The Netmums Podcast - S16 Ep3: Hugs, Hormones, and Heartfelt Chats: Myleene Klass on Navigating Parenting

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

In this episode of The Netmums Podcast, Wendy Golledge and Alison Perry are thrilled to welcome back the fabulous Myleene Klass, a multi-talented presenter, musician, and mum of three. Myleene shares her candid experiences of parenting, the challenges of raising teenagers, and the joys of embracing the chaos of family life. The conversation covers: - The Reality of Parenting Chaos: Myleene opens up about her bustling household, juggling a teenager preparing for university with younger children and the challenges of family dynamics during school holidays. - Navigating Teenagers: The trio discusses the emotional rollercoaster of parenting teens, including the bittersweet feelings of watching them grow up and the importance of maintaining open communication. - Miscarriage and Advocacy: Myleene shares her heartfelt journey through miscarriage and how she transformed her pain into power by campaigning for better support and care for women experiencing pregnancy loss. - The Importance of Emotional Connection: Myleene introduces the concept of the 'Disney hug', emphasising the significance of physical affection in fostering emotional growth and connection within families. - Reflections on Career and Identity: Myleene reflects on her multifaceted career, the cultural impact of her work, and the lessons learned along the way, including the importance of being true to oneself. - Future Aspirations: From new music projects to continued advocacy for women's health, Myleene shares her exciting plans and the passion that drives her to make a difference. Join us for this heartfelt discussion filled with laughter, insights, and the raw realities of motherhood. It’s a must-listen for any parent navigating the ups and downs of family life. Stay connected with Netmums for more parenting tips, community support, engaging content: Website: netmums.com / Instagram: @netmums  Proudly produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative

You're listening to the Netmums podcast with me, Wendy Gollage. And me, Alison Perry. Coming up on this week's show. Trying to do what they call it, the Disney hug. I try and do that all the time as well. Just hug and hold until they let go. What did you call it? I've never heard of that.

The Disney hug. Yeah, you should never be the first one to let go. Apparently, you need 12 hugs a day for growth. But before all of that... Welcome back everyone to another episode. Wendy, how are you doing? May half term is fast approaching. How are you feeling about it?

Stressed. There's lots. Really? Lots has happened since I last spoke to you. My husband's best friend, his best friend since the age of 11, has announced about a week ago that he's getting married in May half term. spoke to you, my husband's best friend, his best friend since the age of 11, has announced about a week ago that he's getting married in Mayhoftam in Madrid which is lovely except for we're going to Rhodes on holiday. So we've had to

move hell and high water, we've had to book extra flights, find someone to have the kids and now I'm doing some sort of whistle stop. I land in Gatwick at 10.30 p.m. and have to be back at Gatwick at 4 a.m. with two children to go to the next day. So yeah, I'm feeling like men are useless but useless somethings. Quite right now. I think if that was me I would be like right husband you're going to the wedding by yourself see you later have fun oh anyway anyway anyway tell us who we have got before we get into full rant mode on our podcast today yeah she can join us in the ranting she can I'm sure she will because today we've got a returning guest Marlene Klaas has been on our screens and on the airwaves for over 20 years

she first burst onto the public eye on the TV show Popstars and since then she has aced it as a presenter, a musician and a campaigner and she was recently awarded an MBE for her campaign work supporting women after miscarriage and she's a mum of three. Mylene, a warm welcome to the Netmums podcast. Oh so lovely Sheerah. Be with you girls because I heard the word rant and she's on board. Well we ought to tell the listeners Myline's been up for about 12 hours already and it's only 11 in the morning. It's only 11 in the morning. I'm covering breakfast and I'm in the middle of the school holidays.

So it's just bonkers in my house at the minute because my sister's flown in from Australia and she's got a three year old and a six year old. So they're jet lagged. So all the kids are playing together. Then they all go to bed at relatively the same time but wake up at varying hours. And then throw in a teenager who's doing A level.

