Pixie Lott on Juggling Parenting and Showbiz

0:01It takes the hits, runs the miles, rebuilds while you sleep. It's felt every fall, every dance floor, every belly laugh. And in return, it asks for nothing. It just keeps going. I'm Ellie Taylor and this is Back Your Body, the podcast from Holland and Barrett that's all about the most loyal relationship you'll ever have. The one you have with your body. From scars to self-care, the bits you love and the bits you've learned to love, we're talking to people about the bodies they live in, how they've pushed them, neglected them, rebuilt them or finally learned to listen to them. It's time to back your body the way it's always back to you.

0:37Back your body. Subscribe now, your body will thank you. Hello and welcome to Made by Mamas, the podcast. I'm Zoe Hardman. And I'm Georgia Dayton. And this is your parenting safe space where no conversation is off limits. With five kids between G and I, we have seen a lot.

0:56Georgia Dayton: We really have. Each week we'll be joined by some famous faces and experts and we'll chat about the brands and products that have saved us along the way. In short, we're the parenting podcast for you. Before we get started, hit subscribe or follow so you're the first to know when each episode lands. And they're on Tuesdays and Fridays. And it really helps if you leave a rating and a review. You can also find us on Instagram. We're on at Made by Mummies. But for now, George, should we get into it? Can we just talk about your tan for a second? My tan? Right, you've been away for a week. It literally looks like you've lived in the jungle for a month.

1:28Oh yeah, but my...

1:28Georgia Dayton: No, no, see, that is real. Because look at my skin. Which is so safe, pointing out my skin. But I literally look like a 90-year-old man who's never seen moisturiser. Have you got a fake tan? Not on my legs, but on my arms I have. It's so nice. Which one is it? My arms is bare by Vogue. And it's mousse, the medium one. I always go for extra dark, but I've run out. so this is a medium this is a good shade isn't it really nice i'm really pleased and thank you for commenting you look gorgeous how was your holiday it was really nice we had we definitely needed a holiday on our own we haven't had a holiday on our own for yeah over a year like we've always been away with other people so it was so nice really chilled in fact might try and go back in the summer oh lovely yeah we're in for a little one what would you you i was like who what are you giving your kids today imagine that yeah oh is there is there a spare bedroom okay cool i've put luna she was just talking about luna's passport as well so that wasn't out of out of nowhere um yeah why not come i'm glad i mean listen we're i'm up for trying new things we could record from there oh guys we're moving to spain we moved to spain for the summer how wonderful um how are you yeah I'm good I'm good um god you know when you feel like you're happy that it's Monday as in I had a really nice weekend but I am just loving being on my own at the moment yeah I mean I always do I just I just this isn't about the key I think it's just more of looking at the weekends and thinking I got to last night and I sat down for the first time I sat on the sofa and within 30 seconds I'd fallen asleep because I was that exhausted from just the taxi of mum and dad you know all the clubs the parties dropping them here that you said to go to work then drive all the way down to farnham via waybridge to pick up one kid then down to farnham to pick up another kid then it's just like it's just non-stop isn't it so i'm loving that it's monday and that we're in the studio and we've just done the most beautiful podcast recording yes god she's delicious she is and she's so positive and like just go with the flow So she's really how I would love to parent in so many ways.

3:38Georgia Dayton: And it's really nice to sort of hear someone just embrace the chaos. Do you know, I really wanted to mention that as well, that it was like just easy go lucky, really chilled, very much like, yeah, we just if this happens, then that happens. And I just thought, God, what a delight to be there. I definitely was not that parent. Yeah, no, I mean, no, I was trying to fix all the time. Yeah, all the time. I took loads from today's guest, actually, and I'm going to go into today just feeling a bit more easy fucking breezy about shit. Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, Georgia, we need to get into it. Who are we talking to today?

4:15We are chatting to Pixie Lock. Joining us on the podcast today is a singer, songwriter, actress, and now a mum of two. I can't believe it. She has been in the spotlight since her teens, but over the last few years, we have absolutely loved watching her embrace a whole new role, motherhood. Since I last saw her, she's had her second baby She's right in the thick of those newborn days once again Kind of juggling family life, sleep deprivation We'll find out how that's going today Obviously the sibling dynamics and everything else that comes with expanding your family We are so excited to welcome the gorgeous Pixie Lott to the podcast Thank you guys Hello

4:52Georgia Dayton: How are you? Set the scene for us, how's your morning been? Morning has been lovely because I've been excited to see you guys and have a lovely chat. But I'm always, like you're talking about the sleep deprivation, as all parents know, that's just a constant thing, isn't it? So I feel absolutely exhausted, but I'm feeling good. Talk to us about how it's been. Obviously, we've got loads to dive into today, but going from one to two, what was that like? um I think I've always been excited to give Bert a sibling that has been amazing but it's just I think the the hardest thing is just the splitting yourself in two because you're used to just giving everything to one and then you want to give everything your whole world to both but you know it's kind of impossible at times when one's upset or they're both upset then how do you cut yourself in half you have to see to one while the other one and it's like at at moments it's absolutely crazy and then it comes down and it's amazing everyone's laughing and giggling and they're playing with each other and then everyone's crying and it's just like what's the age gap so they are exactly two years and one week so pretty much two years oh so you just got past the two under two yeah that's the thing everyone's like i know i can't officially say two under two I'm like a week outside of it.

