The Pregnancy and Postnatal Podcast (Natasha Cullen)

In this weeks episode, I am talking to Dr Narys Lapsys (bio below). 

I had no idea the role in which diet and supplements play whilst being pregnant (and even before!) and once baby is born too. I picked his brains about what we should be eating to optimise pregnancy and postpartum, what supplements he would recommend for both, and how on earth to choose a supplement! We delve into different nutrients and why they are important, as well as asking him what a visit to the dietitian would look like and what his top tips would be for a pregnant or postnatal mum. 

I learnt so much just from this conversation, and i could have asked him a million more questions! But i hope you find it as useful as i did. 

You can follow Dr Naras on:

Instagram: livehealthierlonger 

Facebook: @drnaraslapsys 

LinkedIn: Dr Naras Lapsys

Or visit his website: www.drnaraslapsys.com.sg

Enjoy the episode!

About Dr Naras Lapsys:

After 10 years of post-doctoral research, Dr Lapsys left academia, obtained a Masters’ degree in nutrition and dietetics, and opened his first nutrition consultancy. As both an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Sports Dietitian, he applied his science-based approach to a vast span of health and performance issues.

Seeing the destructive effects of preventable diseases first-hand, Dr Lapsys developed an interest in longevity, and the profound role that nutrition and lifestyle can play on disease prevention, healthy aging and lifespan. He undertook additional formal education and become Board certified in both Australia and USA in regenerative and anti-aging medicine.

In 2018, Dr Lapsys relocated to Singapore and by combining his years of research, experience gained from thousands of clients and continued education, he opened his new nutrition and longevity consultancy in Wheelock Place.

Living healthier, longer, is Dr Lapsys’ goal for himself and his family, and he values helping others to do the same.

Dr Dheeraj, from The Iron Suites in Singapore, speaks to us about the importance of iron in your pregnancy and in the postnatal period.

We cover topics such as:

- What are the symptoms of iron deficiency 

- What an IV iron infusion involves and how it compares to supplements

- Why iron is so important for your baby and birth 

Really interesting, and something which i think needs more awareness! 

The Iron Suites are located in Singapore, and you can find them here: www.theironsuites.com

This week I spoke to Dr Gina Dahel - a paediatrician from the UK - about evidence based parenting, the first 1000 days, developmental milestones and delays, how to boost a child's development, and screen time. 

It was really enlightening to hear a paediatricians perspective and it was a great reminder that people have a lot of opinions when it comes to parenting, and so sometimes looking at the evidence can make things easier to make decisions about!

Dr Gina runs @Drginaparenting on instagram, and her youtube channel Dr Gina Parenting https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxZjAoKFqRF5WsToasneiBw/featured - full of evidence based parenting information :) 

I loved talking to Tessa this week - Tessa is an NHS specialist midwife who provides information, support and advice around maternal mental health during pregnancy and the in the postnatal period. She runs the popular instagram account @mentalhealth_midwife. 

We start by talking about being a new mum in the pandemic, as Tessa has recently had her son! And then we talk about prenatal depression and anxiety, postnatal depression and anxiety, birth trauma and things to watch for if you already have a pre existing mental health illness. There is some really useful information for anyone, as mental health can affect anyone during pregnancy or postpartum, so knowing that it may not 'just be hormones' can be reassuring to know that you can access help if you need it. 

As ever if you liked the episode, please feel free to share it, and like/rate us on itunes so that we can reach as many mums as possible! 

In this episode we are talking to sleep consultant Annika. We discuss when you can start to implement a sleep routine, how to elongate naps, what is the best sleep environment for babies, and when to seek help from sleep consultants.

Annika is an incredibly talented person - originally a UK registered nurse, she is also a Baby massage instructor, Certified sleep consultant, holds a child nutrition diploma, Baby sign instructor, First Aid instructor and Postnatal doula. 

If you want to have a consultation with Annika, you can find her at belovedbumps.sg, and contact her on annika@belovedbumps.sg. 

Preet is a Women's Health Physiotherapist and this weeks guest.

Before i moved to Singapore i had never really worked with or knew of a Women's Health Physiotherapist, but since moving here i have seen many women under their care, and have seen how vital this is for pregnant and postnatal mums. 

They are so specialist in what they do, and i would highly recommend seeing one in your pregnancy, and definitely after birth too - we talk about why in this episode, as well as common things that they see and how they can help.

We also talk about:

- Your pelvic floor muscles

- Preparing for birth 

- Diastasis recti 

- Sex after birth 

- Jamu wraps/ compression belts post birth 

Really worth a listen if you are pregnant or have had a baby! 

Preet can be found at Embrace Physiotherapy: https://www.embracephysio.sg/

And check out her informative blog here: https://www.embracephysio.sg/blog

And follow her on instagram here: embrace.physiotherapy.sg

In this episode, I am talking to Elise - Founder of Taxi Baby and PramFox.

Elise is the guru for all things baby gear - I am pretty sure she knows every brand of car seat and strollers, but also all the details about them, pros and cons of one over the other, and which one suits you best according to your lifetstyle.

She runs a beautiful boutique here in Singapore where she helps you decide which one is right for you. 