So she's up to three and throw in another teenager who's doing A level so she's up to three and throw in another teenager who wants to be picked up from parties all sorts of hours so I literally we're not sleeping this is a house that is not sleeping. A house on the edge. The house on the edge. I'm loving it I'm loving the chaos but I don't like peace and quiet, I fear it, but this is meh. Embrace it, you gotta embrace it. Well the last time we spoke to you

might be the only time that it's been more chaos than it is now, because when we last spoke, it was lockdown, and you had a toddler and the two older girls. And the question we were gonna ask is, I'm guessing things feel a bit easier these days, but I'm not sure they do. I think it's just for the exams and I think that when you've got teenagers at one end

of the hormones and then I'm now slowly creeping into another, this is new, new end of the hormonal scale. It's just a lot and I think now you realize more so than ever how much our mum's kept from us. I know that we live in a day and age where everyone's talking about everything, but I feel like we're discovering everything that was kept a secret from us. So more so than ever I think these sort of candid conversations are integral and they're essential because I just feel like I'm just discovering it all. Yeah, that's so true. And Is your elder 17? Am I right? Yeah she's the baby in the class so she's with all the 18 year olds but she's 17. She's going to uni in a matter of months. I am bereft, I'm heartbroken but I'm also equally excited for her because she should

be going out there and seeing the world. It's all selfish for me. I just I'm gonna miss her I walk into her room and I go and give her the the most prolonged hugs and she goes I'm not gone yet I'm still here. I haven't gone. So yeah, so sweet It's like I'm just already mourning and saying goodbye and she hasn't even left the building yet Oh, you're gonna need a week off to sit and weep when she goes. Yeah, but she's my day one. You know, I raised my girls as a single mother and we've been through so much together. And then I just think, gosh, this is what the aim was to get them to be independent. And now I'm nearly there. You then think, well, I did my job too well, she's off.

Yes. It must feel though like having almost like completed a whole parenting journey like you've got your your eldest in early 18 tick you get yourself a parenting badge that if we were on like Hey Dougie or in the Beavers you know that's such an achievement. But looking back, so having done it for nearly 18 years, what would you say your favourite stage has been? Oh, honestly, I can genuinely say hand on heart, every stage has been remarkable for many different reasons. Because even though we're in exam period now, and my daughter is really beginning to question everything, because they suddenly realized that you've held them up for so long and suddenly all the decisions

are going to be theirs. I just said you've got to trust little Ava. She poured so much into big Ava who she is today. And I said that to her and I found myself, you know, you start thinking of all the different little Ava's that have been, Ava who was into her dolphins and into her science club and into her ballet classes and the things she was scared of, the things she overcame. You suddenly start, you know, having, it's like you've known 18 versions each year, is there a different version? Like I'm saying goodbye to all of them, if that makes any kind of sense. It's, you know, they're all still so at the forefront of my mind. So after having two girls, is it, I don't know,

is it a shock raising a boy? Is there anything that surprised you about having a boy in the house? I feel that we've given boys such a tough time and it's really made me think about how I've spoken about boys in the past because we've got this idea, haven't we, about the boys will break the girls' hearts

and stay away from the boys, the boys, the boys. And now here I am raising a boy and they are so loving and they need that extra love and that extra support and that extra reassurance. And I think as a mother, I feel, I feel really responsible, more so than ever to be able to impart all the good things that I can into him that will make him a really good, you know, not just a human being but a lovely partner in the future and you don't want people to say those things about your son, your boy. I want him to be able to be, you know, to be who he wants to be and to fill that space because I think we've been, we've done such a disservice to our men folk.

This is the first time we're really seeing it. And we made the man up, didn't we? And we didn't let them talk about their feelings. And we didn't let them be loving and soft. We didn't let them be any of those things. And I think this is the first generation where we can really go back to that again. And it's seen as a strength, not a weakness.

Definitely, definitely. And all the conversations that we have having recently around that Netflix show Adolescence and how we raise our boys and the conversations we have from toxic masculinity. It's really interesting, like I guess must be interesting for you applying that, all of those conversations to your son

and how the choices you're making raising him, I guess. It's a really interesting subject that you've raised there because that's the subject of adolescence has been a very strong one in our households. Because I watched it with my daughters, I watched it with my daughter, my eldest in particular and I said, what am I missing? What are we missing? How did we miss all of this?

