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	<title>Meet - KIDDO Mag</title>
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	<description>For the Modern Parent</description>
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	<title>Meet - KIDDO Mag</title>
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		<title>How Treasure Boxes supports SA kids</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/big-hearts-little-essentials-at-treasure-boxes/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:27:39 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[south australian charities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[treasure boxes]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=98396</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>South Australian charity Treasure Boxes delivers essential items to children and families doing it tough, proving that small things can make a big difference.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/big-hearts-little-essentials-at-treasure-boxes/">How Treasure Boxes supports SA kids</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A toothbrush. A cosy blanket. A backpack. The team at Treasure Boxes see how much difference the small stuff makes.</p>
<p>Treasure Boxes is a South Australian charity delivering essential items to babies and kids doing it tough – from those escaping domestic violence to families facing homelessness or financial hardship. Clothing, books, school supplies, nappies, even safe cots and prams: the kind of things every child should have, but not every child does.</p>
<p>A clean outfit means one less thing to worry about at school. A proper bed means an actual night&#8217;s sleep. It&#8217;s simple, but it adds up.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Welcoming-team.jpg" alt="Welcoming team" /></p>
<p>Last year Treasure Boxes supported more than 5,000 children and families across SA, while keeping thousands of tonnes of pre-loved items out of landfill.</p>
<p>Small essentials, big difference – because every kid deserves a fair shot.</p>
<p>There are many ways you can support Treasure Boxes. Whether it&#8217;s donating essential items, making a financial donation or hosting a fundraiser – every bit counts.</p>
<p><strong>Find out more:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://treasureboxes.org.au">treaureboxes.org.au</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/big-hearts-little-essentials-at-treasure-boxes/">How Treasure Boxes supports SA kids</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Bec Morse on matrescence and the messy reality of parenting</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-making-of-a-mother/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2026 04:44:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bec morse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[matrescence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mum life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=98274</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Podcast host Bec Morse reflects on the term 'matrescence' and why her Mum Fail Monday moments prove we're all just doing our best.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-making-of-a-mother/">Bec Morse on matrescence and the messy reality of parenting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You may have encountered the recent push to recognise the term &#8216;matrescence&#8217;, which encompasses the physical, psychological, social and identity changes that a woman undergoes when she becomes a mother. Similar to &#8216;adolescence&#8217; but a largely unrecognised word despite being first documented in the early seventies.</p>
<p>In fact, Peanut, a women&#8217;s social networking app, spearheaded a global awareness campaign to have the term listed in all mainstream dictionaries to help validate and normalise the seismic shifts women experience when they enter motherhood. A full-page advertisement in the New York Times noted that IDGAF was in the dictionary but a term to help women understand what can be a bewildering process for women, was not.</p>
<p>While this recognition is shockingly overdue, thankfully the concept of &#8216;the perfect mother&#8217; has been abandoned over the past generation, with mothers now openly sharing the challenges of parenting.</p>
<p>My self-declared legacy project is having shared my maternal shortcomings through a Mum Fail Monday radio segment, which used to prompt almost as many phone calls as an Ed Sheeran concert ticket giveaway.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_6959.jpg" alt="IMG_6959" /></p>
<p>There was the time I left my toddler in her sister&#8217;s classroom. I was on my way to the car with a nagging feeling I had forgotten something when I received a phone call from the teacher. With a cheery patience particular to Reception teachers, she said that while my youngest was happily participating with her big sister and clearly gifted, she wasn&#8217;t quite up to the reading task.</p>
<p>Then there was the time I forgot parent-teacher night. The thought of the teacher sitting alone in the classroom with my child&#8217;s folder of work open in front of her watching the door for 15 minutes before closing it with a sigh haunts me to this day.</p>
<p>Another time I sent my middle child to dress-up day as an astronaut, with a cardboard box covered in aluminium foil on her head and a photocopy of the NASA logo crookedly Clag-glued to the side. A Kmart t-shirt with stars emblazoned across it completed the embarrassing ensemble. Katherine Bennell-Pegg she was not.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_4504.jpg" alt="IMG_4504" /></p>
<p>And the time I forgot I had abandoned my car in the city after Friday night drinks, and since my husband was working, I took my daughter to the school netball game in an Uber. I asked the driver to drop us off around the block so the other parents wouldn&#8217;t see our walk of shame, both of us clutching our water bottles on arrival, mine with added Hydralyte and regret.</p>
<p>Most recently, I purchased one of the Off Campus books to send my reading-reluctant 14-year-old off to school camp with, only to find that it was highly inappropriate. I read it cover to cover just to be sure.</p>
<p>Despite this evidence that I suck at it a bit, I love being a mother. It&#8217;s the hardest thing I&#8217;ve ever done, and the required qualifications keep changing.</p>
<p>My daughters are 14, 17 and 23, and I&#8217;m still learning how to parent them every day.</p>
<p>Every age and stage serves up its unique challenges. Long gone are the sleepless nights from breastfeeding and teething; now I&#8217;m losing sleep waiting for them to get home and those teeth are costing thousands in orthodontist bills.</p>
<p>The gap between being terrified driving them home from the hospital and being terrified that they&#8217;re now driving themselves feels heartbreakingly short.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m navigating teenage hormones at the same time I&#8217;m experiencing my own perimenopausal hormonal hormonal battlefield.</p>