6:18Before we get into the chat, this is very weird because when you walked in, you and Georgia used to go to school together. So can we just walk?

6:26Georgia Dayton: Yeah, we were. If you used to get a train from Kent to Cannon Street, Monday to Friday, you would have seen us on the train because we were the stage school kids doing harmonies at seven o 'clock in the morning. Yeah, and the train journey was like part of the fun of the school day. So just waking up all those early commuters and just like. What sort of school was it? It was like a, you know, performing like drama, jazz hands vibe. So it was like really fun. But I don't think I've seen Georgia since. No, we haven't seen you, Georgia since. No. Because I was like 15. So I was like, I think you used to get off at Clock House.

7:03It's the only time I've really even known about that area actually, like on that route. I don't know how I've been to Clock House, but I know that Georgia used to get off. Oh, that's where I used to get off. Yeah. Can I just ask a question? Because obviously Pixie's gone into that industry. What the fuck were you doing there?

7:20Georgia Dayton: No, do you know, I actually went off and did my A-levels. So I went after, I left at 16, whereas lots of people stayed on. I went off and did my A-levels and then I went to fashion college and I did that instead. Right. But you are in the industry. I am again now by accident. I'm just taking the piss. Of course she is. but now we actually live around the corner from each other which is so weird so mad that we have the same lives yeah and our kids are going to the same school which is really odd like really I'm gonna see you at the school drop-offs in the morning come January how lovely is that that's good I've got a friend you've got a friend you can ask me all the I've already asked you is the school good let's talk about your role as mum because obviously you've been performing since you were you know 15 16 years old and longer than that really longer yeah I mean take us back yeah actually you went to choose the SSO yeah we did I know exactly we've probably actually known each other since how old were you when you started I think I was eight eight yeah okay I was five yeah so from when you were eight we probably met yeah because we did the summer camps yes yeah yeah yes a really long time yeah really long time so yeah performing like my whole life it feels like pretty much and and what what was that identity shift like for you when you fell pregnant and you realized that you were stepping into a new phase you weren't just pixie lot the performer you were going to be a mom yeah i guess like it's something i've always wanted to do and you know it's always about like oh we've got to find the right time but there never is a right time is always going to be stuff going on and like craziness so um i've always been really excited to start a family but I always you know I've been conscious of always wanting to you know perform and music and is is such a big part of who I am and what I've spent my whole life doing so I know I'd never want to stop that it's just like something that's in me that I'd always want to keep doing um but I was always just like so inspired by all the you know the the mums out there that are still doing their jobs like as singers like watching Rihanna up there singing and like Jessie J and like all these amazing mums kind of still getting up on the stage and giving it their all and that was really inspiring to kind of see that happen be like yeah we can actually do this we can do this and then trying out for myself and it obviously it is like massive juggle but there is a way to do it all and still be a mum and you know embrace the chaos and bring them along the ride with you because I love just being with them all the time so I wanted to you know like when I first did festival season when my first was born um just kind of figuring out a way logistically to make it work and it looks very different now to as it did before and as you know as mums like you can't just nip out and do something there has to be a whole kind of plan around it and just like loads of car seats and buggies and and nappies and all the stuff um and just embrace it all and make make both work pretty much that's what I'm doing and there's no like rule book there's always like a lot of craziness along the way but you just got to learn to go with the flow I think on it did it worry you before because obviously now you're doing it you're making it work yeah before were you worried about how it would shape I think I was kind of a little bit more I didn't know what was in store or how I would feel um so I kind of thought oh no I can make I've seen other women do this I can make it work I can do it and then when it actually comes to it it's like no I want to make sure I'm with them as much as possible all the time and build it into the schedule in a different way I think I didn't realize how how I would feel until like you actually have your babies and how much they mean to you and I knew they would because I come from a very close family and I but just how it actually is when you get there.

11:28Did you find it hard to leave them for the first time when you went out to perform? I think the sort of mum the overriding mum guilt I'm wondering if you experience any of that I mean we talk about it so openly Georgia's so pro kind of leaving the mum guilt at the door yeah she's like come on like we are ultimately yes we're mothers yes we're partners yeah friends but we are ourself yeah we are in person yeah we have to live our lives as well definitely yeah and i think that's so valid i think you have to it's it's such a tough one and there's no kind of like i think black and white with it i think you just have to really do your best in all areas and you know like you have to fill up your own cup to then be able to give to your children as much as you can and the balance is never going to be perfect.

12:15Like, you know, every percent is 25 % here, 25 % is there. It's always going to be like this and it's always, but that's the juggle and the balancing act of it, isn't it? Yeah. And that's like, I put, my last song actually I put out is about literally that, the juggle of trying to be the best at everything. And it's just so impossible and it's going to be imperfect, but you just have to embrace that and just try your best. And as long as you're giving as much love as you can, that's the best that you can do, I think.

12:45Georgia Dayton: Yeah. I don't know about you, but I sometimes think it's not the physical juggle that's the hardest. Because, you know, you can put things in place, whether it's grandparents or nannies or whatever it is. Yeah. It's the mental juggle that I find the hardest. Yeah. Going from, you know, working to then having to be the mum at athletics to then having to be the mum, you know, like having to play all these different characters. I don't know if you find that mental load difficult. Yeah, it is. It is. Yeah. You have to kind of compartmentalize into the different areas. And that is impossible as well because you feel like, you know, your brain is like my phone as well, even in real life, has like 500 tabs open at the same time.

