Flourishing Families

Susan Walton, a Newcastle behavioural optometrist, talks us through the importance of our eyes working as a team. We are all aware that 20/20 vision is essential for health and learning.  However, having the eyes work together as they alternate between focusing close, looking into the distance and moving here and there is equally important.  Susan enlightens us about how the function of our eyes reveal how our  brain functions.  She also shares what we can do to improve function of them both.

Breast feeding is recommended by WHO for the first 12 months of a baby’s life, but it can be heart-breakingly hard work for some mum’s and babies.  Tethering of the tissues in the mouth may affect baby’s ability to create a good seal and an effective suck when feeding, potentially causing tummy pain and reflux. Tongue, lip and buccal ties may also lead to trouble with chewing, swallowing and speech. Kristie-Lee Anning is a local dentist with a masters degree in oral tissue revision. She shares with us the in’s and out’s of what this is all about and what can be done about it.   Dorte Bladt: I’ve got Kristie-Lee Anning with me today from Honeysuckle Dental and she’s going to talk to us about tongue-ties, and lip-ties and things like that. I’m so pleased you could be here. Thank you for joining us. Kristie-Lee Anning: Thank you for having me. Dorte Bladt: I’ve given people your name. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Kristie-Lee Anning: I’m a general

Carrying your baby in a carrier or a sling on your body has many benefits to both of you.  For the carrier it allows you to have both hands free to do other things especially important with siblings.  Having baby’s weight, light as she is, close to your body decreases the  stress and strain on your muscles and joints minimising fatigue.  Having her close also increases your opportunity to be tune with baby’s needs and moods.  For your baby, when she is in a supportive and well designed carrier, she is protected, safe and warm.  She is snuggled close enough to hear your heart, your breath and your voice as she could in the womb. She follows your daily rhythm and routine and gets gentle sensory stimulation through your movement and experiences. Peta Wilson, a Newcastle physiotherapist, designs, consults and sells wraps, slings and carriers.  She talks us through the benefits of the different options and what to look for to get the perfect fit for you and your baby.   Dorte Bladt: I’d like

Dean O’Rourke lets us in on the secret of breathing properly to promote health and well-being for the whole family.   Dorte Bladt: I’m so excited to have this next speaker with us today. I saw a young person come into my practice the other day and they had just found this guy in… well, actually, they’d been recommended to see this guy and I was like, whoa, I found someone in Newcastle. So I’m so pleased. Thank you for joining us this morning. This is Dean O’Rourke. I’m really pleased to have you here. Dean O’Rourke: Thank you. Dorte Bladt: Tell us a little bit about yourself? Dean O’Rourke: Well, my health journey has been an interesting one. I started out as a Health Phys Ed teacher many years ago after doing it at Newcastle Uni. I found I was getting more and more interested in the health side of things and less and less interested in the sports side of things. But what happened to me is I developed a very severe and chronic case of hay fever. I was suffering it all year

Meg Linton from MegHQ talks about how to meet life’s challenges with a present and balanced mind and body. Typically, in our feverish goal to get fit and healthy, we rush around madly working hard to tick off exercise on our ‘to do list’.  However, in our rush, we often forget the importance of connecting to what we holistically need in this moment.  Being mindful of what our bodies need, and slowing our movements down so we can control  them and create balance will greatly enhance the results our efforts. Meg mixes primal movements with yoga and breathing practice, and shares with us some pearls we can bring to our own efforts of creating better health.   Dorte Bladt: So Welcome to Meg Linton. I’m really excited to be with Meg today. She’s from Redhead Wellness Sanctuary and she’s come here to share some amazing information about the body. Welcome. Thank you. Meg Linton: Amazing. Thank you so much for having me. I’m really pumped to be here. I’m super excited. When you ment

