Motherhood Out Loud Podcast: Recent Episodes
Motherhood Out Loud
Hello welcome to my series Motherhood Out Loud. A safe place for mothers to talk openly about their experiences without fear of judgement or shame. My hope for this is to allow women to realize that we are not alone in the variety of emotions we feel during this time and I hope that we provide a more loving community for future moms and to bring an end to the thoughts that “this is just what it’s like to be a mother, you have to just push through alone and in silence.” Let’s take our power back and live motherhood out loud.
Cindy discusses her 5th pregnancy which ended in a loss via ectopic pregnancy. She opens up about her journey, how the Creighton Method and Napro Technology helped her see the red flags in this pregnancy. She talks about advocating for herself with multiple physicians. We discuss postoperative recovery and the grief that came from this loss. We discuss the importance of mental health, healing and good friends. This type of loss is hard to overcome, it feels like a cycle of hope that ends in heartbreak. We hope this story, that was hard to share, helps someone out there that needs to hear these words. You are never alone in your experiences, it is so very important to hold onto that sentiment in your darkest of days. You are loved.
Alex speaks to us about losing her infant daughter, Noel, 10 years ago. At 19 weeks pregnant she received the devastating news that her daughter had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and would not survive long after birth. When given the option to terminate her pregnancy, Alex made the decision to “carry her child to her death”. Her daughter was taken home on hospice and lived for 15 days. We discuss navigating grief, how grief challenged her marriage, parenting after loss and therapy. Alex and her husband have gone on to have 2 more daughters she shares with us how to incorporate their sister in their lives. She discusses the dichotomy of joy and grief. We know Alex’s story will touch many lives and we are so thankful for her honesty.
“There are times when I see my girls holding hands, playing togerher and I cry. That is joy and grief coexisting. I am fully taking in that moment, that my two living daughters are here, but I’m also very aware that my first born is not here, and that’s ok.”
In honor of Noel (April 22 - May 11, 2013)
We speak to Ale, a mother of 4 small children, married to her high school sweetheart and currently a doctoral student. We talk about her postpartum journeys and how she navigated postpartum depression. She also takes us through her breastfeeding journey, getting mastitis 6 times, seek the appropriate resources in the community, and her breast milk donations to NICU babies. Follow her and her family on IG: @alebbyy_ and @hdz_familyy.
I would also like to add links to the resources we mentioned in the podcast:
The Breastfeeding Garden: https://www.facebook.com/BreastfeedingGarden/
Mother’s Milk Bank
https://milkbank.org/
Karem returns to give us an update on her journey. If you remember she was told that her and her husband only had a <1% chance of conceiving on their own. They opted for IVF and had their daughter. Fast forward and she finds out she was pregnant with her second child…. NATURALLY. She tells us all about this amazing and miraculous journey, including her fight for a VBAC.
On this week’s episode we talk to a Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse. She has been a nurse since 2018 and worked in L&D units in El Paso before starting her travel nursing career. She talks to us about how her travel assignments have differed from her work in El Paso as well as how they have shaped her views on physiological and unmedicated birth. We talk about some tips for women who are giving birth in El Paso. We talk about potential limits as a nurse and working for the hospital and within the hospital system. Disclaimer: The views expressed are not to be taken as medical advice of any kind based sheerly on the experiences our guest has had in the years she’s been working.
We explain why we have taken a break from the pod (as Cindy’s dad would call it). Cindy lost her dad and grandma in the span of 2 months. Karla also talks about losing her mom almost 11 years ago. We hope our vulnerability helps anyone who has experienced loss or knows someone that has. To our mom and dad, we love you you are our angels and you live through us and our kids. Rest in peace.
We talk with Lauren. She’s 29 years old married with two children. She tells us her birth stories, her son was born in the hospital, she became a doula and when she was pregnant with her daughter she knew she’d want a home birth. She talks about both experiences as well as her passion for birth work. We talk a bit about doula life and placenta encapsulation. If you’d like to contact her follow her on Instagram: @ladyyleebirthco and @_ladyylee
We speak to Marcy a 29 year old El Paso native, mom to a 6 year old son. She is also a proud surrogate and currently 4 1/2 weeks postpartum. We are so honored to have her share her surrogacy journey. We discuss her pregnancy and postpartum with her son and compare it to her pregnancy/postpartum as a surrogate. She also talks about her husband’s reaction and ultimately how he supported her through this. We talk about how she explained this to her son and how they incorporated him through the experience. She provides great information for those that have ever considered being surrogates and is excited to be a resource for those women. You can reach out to her on Instagram: @marcyy_raee.
Molly Talks about Raising Children with Autism
We’re excited to share this episode with our community. Thank you @mreyes1831 for sharing your experience as a mother advocating for your children with Autism and providing assistance to the community.
She talks about building a community for families to support each other with Autism
The importance of being the voice for your children when seeking help and resources
The joys and challenges of this journey and the importance of finding community.
We talk with Kevin (Karem’s husband from episode 5). He talks in depth about male infertility and their journey with IVF. He gives us insight into the stigma of infertility as well as how he handled the journey with his wife’s help. We also have him tell us the story of the birth of their daughter. He also talks about how postpartum and adjusting to fatherhood was for him!
Feel free to contact Kevin through his Instagram if you have any questions about his journey: @kevlambo
Follow Teresa here: https://linktr.ee/Teresa.C.Urbina and visit her website https://www.teresacurbina.com
Maria tells us the birth stories of her 2 sons. One was born in a military hospital in El Paso, Texas. Her second son was born in a local hospital in South Korea. She talks about the differences between birth in the U.S and birth overseas. She talks about transitioning to being a mom of two in a different country. Join us for our conversation with Maria.
Find Jannette (JJ) on https://linktr.ee/balanced.fertility.with.jj
We speak with Jannette Carlos, BSN, RN. She's a fertility awareness advocate and women's health advocate. She's currently studying Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine to better serve those who, like her, have not found the answers they've been looking for. She explains how she has navigated her infertility journey, for many years being labeled as having "unexplained infertility".
In this episode we talk to Kari Beadner, CFCP, CBD and owner of Ashwood Fertility Care Center. We talk about her journey to becoming what she calls a wholistic women’s health advocate. Her passion for women is evident in the work she does as a birth doula, bereavement doula, and FertilityCare Practitioner. We talk in depth about fertility awareness methods more specifically the Creighton Model of cycle charting, Napro Technology and the work she does through her business. This episode is a great way to reclaim power over our cycles and give hope to women who have struggled with painful periods, heavy or irregular cycles, infertility, recurrent miscarriages and so much more. If you are a woman, raising women, this episode is for you! Karla and I were left asking why we weren’t taught about this sooner, but are so happy that we know now. Kari is doing such important work with not only reaching women that are of child-bearing age, but also those who are younger and helping us all be proud of our cycles instead of seeing them as a woe of womanhood.
Please follow Kari on social media: @karibeadner, @ashwoodfertilitycare and check out her website for free resources and to get in touch with a FertilityCare Practitioner (http://www.ashwoodfertilitycare.com)
Follow El Paso Pelvic Health on Instagram: @eppelvichealth or visit their website http://www.elpasopelvichealth.com
Cindy discusses her back to back miscarriages as well as her passion for birth leading to the home birth of her son.
Jen, a Registered Nurse, talks about her motherhood journey. We hear the story of the birth of her daughter, what she has learned and what she is doing differently as she prepares for the arrival of her second baby.
Karem shares her and her husband's journey with infertility, more specifically male infertility. She also goes in depth about her experience with IVF, during a global pandemic.