13:30I need to clear it out. I'm like one of those, is it a type B personality? Yeah. It's just constantly like that. like my husband looks at me like oh my god does that not give you a headache I'm like oh no it's just 6 ,000 on open d yeah my emails are like that my whatsapp everything is just like crazy but I feel like my brain is like that with like all the different things like you know the admin the house the mum the work the you know all this kind of stuff is like your brain is constantly open tabs all the time and you feel like you're kind of like split into all these different sections all the time and sometimes your brain has to think about them all at the same time and it's just like impossible yeah how are you for asking for help though are you good at it well I'm like I said I'm so lucky with my mum and dad and I feel like I can ask them anything and they're and they're just so supportive and we'll beat it but the heart the tricky thing is now is like my sister and my brother both have two so annoying isn't it dang um and uh they're all the same age so all our kids So they're all like really young and like running around crazy.

14:37So my mum and dad are helping all of us. So we're all very lucky. They're loving their retirement, are they? I know. They're exhausted. I was like, oh, I'm so tired. She's like, we are exhausted and we're like 60, whatever. So, yeah. So that is, yeah, I feel really lucky there. But it is really hard like sharing them with everyone because it all has to be fair. And, you know, we've all got stuff going on. so at the moment it's not like um you know the perfect setup plan as in like the schedule's locked in and everything's like it's all very like we'll muddle through we'll make it work oh we'll do that okay we'll watch you know all of the kids there and then I'll come home at this time and it's all very yeah we'll do day by day and we'll muddle through and we'll make it work that kind of thing yeah I um I swear to god all these like maths geniuses trying to solve their problems have got nothing on us when it comes to juggling shit yeah you get on with your equation yeah this is the unsolvable jigsaw puzzle exactly right yeah you're just literally flying by the seat of your pants the whole time yeah but like there's beauty in the chaos too which is what i think you're saying yeah there is yeah there is i mean obviously yeah it can be crazy but i think it's it is about embracing you know like you see all these memes and videos online that are like oh you'll look back at these times and like you know you're tired and you're like you don't know what's going on but you'll look back and be like wow that was actually beautiful that craziness and like that kind of unexpected schedule changes that you're like oh my gosh but you just have to go with the flow even with like you know the ages that they're at now we have no idea when the nap time is going to be and you'll schedule something around it would be like oh you know he'll go to sleep then and we'll wake up and then I'll do the interview then and then the zoom will be then and then it'll all work out and then obviously doesn't it doesn't happen and it doesn't happen so you know sometimes I'll be on a zoom and then I'll be like ah and then one of them's crying but I'll just be back in just one second I just took this out and you just kind of like you know make it work and people are really understanding which is so nice um not always on public transport where don't even get me started have you ever had that before and you see people like oh my god it's not like my I'm trying my hardest and like you know it can be at any it could be that you've cut the blueberries the wrong way or you know it could be anything and then it just the judgment kicks up I know it's the planes are the worst well I remember having really little kids and being on planes and you're just praying that one of them doesn't have like a nine hour cry like please god help me like for all my sins just forgive me because people do get really upset about it but luckily there's always that one lovely air hostess who

17:25Georgia Dayton: comes over and says or just person who looks at you like it's fine it's okay that's all you need we'll be right back after this short break

17:39it takes the hits runs the miles rebuilds while you sleep it's felt every fall every dance floor every belly laugh and in return it asks for nothing it just keeps going i'm ellie taylor and this is back your body the podcast from holland and barrett that's all about the most loyal relationship you'll ever have the one you have with your body from scars to self-care the bits you love and the bits you've learned to love we're talking to people about the bodies they live in how they've pushed them neglected them rebuilt them or finally learned to listen to them it's time to back your body the way it's always back to you.

18:15Back your body. Subscribe now, your body will thank you.

18:24Welcome back to this episode of Made by Mamas. Now, where were we? Can we talk about obviously growing up in the public eye and the music industry and how the media portrays, you know, women in that space and appearance and having to look a certain way. I want to talk about how you dealt with your changing body during pregnancy and whether you had any of the I don't know the sort of bleeding over from being in the spotlight and how you felt about that that that change within yourself you know your body changes yeah um I guess again like I'm going back to that I always talk about Rihanna but I feel like she was the one that really came out and embraced the bump you know when the fashion kind of changed the pregnancy and it was like really embracing it and kind of like I feel like I just I felt really inspired by all these like amazing women that were like going out there and really embracing pregnancy and kind of going out there still being themselves and working and and that really I think helped and it kind of was really inspiring so I kind of felt happiness and and I was really just happy about being pregnant and the first pregnancy was really um easy as in I felt completely fine and then the second one I had morning sickness not physically but like felt really ill and tired in the first trimester and I wasn't expecting it I think because it didn't happen the first time and you just kind of always think it's going to go the same and then also obviously when you're pregnant and you've got the toddler it's a whole different experience you can't indulge you used I used to have like loads of naps when I was tired and like just took it really easy and then you know if you're waking up in the night just from like rolling over or going to the toilet like eight times in the night and then getting used to the no sleep of that and then but then you have to wake up early with the toddler as well on top of that it's a whole different thing isn't it being pregnant for the second time and you're dealing with the sickness I remember vividly just being like I remember shouting one day at Dozler just being like I need mashed potatoes it was the only thing that I could eat that would settle my nausea mashed potatoes He used to crunch something like in the night.

