Bringing Up Mum: Recent Episodes
Kristy
Should I follow traditional confinement practices? Which school should I send my kids to? How do I navigate work and family without burning out? Mothers: for a group that is so glorified, we're also exhausted, lonely and left out of the conversation. This podcast is a platform for mums to have discussions around things that matter to them. Postpartum care, mental health, education and the idea of 'the good mother' are some of the topics we cover in this season. We also look at some of the tensions we face as culture, faith and circumstances impact on the decisions we make for our families.
Ever wondered what it's like to have a big family? Today I speak to a Norhayati, a mum of 9 kids. Yes I said 9. A biomed tutor, turned homeschooling mum who now runs a family business with her husband, she shares about the idea of purpose for a family, how to manage finances, demands of the day to day and how having more kids is actually easier than less?! Listen to learn more.
Having your first baby is hard enough as it is. But what's it like becoming a mother in Covid times? In this episode, I speak to Amirah, a working mother who gave birth a week before the first MCO was declared. She speaks about her experience as a new mum, the difficulties transitioning back to work, and what it means to deal with this new normal that keeps changing.
Who am I now that I am a mother? Why do I feel so lost? Today I speak to Bernadette, blogger and mum coach who struggled with her transition into motherhood. She shares about what it was like to feel lost in motherhood, some strategies that helped and highlights the more abstract but valid needs-including mental stimulation and connection.
In today’s episode, I speak to Li Teng who is a mum to a 1.5 year old and a doctor at Sg Buloh Hospital. We discuss what it means to navigate work and home, our understanding of gender roles and where it comes from, and what we can do to better manage the mental load together.
As mums, it's easy to get caught up in our own lives and stories. In this episode, I speak to Naw (not her real name), a refugee mum from Myanmar who has lived in Malaysia for the past 8 years. She shares about the struggles she faces, her ideas of what it means to be a good mum-while living as a refugee, and her hopes for her family. Her story is eye-opening, humbling and convicting. A reminder that the motherhood journey can be so similar and yet so different from one family to the next.
Even before we have a child, there are expectations surrounding what it means to be a good mother. These pressures can sometimes crush us, but we can't seem to shake them off so we need to learn to navigate them well. Here, Rosaleen Goh shares her thoughts on the good mother, the expectations and realities of where we're at and covers topics like guilt, anger and how to respond when we feel judged.
I've been thinking a lot about schooling for my kids- what do I want them to learn and how? What does success look like for my kids? Are these choices influenced by things like culture and faith? Today, I speak to Aisah Rahim, a psychiatrist who decided to resign to homeschool her four kids. She shares on how her faith impacts her ideas of motherhood, what success and learning look like for her kids and how she responds to what people say about her choices.
Confinement help, urut and eating ginger- these are some of the essentials of postpartum care here. But are they always helpful and could there be other ways? Also, what else is being done for a mother's mental health? In this episode, postpartum support specialist Namrita Bendapudi discusses tradition, the tensions new mums face, mental health and finally, the importance of making informed and empowered choices for our family.
As a mum I’m always interested in exchanging notes with other mums. I created this podcast because I wanted to highlight motherhood stories from our little corner of the world. I thought about where I was and the mums I know and the stories they had and wished like mad that someone would take on the job of sharing these stories, starting these conversations. Now, thanks to project dialog, I was able to be that someone- I’m so nervous to be honest, give this a go and boy has it been quite the adventure.