In this episode we talk about:

- How to choose the right stroller and car seat

- The errors parents make when choosing 

- Safety around car seats

- Things to consider when purchasing baby equpiment

- Top products to purchase that you ACTUALLY need

and more!

You can Follow Elise on @buckleupforfoxsake and visit her website: pramfox.com and https://sg.taxibaby.com/

For the first episode we are introducing the host, Tash, on who she is, where she is, and why she is doing this podcast!

In this episode, I am talking to a good friend of mine Sasha - Sasha is the MD and Employee Experience lead at wrkflow, a digital employee experience design agency based in Singapore. Before relocating to Singapore from the UK, Sasha spent 10 years working in HR leadership and HR technology consulting roles with brands like Samsung, Capgemini and ServiceNow. Most recently, Sasha led the ServiceNow alliance and Powered HR Transformation offering at KPMG for the ASPAC region before launching her own business in 2020. She’s a certified human-centred design practitioner, a HR Tech Advisor at HerCapital and holds an MBA from the University of Aberdeen.

We talk about how to prepare for your maternity leave when you are pregnant, how to manage your work and managers when you are on maternity leave, what a great return to work experience looks like, and why it is important, and also how to make returning to work that little bit easier. It was hugely thought provoking and is a topic that both Sasha and I are hugely passionate about. Sasha and I co teach on our 'Return to Work' course, which helps to prepare and empower those returning to the workplace following maternity leave.

Sasha's recommendations during the podcast are books: The fifth trimester by Lauren Smith Brody (https://www.amazon.sg/Fifth-Trimester-Working-Sanity-Success/dp/0385541414/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+fifth+trimester&qid=1622106567&sr=8-1), and  Work. Pump. Repeat by Jessica Shortall (https://www.amazon.sg/Work-Pump-Repeat-Survival-Breastfeeding/dp/1419718703).

She also mentions this link: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/fewer-than-one-in-five-women-confident-return-maternity-leave#gref

She can be found at www.wrkflow.tech and @wrkflowofficial

As ever, if you have found this useful, please share, like and review! 

In this episode I am talking to Ana - Ana Mackay BSc (Hons), M.Ost is a registered Osteopath with the British General Osteopathy council since 2013. She studied Biology undergraduate at the University of Nottingham, Osteopathy at the University College of Osteopathy and a specialisation in Women’s Health at the Molinari institute.

She has worked in the NHS, prenatal clinics and prestigious Harley street in London before moving to Singapore and working in two clinics across the city. She is also a qualified Yoga Instructor (Tattvaa in Rishikesh, India) and has worked alongside physiotherapists, acupuncturists, lactation consultants, pilates teachers and personal trainers to help empower women on their fertility, prenatal and postnatal journeys in addition to aiding the early stages of development in Newborn babies.

She has two young children and is currently studying Chemistry to further her knowledge of Biochemistry and the human body.

We chat about osteopathy can support you during your pregnancy, what osteopaths can help with, how they can help you recover post birth and also how they can with babies and colic, reflux and feeding. 

She can be found on Facebook @anaosteopath and Instagram at @anaosteo

This episode is with Yolande, a counsellor and social worker. 

We cover a huge amount of topics, all vital for new mums to listen to! 

We talk about becoming a new mum and the psychology around that, about mum guilt and how to reframe our thoughts, and we discuss matrescence - what it is, and how it can help us to label what we may be experiencing as life as a new parent. 

We also talk about relationships and how they can change when you become a parent, and common topics that come up surrounding these using Yolande's experience. 

It's full of useful tips and also 'that's me!' moments, and i hope you enjoy it. 

Here is the link the Ted talk by Alexandra Sacks - definitely worth a watch https://www.ted.com/talks/alexandra_sacks_a_new_way_to_think_about_the_transition_to_motherhood?language=en

Brittny Sciarra is the owner of CT Orofacial Myology. She is a Certified Orofacial Myologist and Buteyko Breathing Educator. Brittny received her degree from the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at MCPHS in 2011 and post graduate training in Myofunctional Therapy through the AOMT and IAOM in 2016 and 2017. Brittny is an educator and mentor for Dental Sleep Toolbox and Airway Health Solutions, training other registered dental hygienists who share the same passion in becoming myofunctional therapists. Brittny is also the face behind the podcast, “I Spy with My Myo Eye”.

I was so excited about recording this podcast after hearing Brittny speak on a course I was doing, so I contacted her and was so delighted when she said she would do the podcast with me!

We cover some incredible topics, and I think you will struggle not to find someone you know who this will be so helpful for! We talk about:

• What is OMT?
• Issues with incorrect oral muscles patterns
• Problems that can be associated with incorrect oral muscle patterns
• Impact of mouth breathing and the benefits of nasal breathing
• Why do you begin to mouth breathe? What causes poor oral muscle development?
• Tongue ties and the impact this has
• How bottle feeding and pacifiers can have an affect on oral muscle patterns

Website - https://www.ctorofacialmyology.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ctorofacialmyology/

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-spy-with-my-myo-eye/id1500946532

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWMytq_tg0Tob4jwg3AkAIQ