For All Mum Kind with Paula MacSweeney

I was delighted to invite broadcaster, sea swimmer and mom to Roddy & Pixie, Paula MacSweeney to the podcast. Paula was an absolute delight and we could have easily talked for hours - if we didn’t both have two ticking time bombs asleep in the room next door. I found Paula to be just like her radio and online persona, a truly positive and generous person, and despite discussing some difficult topics on this episode, Paula does it with a touch of humour and a sense of “what will be, will be” something that we can all learn from. Once deciding to get pregnant, Paula became pregnant quite quickly. The pregnancy she really enjoyed and although she had morning sickness she feels that was part of the course. Paula had tried hypnobirthing in advance of giving birth but Roddy had other intentions and remained breached, resulting in a caesarean section birth. During Paula’s second pregnancy an early scan indicated that something was wrong. After an examination she was told her pregnancy was ectopic and would require surgery. Although devastated, Paula knew she had to do this for her health and even when the resulting procedure meant that she lost a fallopian tube, Paula didn’t let it bring her down. Two cycles later Paula was pregnant again with baby Pixie. I cannot commend Paula enough for her acceptance, clarity and openness around the subject of pregnancy loss and ectopic pregnancy. We discuss Paula’s love of breastfeeding, or her “superpower” as she calls it. A negative of online that Paula shares is when she shares snippets of her breastfeeding journey, this almost always results in a flurry of messages from keyboard warriors who like to tell her how she is mothering all wrong. We talk about the pandemic and how it has changed her family unit for the better. And also about Paula’s love of sea swimming and how it has taught her to accept her body and that true self care is more about getting a good night’s sleep than having your hair and nails done. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it and don’t forget to follow Paula on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulamacsweeney/ _______________________________ This series of the For All Mum Kind podcast is sponsored by the Gardiner Family Apothecary . Caring for your sensitive skin with their Elave and Ovelle solutions and proudly made in Ireland since 1934. You can keep up to date with all of their news, discounts, and exclusive offers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at Gardiner Family Apothecary. Visit www.GardinerFamilyApothecary.com for free next day delivery with purchases over €25. Pamela x Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/for-all-mum-kind/id1456045096?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5q5ErY3McbYLuzC2qGfxVz