<p>And another identity shift in this lifelong journey of matrescence, is the shift into redundancy. When you feel like your kids don&#8217;t need you so much anymore. When you&#8217;re constantly calling to ask them where they are, when they&#8217;ll be home and whether they need a mediocre dinner.</p>
<p>But then I think of my own mother. Who does not in any way suck at it. Whose concept of a Mum Fail would have been letting me have a lunch order. I still need her to pick up the slack in my home even now.</p>
<p>Part of the push towards having a widely understood word that encompasses the changes of motherhood is so that women understand that we are not actually failing; we are all just doing our best to navigate this monumental shift.</p>
<p>So let&#8217;s mainstream matrescence.</p>
<p><em>You can hear more from Bec Morse and her daughter Gracie on their podcast In the Genes, available on all major podcast apps.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://instagram.com/bec_morse">@bec_morse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/inthegenespodcast">@inthegenespodcast</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-making-of-a-mother/">Bec Morse on matrescence and the messy reality of parenting</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Em Body and training that fits real life</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/built-for-mums/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:39:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kent town]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postnatal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=98058</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Adelaide trainer Eli Moulton created Em Body after realising gyms weren't built for how mums actually live. Now she's helping women feel strong, supported and seen.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/built-for-mums/">Em Body and training that fits real life</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Eli Moulton knows what it&#8217;s like to juggle a business, motherhood and making time for herself… all at once. While running Plus One Dress Hire, the fashion-forward space for pregnant and postnatal women she has since sold, she found something missing when she tried to return to training after having her baby.</p>
<p>Working six weeks postpartum, Eli quickly realised the usual gym setup wasn&#8217;t built for how mums actually live. Childcare windows didn&#8217;t fit school or work hours and group classes felt intimidating when she wasn&#8217;t where she used to be physically or mentally.</p>
<p>So she created the place she couldn&#8217;t find. Em Body puts women first with flexible, calm, no-pressure spaces and certified care for little ones so mums can train with confidence and support.</p>
<p>We talked to Eli about how motherhood has reshaped her priorities, why confidence matters as much as strength, and the community she&#8217;s building where women feel seen, supported and stronger with every session.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_1838.jpg" alt="IMG_1838" /></p>
<h2>When did juggling work, fitness and motherhood stop feeling manageable?</h2>
<p>When I returned to work at six weeks postpartum, I felt the shift immediately. I was incredibly grateful that I&#8217;d built a business that allowed Rocky to be with me, but my capacity just wasn&#8217;t what it used to be.</p>
<p>I remember thinking, this is what they meant. Clients used to tell me they couldn&#8217;t find the time to train and I&#8217;d quietly think it was an excuse. It&#8217;s not. When you&#8217;re responsible for a newborn and young children, the mental load alone is exhausting. Fitness becomes one more thing competing for your energy.</p>
<h2>What gaps did you notice in Adelaide once you began looking for solutions?</h2>
<p>I asked my amazing social media community whether I was missing something, whether there were gyms offering child minding at times that actually suited working mums. My inbox filled quickly.</p>
<p>Most crèche services were limited to mid-morning windows and for women working traditional 9–5 hours, that just doesn&#8217;t work. It became obvious there was a huge gap. Not just in childcare hours, but in how we support women returning to training after birth.</p>
<h2>What surprised you most about the responses you received?</h2>
<p>The volume, but also the honesty. I love that about my community though. We keep it real.</p>
<p>Women weren&#8217;t just asking about childcare. They were telling me they felt intimidated returning to group training and how they didn&#8217;t feel strong. Many didn&#8217;t recognise their bodies anymore.</p>
<p>That really resonated because I felt the same. I avoided returning to my old gym because I was embarrassed about my fitness level, and I&#8217;m a trainer. If I felt that way, how many other women are delaying their return because they feel exposed?</p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t just a childcare issue. It was a confidence gap.</p>
<h2>Why did flexibility matter more than traditional crèche sessions?</h2>
<p>Flexibility was everything for me because my life doesn&#8217;t fit into a neatly set window. Running a business means my schedule doesn&#8217;t fit into a 45-minute window between 9:15 and 11am.</p>
<p>What I&#8217;ve learned since is that it&#8217;s not just about work. Mums want continuity with nap routines and they don&#8217;t want to restructure their entire day for one session. I had so many workouts where I left early or spent half the time settling Rocky because I was trying to force something that didn&#8217;t suit our life.</p>
<p>Fitness should fit around motherhood, not compete with it.</p>
<h2>How is Em Body different from a standard gym or studio?</h2>
<p>Em Body is intimate by design and focuses on 1:1 and small-scale training, rebuilding strength properly, refining technique and re-establishing confidence in a calm, private environment.</p>
<p>The nanny service is professional, certified care, capped at four children at any time. It&#8217;s your child with the nanny for the duration of your session, plus Rocky (who is essentially CEO at this point).</p>
<p>Mums aren&#8217;t glancing at the door every five minutes. They can train knowing their children are safe and looked after at all times.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_8750.jpg" alt="IMG_8750" /></p>
<h2>Why was a full-time nanny service non-negotiable?</h2>
<p>Because I needed it myself.</p>
<p>Our household is busy. Between Plus One Dress Hire, my partner preparing to open a restaurant, and our blended family, there isn&#8217;t always external help available. I wanted to create a solution that didn&#8217;t rely on having a village and always needing external help.</p>
