everymum

Becoming a parent is often described as life-changing, and of course it is. But one of the shifts we don’t talk about enough is what happens to our friendships along the way. Today’s guest, Louise Cody, is an online influencer who’s been refreshingly honest about how having a baby reshaped not just her daily life, but the people in it. In this conversation, we get into the moments that don’t always make it into the highlight reel: the unanswered messages, the group chats that go quiet, the friendships that deepen, and the ones that quietly drift. Louise speaks candidly about the emotional and logistical realities of staying connected when your world suddenly revolves around a tiny person. We talk about identity, guilt, resentment, and the sometimes uncomfortable truth that not all friendships survive the transition and that maybe that’s not a failure. We also touch on something even more important: Louise’s experience with postnatal depression, and how that shaped not only how she showed up in her friendships, but what she needed from them. This episode is honest, nuanced and even a little bit confronting. But if you’ve ever felt like your relationships shifted in ways you didn’t expect after a big life change, or if you’re trying to understand someone who has, tthere’s a lot in here that will resonate. Here’s my conversation with Louise Cody, and I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, with me Aisling Keenan. If you’re a parent right now, chances are your child is spending at least some part of their day online, whether that's gaming, chatting with friends, watching videos. It’s just become part of modern childhood. But how much do we actually know about what children are doing online, and how protected they really are? New research from CyberSafeKids, which surveyed more than 3,300 primary school children and 1,700 parents across Ireland, suggests there’s a pretty significant gap between how parents think children are using the internet, and what’s actually happening. More than half of children aged 8 to 12 say they have no parental restrictions when it comes to online contact meaning they can chat or game with people they don’t know. Only about 4 in 10 say their parents can monitor what they do online. And despite age limits on most social media platforms, nearly 70 percent of children in that age group already have at least one account. At the same time, many parents say they feel overwhelmed by the speed of change. I know I do. A quarter say they simply don’t understand the apps or games their children are using, and nearly half admit the rules they set around screen time or online activity aren’t always enforced. So how worried should parents actually be? What are the real risks children face online today particularly with the rise of AI tools and deepfakes, and just as importantly, what are the practical things families can do to keep children safe without turning the internet into a battleground at home? To talk about all of that and more, I’m joined by Alex Cooney, CEO of CyberSafeKids, Ireland’s national voice for children’s online safety and digital rights. This is essential listening for any parent with a device in their home, be it an ipad, a phone, a smartwatch or even just a wifi connection. I'll be back next week with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Everymum the podcast, I'm Aisling Keenan. When you imagine what parenting will look like, you tend to picture something linear: milestones ticked off, routines falling into place, a general sense that even when things are hard, they’re at least a bit predictable. But for many parents, that couldn’t be further from the reality. Today’s conversation is about what happens when the script you thought you were following no longer applies and how you find your footing when you’re navigating something far more complex, and far less understood. I’m joined by my lovely friend Caroline Foran, author and journalist, who’s here to talk about her experience parenting her son, and the journey to understanding his autism and PDA profile. PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, a term that, for many, is still unfamiliar, and often misunderstood. In this episode, Caroline shares the long and sometimes frustrating process of seeking answers, and how a diagnosis can bring both clarity and a whole new set of questions. We talk about the emotional reality behind the labels: the guilt, the doubt, the advocacy, and the constant recalibration that comes with parenting a neurodivergent child. We also get into what PDA actually means in day-to-day life, why traditional parenting strategies often don’t work, and how shifting your approach can transform not just your child’s experience, but your relationship with them too. This is a conversation about letting go of expectations, learning to see your child for who they are, and finding a different kind of confidence as a parent, one that’s built not on control, but on understanding. Here’s Caroline, and I'll be back next week with more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Dr Abigail Moore, a specialist children’s dentist and the founder of Happy Teeth, where she works exclusively with babies, children and teens to make dental care calmer, kinder, and far less scary for everyone involved (including nervous mams and dads!) She has years of experience helping anxious kids and overwhelmed parents with very big feelings about being in the dentist’s chair. In this episode, we’re answering the questions parents actually lie awake worrying about: when to bring your child to the dentist for the first time, how much toothpaste is too much toothpaste, whether baby teeth really matter, and why some kids seem to get cavities no matter what you do. We talk fluoride, sugar, night feeds, thumb-sucking, tooth grinding, and what to do when a child flat-out refuses to open their mouth.If you’ve ever felt confused, guilty, or slightly panicked about your child’s teeth, this episode is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Season 19 of Everymum, the podcast – I'm your host, Aisling Keenan and today’s episode is a deeply honest conversation about a subject that many families experience, but far fewer feel able to talk about openly: pregnancy loss. My guest is radio presenter Suzanne Kane, whose voice many people will recognise from the airwaves: She is warm, funny, and full of life. But in this conversation, Suzanne shares a much more personal side of her story, and actually through talking to her about it, it helped me feel better about my recent losses too. Together we chat about the emotional reality of pregnancy loss: the shock, the grief, the strange loneliness that can follow, and the complicated ways it can shape how you experience motherhood afterwards. Suzanne speaks with remarkable openness about what those moments were like for her. We talk about how experiences like this can change you as a parent and as a person, but this isn’t only a conversation about grief. It’s also about the realities of parenting and identity, about how motherhood changes you, the pressure many parents feel to get everything right, and the moments that remind you you’re not alone in the mess of it all. Suzanne brings honesty, humour and real vulnerability to this conversation, and I’m so grateful she was willing to share her story. Here’s my conversation with Suzanne Kane, enjoy it and I'll be back next week (and all season long!) with more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.