Me And My Tiny Human

In this episode I'm answering a question from Sam...

"How did you go with feeding your kid solids? I'm terrified my daughter is only going to want to eat chicken nuggets."

Oh Sam. I hear you!

This was my greatest fear too.

I get that kids like what they like, and if she only wanted chicken nuggets after I'd introduced her to everything else, there wasn't much I could do about that.

But I was determined to get her to try as many different things as possible so she was aware there are more flavours out there than crumbed chicken.

Unfortunately, I think I may have gone too far 😬

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Solid Starts First 100 Days Guide

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Today I'm answering this question from Anonymous...

"I’m currently doing IVF to become a solo mum and while I’m super hopeful and optimistic it will work out, the realities are starting to dawn on me that it may not. And I may have to make peace with that at some point. So I guess my questions are - Did you think about this? Did you have a limit on how many round you would do? How did you handle the IVF rollercoaster once you decided you were ready to be a mum? Do you know anyone who tried without success (because this needs to be normalised as much as solo motherhood imo)?"

I was 42 when I had my daughter so if there was one thing I was definitely across and that was the fact that, at my age, becoming a mum was more unlikely than it was likely.

Every fertility appointment I went to (and there were a lot of them) I was reminded of the statistics.

So I knew, no matter how much I wanted to be a mum, there were absolutely no guarantee it would happen.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to start your own podcast? Check out my online podcasting course, PodSchool.

Email me: [email protected]

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Today I'm answering this question from Carly...

"Do you ever feel any level of guilt for your daughter that because of your (our) choice, she won’t have a father (one of the good ones - engaged, mature, loving) in her life? Yes it was the right decision for me but i do question myself on that sometimes." - Carly (& my little one, Gracen)

Do I ever think about whether I should have gone down a different path? You'll have to listen to find out!

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to start your own podcast? Check out my online podcasting course, PodSchool.

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok or check out the website.

Before I became a parent, I had no idea how judgey people could be about parenting.

It seems that when there's a baby involved, everyone has an opinion and the biggest thing people seem to have opinions on? Breastfeeding.

I've been amazed at the willingness of strangers to share their two cents when they've got no idea about the circumstances of somebodies life.

So what's with all the judgement? And why do people care?

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance:

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want help starting your own podcast? Check out my online podcasting course, PodSchool.

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok or check out the website.

Today, I'm answering a question from Samantha: "Do you think there are any qualities that you have that have been helpful in being a solo mum? I'm really disorganised and can be kinda lazy at times and I'm worried those qualities are probably going to suck if I'm thinking about having a baby on my own."

Firstly, Samantha, if you do decide to go down the solo mum path, I think you'll surprise yourself.

It's amazing what we're a;; capable of getting done when there's a tiny human howling at you and probably sh*tting their pants at the same time 😂

Ultimately, the only trait you need to be a great mum, of any description, is the ability to love your kid.

Everything outside of that is just logistics but as for traits I've found handy doing it solo, there are a few, and in this episode I'm going to share the qualities I believe have really helped me.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Lize Ratliff

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok or check out the website.

Let me preface this episode by saying this is MY experience and NONE of this is advice.

Sleep is a very sensitive topic for parents, mostly because we're getting bugger all of it but I wanted to share my experience so you can take from it what you need and ignore what you don't.

Every baby is different so it's likely that none of the stuff that worked for me will work for you and vice versa.

Welcome to the punish of teaching your kid to sleep!!

In this episode I chat about my experience with sleep training, the Snoo, co-sleeping and the phrase that will haunt you in your dreams: "Drowsy but awake."

If I had a list of priorities when I became a parent, sleep was top of the list.

Mostly because I had no one else to hand this little person off to so if I was getting no sleep I knew that was a recipe for disaster.

So, I did everything I could to create an environment where my daughter had the best possible chance of learning how to do it because that's really all you can do.

The rest is up to them and you have no idea how they're going to take to it.

But I knew I didn't want to take short cuts early (even though it would have been SO MUCH easier at the time) because I didn't want to be fixing bigger problems later.

I wanted to try and tough it out as best I could in the hopes that we could get the hard stuff out of the way early and then course correct later.

So this is what worked for me.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Lize Ratliff

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok or check out the website.