<p>It allows me to keep my baby close while also giving other women the same security and opportunity.</p>
<h2>What environment do you want women to feel when they walk in?</h2>
<p>I want the women in our community to feel calm, safe and empowered, and for the space to feel like an extension of my home.</p>
<p>Jake and Emma (the owners of the gym) have renovated the gym space beautifully. They have given me free rein for the rest of the space which includes a children&#8217;s activity room, sleep room, change room, kitchen, and private showers. Clients are encouraged to take an extra 10 minutes for themselves and shower in peace before collecting their children.</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t feel intimidating or chaotic. It feels considered and intimate and like home.</p>
<h2>Is Em Body just for mums?</h2>
<p>Em Body is for every woman.</p>
<p>While I specialise in pre- and postnatal training, for more than 11 years I&#8217;ve worked with women in all stages of life, from rehab clients to athletes, powerlifters and marathon runners.</p>
<p>Right now, I deeply relate to postpartum women because I&#8217;m living it. But Em Body is for any woman navigating change and wanting to feel strong, in charge and energised.</p>
<h2>What challenges do women face most when returning to exercise after birth?</h2>
<p>The biggest challenge is psychological.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s the fear of starting again and being the least fit in the room. Group environments can feel overwhelming when you&#8217;re rebuilding and many women delay returning because of that fear.</p>
<p>And honestly, it&#8217;s about just making that decision and starting for you.</p>
<h2>What does a typical day look like for you?</h2>
<p>Ha! My god, no day is the same. Early training before the kids wake, breakfast chaos, kindy drop-offs. Six hours at the studio with Rocky in tow. Afternoon pick-ups. Two nights a week back at Plus One. Then lunches, bags packed and emails late into the evening.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_9214.jpg" alt="IMG_9214" /></p>
<p>I&#8217;m fortunate to have a supportive partner and an incredible village surrounding me, but it&#8217;s full on.</p>
<h2>How has motherhood changed the way you work?</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s given me the ability to prioritise boundaries.</p>
<p>Previously, I would accommodate every request, seeing 16+ clients a day from 4:30am. Now I&#8217;m firm and I won&#8217;t miss school pick-ups or Saturday soccer.</p>
<p>I work for my family, not at the expense of them.</p>
<h2>What does success look like in year one for Em Body?</h2>
<p>Success looks like community and empowering women.</p>
<p>Women walking in feeling overwhelmed and walking out feeling capable and confident again. A space where they feel supported rather than judged.</p>
<p>And personally, it looks like building something meaningful without sacrificing the moments that matter at home.</p>
<h2>What would you like SA mums feeling stretched to know?</h2>
<p>You&#8217;re not alone and that is such a normal feeling.</p>
<p>No one is doing it all and doing it perfectly. But prioritising your health, even in small ways, can shift your clarity and confidence.</p>
<p>You deserve that and to feel good in yourself and your body.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Em Body</strong><br />
42 North Terrace, Kent Town<br />
@em__body</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/built-for-mums/">Em Body and training that fits real life</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>The rewards that come with giving children a safe place</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/rewards-come-with-giving-children-a-safe-place/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[katie]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:37:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foster care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Australia]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=98117</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>South Australian foster carers share their experiences of opening their homes and hearts to children in need, and how to take the first step.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/rewards-come-with-giving-children-a-safe-place/">The rewards that come with giving children a safe place</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Naomi was already running her own business and supporting a teenage son but was determined to offer a place in her home for a child in need.</p>
<p>&#8220;Being a chef for 30 years, I&#8217;m adaptable very quickly and I&#8217;m just a &#8216;get it done&#8217; person,&#8221; the Yorke Peninsula woman says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just threw myself into it,&#8221; she says of her role as a foster carer.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/dev2-03947.jpg" alt="dev2-03947" /></p>
<p>She and her former husband had one child, Jaxon, now 18, and while Naomi would have liked more, life hadn&#8217;t panned out that way. About five years ago, with two of the four bedrooms in her house empty and an awareness of the level of need in her community, she decided to explore foster care. Naomi had long considered becoming a carer but previously believed that might not be possible because she was single.</p>
<p>&#8220;There were a lot of children in Jaxon&#8217;s school who would come out of school and they&#8217;d be laughing, then you&#8217;d see them slump because they had to go home,&#8221; she says.</p>
<p>She first took on the care of two siblings, who were eventually reunited with their birth family, and later, teenager *Lucy. While Naomi says foster care comes with many challenges, she relishes seeing changes in Lucy&#8217;s life, particularly developments in her emotional regulation and resilience.</p>
<p>Lucy is doing well at school, is involved with multiple sports clubs and was recently accepted into a sports academy.</p>
<p>&#8220;After she was accepted… she was saying to her coach and occupational therapist, &#8216;If I was with any other carer, I wouldn&#8217;t have been able to get any of these opportunities like I&#8217;ve had with Naomi&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That was nice to hear. Teachers are also saying, &#8216;She&#8217;s come such a long way, and that&#8217;s because of you and your help&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Department for Child Protection aims to safely reunify children with their birth families wherever possible. Foster carers play a vital role in caring for children while services work with families to address safety concerns, or to find extended family members who can safely care for the children.</p>
