The Confused Mother: Recent Episodes
Gitanjali More
The Confused Mother - I am an Indian mother living in Germany and talk to international experts and mothers to debunk and demystify everything related to motherhood, share experiences, talk about the realities of parenting and share their advice for all the issues that we discuss.
Seetal Savla is a vocal voice about IVF, based on her own experience with it in the UK, in Germany and during the Covid pandemic. We talked about her difficult journey to motherhood and the stigma around being unable to get pregnant naturally and quickly.
If you are looking for information on IVF in Germany, please send me a message and I will share the brochure I have.
Follow Seetal on Instagram @savlafaire and for more general information on IVF you can also go through her blog: http://www.savlafaire.com/
Yvonne is a single mother and has an 8 year old daughter. She is also an executive coach and consultant, running two successful businesses in Berlin and Potsdam.
We talked about coaching, how she manages her family life, her work and fun. Being of mixed nationality and have a multicultural family
You can find out more about her work here:
https://successhappinessacademy.com/https://fraufuture.com
I would be grateful for your support of my work. You can buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Lela Grießbach is a superwoman. She has so many passion projects, she successfully juggles many balls in the air simultaneously, while being a mom of two, with the support of her wonderful husband.
I am proud to call her my friend and advisor.
We talked about life in Georgia, how she came to Germany and what hurdles she faced, along with how that impacts the kind of mother she is.
She also talked about her latest project, supporting menstrual health in Georgia.
You can find out more about her and donate to her project here: https://www.lela-griessbach.de/ or find her on Instagram as Lela Grießsbach.
In this first podcast episode of 2024, I spoke to Lisa, co-founder of Kietzee.
We talked about how she had the idea of Kietzee and how it has grown into such a big movement in Berlin. We also talked about childbirth, the experience of motherhood during the COVID pandemic and life in Berlin today.
My favourite quote from this episode is "it started with an Excel list!"
Find out more about Kietzee: www.kietzee.com or follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kietzee/
Jaclyn Schnau shares the fascinating story of how all her research related to children's nutrition led her to create Pumpkin Organics.
She shares a lot of valuable tips for mothers who want to cultivate good eating habits in their children. Listen to her story which is full of twists and turns, and find out where she gets her motivation and drive to run her purpose business from.
Follow here: Instagram.com/pumpkin.organics and instagram.com/jaclynschnau
Pumpkin Organics products for children include pouches, bars and more, which are available at Kaufland, Alnatura, Basic, Billa Bipa.
Especially around this time of year, during festival season, I feel particularly homesick. I spoke about this in the season opening episode
In this episode I spoke to my friend Sandhya, who is also from India.
She and I have a lot in common and faces some of the same challenges and opportunities that I do as an Indian mother in Germany. We discussed all this and more in this cosy conversation about life in Germany, her employer, her family life and how they bring together their different cultures and needs.
Find her on Instagram.com/childofmonsoon
Being a mother in a foreign country, in Germany, means that you are probably homesick a lot because you miss the festivals, culture and familiarity of it all. I'm from India and miss it all the time, especially at this time of the year.
Listen to the episode on how I deal with it and also make sure to pass on the good stuff to my daughter.
Here is my birthday episode and the final one for season 1!
In this episode of The Confused Mother podcast, I tried something new. I didn’t invite a guest, but decided to share some things about myself and my work. Being an Indian mother in Germany presents a lot of challenges and opportunities. I share some of them here. So do give it a listen!
The Confused Mother podcast will come back for season 2 in September. Stay tuned!
Anna Mendel has three children, two of them with special needs. In this episode, we talked about Down syndrome, autism, racism and so much more. She also talks about her experiences as a woman of colour and an adopted child.
She felt like she had so much to say, so she put down her experiences in the form of autobiographical essays.
You can find out more about her work and her book here: https://www.annamendel.de/
Postpartum depression is often ignored, goes undiagnosed and still has a lot of stigma around it. It goes on much longer than baby blues, which typically last about two weeks after the baby is born. In this episode, I got a father's perspective on recognising and dealing with his wife's PPD. My guest in this episode asked for it to be kept anonymous but shared a lot of personal details and his perspective and tips on postpartum depression.
He mentioned the book Crib sheet by Emily Oster.
If you or your partner or someone you know might be suffering from postpartum depression, please seek professional medical help immediately and do not ignore the signs. You are not alone.
If you are looking to connect with other mothers, join The Confused Mother Facebook group or join our meetups to connect with other mothers for support. The next meeting in person is on July 8. Write to me to get more details.
