The Postpartum Podcast: Recent Episodes

Kellie Edson

In this biweekly podcast, Kellie Edson, childbirth educator-in-training chats with both birth professionals and regular moms about all aspects of the transition to parenthood.

Whether this is your first child or your tenth, I hope that you gain new knowledge, insights or just plain old comfort from this twice per month show.

This podcast was born out of the belief that with each child born, a mother is born (or reborn) and that transition in all of its messy, beautiful chaos deserves to be honored, supported, and celebrated.

Dear Listeners,

I have some both exciting and a little bit sad news to share with you in today's episode. First, the exciting news is that we are expecting our second child due in April. We are both excited and nervous to be taking this journey all over again. My daughter will be 4 in February, and I started this podcast over 3 ½ years ago when she was just a couple months old. It’s truly been a labor of love.

Now, for the a little bit sadder news. In an effort to practice what I preach and really slow down during these last months of pregnancy and the newborn phase, I have decided to take a 6 month break from the podcast. This is the last episode that will be in your feed for a while. I hope to come back with renewed vigor next summer, and with more stories to share from my own second newborn phase!

Until then, there are 80 episodes in the archive - all still available on iTunes - of wonderful stories of all the good and hard things about the postpartum period. I would love if you share them with your friends and family. Wishing you all the best for the holiday season and the early part of 2018 – and please remember to take the time for yourself, even in the smallest of ways. Thank you, as always for listening.

So much Love,

Kellie

Today it was so fun talking to Michelle Beckner! Michelle is a mom of two who is passionate about real food and educating new and expecting moms on how to stay happy and healthy so that they can raise happy and healthy babies. She was working as a chemical engineer and pregnant with my second child when she decided to go back to school to become a certified nutrition coach in 2016. Since then, she's taught courses on starting solids and how to be a Calm Mom. Now, she mainly work with breastfeeding moms with babies who have food allergies and intolerances. She has breastfed both of my babies through food allergies. With everything she's learned, she's made it her mission to educate new and expecting moms of the signs of allergies as well as educate and support moms who need to eliminate dairy and other foods from their diet.

In her episode we chat about:

Birthing a business and a baby all in the same year!
Balancing a business, another part time job and a move all in the postpartum year
Her experience with food allergies and intolerances with her own children
The complications of so many different opinions on how to manage allergies with babies
How she can help breastfeeding moms with with allergies
Her experience switching to midwifery care mid-pregnancy
The importance of educating ourselves about our birthing options and care providers
The challenges of having the second child and the work multiplying
Disposable plates and utensils for your friends who are newly postpartum!

You can find Michelle on Facebook @mlbfamilywellness or on her website here. If you are a dairy free mama then check out her Facebook group Dairy Free Breastfeeding: Surviving & Thriving!

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

Thank you SO much for your support!

You can find Michelle on Facebook @mlbfamilywellness. If you are a dairy free mama then check out her Facebook group Dairy Free Breastfeeding: Surviving & Thriving!

Today I SO enjoyed chatting with Rebecca Egbert. Rebecca was a practicing midwife for nearly 10 years and is now the Founder and CEO of The Mother Love, a company building inclusive technology and connected communities to improve women’s health. Often told she has the energy of 7 people, hard work is part of her cellular body. After starting many businesses, she committed deeply to her entrepreneurial and innovative spirit deciding to take a giant leap away from clinical care, into the health education and tech world. With a hint of intuition and playful communication, Rebecca and her team create fun, accessible and actionable self-care tools that are designed to be used, most importantly, and shared to grow healthy women, strong families, and create connected communities. She loves her people and places deeply, and does a lot of things that might make you think she’s nuts in her little spare time. I so appreciated her real and honest approach and I know you will love this episode!

In her episode, we chat about:

Her interest in healthcare at a young age
How she saw a hole in the postpartum care arena from her experience as a midwife
How she chose to become a CPM instead of a CNM
How she transitioned from a practicing midwife to an entrepreneur
Her research into what postpartum women most need
How Little Mother's Helper came to be
The importance of women supporting other women
The importance of nurturing your relationship with your partner before birth
The break and space needed after the baby is born - limit your visitors!
How this year was the year of "slowing down" for a lot of people
What's next for The Mother Love...venture capitalists and more!
And SO many other wonderful things!

Be sure to check out Little Mother's Helper here!

