Ep 24. Adwoa talks to Fiona Small, Yannicke Clarke and Dylan Downs about young motherhood.

Published: July 29, 2019, 8:50 a.m.

I love, love, love babies. But we all know motherhood is hard work, and when you\u2019re a young mum, it comes with its own set of challenges. So, I invited Fiona Small, the founder of Young Mums Support Network (YMSN) and two incredible young mums \u2013 Yannicke Clarke and Dylan Downs \u2013 on to the podcast to talk about what young mums face in today\u2019s society.

\xa0

Young mums certainly don\u2019t have it easy. From healthcare professionals informing them of their pregnancy as if it\u2019s bad news, to families bearing the brunt of the housing crisis, to postnatal mental illness, there are many difficulties that arise when you\u2019re a young mum.

\xa0

Thankfully, even though society doesn\u2019t treat young mothers as it should, pioneering women like Fiona have created organisations like YMSN. YMSN does all sorts of amazing things, focusing on driving social change to end child hunger and malnourishment, help with home management and getting mums on benefits back to work.

\xa0

We also read out the stunning poem Reading to You by the brilliant Hollie McNish. She writes with such insight about what it means to be a mother, covering topics on breastfeeding in public, her body through pregnancy and as a mum, and finding a place to scream once in a while.

\xa0

It\u2019s a real eye-opener listening to these stories of young motherhood and I am super excited to share this episode with you.

\xa0

As always, mad, mad love.

\xa0

You can find out more about YMSN and the various programs they offer here: https://ymsn.co.uk

\xa0

Hollie McNish\u2019s poetry from the book Nobody Told Me is an honest and beautiful snapshot of the realities of motherhood. You can devour it here: \xa0https://holliepoetry.com

\xa0

Please send any messages to www.gurlstalk.com and you can follow us on Instagram @GurlsTalk. Don\u2019t forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the Gurls Talk podcast.