B Wie Berlin is a set of beautifully illustrated learning cards, customised for kids learn their ABCs about places in Berlin. Listen to this funny, exciting and heartwarming episode with the creator, Alissa. She and I talked about her entrepreneurship journey during the Covid lockdown and how it’s evolved since then, her international upbringing, life as a mother of (now) three wonderful children in Berlin and so much more.
See her other work and buy your cards here: https://www.bwieberlin.com/
Get your idea to business guide here: https://elopage.com/s/theconfusedmother/from-idea-to-dream-create-your-business-today
TW: Mention of infant loss Nicole Longmire is a US military wife and has 4 children—2 from the heart, one in her arms, and one in the stars; and has been dealing with traumatic grief since the death of her infant son in 2021 while she and her family were living in Germany. We talked about what happened, how she and her family are dealing with it and she shares her suggestions on how you can deal with a similar loss. Nicole mentioned a few resources available for parents in Germany, who are suffering the loss of a pregnancy or child. Afloat Heidelberg Supermamas Germany Postpartum support internationalYou can learn more about Nicole's work here: Blog: www.followthelions.comInstagram: @a.new.day.lactationWebsite: www.mothernurturelactationservices.comIf you are facing a similar loss, please know that you are not alone. There is a lot of support available for you. Please reach out to me with any questions you have and I am happy to help you find the help you need.
Let’s celebrate migration! Melisa and Manik of Mymigrantmama have made this their wonderful mission.
When you live in another country, you face a lot of challenges but also have the wonderful opportunity of learning about other cultures. Food, languages and family take on a different meaning, especially when raising children in another country.
Melisa and I spoke about life as migrant mamas, sharing our culture and values with our children, and the work life of a woman who uses motherhood to live out her dreams.
Buy their book and see other events here: https://en.mymigrantmama.com/
Women often struggle with grieving their old lives when they become mothers. But we don't allow ourselves to go through the grieving process. Our abilities suffer because we forget to take care of ourselves in our busy parenting lives.
Annie Xystouris is a health coach for mothers. She shared some invaluable tips on how to take care of ourselves as mothers because we matter too.
The resources she mentions: The postpartum depletion cure book
Respectful parenting, Janet Lansbury: https://www.janetlansbury.com/2012/09/respectful-parenting-is-not-permissive-parenting/Mindful parenting in a messy world: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindful-parenting-in-a-messy-world-with-michelle-gale/id1194762924
Learn about her work here: www.anniex-healthcoaching.com/
Buy my tutorials here: www.theconfusedmother.com
Ofri Paz’s son was recently diagnosed with autism. It is estimated that almost 1% of the world’s population has been diagnosed with autism. Despite this large number, there is very little awareness, even within the medical community, about what autism is, how it can be diagnosed and how to work with autistic people.
Ofri and I talked about what that means, how it impacted their family and the support available to parents of autistic children in Germany. As she rightly points out, autism is a spectrum, so there are a lot of different ways in which it presents itself. And having an autistic child is not a bad thing. It is not taboo. Or at least it should not be.
She mentions a few resources during our chat which I wanted to offer you here as well:
Podcast.
- Autismus Deutschland Berlin - https://autismus-berlin.de/
- IT'S July - https://bit.ly/3H2KO0P
- Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/158859484772756
- Her blog - https://ohsofreeblog.com/
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ofri.paz/
Women go through so many changes when they become mothers. Then they have to go back to work as if they didn’t have the added responsibilities. Parents need more support in their daily lives from family members, friends and also a lot of understanding and flexibility from their employers. I spoke to Karola about this and so much more. Karola Theile and Saskia Dierkes are the founders of YouParents.
The BeAlice App is the first App release from YouParents. The App provides snackable Personal Development courses for mothers at low cost. All courses are automated, interactive and focused on the reality of a Mother’s Day to day life.
I keep the podcast free of advertising so please consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
There are so many ways of becoming a family. Adoption is one way that is still considered taboo. Trushali Kotecha and I talked about how she adopted her second child from India. She is based in the UK and had a difficult journey due to stigma from family and difficult authorities. We talked about their life, the challenges they faced and the support work which started out of her own experience. She has written two books, available for purchase on Amazon. - Sia - our adoption journey - I am here now but where was I before? She has a blog for prospective parents covering Indian traditions, news, their daughter’s journey, good reads, etc.: https://www.adoptionsupportblog.com/I try to keep the podcast free of advertising so please consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Caro and I spoke about a holistic approach to self-care and our journeys as women and transition into motherhood. She talks about how her personal journey has impacted the work she does and shares a lot of things she has learned in the process, like the importance of checking in with yourself and disconnecting from negativity.
Listen to this inspiring conversation with founder, doula, business mentor and mother, Caro von Michaelis. You can find her on Instagram as @carovonmichaelis and @calmbase.