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Bianca Sprague and Natasha Marchand of bebo mia inc. Bianca is a birth doula and lactation educator and has supported hundreds of families through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. She feels particularly passionate around maintaining the family's relationships and mental wellness. As a queer woman she advocates for inclusive language in the birthing space. She lives in Toronto with her spouse, Alana, and their daughter, Gray. Natasha is a pre & postnatal fitness professional and birth doula. After a long fertility journey with her first daughter, Natasha has positioned herself as a fertility expert. She specializes in working with families with a history of try to conceive through their pregnancy and postpartum period. Natasha lives in Toronto with her husband, Chris, their 6 year old daughter, Sadie, and just gave birth to her second daughter in September. bebo mia inc is a training & mentorship organization for women in the maternal health field, including pregnancy/birth professionals, childbirth educators & parenting specialists. They offer comprehensive skills, business support & community care through an innovative online structure that spans a global market.

In their episode we chat about:

bebo mia's origin story
Why they have some focus on fertility in their business
Inclusive gender language when it comes to birth work
How they feel like they did the opposite with their postpartum experiences that they tell their clients to do and what they would've done differently
The challenge of working in this field and people "expecting us to be really good at this"
Postpartum planning and asking for what you want
Their birth stories and Natasha's thoughts about her upcoming C-Section
The importance of setting yourself up for a positive postpartum experience
Their differing experiences with postpartum as Natasha is more social and Bianca more introverted
Postpartum struggles with a spirited high needs baby
Letting moms experience whatever they experience postpartum
Don't do it on your own!!
And more!

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I enjoyed chatting with Carole Kramer Arsenault, RN, IBCLC. Carole has devoted her career to infant and pregnancy care, and worked for many years as a delivery nurse, including at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She founded and runs Boston Baby Nurse, a home health agency offering specialized support to families with babies. She lives outside Boston.

In her episode we chat about:

· Her work as a labor and delivery nurse and how that played a role in her birth and postpartum stories

· How she came to start Boston Baby Nurse and what services they offer

· Why she decided to write Newborn 101 and what readers can expect to get out of it – it’s like a pocket Postpartum nurse for you to take home!

· The importance of trusting your instincts during the postpartum period and avoiding getting too caught up in the fear-based perspective of Google searching

· Slowing down during the early postpartum weeks

· Lowering our expectations of our postpartum bodies.

· And so much more!

Be sure to check out Boston Baby Nurse and get yourself a copy of Newborn 101

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Betsy Schwartz. She is a pioneer and a visionary. She began her career in 1991, working for one of the oldest postpartum doula services in the country. In 1994 she established Tenth Month Doula Services, the first of its kind in South Florida. Betsy is a founding member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, where she served on the Board for two years. Her most recent accomplishment is the creation and publication of Down the Canal – The Game of Birth. She also offers online courses for birth workers. Betsy continues to pioneer in Citrus County Florida where she is actively involved in community collaboration as part of the Citrus Committee of the Florida Healthy Babies Initiative. Betsy holds a master’s degree in management of human services. She was a DONA postpartum doula trainer for fourteen years, and before that a CAPPA trainer. Betsy is a certified postpartum doula, a Reiki Master and a yoga enthusiast, and is active in transformational work through Gratitude Training.

In her episode we chat about:

Why she was called to be a Postpartum Doula after her first birth
How she came to create "Down the Canal: The Game of Birth"
The best way for parents to be informed and take responsibility for their choices
Her two very different birth experiences
Her goal of sharing and teaching Reiki to Birth Workers and Pregnant Couples
How lovely the postpartum period is for forcing us to slow down
Navigating her second postpartum during the grief of losing her father
Sleep challenges
Our soap box about maternity leave in this country not being long enough
The disservice we do moms by telling them they should be "doing it all"
Redefining self care
And more!

Be sure to check out Betsy's work and the "Down the Canal Game of Birth" here.

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I so enjoyed chatting with Arianna Taboada. Arianna is a maternal health consultant who works with experienced entrepreneurs who are becoming first time mothers, helping them customize their maternity leave plan and return to work. She is deeply committed to providing on-going, multi-faceted support that meets the professional, physical, mental, social, and emotional needs of entrepreneurs as they babyproof their business and navigate new motherhood.