Today, I'm answering a question from Anthea:"I notice you don't really put your daughter on social media and I was interested in the thinking behind that and what you feel about other parents who do it?"

Brave is the person who genuinely admits what they think of other parents 😂

But in this instance, even though I can't get myself comfy with posting my kid on social media, I'd happily watch videos of your kids all day!

Tiny humans are excellent content so I understand why people post about them but my lack of social media content is really just my way of ensuring I'll have a legitimate rebuttal for when my daughter eventually asks me for Instagram (or whatever platform is around when she's older).

That's right.

My approach to putting my kid social media is about planning for a conversation that's potentially ten years away.

Nothing weird about that, right?

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Lize Ratliff

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok or check out the website.

Today I'm answering this question from Annabelle: "What would you say your life is like the majority of time...enjoyable, manageable or overwhelming?"

What's the answer? You'll have to listen to find out!

If you'd like to submit an question to the show you can do it here.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

After this episode I promise we'll move onto sunnier pastures because once I got through the first six weeks on my own, things started to improve.

Not to the point where I was actually enjoying myself (that hit around the 8 month mark) but there are some things I learned from my experience in the first six weeks I wanted to share if you're thinking of rolling solo.

This is probably the time, apart from in the hospital, when you need the most help and support so don't be afraid to ask for it (says the person who did NOT ask for it enough).

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Just a head up that some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase these items. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you and I only ever recommend products or services I personally use or truly believe in. Thanks for supporting the show!

The carrier I loved - Marsupi Carrier

The parenting book that features my interview and the interviews of other mums doing the career/business/baby juggle - The Juggle by Genevieve Day

The device that rocks the pram while it's stationary (this helped me get a bit of extra nap time) - Rockit Pram Rocker

The thing that saved me more hours of sleep than I could count - The Snoo

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

In this episode I'm unpacking one of the periods I found the hardest of this whole experience - the post-baby hospital stay.

I (naively) thought being in a hospital would mean I'd be surrounded by support, but that wasn't the case and I ended up in a pretty dark place by the end of it.

And if I had my time again, I would have put my hand up for help way more and hired someone to be there with me so I wasn't alone, but I honestly didn't have any idea I would struggle so much (because I've never done anything like this before).

If you're thinking "This sounds depressing!" Don't worry! Tragedy plus time equals comedy! And there's a great story about a situation with some hospital shoe covers I'm still dining out on.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

Happy New Year!

Whatever you're up to, I hope you're having a great time.

In this episode I'm taking a walk down memory lane and looking at a few of the things from the first couple of years of parenting that I am VERY happy to be leaving behind.

Things like the backwards facing car seat, trying to get my child to sleep in the pram, breastfeeding, breast pumps and my tiny human not being able to talk so I'm left playing Sherlock Holmes trying to work out what the heck she needs.

I know people tell you not to wish away the early years, but honestly, there are a lot of things in the early part of parenting that just SUCK.

So it's time to say farewell to some of those things and hello to a whole bunch of new challenges (no doubt) in 2025!

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Lize Ratliff

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Great Instagram account to follow for baby first aid - Tiny Hearts Education

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! And f you don't Happy Wednesday!

Today's episode is all about my first Christmas with my daughter.

Yes, she was around last year but does it really count if they don't have a clue what's going on?

I don't have the greatest memories of Christmas from the earlier years of my life, at least after my parents divorced.

And for the past 10 years Christmas has kind of just passed me by, not in a sad way, in more of a 'Thank god I don't have to do anything or see anyone today!' way.

But, when I was a kid, I do remember thinking "I can't wait till I have kids so I can start my own Christmas traditions."

And here I am!

So what are they and will Elf on the Shelf get a look in? (Spoiler alert...no)

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Lize Ratliff

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

Today I'm talking about something I get asked about A LOT... how did I chose my donor?

I had absolutely NO idea how this whole process worked before I found myself in it so hopefully after listening to this episode you have a bit more of an understanding of how it works than I did!

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

Today's episode is all about the idea of whether you're ever really ready and, my goodness, people say that to you A LOT.

Especially when, like me, you were approaching 40 and you still hadn't had a baby. 

I mean the number of people that ask you if you're going to get it together and you're like..."Yeah!  I'm doing it, so how about you back off?!"