<p>Naomi, who also supports other carers through a role with Uniting Country SA, encourages others who&#8217;ve considered foster care to explore the various options available.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, it&#8217;s challenging, but so is parenting any other child. There&#8217;s so much support available and it&#8217;s such a rewarding experience, knowing that you&#8217;re giving a child a new start and a safe place,&#8221; Naomi says.</p>
<p><em>*Name has been changed for privacy reasons</em></p>
<hr />
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-1.58.24pm.jpg" alt="Screenshot 2026-08-27 at 1.58.24 pm" /></p>
<h2>More the merrier in couple&#8217;s household</h2>
<p>Foster carers Peter and Jo say there&#8217;s &#8220;symphony in the chaos&#8221; of a household with six children.</p>
<p>The Upper Spencer Gulf couple have three of their own biological children and have also taken on the care of three other primary school-aged siblings, supported by Centacare Catholic Country.</p>
<p>Jo says the children all look out for each other and in particular, have rallied around the couple&#8217;s youngest foster child, *Dale, who lives with significant disabilities.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s become the centrepiece for the whole family – they all love him, help him and look after him. Because they see his disability, it draws out their compassion – it&#8217;s beautiful.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jo says the role isn&#8217;t without its challenges, including navigating the child protection system&#8217;s decision-making process and changes in case management staffing.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of phone calls and a lot of time and meetings, but that helps keep the children safe,&#8221; she says.</p>
<p>&#8220;You do need a thick skin. But the end product is you&#8217;re giving these kids … opportunities they wouldn&#8217;t have had – and hopefully they&#8217;ll succeed as adults.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jo is a full-time carer and Peter owns his own wellbeing business, acknowledging that being self-employed also helps the couple to manage their &#8220;full dance card&#8221;.</p>
<p>Good organisation is also key, he says.</p>
<p>&#8220;I feel very blessed to be in a position where we can see two sets of siblings grow up together and be involved in raising them,&#8221; Peter says.</p>
<p><em>*Name has been changed for privacy reasons</em></p>
<hr />
<h2>Foster care: your questions answered</h2>
<h3>I haven&#8217;t had my own children. Can I still be a carer?</h3>
<p>Yes! What matters most is that you want to provide a safe and loving home environment, and are willing to learn, collaborate and receive ongoing training and support.</p>
<h3>Do I need to own my home?</h3>
<p>No! As long as your house is safe and suitable for children, that&#8217;s the priority.</p>
<h3>Do carers need to be partnered?</h3>
<p>We welcome foster carers from all walks of life. Whether you&#8217;re single or partnered, heterosexual or part of the LGBTQIA+ community, we need your support.</p>
<h3>What types of placements are available?</h3>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to be a child&#8217;s full-time carer. Emergency care may involve an overnight stay or last up to two weeks. Respite carers have a child with them for short stays, such as weekends or school holidays. There&#8217;s also short-term and long-term care, and specialist care for children with complex needs.</p>
<h3>Where can I find out more?</h3>
<p><a href="http://fostercare.sa.gov.au">fostercare.sa.gov.au</a><br />
1300 2 FOSTER (1300 2 367 837)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/rewards-come-with-giving-children-a-safe-place/">The rewards that come with giving children a safe place</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Oh Em Gee with Emma G &#124; On becoming a mum at 39</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/oh-em-gee-with-emma-g/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:36:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adelaide radio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new mum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[safm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work life balance]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=98066</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>SAFM's Emma G shares her honest take on new motherhood, from the sleep deprivation and identity shifts to the overwhelming love that makes it all worthwhile.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/oh-em-gee-with-emma-g/">Oh Em Gee with Emma G | On becoming a mum at 39</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>SI used to think breakfast radio hours were hard… until I had a baby! Now, sleeping until 4am is a real treat. Becoming a mum has been the best and most challenging thing I&#8217;ve ever experienced. I often find myself thinking, &#8220;Do other mums find it this hard?!&#8221; Not just the sleep deprivation, but the emotional rollercoaster, the feeding, the way it changes everything from your body to your relationships and your ability to even just leave the house. Some big questions have come with this huge identity shift. Who am I now that I&#8217;m a mum? Still the social, busy, independent, career-hustling self I was pre-baby? How do I balance being all that plus being a mum?</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PXL_20251226_015023959.PORTRAIT.jpg" alt="PXL_20251226_015023959.PORTRAIT" /></p>
<p>Archie is my heart in human form. To conceive, grow and birth a healthy baby is an absolute miracle. One that my fiancé Eddie and I weren&#8217;t sure was possible for me at age 39. Since finding out I was pregnant, every small milestone has felt like a blessing. From tracking what fruit he was each week in my belly to his first sounds, first steps and the way his grandparents light up when they see him, there is no measure for the joy and love I feel.</p>
<p>My days usually start with a feed or pump in the early hours of the morning. I get ready like a ninja to the light of my phone and watch the baby monitor cautiously with every move I make. When I creep out in the dark, it feels like a tiny success and a little bit of freedom. How crazy is it that going to work is a break? Of course your mind is always racing because the mental load of mums is extreme, but somehow you compartmentalise. It&#8217;s like opening a new tab on the computer. The &#8216;baby&#8217; tab is still very much active in the background, updating by the minute, but you focus on what&#8217;s going on now that you&#8217;ve entered the work tab.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/EMMA-G-headshot.jpg" alt="EMMA G headshot" /></p>
<p>What makes it somewhat easier is that I absolutely love my job. I hustled for 20 years in radio &#8211; changing career paths, moving states, a long distance relationship &#8211; to land my dream gig on the station I grew up listening to. So when the baby brain fog creeps in or when I&#8217;m running on just a few hours&#8217; sleep, I remember how incredibly hard I&#8217;ve worked to achieve my goal and give everything to my work.</p>
