Myternity Leave

Join the ultimate 12 month rollercoaster as your friendly host Samantha Hannah (stand-up comedian and traditionally what's known as a "career gal") documents 365 days of parental leave. A maternity leave diary in podcast form—about fumbling through the end of pregnancy, preparing for parenthood, and discovering if comedy can prep you for the world’s toughest crowd: a newborn. But this isn’t a “how-to” on motherhood. This is not a parenting podcast. It's *for* the parents. And about identity—how it shifts and flips as your life faces one of its biggest changes yet.

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Latest episodes

14 April 2025

Month 2: First Christmas… and all of the Grandparents!

In Month 2 of parental leave, my parents fly over from Scotland, and we celebrate Charlie’s first Christmas — with all the grandparents in one place. I talk mum guilt (why does getting your nails done feel borderline criminal?), witching hour madness, and the power of support when it comes to rebuilding your confidence.

We start to find our stride, helped massively by some rather wonderful postnatal classes. And encounter a different kind of New Years Eve. Do we even make it to midnight?

Also: Toby is back — or Big Toe, as he’s now known. And yes, I struggle to get this episode out on time… because five months on, life is very much happening.

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47:50

07 April 2025

Week 4: The end of the people-pleasing era

And on the fourth week of Maternity Leave, I discovered that people-pleasing tendencies and being a new parent do not mix.

In this episode I chat about having too many visitors before I was ready, my daily joy in creating an 'outfit of the day', and how someone with the exact same life as me ended up having a very similar birth story too. Does that automatically make them a new bestie?

I also show a few flashes of vulnerability, but it's totally fine because it's on a podcast. Just don't come up to me and tell me I'm doing a good job. I will cry.

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28:29

31 March 2025

Week 3: Coming home!

It's Week 3 of Maternity Leave, and the big moment has arrived—our baby is finally coming home! From the iconic “leaving the hospital in the capsule” photo to introducing our new little one to the cat, it’s a time we’ll surely cherish and remember forever… right?

The reality? Sleep deprivation has already wiped half our memories. So here’s what we do remember! In all its raw and honest glory.

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25:57

24 March 2025

Week 2: The NICU adventure continues

It’s week two of maternity leave, but instead of folding tiny onesies and panic-Googling pram reviews, we’ve already got a baby—just not at home with us quite yet. As our little one gets stronger in NICU, we’re thrown into the deep end of parenting, learning on the job in the most intense training ground possible.

An invite to “room in” at NICU gives me hope that home is on the horizon… but also hands me my toughest challenge yet. Aside from that first postpartum bowel movement!

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25:48

17 March 2025

Day 6 & 7: Don't cry over spilt milk (or dropped sushi)

The baby has arrived! But unfortunately he's in NICU while we are in a room in another part of the hospital. In between visits to see him with lots of cuddles and skin on skin I'm under strict instructions to rest, sleep, pump, feed and get some quality sushi down my throat. Not in that order.

It seems to be a tricky balance to fit it all in and in between some spilled milk and some spilled raw fish, emotions are running high.

Tune in for a somewhat messy episode, in more ways than one.

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22:57

09 March 2025

Day 5: The baby arrives!

Day five of parental leave, and things take a dramatic turn—the baby is here! Or, more specifically, the baby is delivered by C-section while your host is under the influence of some rather effective drugs. Luckily, Toby was taking notes (or at least paying more attention than I was), so he joins me to piece together the details of what actually happened.

From golden-hour cuddles and ice blocks to stolen wheelchairs and questionable post-op decision-making, this episode covers the whirlwind of birth. We also discover that antenatal classes do not prepare you for the unexpected, particularly when you missed one of the classes to go to Sydney.

Tune in for the full, slightly hazy, but utterly unforgettable story!

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25:42