And she just said, moms, check the phones. And I said to her, you're turning whistleblower here. There's not a lot of kids that all want moms checking the phones. And she said, that is the problem. That's the problem right there. Because when you think about it, it doesn't matter if you class yourself as a Luddite

or if you class yourself as a tech person, I'm sort of somewhere in between. As much as I can navigate my way around tech and a phone, your child for their time will navigate differently. They will look at different apps, speak a different language, hide things in different places. I don't even use WhatsApp. To me, it's prevalent. It's all I ever speak to my friends on. They do not use WhatsApp. The only person they speak to on WhatsApp is me. They all speak on Snap. It's the equivalent of my auntie only speaks on Facebook. My kids wouldn't even entertain that. I think it's quite antiquated for where I'm at. Everyone's got their generational traits, if you like. Nobody's really speaking or understanding one another and those who

are looking at adolescents saying yes well that's all very well good but that doesn't apply to me my son would never my daughter doesn't have those those interactions we're all in it we're all suffering the consequences of it we've been given this tool that is no different to a knife you can use it well you can cut your dinner up with it and you can save lives with it. If you use it incorrectly, you can do some serious harm. And I've said this to my kids. Oh my God, I'm starting again. My kids call me Ted Edge. Here we go. I love it. Here comes Ted Talk. I'm like, that's the best, the chance to learn ladies. It's a chance to learn. But I'm like you know what what do I need to learn? I thought we've got to learn as much as they've got

to learn from this. We've all been given. We're talking about this, we're like the experiment. It's like our kids are the experiment. Oh look here's this computer in your pocket. Off you pop and see whether it completely fucks you up or not. Come back in three years and let us know. I think. I saw the comparisons drawn up by a up or not. Come back in three years and let us know. I think I saw the comparisons drawn up by a scientist who said you know back in the day everybody's even warned us against Elvis, Elvis the Pelvis and he was seen as you know his over-sexualized character that was going to turn all of us and the kids crazy and before that it was a TV and before that it was the wireless and everybody's had their era of something. However now I understand what the point is he was trying to make what they're missing here is it's

proving it is scientifically proving it is changing the way we think and view the world and what our demeanor is and what our mental health is. It is getting into our insides and so this is something that does have to be addressed you know it's rewiring our kids. The good thing is that we are all having these conversations and there's, you know, we, Wendy and I have spoken to so many different people about this. And it does feel like even within our, you know, parents that we know, we're having these conversations.

So that's really good. But Myline, for you, raising kids in the public eye must be a challenge. Have you ever felt judged about a decision that you've made or something that you have decided to do with your kids? Have you ever felt judged by the public? I haven't felt judged, I have been judged. And I think at the time,

the very first time I went out with Ava, she didn't have any socks on. And I remember, I mean, it was like I committed the most heinous crime known to man. Yeah, doesn't know how to fix after her child, her child's going to catch a death of cold, you know, what kind of mom needs to love mom and so forth. And you know what, she just wouldn't keep her socks on. It wasn't that deep. She just wouldn't keep her socks on. And they just caught she just wouldn't keep her socks on and they just caught more moment in an opportune moment where socks had

fallen off there was another time I was um with my daughter in Cannes film festival I was working and I held her up in a baby grow and somebody said you know she's at this beautiful place she could have dressed her more appropriately and she was just back to go to bed she was just going to bed and here's the thing she was with me there's no better place for her to be than with me and like again I just don't remember all these comments came flooding in and when you're a new mum and you're vulnerable and you don't know you think everyone knows better than you you can they can really hit hard and now I look back and I laugh because boy they were just they were the precursor they were just the warm-up um the judgment got more and more extreme to the point it just became white noise

because nobody knows my children better than me and all those people that sort of you know signed them off as they're just be nepo babies and they'll just you know they'll find their path through their mother and I'm like well hang on I've got a daughter at music college who did her diplomas way before most musicians at standard age do it. And you could say that is because, you know, she's got like a propeller at home who can help her, which is myself. But I can't play the piano for her.

I can't play the piano for either of them. They've got to do the work. You can call them nepo babies as long as you like. They've still got to do the work and play the piano themselves. And I think with that, actually, people saw that they were doing it for themselves. They're their own people. They've got their own minds. And I've encouraged that. And it's actually the mops flock the other way. When my kids see comments that come in for me, that are disparaging, and they see how I laugh at them they actually once said I'm okay with these comments because you're okay with these comments and so I learned to

lead from the front and they've never honestly they've not bothered me since if you don't pay my mortgage you don't have a you don't have a card in the game. Love that, love that, yes. How do you think they'll look back on their childhood how do you think they'll describe their childhood? Oh gosh I would I would hope it would be a happy one. I would hope it would be one full of travel. My passion is travel and I wanted my children to see the world because that's what I always wanted. I'm a self-made mum, I make no excuses or you know, I make no excuses that I wanted my children to see the world and I've worked as hard as I can to be able to make that happen.