<p>The mum guilt can be heavy but it feels good to fill my cup, because you can&#8217;t pour from an empty cup. This mindset is also what gets me to Pilates or to the pool. Physical activity has been a gamechanger that improves my mind as much as my body. Self care certainly went out the window the first few months but I have discovered a newfound acceptance of my body, with my mum bum, wild lion&#8217;s mane hair and all. Keeping social and connected has also been important, with friends or family who can fit in a coffee between naps and understand it&#8217;s impossible to be anywhere on time.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m very much still figuring out how to balance this new mum life, but I&#8217;m slowly realising that the answer might be to try and let go. Energy and time are so precious now. I&#8217;m learning to slow down and stop trying to fill every minute. Stop clinging onto the woman you were before. Don&#8217;t try to &#8216;get back&#8217; to being her. You can&#8217;t because you have undergone an enormous transformation. Motherhood does not take from you, it adds to you. It&#8217;s not a sacrifice, but an evolution. It can be a gift and be so hard at the same time. In the perfect words of the Spice Girls, &#8216;Mama, now I see through your eyes, all that you did was love&#8217;. I get it now. Mums are superwomen. They are selfless and resilient. New mums especially, are surviving, not thriving, but find strength to push through the overwhelming relentlessness because the love outweighs any challenge. So while I&#8217;m all for sharing the highlights on Insta, I want to get real and let the walls down here at KIDDO so no woman ever feels alone on this wild ride it is to be a mama.</p>
<p><em>Listen to SAFM Adelaide live on LiSTNR. Download and stream for free.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/oh-em-gee-with-emma-g/">Oh Em Gee with Emma G | On becoming a mum at 39</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Good food for the fourth trimester and beyond from Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-midwife-who-traded-delivery-suites-for-lactation-biscuits/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Williams]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 01:23:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[australian made]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breastfeeding support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postpartum nutrition]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=97784</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Meet the midwife-turned-CEO who went from holding hands in delivery suites to running one of Australia's most-loved lactation biscuit brands.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-midwife-who-traded-delivery-suites-for-lactation-biscuits/">Good food for the fourth trimester and beyond from Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Aliza has spent her career in some of the most intense rooms a person can be in. Delivery suites at 3am, holding a stranger&#8217;s hand through what might be simultaneously the worst and best moment of her life. These days, she spends a fair amount of time thinking about biscuits.</p>
<p>Not as a step down. As the same job, really. Just with fewer stirrups.</p>
<p>Aliza is a registered midwife and perinatal mental health specialist. Someone who has, by profession, sat with thousands of new mothers at their most exposed. She knew from age 15 that this was the work she wanted to do. What she didn&#8217;t know was that it would eventually lead her to running a lactation biscuit company.</p>
<hr />
<h2>How Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen began</h2>
<p>Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen started in 2012, when its founders Fran and Jo (a lawyer and a naturopath) met pushing prams at the traffic lights and decided, within the hour, to build an all-natural biscuit for breastfeeding mums.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Aliza-franjos-kitchen.jpg" alt="Aliza-franjos-kitchen" /></p>
<p>Aliza came to the brand sideways. As the owner of her own business, Bumpnbub, she&#8217;d heard new mums rave about these biscuits for years before she actually looked at what was in them. &#8220;Impressed to obsessed&#8221; is how she describes the shift once she did.</p>
<p>In 2021, Bumpnbub collaborated with Franjo&#8217;s on a hydration powder, and the response made it clear to everyone involved: Aliza wasn&#8217;t just a fan of the brand. She was the person who should be steering it. She took over as CEO in July 2023.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Becoming a mum and a CEO at once</h2>
<p>The timing was a lot. Aliza became a mother herself that same year, learning to run a growing food business and a newborn&#8217;s sleep schedule at once.</p>
<p>&#8220;Becoming a mum in 2023 taught me to trust my intuition,&#8221; she says. &#8220;That intuition brought me here.&#8221;</p>
<p>What she inherited was a brand with a loyal following and a fairly small footprint, around 200 early orders that have since grown into a business recommended by health professionals Australia wide. What she&#8217;s building on top of it is closer to her original calling: food developed with a naturopath, nutritionist and midwife on the formulation team, aimed at the physical and mental load of pregnancy, breastfeeding and early motherhood.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Why this work matters</h2>
<p>Aliza&#8217;s clinical background means she&#8217;s seen firsthand how much of early motherhood gets written off as something you just push through. The exhaustion. The under-eating. The anxiety that doesn&#8217;t always get named.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Franjos_Kitchen_PBV_-52.jpg" alt="Franjos_Kitchen_PBV_-52" /></p>
<p>That understanding shapes everything about how Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen approaches its products. This isn&#8217;t about wellness trends or marketing buzzwords. It&#8217;s about giving depleted mums something practical they can actually get into their bodies without a production.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen range</h2>
<p>The lactation cookies remain the anchor product. Plant-based, made without artificial additives, and designed to support milk supply without tasting like a compromise. Chocolate Chip and Raspberry &amp; White Choc are the current bestsellers.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PREGNANCY.jpg" alt="PREGNANCY" /></p>
<p>Alongside them sits a line of Motherhood Hydration Powders, formulated around the specific fluid and electrolyte needs of pregnancy and breastfeeding rather than repurposed from a general sports drink. There&#8217;s also a tea range for different stages from pregnancy through postpartum.</p>
<h3>Gift bundles for new mums</h3>