20:32Yeah, no, carrots. That was my pregnancy cravings. You used to crunch, just constantly crunching. It was like ice cubes and carrots.

20:40Georgia Dayton: Crunches, yes. I really remember that. You had to feel that crunch there. I used to walk down the corridor of our little apartment. I used to go to the fridge and he'd be like, what are you getting? I'd be like, carrots. And I'd come down and not just. Wow, your baby must have really good eyesight in the dark. I'm really tired. Yeah. Oh, yeah, I wish you'd done that for my mum. I'll try that for the next one. So the sickness was bad, the morning sickness, but you weren't actually sick. I wasn't actually physically sick. I feel for the women who have sick. Oh, wow, yeah. Oh, my gosh, I must be so tough.

21:15But it did go after the first trimester, and then I was fine. So, yeah, I just feel like the pregnancies were very different just from having a second pregnancy, no running around.

21:28Georgia Dayton: And what about your relationship? Because we know that when you've been with a partner for a while and you've got like a lovely life and you can do whatever you want and then you have a baby and no matter what setup you've got at home, you can have all the support in the world, but it does change your relationship. Have you found that? yeah yeah yeah no it does I think in a way that you know just that you've got like a crazy two-year-old running around and I'm constantly feeding the baby and you're not getting any sleep our sleep setup is changing all the time and you just do whatever works um and you know we're both working so it's back when you know we used to live like not far from around here we would just you know have all the time in the world together and just nip out and go for dinner you know getting those times where it's just you is obviously very rare and it's important to still try and you know fit that in isn't it to your schedule everyone says but you know that's just not the priority right now the priority is you know us as a family and it's amazing to have a family and be together and show all these moments and adventures and you know everything together but it is just completely different experience to just being new to obviously even just getting in the car is like a massive thing with the car seats and the buggies and the snacks and the nappies and the spare change of clothes and the nappy bags it's like if you've forgotten something it's like oh one of them shits themselves exactly that happens all the time and that's just Ollie but we you know everyone can be crying and you're trying to gizzy down and go in the car seats to get into the car seats and where I'm always like Ollie you've not probably got in the car and then they're settled they've both fallen asleep and it's all like this is lovely I love you so much it goes from like that to that and like I split it second yeah it's crazy I think there's never a worse thought about your partner than in the middle of the night like in the middle of the night you know when you're up I have never hated someone in my life so much ever I never probably said those awful things ever did you wake him up though to say it?

23:41Georgia Dayton: well I used to say the worst things to each other in the middle of the night like awful awful horrific things to each other and you wake up in the morning and you're like hi good morning do you ever love you? everything okay? just forget completely about what's happened in the night what is the sleep set up at the moment? you don't want to know We do want to know. I said I passed by it and I was thinking, oh, no, they're going to grill me on this. Do you co-sleep? So I'm co-sleeping with the youngest one and feed it, still breastfeeding. Great. And then Bert, he went into his Spidey bed just before the new baby came.

24:23So I was like, oh, my gosh, we need to, like, get a setup going here. So we made his bed like all Spider-Man themed. So it was like exciting. And it worked. It was like literally the night before and it worked. And he went in the bed. We couldn't believe it was like, this is amazing. And Ollie sleeps on a mattress on the floor. With Bert? No, on his self, by himself. Bert's in the spider bed in his own room, right? Then I think maybe because we've like been away and stayed in hotel rooms and but his whole life two years of life has uh never wanted to sleep in the cot ever really and now all of a sudden he wants to sleep in the cot i think because when we're away he sleeps in the cot and he thinks it's exciting we're in a hotel room he sleeps in the car it's exciting so now at home he sleeps in the cot in our room so so he starts off in the spidey bed but then he wakes up oh my god and he comes into the car so in the room it's like all of which i quite like all of us are in one room that's like my kid's dream literally that's now in the car ollie's on the floor on the mattress and me and the little one in the bed but you're all in together it's all in together yeah so yeah that's how it is at the moment but it could change then but we'll go back into the spider bed and then I don't know how long we'll be in the bed but we've got like the barriers at the side of the bed um so that's just how we're making it work at the moment yeah but it could be like changes all the time did you think that you would be a co-sleeper was that something that you spoke about before you had the babies no and actually um we wasn't with Bert for the first four months we had the next to me cot and by the way we still got the next to me cot next to the bed because that was the hope for the second one

26:24but it just didn't work out that way again for the second baby and Bert was in there till he was four months and he got really ill when we first went to Dubai with him which was around that time and the only way we could settle him was bringing him into the bed and then it basically never it didn't change from then onwards and then it just kind of like organically happened again with the new baby there's quite a lot of chat online about co-sleeping people are very opinionated around it and georgia and i have always been a bit like if you want to do it do it if you don't want to do it don't do it we've actually shot ourselves in the foot with us and we're desperate to cling on to it and i say every night i say to kit kit you wake up you can come and climb in where's daddy going to be i don't really care actually but you can you can kick him out like because it's so it's you don't get that for very long and you do feel so bonded with them when they sleep next to you i think it's so lovely i wish i'd done it more i know i feel

27:24Georgia Dayton: like we missed out because when ours were little it was all very much about strict routines yeah sleep training and all of this yeah we kind of got into that didn't we we were like literally in in their own room at this age this happened what age were they i mean i've got really young always they never slept in the next to me crib i think it was like a few months that they yeah and then do they go into their room into a cop with a camera yeah yeah i think it's whatever it was six months probably before that we but we we were like this i mean that's amazing i just don't even you know like your own experiences i don't even know how i would be able to do i would definitely try it but i don't know how how you do that well i don't either how did you do it i don't No, we just did what we were told.

