Episode 136: Supporting mothers and babies through all of their feelings with Kim and Erin

The Aware Parenting Podcast

In this episode I was so delighted to talk with Erin Dee and Kim Cousins, who are registered nurses who specialise in perinatal mental health. I LOVED the conversation so much and was in tears several times. They both share about their journey with Aware Parenting, and the difference it made in their own parenting, including with sleep, and how they then introduced it to mothers in the unit they work in. They talk about supporting the mothers with expressing their own feelings, and then having the emotional spaciousness to be able to listen to their babies' feelings, and then seeing the difference in their relaxation, connection, feeding and sleep. I loved the description one mother gave of their 'melty' baby after crying in arms! They share about the beautiful shifts they often see in breastfeeding when mothers are supported to listen to their baby's feelings and are supported to put themselves in their baby's shoes and connect with what they might be feeling. They talk about the changes - from mothers feeling stressed in relation to sleep, having their babies 'catnapping' - and then seeing the differences once they understand sleep and Aware Parenting and listening to feelings. We also talked about the bigger picture, about this culture and the normal needs for support and listening for mothers, and what a huge difference this makes to both mother and baby. You can find out more about Kim and Erin's work on Instagram @when.held. They have various group and 1-1 offerings available which can be found on their Instagram account.