But first and foremost, I hope they felt safe and encouraged and to be the people they are. I've always wanted them to have their own voice. I've always said, I will hear you and on the days I don't hear you, make me hear you, make me listen. And I think that's really important that a child gets hurt and on the days I get it wrong I'm you'll get an apology I'm sure they'll argue that that doesn't happen but I go out of my way to look them in the eye when I get because it never happened with me you know I never said sorry to me when I was a kid yeah I

did a relational thing though wasn't it like no, we're doing what I'm doing because I then then say that I make all the excuses But but we're we're all the back but it is yeah, I think that's so be it But we're still owed a backlog. Well, you know, you can still say that was there and I owe you an apology now But you know, I do think cuz I'm not I think if I tried to make mine do that I'd be there for a year There's a lot of unfaithful apologies to come not coming I know and it made us all those things and they made us resilient and it made us but I mean did it make us Resilient or did it just make us trauma bonded? Who knows? There's a lot to unpack. Yeah trauma bonded

But I just think ultimately, you know, you try to become what is it they say you try to become the adult you needed. You really do. And I really do hope that they felt heard and listened to and that they get to be their own person. I really hope that for them because the rest falls into place doesn't it? It really does. But those things you can you can I've seen the most luxurious the most seemingly rich childhoods that they can be quite empathy. It's not about stuff. It's about just your little community around you. So I hope they felt supported. I really do. I hope the village that I created and built around them. I hope they I hope they felt supported I really do I hope the village that I created and built around them I hope they I hope they feel the warmth of that village. Yeah you mentioned there that you've worked really hard and it's

clear that you have and you have been part of some really big cultural moments over the last over 20 years you know pop stars was the first reality TV show about the music industry. It paved the way for X Factor and you know all of those huge shows and obviously your white bikini on I'm a Celebrity made the headlines like really big cultural moments but looking back over the last 24 years what would you say has been the highlight of your career? I mean, you say the word career, but I would still bring it back to my hardest job and my best job is being a mom. That's I relish it.

And I think to all the moments I've had through my career and trust me, I you say all those things, but nobody will humble you quite as quickly as your kids. Well, they took the white bikini in the montage video as a sort of ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. You know it's all just seen as funny. Everything I do is seen as funny. So I'm so proud to have been a part of so many cultural moments because they've been so much fun.

Had I known they were going to be so impactful at the time, yeah, I'm probably would have like made more of a mental note of them at the time. But you know, you're, you're, you're busy living in that moment. What you don't see is Dean Gaffney and Toby Anstiss standing next to me, telling me to hurry up and the shower was cold and the razors were all on the side. And I was trying to think, which was my razor, which is my soap. razors were all on the side and I was trying to think which was my razor, which is my soap. It covered in butter. How the bikini looked white is the miracle because it was grubby and muddy and all sorts. So you do, yes, I guess with history it becomes a different

kind of picture. But I do remember it not being quite so glamorous at the time. So we're seeing all these bands from the noughties announcing reunions, five of the latest. Is there gonna be a little hearsay reunion tour somewhere along the line? You know I've learned never to say never so you never know. I don't know if you saw I recently built my own band, I built my own band with the girls and we got into the studio and we've been making our own albums, we made our fourth album together now. So I will always be making music and I don't want to make it alone.

Music is something that you, you know, it's just, it's a group activity and I don't want to just always be locked in a practice room of my own. So that's been really, really lovely to do now with the girls. Have you, like looking back on your career career have you had any sliding doors moments you know where you might have been offered an opportunity and you said no to it and you've always wondered what would happen? I remember back when in like 2002 I was offered a job on like the second series of Big Brother and I always look back and think I wonder what would have happened to my career if I'd said yes would I be some hot shot TV producer so have you got anything like that

where you always wonder what if? I don't not so much what if but I have had loads of sliding gaw moments and one of them was Heasay because I came out of Miss Ogon, did a year in West End and then I got offered Mary Magdalene and at the time I was a backing vocalist for Robbie Williams and I was a backing vocalist for... oh gosh I was playing with everybody. That's how I first met Paul O'Grady because I was actually working on the Lily Savage show. So one of these things were going on and I was actually booked to perform on the Brits that I ended up performing

as a member of PSA. That's how quick the turnaround was. I was booked to perform on the Brits that I ended up performing as a member of hearsay. That's how quick the turnaround was. I was booked to perform with Robbie Williams as a backing vocalist and instead I was with hearsay. That's bonkers. And I remember thinking should I go and join the band or should I take a year's work as Mary Magdalene and my dad was like oh mad you should go and take a year's work. It's you know cash in the bank it's bank, you don't know where this band's going to go. It could be, I was promised six weeks work over Christmas. So I thought, well, I'll give it a go. And I'm here still 20 odd years later.