28:10Literally. Georgia got really bossy around it because she was reading Gina Ford and we were living on the same road. So she was a bit like, we've got to get this sorted, Zoe.

28:18Georgia Dayton: I literally remember, actually, it was 11 weeks and 29 days and the book said they should be sleeping through the night after their dream feed from 10.30 to 7am. And I remember saying to my sister-in-law, Right Tonight He's gonna sleep Through the night From this time To this time Because this is what The book said And I remember her laughing at me And it happened Waking around the corner And I was like Sick And she was like What were you gonna do If he didn't You were gonna take him back To the shop And say it was faulty I was like yeah Wait what It worked And it stayed that way Yeah From 11 weeks So Literally Followed Followed But Right So At the time At the time All grey and brilliant but now I look back and I'm like god that's so much pressure yeah it was so much like and what you're talking about I'm like I almost long for that now because I'm like oh like I'm but you would have been getting a lot more sleep which is great right it's great yeah yes it is also there's obviously the old night that that doesn't work out but Georgia was very Georgia and I really respected you for that you were very hot on the routine what is that what how did you what is the I tried tonight no I tried tonight because it makes it worse give me the book give me the book all changes can you remember what you did um I followed a book like to the to yeah literally to a T and I didn't deviate but it's a lot of pressure and it was very stressful Georgia was being told what time of day she should drink a glass of fucking water so I really don't I look back now and I don't I'm looking at should I drink water now It shouldn't, it shouldn't, you've missed, you've missed it already.

30:01Georgia Dayton: You've messed it all up. It should have been 45 seconds ago. Could we talk about surprising parts of motherhood or how you feel that you've changed apart from the obvious things about the sort of like abundance of love and like the heart doubling in size and stuff. What has changed in you, do you think? um I think it does just like I don't want to sound cliche but obviously it just changes you as a person in the way that I've always been like I feel like I've hopefully grown up like you know since I first started out like at you know putting my first song up when I was like 18 I feel like I've grown up hopefully but I also feel like I've stayed the same in a lot of ways and I've liked that like I still feel like I have the same values and know my friends and family and like my beliefs and what I like and what I don't like but I feel like motherhood out of all my experiences in life has changed me definitely the most without sounding cliche in that just how I view priorities and things that don't really matter and like not caring so much about you know what people think or like what you think matters all of it does not matter at all does it it's like the most important thing is your babies and your family and your um what you it makes me feel like life is so short so what you want to get out of life what you want to do what you want to spend your time on um how quickly time goes and how big they get overnight and then you think about your own family and your loved ones and just what you want to do whilst you're here like why are you sweating about all the small stuff and like ridiculous things when in the grand scheme of things we're here in like the blink of an eye what do you want your story your legacy to be what do you want what life do you want to create for yourself and your children and it makes me more focus on that than anything ever before that's so beautiful do you know what i mean yeah i love how um i love how sort of well just real and kind of poignant that is because i think you see your your time in your life going quicker when you see your children growing up yeah it's how I see time now yeah I look at my kids and like finding the baby clothes in the garage and you know our kids will be 10 this year that's we've known each other for a decade a decade of a life and it feels like and it's gone like that yeah it's crazy isn't it yeah looking at the things that they grow out of and like even the little phases that they grow out of it just goes so quickly doesn't it like all of a sudden like our youngest is like you know could now he's like crawling and like standing up on things and like you know just like eating food and like watching you leave the room like they you know they start off not being able to do any of that now they they do all of that and then but just like you know needing to be held and picked up but now he wants to walk and he holds your hand but he'll let go of your hand it's like what what's going on and the responsibility as well I feel like I feel that as they get older even more so the responsibility it changes doesn't it because now you're trying to bring up like when when they're little really little you just just want them to be alive and well yeah but now they get to this age you don't want to be assholes yeah all you want is that they'll sleep eat be quiet all of those things and then you get to this age and you're like just don't be a prick yeah that's all i want don't really care about yeah it changed all the phases like you're kind of in the world so you've got 10 year olds so is it kind of like yeah what's the main kind of challenge of that of a 10 year old don't be a prick attitude um are you kind of like looking at what friends they're kind of hanging around or like what all like the screen time stuff what is it yeah it's huge actually it's huge it's the screen time definitely they don't that's just completely off the agenda at the moment how do you navigate that they don't have screens anymore I haven't spoken about this on the podcast.