<p>For mums who don&#8217;t want to pick just one thing, Franjo&#8217;s bundles products together. Options include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Make Milk Biscuits and Hydration pack</li>
<li>Triple Choc Chip bundle</li>
<li>Complete Mama Essentials</li>
<li>Calm Before the Baby box</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The gift sets are aimed at the friend or family member who&#8217;s never quite sure what to buy a new mum. A small, practical piece of the puzzle Aliza cares about.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The same work, different desk</h2>
<p>Ask Aliza what the job actually is, day to day, and she&#8217;ll tell you it&#8217;s not really about biscuits. It&#8217;s the same thing she signed up for at 15: helping women get through motherhood feeling seen rather than just survived.</p>
<p>She&#8217;s simply doing it now from behind a CEO&#8217;s desk instead of a delivery suite.</p>
<p>Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen ships nationally.</p>
<p><strong>Find the full range:</p>
<p><a href="https://franjoskitchen.com">franjoskitchen.com</a></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/the-midwife-who-traded-delivery-suites-for-lactation-biscuits/">Good food for the fourth trimester and beyond from Franjo&#8217;s Kitchen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Meet the Principal: Vanessa Browning of Seymour College</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-the-principal-vanessa-browning-seymour-college/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Pavic]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 03:59:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=97612</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Seymour College Principal Vanessa Browning talks service, leadership and what she hopes every graduate carries with her beyond school.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-the-principal-vanessa-browning-seymour-college/">Meet the Principal: Vanessa Browning of Seymour College</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><strong>Service and leadership sit at the heart of what Seymour does. Why is that so important to you personally?</strong></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">Service and leadership are inseparable at Seymour. Leadership without service can become self-focused; service without leadership can lack the courage to create change. For me, service is a daily mindset, seeing others, noticing what&#8217;s needed and acting with humility. It&#8217;s also how we help girls develop a strong moral compass: they learn to ask, &#8220;Who will this help?&#8221; and &#8220;What difference can I make?&#8221; At Seymour, leadership means responsibility and contribution, not status. You see it when a senior student mentors a younger girl, when the junior SRC brings people together, or when a class turns learning into action through community partnerships. Those experiences build empathy, perspective and confidence, and they teach our girls that their voice and their choices matter.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><strong>What&#8217;s something happening at Seymour right now that you&#8217;re really excited about?</strong></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">I&#8217;m excited by the energy across the College as we strengthen what we call &#8220;Complete Achievement&#8221;, the belief that a successful education encompasses academic growth alongside wellbeing, relationships, service, co-curricular passions and personal character. Particularly exciting is the release of our Girls&#8217; Education Framework, which brings greater clarity to how we design learning experiences that help every girl thrive. I love seeing girls step into opportunities that stretch them: presenting ideas with confidence, collaborating across year levels and connecting learning to real-world purpose. That momentum comes from our students&#8217; curiosity and our staff&#8217;s commitment to continually improve how we teach, support and challenge every girl.</p>
<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-[hsl(var(--border-300)/0.1)] pl-4 text-text-300">
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><em>I love seeing girls step into opportunities that stretch them: presenting ideas with confidence, collaborating across year levels and connecting learning to real-world purpose.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><strong>What do you want a Seymour graduate to say about her time here when she looks back in 20 years?</strong></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">I want her to say, &#8220;Seymour helped me become myself.&#8221; I hope she remembers being known and supported, and that she left with an inner confidence not dependent on titles or results. I want her to feel proud of what she achieved academically, but equally proud of how she learned to think critically, speak with courage and contribute to her community. If she says Seymour taught her to lead with integrity and back herself in any situation, we&#8217;ve done our job.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><strong>How do you switch off outside of school?</strong></p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr">School life is wonderfully full, so I&#8217;m intentional about time with family and friends, getting outdoors and making space for exercise. Morning runs are one of the simplest ways I reset. I also enjoy reading and believe in the value of quiet moments, a walk, a good conversation, or a pause at the end of the day to reflect. Those habits help me return to the College with energy and perspective.</p>
<hr class="border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5" />
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal" dir="ltr"><strong>Seymour College</strong><br />
46 Portrush Rd, Glen Osmond<br />
<a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="http://seymour.sa.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seymour.sa.edu.au</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-the-principal-vanessa-browning-seymour-college/">Meet the Principal: Vanessa Browning of Seymour College</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Meet Zoe from Windmill&#8217;s Little Board</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-zoe-from-windmills-little-board/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Pavic]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:23:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=97325</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Zoe is a member of Windmill Production Company's Little Board, a free weekly program where young people help shape how theatre gets made in Adelaide.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-zoe-from-windmills-little-board/">Meet Zoe from Windmill&#8217;s Little Board</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1">Most boards are made up of seasoned executives. Windmill Production Company&#8217;s Little Board is made up of young people. Every fortnight, a group of smart, creative kids meet at the Windmill office to explore art and theatre making, sit in on how productions come together, and consider what art as activism actually looks like, guided by Windmill staff, artists and the company&#8217;s senior Board. It&#8217;s free, weekly, and unlike any extracurricular on offer in Adelaide. We sat down with one of its members.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>What made you want to apply for the Little Board in the first place?</b><br />