Children’s chiropractor, Dr. Dorte Bladt, discusses the practice of mindfulness with Charlotte Thaarup of The Mindfulness Clinic. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dorte Bladt, the Switched-On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: I’ve got Charlotte Thaarup here today. I’m very excited. She’s from The Mindfulness Clinic. Charlotte, tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do. Charlotte Thaarup: Well, I’m in a very privileged position because I work with what I’m most passionate about and I know it works. I see it on a daily basis. So, I work with mindfulness, and I have for the last 10 to 15 years. Of course, it’s extremely researched. They have 150,000 research documents and articles on it. Many of them are nonsense ones but nonetheless, it points to their effectiveness. Of course, what it does is that it mirrors and matches the ancient practice of mindfulness which sits within Bud

Dorte Bladt discusses movement and disabilities with exercise physiologist, Anna Campbell. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dorte Bladt, the Switched-On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: I’d like to welcome Anna Campbell from HealtheCo to our podcast this morning. Anna, tell us a little bit about yourself. Anna Campbell: Hi Dorte and thank you for having me and thank you, everyone, for listening. I’m an exercise physiologist (EP) and I run a business called HealtheCo who specialises in pediatric disability. Also, we do see clients who have musculoskeletal conditions and other chronic conditions but 99.8% of our portfolio are kids with disabilities. Dorte Bladt: Excellent. So tell me about – what is an exercise physiologist compared to a personal trainer? Anna Campbell: We get asked that a lot, actually. Often the question is “what’s the difference between an exercise physiologist as compa

Newcastle infant chiropractor, Felicity Cook, shares her preparation and experience with bringing beautiful little Ivy into the world with Dorte Bladt. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dorte Bladt, the Switched On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: We’re going to do something really different today. We’ve got our own super mum, Felicity Cook, on the podcast today. Instead of asking your experience with work, we’re actually going to have a little bit of a chat about birth. Now, birth is a very personal experience – a good birth, a not so good birth, some are challenging – but I think many of us get scared… we sort of attract the bad stories. So we’re just here just to have a chat about a happy birth story. Felicity Cook: Yeah. Exciting! Dorte Bladt: Yes, so introduce us to the birth. Felicity Cook: So little Ivy was born back in March. We did, we actually were quite lucky.

Want to learn about baby gut health? In this episode of Flourishing Families, Dorte Bladt talks to Charlestown Naturopath, Jasmine Polley, about a healthy gut for kids. Jasmine Polley shares her professional insights about the connection between a healthy gut and a healthy body and brain. You will understand the importance of feeding your gut bacteria to help them thrive and the intricacies of pre and probiotics. Enjoy! Intro: Flourishing Families with Dorte Bladt, the Switched On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: Welcome, Jasmin Polley. We’ve got Jasmin – she is a local Charlestown naturopath. I’m really excited to have a chat to you. Jasmin Polley: Hi, Dorte. Thanks for inviting me on to your podcast. Dorte Bladt: My pleasure! So tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? What do you do? Jasmin Polley: Well, I am a biomedical naturopath. I started about 15 years ago and I’m currently

Our own Super Chiropractic Angel Katrina is her usual inspiring self as she shares how Pilates can help us get the most out of chiropractic care. She describes the what, where and how of Pilates and the connection between movement, exercises and the breath. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dr. Dorte Bladt, the Switched On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: So you’ve got Family Chiropractic’s dynamo at the podcast today. Super duper matriarch, Katrina Morton. Welcome, Katrina. Katrina Morton: Thanks, Dorte. Dorte Bladt: Basically, just to start with, tell us a little bit about yourself. Katrina Morton: I have been at Family Chiro now for 15 years. Dorte Bladt: 15! I haven’t managed to get rid of you yet. Katrina Morton: No, no. And I have got four grown-up children. I’ve got three grandchildren with one on the way in February, so we’re all very excited about number four. I have worked here and seen s