34:20The iPads have gone. So we're in. How did you do that? Just rip the plaster off. Just literally cold turkey. Yeah, cold turkey. I'm not doing it anymore, Pixie. Like my son's behavior is so bad when he's been on his iPad and I just had enough of it. That's amazing that you did that. Yeah, I need to. And actually they don't ask for it anymore. They're just not that. They watch telly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They watch telly all the time. Yeah. We'll watch films together, but the iPads have gone for the future. And what have you noticed from that? just listening quicker um the the levels of like he's he's unable to emotionally regulate when he's on the ipad so the regulation's just coming back a bit it is taking time but roadblocks he was

34:58Georgia Dayton: completely addicted to roadblocks the dangers are so different to the ones that we had and i think that's the that's the difference like i think for ages we would worry about you know oh when are they going to walk to school by themselves when are they going to go to the shop you know and And actually you get to 10 and you're like, that's actually not the danger. That is, that's not it at all. Yeah. No, I mean, my thing is just making them so busy. They don't have time. We're going to athletics, then we're going here, then we're going there. Georgia's going for a gold medal. There's no time to breathe.

35:31Georgia Dayton: There's no time to breathe, let alone be on roadblocks. We'll be right back after this short break.

35:41It takes the hits, runs the miles, rebuilds while you sleep. It's felt every fall, every dance floor, every belly laugh. And in return, it asks for nothing. It just keeps going. I'm Ellie Taylor and this is Back Your Body, the podcast from Holland and Barrett that's all about the most loyal relationship you'll ever have. The one you have with your body. From scars to self-care, the bits you love and the bits you've learned to love, We're talking to people about the bodies they live in, how they've pushed them, neglected them, rebuilt them or finally learned to listen to them. It's time to back your body the way it's always back to you.

36:17Back your body. Subscribe now. Your body will thank you.

36:25Welcome back to this episode of Made by Mamas. Now, where were we? Did you get any baby blues at all? Did you experience any of those? um I remember that you know when your milk comes in and you feel really emotional just like out of nowhere obviously like massive things just happen to you as well but you get that emotional day when the milk comes in I remember that really vividly but um in terms of you know like I said I wanted to um you know still make a way to to juggle everything it wasn't too long before I like did a show again um and I wanted to make sure of that and obviously like bring them with me still so we were all kind of having the experience together but I didn't want to because I know if you step away from performing for too long it's really hard to go back into it someone told me so I wanted to make sure I still kept that side alongside and didn't lose that side of myself because it is such a big part of me um and because it wasn't that long before I went back it did feel completely natural and normal when I was like sharing with the audience like what I've just been through and experience and it just felt really still a big part of me I didn't feel like

37:39Georgia Dayton: I'd lost it that's lovely I think it's interesting you know how we talk about the pressure to go back to work after having a baby particularly in like your guys industries you normally go back really early when I had both of mine I had nearly a year off like both times but I do wonder if there's something in it as in like getting back to like not necessarily work actually it could just be like going back out or do quickly do you think that is a good thing a positive I don't know I'm just sort of thinking about it sometimes the longer you leave things the harder it is yeah and I think there's so much pressure on women to not be doing the things they did before when they've got a new born at home I wonder if it plays into it yeah it's an interesting thought yeah I kind of feel like everyone is completely different and you just got to do what is right for you but for me personally I think it definitely made me feel um how it helped and it made me especially that we were all together and you know experiencing it together I feel like if I had to be apart it would have been harder or um especially like breastfeeding anyway but I think it made it made me feel really good and I think it really helped um yeah yeah for me personally it really helped I agree I agree I loved it I I loved I didn't love it necessarily the first time around I found it really difficult to leave Luna um that was but that's something that I probably needed to get my head around a bit as well because it was more about my feelings not wanting to her to think I'd abandoned her and it was all my sort of childhood shit but actually it was really healthy and after I'd got over that I was like hang on a minute I can do I can do it all here I felt like I could yeah yeah and I think it brought me out of that those baby blues a bit quicker for me anyway personally yeah yeah I wonder if it's not even just work it's like going out and doing something like quicker because we were good at that with like the younger like the first so Axel and Luna we would go to the gym and put them in the crash wouldn't we every day but even that just breaking that cycle of it all being so consuming I think it's healthy I agree and also the breastfeeding how are you getting on with your breastfeeding yeah good yeah so 8 months now but I'm combi feeding so like today he'll have formula whilst I'm sat here chatting to you guys.

40:10Oh, thanks. You need to come. And then, yeah, then when I get back, we'll be back to the old. Back to the boobs. Back to the boob. You've got good milk supply? Yeah. Some women are like blessed with it, aren't they? Yeah. Luckily, I've been touch wood. Yeah, fine with that, with both boys. They're so hungry though, aren't they? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Kit was literally like, douche, one boom, one boom, one boom. And I was like, hang on, dude, we've only got two. One doesn't even look like a breast any longer. I know, you feel a bit like a cow with udders, don't you?

40:48Sometimes I feel like that. It's so kind of like animalistic, isn't it? I feel like, you know, when like the babies are all coming up to you and they're like coming to you, I feel like, you know, there's like just the cow with the offspring coming up. It's primal, isn't it? Yeah. And that's the first thing they do, isn't it, with their faces? They're just looking straight up for the nipple, aren't they? Yeah. It is mad at how it happens.

41:11Georgia Dayton: Yeah. Did you find it quite natural to breastfeed? Did you have any issues with it?