But yeah, there's been many sliding door moments. And things I've got really wrong as well, like things that I should have affiliated myself with, that I think I should have, Who knows what really goes on behind closed doors that I didn't. You just, yeah, but you end up where you end up and you make the best of where you are. One thing you probably didn't have on your bingo card, your career bingo card, was becoming a campaigner and getting an MBE, which congratulations. Tell us how the hell that happened. Well, it's got a sad story to begin with. Our story starts with having four consecutive miscarriages

before I got my son and I remember after my second miscarriage lying in bed sobbing uncontrollably and googling, you know, celebrities that had had miscarriages because I thought, well, if they've had a miscarriage, they'll know what to do next because they'll have access to the best doctors as you can so often find or they must have an answer because there was just no pathway to follow. And that's where I realized, you know, we're really stuck here. I'm from a family of nurses, my family are all doctors and nurses and nobody could help me. And then I had my third miscarriage and then I remember feeling relief because I was told after three

consecutive miscarriages you could get medical intervention and then I had my fourth and that's when I just thought if I ever ever ever get through this I will do something. Then I got my son and the opportunity came up to film a documentary and initially I thought I wouldn't be able to do the documentary because I couldn't even say the word miscarriage. For me it was wrapped up in fear, failure, just darkness, sadness and I was through that part and I just didn't want to revisit it. And then I remembered the promise I'd made myself and I don't want this to happen to my children. I don't want it to happen to your children or my family members. But the thing is,

until we do something about it, it's going to continue. 20,000 women every single month that we know of so far. But I think there's a really potent, really powerful combination of having a platform and being able to educate yourself as to what's going on and then being able to get in and speak to people and do something with it. And what I'm finding is the politicians that I speak to don't necessarily have the platform and a lot of the celebrities I speak to don't usually have the willing. So when you put the two together, it can be pretty powerful. The documentary went on to win a BAFTA, to be nominated for a BAFTA, so that garnered attention. And then since that moment, I have been trying to change legislation, make sure women get the backup, the support they deserve. When you realize and you look behind the

curtain how little miscarriage care there is it is shocking. It is the last and the final taboo when it comes to health care how uncared for women are when you realise it, it's shocking. And you've said before that you've wanted to show your children that their mum turned pain into power. What kind of conversations have you had with your kids about your miscarriages but also the campaigning that you've done and the changes in the law that you wanted to see? So my children they took part in the miscarriage documentary instead of my partner because what we're discovering more and more is that you know we say that childcare and and having a baby is 50-50 or should be and often we don't really

as a society acknowledge it to be so but many of the miscarriages that women suffer are actually down to the male contribution as it were especially the development of the placenta there's 13 different kinds of miscarriage if your partner drinks too much coffee or alcohol or works in a kitchen as a chef i know gordon ramsey said that was the reason for his miscarriages if they're a cycl, if they're a lorry driver, if they use spas or hot baths, all of these are huge contributing factors. And so we sit there blaming ourselves, it's all on me.

How could I be this husky of a woman? And then actually it might be a problem and it often is with your partner. So when I filmed the miscarriage documentary, I included my partner and I included my children because this affects the whole family. My daughters thought they were getting a sibling. I was too far gone on two of my miscarriages for it to be a secret.

And I say the word secret, the secrecy is what, you know, I suppose builds its own cage, its own prison around us. Why we have to keep our pregnancy a secret for the first trimester. There's no reason, there's no medical reason, it's just old wives tales that we're just duty bound by and then in so doing we create our own prison of secrecy around them and also men they've got no one to speak to as well, they suffer the loss of a child so I just want to blow the doors off all of that, put it out into the open, take the blame away take the the the language change the language miscarriage blighted ovum incompetent cervix everything's just miserable and negative

and we need help we chemical pregnancy was my favorite when they said to me no no no that wasn't a miscarriage because it was a chemical pregnancy I'm sorry what it takes away how you're feeling it's almost like a way to say no No, no, no, that wasn't a miscarriage because it was a chemical pregnancy. I'm sorry, what? It takes away how you're feeling. It's almost like a way to say, no, you're not allowed to feel like that because it was only a chemical pregnancy. The words used to me were,

