Happy Mum Happy Baby

It’s estimated that around 1 in 3 families in the UK are a blended family, which means more of us than ever are becoming stepparents. Why then, is there still such a stigma attached to stepmothers in particular? And where is the support for them?These are questions Cilla Appeaning asked when she met her now husband and became a stepmum to his two children. And so she founded the Stepmums Club, a platform to provide support to the growing number of stepmums and to reject that harmful ‘wicked stepmother’ stereotype.She and Gi discuss the challenges that come with living in a blended family, and Cilla answers some of your questions on stepparenting.

This week, Eastender’s actor James Bye and his wonderful wife Victoria join Giovanna to talk about the chaos (and fun) that comes with raising their four boys!They share with Gi some of the difficulties they’ve faced on their parenting journey, including secondary infertility, endometriosis, and birth trauma. Plus, we hear some hilarious stories on traveling with four children, laminated birth plans, and cheese and pickle sandwiches!

Motherkind Founder Zoe Blaskey joins Giovanna this week. Zoe is a transformational coach and is all about making mums feel less alone and more resilient, empowered, and fulfilled. What’s not to love?She and Gi discuss some of the quick and simple self-care tools we can use to help us become our most confident selves in motherhood. She also opens up about her own parenting journey, and how the word ‘matresence’ has helped her navigate the physical, emotional and spiritual changes that happen after having a baby - and beyond!

On this episode of Happy Mum Happy Baby, Giovanna catches up with Youtuber Jim Chapman and his model wife Sarah, who welcomed their second child last year.They tell Gi about Sarah’s experience with hyperemesis gravidarum and reflect on the births of their children, including an intense moment when Sarah’s waters were broken manually. Plus we delve into the trials and tribulations of negotiating with toddlers!

On this episode of Parenting SOS, Gi welcomes the founder of My Bump Pay, Tobi Asare. Tobi was inspired to create a platform to help give women the confidence to achieve their career goals amidst the barriers that can hold back working mothers. Her book,The Blend: How to Successfully Manage a Career and a Family, is all about overcoming the challenges that come with working motherhood.Tobi and Gi had so much to talk about, from negotiating maternity leave to returning to work with confidence. Plus Tobi answers your questions on how to thrive as a working parent.

Anna Williamson has many strings to her bow. She’s an author, presenter, podcaster, life coach, counsellor, and mental health campaigner. She is also mum to two children and our guest on this week’s episode!Anna opens up to Gi about her perinatal and postnatal anxiety, the lessons she learned from her difficult first birth, and the importance of postnatal care.Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions around subjects including traumatic birth and postnatal depression. If you feel this may be a difficult listen, please choose another episode.

We have a 4-time Olympic medalist in the Happy Mum Happy Baby studio this week! Becky Adlington is Britain's most successful female Olympic swimmer, having won two gold medals at the Beijing 2008 olympics when she was just 19, and then two bronze in London 2012.Becky tells Gi that becoming a mum has brought out her softer side, plus shares the story of meeting her husband on a dating app. She also opens up about the devastating loss of her baby daughter after she suffered a late-stage miscarriage.Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions around subjects including miscarriage and baby loss. If you feel this may be a difficult listen, please choose another episode.

Giovanna’s guest this week is Youtube royalty Tanya Burr! One of the UK’s first influencers back in 2009, Tanya’s makeup tutorials and fashion vlogs have gained her millions of followers over the years. Now a mum to baby Sage and back on Youtube after a 5 year break, there was lots to catch up on!Tanya tells Gi all about her motherhood journey so far, including the sickness she experienced during pregnancy, plus the decision behind her return to making long-form content.