41:18No, I've been lucky both times. But actually, the second time round was a little bit harder than the first. What was the reason? I remember watching YouTube videos to fix the latch. because it felt like, what was the reason? Oh, no, I've had mastitis like four times. Oh, talk to us about that. She forgot. I'm just trying to remember. Oh, my God. Yeah, it just kept coming back. It's just like so annoying. Apparently, if it's been there, an infection, then it's like more likely to return. So I did. I had it four times this time around. And I have the antibiotics and it clears it pretty much straight away.

42:00But it's really weird. Like the first time round, I had the big engorged boob, which is really painful. And it's like, ah, and you have to like do the hot and cold compresses. And I remember like being up in the bedroom. This was like not long after and I had an emergency C-section. So I was like in the bed and I had the hot and cold. And I remember like my mum and dad running down and getting like the hot and then the cold running out. and that fixed that within like a couple of days and then this time around I didn't have anything like physically like engorged and like really swollen it was I had I just felt horrendous and so I didn't know if it was like sleep deprivation and like you know just like having had a baby and I was just like tired I felt horrendous I felt really ill I had like shivers and then I had a temperature and I didn't know I didn't link it to that I didn't think it was mastitis um the first time I had it we were actually in Disneyland oh um I know and so I had to like you know like be full of energy and like run around going to the rides and stuff and I was just like this just doesn't feel right I had a limb sip um I thought maybe I was coming down with a cold um and it didn't kind of like i didn't clock until i went to the toilet and i lift up and i was like oh it's actually a bit of just a red color there then i was googling like for my life which you just do all the time like you know and now it's ai but yeah um and it said mastitis it was like definitely i was like oh my god so so it was more like the flu-y symptoms I had so now I know exactly it makes you feel so sick now I know exactly how it feels when it came back again I was like I know this is mesitis had the antibiotics the problem is it clears it up quite quickly the antibiotics but then I didn't finish the course not good I know not good so I had it four times this time around Jesus Christ gosh can you continue to breast free during it yeah yeah because you're actually meant to to like relieve it yeah yeah but it was more it wasn't as painful as the engorged boob on the boob it was more the horrible symptoms around like you can't move you're so tired you're like what is going on but now i know exactly what the feeling's like hopefully it doesn't come back again but i think maybe hopefully you're out of the woods hopefully not the woods and do you think you have more kids i really want to you do yeah i do want to keep expanding touch wood but i um which is crazy because everyone's like oh how's it with tool i'm like we're in the thick of it we're doing it um but i do really want to so that you know shows that i do love it i want i definitely want to have more and i love i love everything about like i've always wanted to have a big family and be a mom i think because i come from a really close family and i just want to have that and that's what life um i know he wants to but i feel like if you ask him right now he'd be like you are crazy you're crazy but yeah i think he's up for it secretly yeah it's better probably to have all the chaos in one go yeah i feel like i mean that's how like my mom had three of us under three years and it's like what I'm used to and I love being close to my brother and sister but I think there's bro bros and sisters no there's pros and cons about both because um that's what I know it's like what I grew up in but when I speak to other people they're like oh yeah we had a big gap and then you know they can help with the little one and you know you had I think there's pros and cons to doing it both ways but so what do you guys think what's the

45:55Georgia Dayton: gap between yours yours is quick mine no so mine's just under three year gap oh that's good yeah but i would say now it's that weird time where you're like it's now or never to have another one well you gotta do it and no no no no i'm not i'm not no no no i'm really not doing business no i'm not doing it for business it's great yeah it is great for business it would be great but i do get i get that whole thing of why people have that big age gap because i think you get to a weird point where you're like well this is really nice this is really like a good little this is a good time maybe we could about it no but it's a conversation if it's a conversation it's going to happen no it's not it really like because i feel like it's really open to it it's when people go no no never never never never i'm not a no no never never well then that's why i feel like okay No, no, no, never, never.

46:49Georgia Dayton: You're a no, no, no. Well, I'm much older. And also I'm in early menopause. So I now don't have periods, which is a joy. And so, yeah, everything is dried up. But we've got three anyway, so that's plenty. Yeah. Three's a magic number. Yeah, it's perfect. So we're good to go. You're clasping something. Yes. You need to talk to us about what is it that you're clasping. So this is, I'm going to be 79 miles. So this is a single that I did in collaboration with Ronald McDonald House and McDonald's, which is an amazing charity helping these families who have all benefited from using the Ronald McDonald houses.

47:33And they played on the track with me, which was amazing. They're really amazing musicians. I was blown away recording with them in the studio. but I got to meet their lovely families and it was a really amazing day like we all got on so well and they just obviously all bonded over all their experiences and how how much the house is meant to them and how positive it was to have that during those really really really hard times because it basically means that when they have to travel far to get to a hospital that does like a specialized treatment for whatever it is that they're going through um these houses put them up so the families can stay together it's an incredible charity so they can stay together which obviously means so much when you're going through a time like that and you don't think of that yeah yeah exactly and so the reason that we changed so it's a cover of 500 miles by the proclaimers but we changed the lyric to 79 miles because that is the statistic of the distance traveled by families the average distance that they travel to see their loved ones when they're in hospital.

