p><p><br></p><p>Cilla explains the difference between being childfree and childless. Kate reflects on her experience entering a blended family without children of her own and Nathalie opens up about her health journey and her decision around motherhood.</p><p><br></p><p>They also explore how “ours babies”&nbsp;, a term used in the blended family space to describe a child shared by both partners, can impact identity, connection, and emotional roles for women who aren’t biological mums.</p><p><br></p><p>Follow <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/blended/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@blended </a>on Instagram to share your story.</p>","author_name":"Kate Ferdinand "}