it was only a chemical pregnancy. What even is that to be able to say that to someone? No, and the terms, it's just, it was only cells. Maybe you can't carry boys. Oh, it wasn't meant to be. Oh, they're in a better place now. Oh, we haven't just got another angel. I mean, the platitudes, they're just endless,

but you don't have your baby. And I think this is what we need to change. And that's why it's been actually really cathartic and really empowering. It's so great that you're sharing that with them. And another thing that you're sharing with them that you mentioned earlier is working together and working on your latest Lullaby album which is so beautiful and I know that lullabies are for babies and for toddlers but my six-year-old twins they're proper Swifties and I've been playing them

I've been playing them your new album just before bed it's a really good way of like winding them down and they think, well they know it's Taylor Swift, they're like, hey Taylor Swift, but I'm like, this is relaxing you before bed. So thank you. Honestly, it was so lovely to do. I'm so glad to hear that because it did start as lullabies and it started as Motown lullabies and then we did Christmas and we did Jungle as in in the jungle like Toto not jungle is massive jungle and then we did Taylor because I'm like well you know what my daughters are on the album, they play the cello, here plays the trumpet we found a way

to get the trumpet onto a lullaby album if you listen to Shake It Off you'll hear the trumpet on it and I just album. If you listen to Shake It Off, you'll hear the trumpet on it. And I just really thought, well, you know, Taylor's a melody writer. How amazing if we can find a way to take the percussion out and make these into beautiful lullabies for another generation. But all my friends listen to it in the bath

and just chill out to it. And it's just really cute. So yeah, I'm really, like I said, you know, having that music and building your own band and just showing them how to create, I've loved every second and it will outlive us all. You know, when their old mum's not around doing a Ted Talk for them, they'll be able to live back.

Their old mum also took them to see Taylor Swift at Wembley last summer, so I think they ought to be a bit nicer to their old mum. Was that what inspired the album? We all went to Taylor together and you know when you're just in an arena I don't know if you got to see her but they're just the joy. She went twice. I went twice with my 14 year old. You know what I'm talking about. It was amazing. Honestly I actually can't listen to Taylor Swift now without crying. Oh for goodness sake. It's a memory. No, Wendy! It was such a special moment. It was amazing. I get it. Look, for me, I stood for all three hours. I stood there transfixed because I thought, you know, to see a woman, and she's not just, you know, someone in the music industry,

she is the most powerful person in the music industry. And people always think that music is one of the softer subjects and it's a lighter subject, and do your maths, do your English. No, look at what the arts have created. She's like worth a million dollar business in her own right. And to see a young woman who has been personally vilified and objectified, and men have taken swipes, cheap swipes at her all through her career and she stands there so empowered. I was so, I was just so excited to bring my girls to see her.

Again Ted talking all the way through, look at this girl she's amazing, look at what she's attuned to. But they know it, yeah she's Taylor Swift, she's an icon. Good, good to hear it. But taking like, taking teenagers to a concert I think is such a great way just to get that one-on-one time with them. Do you consciously carve out time with each of your kids to try and do individual things? I really try to and I think any mum will know that I feel all the time that there's just never enough of me to go around and I really, really do try and all of my children are at such different stages in their lives, so their needs are so different. And I really do try and make sure I give that time

to each of my kids, even if it's just sitting in their bedroom having a cup of tea and dissecting the day. So yeah, I really do try. And I try and do what they call it, the Disney hug. I try and do that all the time as well. Just hug and hold until they let go You should never be the first one to let go because they say apparently you need 12 hugs a day for growth That's why I was going to go you got to grow you got to grow just for that emotional growth 12 hugs and it makes sense

17 year old. Yeah Could I have to persuade my 10 year old to hug like come on hug me She's like no I gave birth to you hug me damn it apparently that's also part of the game You're Mitch just still they say it but they want the hug It's you know know they're gonna love this I'm gonna be all over them this afternoon I'm kind of here and give me a hug I'd rather be tackle and headlocking hug it's you know we need it as much as they do so true if I say my lean class told me to do it that means it's not my fault exactly yes pass the blame but apparently you're not meant to be the first to let go.

They let you know when... This all comes from appa... Look, there's a lot of parentlies here, but it's working for us. When you go to Disney and they hug the characters, the characters are told not to break first, so the kid gets the charge up from you. I love that. Every day's a school day. I love this.