49:13So it really is an amazing charity. So all the proceeds from the song, if you stream it, download it, go directly to Ronald McDonald House UK and Ronald McDonald House Ireland. It's such a, I've worked with Ronald McDonald House. I hosted an event for them on the golf day and I was so blown away by actually what these houses give the families. You know, you've got a critically ill child and they have to go to a specialist unit somewhere that isn't close to their home yeah they will put these families up makes me it's like it's massive so that it can be right next door to the hospital so they can be there and I just was blown away by I had no idea I didn't even think about that that could be somebody's reality yeah and they can be there for weeks months on end and they are there fully supporting them yeah I mean listen I'm urging everybody listening please go and download it stream it because they need as much funds as possible pics that's amazing thank you yeah it was it was really special day and um all of these kids are incredible like they're so amazing um and even elliot who was in treatment um and his family were in the ronald mcdonald house he played on the track as well the guitar it was so amazing um so yeah it was just a really special thing to be a part of and like you said like the um the treatment that they're getting in the hospital the amazing doctors and nurses that are helping them but it's also so important mentally to help them to have their families close by like all of that can just do so much to help you get through a time like that so um yes it's really amazing amazing and just before we go we ask all of our

50:47Georgia Dayton: guests what is the one piece of advice that they've been given that's been amazing or that they would give a new parent oh um okay piece of advice that I've been given have a think here think here got to think on two hours sleep

51:08Georgia Dayton: best piece of advice I've been given or you'd give like if your friend your best mate is pregnant they're just about to have a baby what would you say I would say um I think definitely with if So just about to have a baby with the birth plan is to, you've really got to go, well, actually, this is good for the whole thing. Just go with it because the birth idea and plan I had was completely different to what actually happened. So you've got to be open to whatever is best for you and the baby and just go with that. That's a great piece of advice. Yeah. And, yeah, because with my first, it just went completely different.

51:51I didn't even kind of register that it could, how my birth was could happen. So I think it would have helped to just been open to, a bit more open to, you know, anything can happen and you've got to do what's best for you. Did you have two C-sections? Yes. Yeah. And the first one was, yeah, not planned. Not planned. So the first one, yeah, first one was emergency section. And the second one was kind of like, I'm going to go for the V-back if it happens naturally. but if it doesn't I wanted to try and rule out the emergency as much as possible so I was like the closer I was getting I was like oh let's go with the elective c-section but it was close to it but it was not emergency yeah so yeah that was a lot easier experience like the actual c-section than the first one definitely um so i'd say that for that and then in terms of when you're actually in it i think it's the same thing actually because i think if you get to but then your your advice is completely different and that worked for you but i think but if i look back

53:01Georgia Dayton: i wouldn't give that advice to someone else that's the thing it worked for you because you've got the the the sleep in the night i think that that is good then you have a lot of pressure Well, I think sometimes if I get too like rigid with like, and especially because I want to try and bring them around with me everywhere and schedules. And if I had a strict schedule, I wouldn't be able to do that because, you know, we're on the road going to festivals. We're here or there. I wouldn't be able to have that lifestyle with them and do that. So I think whenever I've tried to do, OK, I know the nap time is going to be at this time.

53:32I know we're going to be, you know, on the road for this amount of time. we're you know not going to stop for a punami or like to stop obviously that's going to happen if I get too caught up in oh my god that didn't happen so now we're not going to make it here on time if I get too caught up in that or you know um a tantrum is like frustrating me or if I get too caught up in it it makes it a million times harder yeah you just got to go with the flow it makes it a million times harder if I go okay this is happening now yep this is happening now this is fun yeah pretend it's fun then it makes it easier yeah it's gonna be hard anyway if i'm then beating myself up about it that makes it like millions of times harder yeah yeah i've just got to go with it and then you know it works out in the end i love that um pixie thank you so much for sitting normally we'd ask you about products but we have run out of time yes we have um thank you for coming on everyone go out and buy the single it's there it's there you might not be able to see it but there it is she's holding up and um and come come back on if and when there's a new bump in town yes thank you so much for having me it's so good to see both of you i feel like we could chat all day pixie lot everyone i feel like sitting down with pics is just sitting down with like she's just like an old mate isn't she yeah she's just super chilled super positive

54:58Georgia Dayton: really happy embracing the chaos looking at the positive end in everything yeah yeah it's such a nice way to be and you know what i went on um so i did we didn't talk about this on the podcast but about 18 months ago me and pixie went skiing together we were on the same ski trip yeah and seeing her with ollie and the way and and bertie was there as well seeing the way that they are as a family they just want to be together and and she she's always got a smile on her face she's always kind of like you said just embracing the moment just one of life's most lovely people yeah 100 let's be her best friend yes yes it's happening guys it's official um thank you so much to pixie for coming on today's podcast and thank you to you guys for listening as always we'd love you to rate review subscribe and please give the podcast a follow yeah and if you've got any feedback on this episode or guests you'd like to hear from drop us a d on instagram we're an and we'll be back on friday

56:00It takes the hits, runs the miles, rebuilds while you sleep. It's felt every fall, every dance floor, every belly laugh. And in return, it asks for nothing. It just keeps going. I'm Ellie Taylor and this is Back Your Body, the podcast from Holland and Barrett that's all about the most loyal relationship you'll ever have. The one you have with your body. From scars to self-care, the bits you love and the bits you've learned to love, We're talking to people about the bodies they live in, how they've pushed them, neglected them, rebuilt them, or finally learned to listen to them. It's time to back your body the way it's always back to you.

56:36Back your body. Subscribe now. Your body will thank you.