I&#8217;d already had experience with Windmill. I was the voice of Beep in <i>Beep and Mort</i>, and I&#8217;d worked on <i>Creation Creation</i>. I loved working with them and was keen to keep the connection going.</p>
<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-97328" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WindmillLittleBoard-ZoeBTSProps-1200x800-1.jpg" alt="Windmill Theatre Little Board member Zoe behind the scenes." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WindmillLittleBoard-ZoeBTSProps-1200x800-1.jpg 1200w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WindmillLittleBoard-ZoeBTSProps-1200x800-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WindmillLittleBoard-ZoeBTSProps-1200x800-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WindmillLittleBoard-ZoeBTSProps-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Has being part of this group opened up something you hadn&#8217;t considered before?</b><br />
Definitely. Getting to see behind the scenes and how the theatre world actually works gave me a real sense of what it could be like later. I&#8217;d consider acting or theatre when I&#8217;m older.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>What do you think adults get wrong about what kids want to see on stage?</b><br />
I think that adults think that themes that are considered scary and stuff like death, ghosts, and phobias are too confronting for young ages. Things like that were covered in <i>Creation Creation</i> and I really liked that, because it was educational in a safe way that was understandable for people of all ages. Windmill also added the aspect of a sleep paralysis demon in <i>Mama Does Derby</i>, which I think is really cool because the way they represent the demon is &#8216;scary&#8217; but doesn&#8217;t seem so as the show progresses.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>What&#8217;s something about you that might surprise the other members of the Little Board?</b><br />
I&#8217;m a lot like the character I voiced in <i>Beep and Mort</i>. I have so much data in my head from years of reading, but I speak in monosyllables when I&#8217;m asked a question. Even writing the answers to these questions, it was hard to use full sentences.</p>
<hr />
<p class="p1"><b>Find out more about the Little Board: </b><a href="http://windmill.org.au/"><span class="s1"><b>windmill.org.au</b><b></b></span></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Follow KIDDO on <a class="broken_link" href="http://instagram.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/kiddomag" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/#subscribe" rel="noopener">subscribe</a> to our weekly newsletter</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/meet-zoe-from-windmills-little-board/">Meet Zoe from Windmill&#8217;s Little Board</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and one mum wants every parent to know these signs</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/bowel-cancer-signs-young-mums/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Pavic]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 05:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=96780</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Mum of four Danni Duncan was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 39, seven months after giving birth, and is now sharing the signs every parent should watch for this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/bowel-cancer-signs-young-mums/">June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and one mum wants every parent to know these signs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1">June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and one Australian mum is using her own diagnosis to make sure other parents catch the warning signs she missed.</p>
<p class="p1">In 2024, Danni Duncan was a happy mum of three working as a nutrition and fitness coach specialising in women&#8217;s health. She had no idea that during her fourth pregnancy, something far more serious was developing alongside her growing baby.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;During that pregnancy my iron was very low, so they sent me for an iron infusion. My levels increased at first, and everyone thought it was fine, but then my iron levels plummeted again,&#8221; Danni said.</p>
<p class="p1">Looking back, she says there were subtle signs that something was wrong well before her pregnancy.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;About two years before I got diagnosed, I did start taking Metamucil every night before bed because I found I wasn&#8217;t going to the toilet regularly,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I would alternate between constipation and diarrhoea but I was diagnosed with IBS years ago, so I assumed that&#8217;s what it was. Irregular bowel movements were &#8216;normal&#8217; for me but looking back I see that as a red flag.&#8221;</p>
<p class="p1">Like many women, her low iron and fatigue were blamed on pregnancy and postpartum, so she carried on as normal and started training for a marathon at 12 weeks postpartum. Over the next month she had dizzy spells and couldn&#8217;t finish a set of weights at the gym, but Danni put it down to anxiety. One day she almost collapsed in her kitchen, and her husband insisted she go to the GP.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;I was severely anaemic. My iron was 1, my haemoglobin was 70, and the doctor said, &#8216;Danni you should be bleeding out in front of me and you&#8217;re not. We&#8217;ve got to find out where this bleeding is coming from&#8217;,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p class="p1">On 15 May 2025, a colonoscopy and gastroscopy revealed her worst nightmare.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;I woke up from the colonoscopy and gastroscopy and the doctor says, &#8216;I&#8217;m so sorry Danni but I&#8217;ve seen something I didn&#8217;t want to see. You&#8217;ve got a 2.7cm malignant tumour in your bowel. You have bowel cancer&#8217;,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96784" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DanniDuncan-Hospital-1200x800-1.jpg" alt="Danni Duncan having chemotherapy treatment for bowel cancer" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DanniDuncan-Hospital-1200x800-1.jpg 1200w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DanniDuncan-Hospital-1200x800-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DanniDuncan-Hospital-1200x800-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DanniDuncan-Hospital-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