And that's what today's episode is all about.

The fact that I believe you can get yourself to a point where you're ready even though every single person in the known universe seems to say you can't (which I find a bit patronising to be honest!).

For me, getting myself to the point where I was ready was ESSENTIAL so that I could deal with all the hard stuff that came after, when the baby was actually here.

If I hadn't have been in the right headspace for that I'm not sure how I would have gotten through it (coz it was tough enough as it was).

So do I think you can be ready to have a baby?  YES.

Do I think that makes it any easier?  NOT AT ALL!

But at least it means when you're crying in the toilet you know this is something you wanted to do and not something you weren't ready for.

And in those moments, that's truly the best you can hope for!

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

Welcome to the very first episode of Me And My Tiny Human!

A show that's been a LONG time coming...for me. Not so much for you.

You probably saw it five minutes ago and thought I'll give this a go, meanwhile I'm over here thinking for the last year and a half, "I should really do this podcast."

But unfortunately, I had set everything up and the plan was to put it together during mat leave.

HA!

Can you pick the person who's never had a baby before?

But I'm here now and that's the main thing. 

And in this inaugural episode I'm answering a question I get asked A LOT and that is "Why the hell would you do this, you idiot?"

Seems harsh?  Well, not really.

I'm a single person with no family around and no help, other than the help I pay for (which ain't cheap...bye bye savings).

So, I understand why people don't know why I'd make the leap and do it solo, because looking after a baby isn't easy, even when you've got a lot of support around.

In this episode I talk about why I decided to go it alone and why the idea of having a baby on my own has never felt like a consolation prize. 

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Want to create a podcast of your own? Check out my podcasting course, PodSchool

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.

Hello there! My name is Rachel Corbett and I’m a solo mum…by choice.

I know what you’re thinking “Was it really a choice or did you have no other option, you sad pathetic single woman who got left on the shelf?”

It’s ok. Even if polite society says you can’t say that to my face you’re more than welcome to think it coz, I get it.

We’re supposed to all want that perfect two-partner family and anything short of that is really just a consolation prize.

But I never really thought that way.

And I’ve noticed, when I tell people I’m a solo mum I usually get a few responses…

“Oh God I wish I’d done that” from anyone in a less than ideal co-parenting situation OR anyone who is in a relationship with someone but may as well be doing it solo because their partner is MIA both emotionally and physically.

“Oh, that’s nice” from people who think it’s honestly a bit sad and that, despite me saying I’m fine, I’m probably holding it together for their benefit and I’ll pop home for a quick cry later while thinking about all the ex’s I should have had a baby with so I wasn’t in this mortifyingly embarrassing position.

And finally, “Oh, I could never do that” from people who genuinely think they couldn’t do it solo.

And if you’ve ever thought that, but you really want kids and you haven’t found a partner who would make your life infinitely better and you’re wondering, “Could doing it by myself be an option for me?”, then this show is for you.

Even if you couldn’t care less about the words that are coming out of my mouth and you just want to use it as proof of life, to see that someone doing it solo can make it through a week, I’ll be here for you.

This show isn’t about giving advice, because honestly, every family and baby is so different I think it’s a bit weird to think you’ve got the all the answers.

Especially when, like me, you’ve muddled your way through this once.  And you’re still only at the beginning bit.  

But there's plenty of stuff I’ve worked out, or found really helpful doing it by myself, so I thought I’d share it in case it helps you too.

I’ll also be going back through some of my audio and written journal entries from the early days because, in all honesty, that bit was such a miserable blur that I’m quite fascinated to relive it from a safe distance, coz, I’m not gonna lie.  I really hit the skids.

But I can say that in an amusing tone now because it really does get INFINITELY better.

And thank GOD because otherwise why would anybody do this?  It’s hell!

So come and join me for Operation Tiny Human, coming to your ears soon.

If you’ve got any questions, even if it’s as brutal as “Why the hell have you done this you idiot?” I’d love to answer them on the show and you can submit them here.

And I hope you’ll join me for Operation Tiny Human, coming to your ears soon.

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people, of the Eora Nation.

I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

CREDITS:

Host: Rachel Corbett

Editing Assistance: Josh Newth

LINKS & OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

Click here to submit a question to the show

Email me: [email protected]

Follow me: Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube or check out the website.