Mums often struggle to balance Mum-life with everyday life. In this podcast, Dorte Bladt discusses finding a healthier balance with Newcastle Naturopath, Melinda Carbis-Reilly. Melinda, a local dynamo, mother of 5, gym owner and naturopath talks to us about how she helps busy Mums and families get a healthier balance in their lives. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dr. Dorte Bladt, the Switched-On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt:  I’d like to welcome Melinda Carbis-Reilly to our podcast today. Thank you for joining us. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Melinda Carbis-Reilly: Thanks for having me. I am the owner of Redhead Wellness Sanctuary – I’m a naturopath there. I’m also a fitness and Pilates instructor. My latest babies are my books. I’ve written a book called The Natural Path and that one is aimed for families. It’s more of a reference guide to keep it up in your medicine cupboard and whe

Chronic stress can cause a shift in a mother’s fight or flight response. Learn more with Newcastle chiropractor Dr. Dorte Bladt and her chiropractor friend, Kelly Beanland. Stress is an inevitable part of life. It can be both good and bad depending on what sort of stress it is, and how we deal with it. Kelly Beanland, chiropractor at Family Chiropractic Charlestown, explains how chronic, bad stress can cause a persistent fight and flight reflex, and how this can cause health problems, what it may look like in both children and adults and what to do about it at home. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dr. Dorte Bladt, the Switched On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dr. Dorte Bladt: Good morning. I’m really happy to have Kelly Beanland here with me to do a podcast this morning. Thanks for coming. Kelly Beanland: Thank you for having me, Dorte. I’m excited to be here. Dr. Dorte Bladt: Excellent. Can you tell us who you are? K

Chewing is important for strengthening the lips and facial muscles thereby facilitating better breathing patterns.  Chewing also helps keeping teeth and gums healthy. Mary Bourke explains the Myo Munchee chewing device.

Learn school readiness for your kids with principal Kate Highland and Newcastle chiropractor, Dr. Dorte Bladt. Assistant principal Kate Highland shares with us how we can help our kids feel comfortable and confident as they enter a new and exciting phase of their lives: Big school. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dr. Dorte Bladt, the Switched-On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: I’d like to welcome Kate Highland today. Kate Highland is the Assistant Principal at Charlestown East School. I’m really excited to have you on and share with us about school readiness. Kate Highland: Okay, thank you, Dorte. Yes, my job here at Charlestown East – which is a government school, a public school in New South Wales – is I look after all of the children in kindergarten Year 1 and Year 2. A lot of what I do is bring them into the school. So all of those processes to do with orientation and easing their tran

Discover the magical benefits of a natural birth with local doula, Nichola Kinnane, and our very own Newcastle baby’s chiropractor, Dr. Dorte Bladt. Nichola talks with us about supporting couples with knowledge and skills for birth. Intro: Flourishing Families with Dr. Dorte Bladt, the Switched-On Kids chiropractor and her passionate friends sharing the secret of inspiring wellness to help your families thrive. Dorte Bladt: I’d like to welcome Nichola Kinnane to our podcast today. It’s lovely for you to travel down and have a chat with us today. Welcome. Nichola Kinnane: Thank you for having me, Dorte. It’s lovely to sit down and have a conversation. Dorte Bladt: Excellent. So tell me, who are you, Nichola? Nichola Kinnane: I am a doula and also a childbirth educator. At the moment, I’m offering the She Births course which is a holistic, evidence-based childbirth education course in the Newcastle and mid-north coast areas. Dorte Bladt: Excellent. So just for our listeners, just t

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Having babies wreaks havoc with Mum’s body – top to toe.  Oh well, our beautiful babies are so worth it! Eileen from Complete Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy is incredibly knowledgeable about the less noticeable changes that may occur after childbirth and shares with us what we can do to help ourselves.

Feeding the family horde interesting, appetising and nutritious meals that everyone will enjoy is always a challenge. Our wonderful local nutritionist Anita Pugh from ‘Misoteria’ shares her wisdom from the perspective of ‘real families and real hunger’.

The legendary Natalie Ebrill from ‘Sleep and Settle’ shares her secrets of how to get babies, toddlers and children to enjoy a better night sleep. Learn what to do and how to do it through the day to help the whole family snooze comfortably all night