<p class="p1">Completely blindsided, Danni had expected a diagnosis of coeliac disease or an ulcer. On 28 May she had surgery to remove 25cm of her bowel, followed by three months of chemotherapy.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;I was told I wouldn&#8217;t be able to breastfeed my baby, and that was probably the hardest part. I breastfed London for the last time when she was 9 months old. The side effects from the chemo were atrocious. I suffered with extreme cold sensitivity and nausea but still tried to exercise throughout my treatment,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p class="p1">Danni finished chemotherapy in September 2025 and completed a HYROX event three months later with her husband Chris. She&#8217;s now training for the New York City Marathon in November 2026, raising money for the Jodi Lee Foundation, of which she&#8217;s an ambassador. The race will mark 12 months since Danni was declared cancer free.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96782" src="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MrLukeSpringer-RunDaughter-IG.jpg" alt="Danni Duncan running with her daughter Harper after recovering from bowel cancer" width="1080" height="1350" srcset="https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MrLukeSpringer-RunDaughter-IG.jpg 1080w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MrLukeSpringer-RunDaughter-IG-240x300.jpg 240w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MrLukeSpringer-RunDaughter-IG-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://kiddomag.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/MrLukeSpringer-RunDaughter-IG-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></p>
<p class="p1">In the meantime, she&#8217;s using her platform as a nutrition and fitness coach, and her app FIT by Danni Duncan, to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.</p>
<p class="p1">&#8220;Getting bowel cancer was this extra thing I needed to really instil my purpose of what I am meant to do,&#8221; she said. &#8220;People say, &#8216;oh you&#8217;re fearmongering&#8217; and I say, yeah be scared. Because what you feed yourself and your life choices now will impact your outcome.&#8221;</p>
<p class="p2"><b>Key facts about bowel cancer in Australia</b></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">One in eight Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer are under the age of 50.</li>
<li class="li1">Rates of early onset bowel cancer (diagnosed before age 50) have been rising in Australia and globally since the early 2000s.</li>
<li class="li1">Australia has the highest rate of early onset bowel cancer among 50 countries analysed globally.</li>
<li class="li1">The risk of being diagnosed with bowel cancer before age 40 has more than doubled since the year 2000.</li>
<li class="li1">Bowel cancer is the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 54.</li>
<li class="li1">Bowel cancer rates are two to three times higher among Australians born in the 1990s than those born in the 1950s.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p class="p1"><b>For more information on bowel cancer, visit </b><a href="https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="s2"><b>Bowel Cancer Australia</b></span></a><b></b></p>
<p class="p1"><b>To support Danni&#8217;s New York City Marathon fundraiser, visit the </b><a href="https://jodileefoundation.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="s2"><b>Jodi Lee Foundation</b></span></a><b></b></p>
<p class="p1"><b>For more on Danni&#8217;s story, visit </b><a href="http://danniduncan.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="s2"><b>danniduncan.com.au</b><b></b></span></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/bowel-cancer-signs-young-mums/">June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and one mum wants every parent to know these signs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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		<title>Catherine House offers a safe place to begin again</title>
		<link>https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/catherine-house-womens-homelessness-support-sa/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ali Pavic]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 02:54:41 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Meet]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kiddomag.com.au/?p=96206</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Catherine House is South Australia's only homelessness and recovery service for women, providing crisis accommodation, casework support, and a path toward lasting housing stability.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/catherine-house-womens-homelessness-support-sa/">Catherine House offers a safe place to begin again</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Catherine House provides crisis and longer-term accommodation, along with support services, to women at risk of or experiencing homelessness, accommodating up to 60 women each night.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">As South Australia&#8217;s only homelessness and recovery service for women, Catherine House addresses the immediate issues created by homelessness and assists women in planning a future that supports sustained housing, education, employment, and financial security.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Through a recovery-oriented focus, women are offered a safe, supportive environment with opportunities to achieve improved personal and economic wellbeing.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">Every woman who arrives at Catherine House is allocated a caseworker and offered intensive casework support. The team works with each woman to address the issues that led to her homelessness, working together towards finding safe and affordable accommodation upon leaving the program, and connecting her with other support services within the community.</p>
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]">A safe place to sleep and a warm meal are just the beginning at Catherine House. Their holistic, recovery-oriented model aims to end women&#8217;s homelessness for good.</p>
<hr />
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]"><strong>Find out more at <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://www.catherinehouse.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catherinehouse.org.au</a></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au/meet/catherine-house-womens-homelessness-support-sa/">Catherine House offers a safe place to begin again</a> appeared first on <a href="https://kiddomag.com.au">KIDDO Mag</a>.</p>
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