You can find details of her upcoming festival here: https://www.artofbeingwoman.de/event-details/art-being-woman-days-online-festival-conscious-beauty
If you want to get information on our upcoming mother's circles, don't forget to follow me on Instagram @theconfusedmother.
In order to stay free of advertising, I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Jana Prosinger is a feminist mother of two boys. She heads the Global Unit for Feminism and Gender Democracy, an international office by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, in Sarajevo. We talked about the importance of feminism while raising children and in a family. Parents always try to create a better world for their children and the best way to do that is to start at home.
Here are the English and German resources she recommends for learning about feminism and for teaching your children about feminism:
- Raus aus der mental load Falle
- Hanna Drecksler feminist coach Eltern in Balance
- Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
- Julian is a mermaid
- The online shop for diversity she mentions is https://tebalou.shop/
I also mention Good night stories for rebel girls by Favilli, Elena and Cavallo, Francesca
You can read more about the debate about The Little Mermaid here: https://www.thegryphon.co.uk/2023/01/13/halle-bailey-as-ariel-outdated-debate-over-casting-of-the-the-little-mermaid/
TW: mention of postpartum depression and self-harm
Rohini Rajeev is a psychotherapist with 21 years of experience in the field of professional mental health care based in Bengaluru, India. We talked about the stigma about women’s health, recognising postpartum depression and how family members can help new mothers in this difficult time.
You can use the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to understand if you might be suffering from postpartum depression https://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/pediatrics/downloads/edinburghscale.pdf
Please seek immediate professional help if you feel like you show any symptoms of postpartum depression or feel like harming yourself or your baby.
In Germany, you can turn to emergency helplines: https://findahelpline.com/de
In this episode, I speak to Maggie Towe, Registered Dietitian and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant based in Berlin. We talked about her work in pediatric nutrition, what mothers should know during pregnancy and how partners can be involved and supportive
Here are the books she recommends reading:
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The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by LA Leche League.
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Biological Nurturing by Suzanne Colson
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Global Health Media for wonderful videos on latching and breastfeeding
You want to know more about her work or consult with her? Here is her website: https://www.towenutrition.com/
*This episode is for you if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy or have recently had a baby
I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Check out my website for more information and support for being a mother in Germany: www.theconfusedmother.com
Dr: Nicola Coutinho is an Indian mother living in Hamburg. She is a homeopathic doctor, a licenced lactation consultant and an admin for Supermamas Germany. We talked about raising a multilingual child in a foreign country, the importance of community for mothers and her two homes, India and Germany.
You can find her on Instagram @colourwhirls and @doctorcoutinho or at https://www.doctorcoutinho.com/.
Supermamas can be found on Facebook and here: https://app.supermamasgermany.org/
I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Check out my website for more information and support for being a mother in Germany: www.theconfusedmother.com
Dr. Isha Bafna Jain is a Physiotherapist, Women's Coach and Nutritionist with twelve years of experience in coaching thousands of parents in the journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum based in Mumbai, India. She is the Co-founder of Thoughtfoodz, Proactive9 and BumptoBurp.
In this episode, we talk about the importance of community and how parenting has evolved since our parents were raising us.
You can find her on Instagram @ishabafnajain, @thoughtfoodz, @proactive9 and @bumptoburp.
I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Check out my website for more information and support for being a mother in Germany: www.theconfusedmother.com
In the second episode of The Confused Mother podcast, I talked to Sara Redolfi. We talked about her life as a diplomat and her journey as an entrepreneur. She talks about how she reduces her mom guilt and mental load with good planning. Sara gives some great tips on how to deal with stress around the holidays.
Her business is called Memooa. You can find it on Instagram as @memooa_erinnerungsbuecher.
You can support my podcast here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
Jutta Wohlrab is an international midwife in Berlin who has been working since 1983 to help 1000s of women in their birthing experience. I talked to Jutta about positive birthing, trauma and the role of the partner during childbirth. Jutta has written a book called Positive Birthing Days with stories and information to help couples understand their options and have a positive birthing experience.
Her book "Positive Birthing Days" is available on Amazon. Jutta also writes about positive birthing on Instagram @juttawohlrab.
This episode is for you if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother
When I got pregnant during the Covid lockdown, I wished for more contact with other women who shared my experiences. I wanted to encourage more open and honest conversations about motherhood so in April this year, I started talking to women about becoming mothers, motherhood and all the taboo topics that are related to it. But I wanted to do more.
I am also a trainer and career consultant. You can find my workshops and tutorials on www.theconfusedmother.com
I would be grateful for your support: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tcmother