Yeah. So what's next, Mylene? Albums, campaigning, Disney hugs, what are you gonna do next? Well, albums, I think we've just, I don't know if you saw my Instagram, we painted a piano of now we've left it in the garden because we wanted to be like Taylor, she had a painted piano but now we've got this painted piano that I think we're gonna put pop plants in it. It's just collecting rain in the garden. But yes, we're gonna find another album so any ideas welcome. Because it all was born out of lockdown when my friend couldn't go to the NCT group. She was like, I just need to have access to baby groups and music. And so we did Lullabies but we weren't going to do Peppa Pig or we love Peppa Pig but we just thought it was time to move on a bit. So I think David Bowie lullabies might be nice because that's

what we did. We did requests, sending your request and I'll play it as a lullaby. Ah ha, that works nice as a lullaby. Nice. Bringing a carp into lullabies, who knows. Love it. Maybe something on those lines. On the campaigning front, I have got the bit between my teeth, because I've got a lot of politicians at the moment saying no, when they should be saying yes. And they started off as saying yes, and then they switched it to no. So, God help them. I think they're in trouble. Well, do you know what? Here's the thing, you get in a room with the West Streetings of the world, and they're our health ministers, you lay out your stall. And you know, I said, this is what we need, I was with Tommy's, so they are at the forefront of what we require and what we need. And they've

made a pilot scheme that we can all follow that the medical professional professional want to follow as well. Because you know, when you have a miscarriage, where do you go? Do you go to A&E? Do you sit in triage with someone having a heart attack or a nosebleed? Do you go to your GP? It mostly happens at work, it sometimes happens on the school run or in the middle of the night. Where does a woman go? We don't even have that first point of call. This is integral. So we need when you miscarry you go here and we need a doctor to be able to say this is where you go. So we all get guided, kettled to the same place so we get the exact care that we

require so when you're having your chemical pregnancy you get what you require as opposed to people just passing you around in a circle. But also when you do go what happened to me was I then had to have the surgery you have to have if the baby doesn't come away. And I was put in the room with three women with their little baby clothes and their big bellies going to have their caesareans. And they were allowed, because they were going to have a baby, they were allowed their partner in the room. Because I wasn't going to have a baby, I was going for surgery, I wasn't allowed my partner in the room. That's got to change. It can't carry on.

And that's the pathway, isn't it? Those pathways need to be better set out. But that's exactly, that is exactly what we're talking about. If you have a graded medical pathway of care, that pathway is, right, we've got a lady here, we've got a mother here, she's lost her baby, this is how many weeks, this is what she requires, this is how old she is, this is the medication she was or wasn't on. You can almost put it all together as a graph and go right this is where we send her, but at the minute just saying oh you're in A&E, oh well sorry we're going to have triage, the guy's having a heart attack, but let's say that you're eligible for progesterone, we could save it in half thousand babies per year if somebody knew to give that to you. But what if they don't know because they haven't got that specialist care and they don't have an early pregnancy

unit and an EPU to send you to, immediately you get sort of lost in the system. Most women in this care, they don't even have it on their medical records because it isn't entered in by the GPs unless you tell them to put it on there. How are we living in a society that knows more about your shopping habits and the phone that you're using and where you're buying the kids groceries that they don't know if you are susceptible to miscarriage because of your medical history, they don't know how if they're going to need to help your children in the future, we have no data collection whatsoever.

So as I point this out with Tommy's, who've helped me with the medical side of things, when you say to West Ruting, we've got this pilot scheme, it's been collated by all these incredible health practitioners and mothers, off we go. You wanted a solution, here it is. And they're like, mm, yeah, well, we'll look at it. That's not what we signed up for,

and that's not the reason we got you in the room. And when you said yes, and then walked out and backtracked and said, no, it's not good enough, we deserve better. Well, we are so grateful for the work that you're doing, because these conversations are not easy to be having. So we're so grateful. And anything at Netmums that we can do to help you and support you, we are there, we will help you.

But yeah, thank you from all of us for the work that you're doing Mylene and thank you for coming on today to talk to us because it has been wonderful to chat to you. Honestly thank you, it's like just sitting with your mummates isn't it with a coffee, he's so nice. Don't forget you can get in touch with us on all social channels, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, just type in netmums and you'll find us. And if you liked what you've heard today, we'd love for you to give us a five star rating. Press the follow button and share the podcast on all your socials.