Prior to her consulting practice, Arianna worked on maternal health issues for over a decade as a health educator, a social worker in a mental health clinic, a reproductive health researcher, and a yoga therapist. She draws from her expertise as a maternal health professional, combined with her experience as a business owner and mother, to provide highly personalized services so expecting entrepreneurs have the tools and information they need to make decisions and take action when it comes to balancing their business with a new baby. In her episode we covered so many topics but they included:

How she got into the work that she does
How she saw the need for helping entrepreneurs navigate maternity leave
Midwifery care having a re-birth in Mexico
The amazing difference between postpartum care in midwifery versus obstetric care
The WHO recommendations for postpartum visits
Tools to use for planning out your postpartum period and filling in gaps that may be missing in your support system and care.
Building the muscle of asking for help and how her postpartum period looked
The reality and perhaps taboo topic of it not being all happy sunshine and rainbows in both pregnancy and postpartum
The benefit of not building back up to her same workload after baby
The importance of social support during postpartum
How her maternal health coaching works - spoiler - it's all online and you can access her from anywhere! :)
Learn more about her services at http://www.ariannataboada.com/

This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Apologies friends, it's been radio silence over here! My plan was to take a break from the podcast during this busy month of August and reset in the Fall starting mid-September. But then I got super sick and was unable to record this minisode to let you all know my plan! I will be back September 12th with a brand new interview episode and I have some fab guests lined up for the fall. In the meantime, I am running my semi-annual iTunes ratings & review giveaway! Just Leave a Rating & Review on the Podcast between now and September 11th and you'll be entered for a chance to win the above prizes! And maybe some fun treats along with what's pictured above! :) Good luck!

Again click HERE to leave your review!

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Dr. Erica Zelfand. She is a family physician specializing in integrative and functional medicine. After graduating from medical school, completing a midwifery apprenticeship, and finishing a family practice residency, she then completed four additional years of post-doctoral training in pediatrics under the tutelage of Paul Thomas, MD, the author of the acclaimed book The Vaccine-Friendly Plan. She sees patients of all ages in her family practice in Portland, Oregon, and is deeply committed to a patient-centered, root-cause-oriented, nature-honoring approach to healing.

In her episode we talk about:

The benefits of having a family physician
Postpartum Fatigue, why, how and what to do
How the plethora of options makes it harder for new moms
The benefit of starting pregnancy in a non-depleted state
Anemia is common after childbirth
Ferritin Test, CBCs and other important postpartum testing
How to best get your iron levels up
Our constant state of stress and how social media affects it
Emphasis on Blood Sugar Levels
Herbs for the 4th Trimester and adrenal fatigue: rhodiola, ashwaganda, schizandra, licorice and B Vitamins
Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos
The importance of a mindfulness practice
Explanations of thyroid testing and what you need to check for imbalances
Simplicity Parenting
And More!

Learn more about Erica's work and practice here.

This episode is sponsored by audible.com. Audible makes it easy to listen to all of your favorite books. They are offering listeners of this podcast a FREE audiobook and 30 day trial. Go to audibletrial.com/PostpartumPodcast to get your free book now.

***

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Kate Turza. Kate is a mom of 3 and postpartum doula. After navigating difficult postpartum periods with each of her children, she realized that there needs to be better support for new moms. She began her postpartum doula training when her youngest was 3 months old, and has been practicing for over 2.5 years now. She moderates an in-person new mom support group in her area, as well as a Facebook group for new moms, she's also created a directory of professionals in her area (East End Parent Support). She's also on the board of a non-profit, Long Island Birth Network, which provides education, support, and resources for expecting and new families in her area.

In her episode we chat about:

The challenge of having 3 kids under 4 when she had her 3rd
How you're always tired once you have kids
Consider negotiating bring baby with you back to work if you can
How we don't have enough maternity leave
How she decided to become a postpartum doula
Breastfeeding challenges from a retained placenta
An overview of what Postpartum Doulas do
How a Postpartum Doula should be called a "Fourth Trimester" Doula
The challenge of not dwelling on our decisions
The importance of knowing where your postpartum support is in your area
The importance of non-judgmental support just for you
The importance of checking in
And so much more!

Enjoy!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

Today’s episode is also sponsored by Ecocentric Mom. Pregnancy & new motherhood are the most thrilling times in any woman's life. - but they can also be the scariest. We're overwhelmed with information about what products are safe & effective for ourselves and our babies. Ecocentric Mom helps you navigate those choices by delivering monthly discovery boxes of products to help you care for yourself and your growing family. Each month subscribers receive organic, natural or handmade products and lifestyle accessories chosen just for your stage of motherhood - from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond. Podcast listeners are invited to use code POSTPARTUM10 to receive a 10% lifetime discount on your subscription.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today was a special day because I got to chat with my best friend from childhood, Emma Shaffer. Emma is a part time marketing consultant as she makes a career change into teaching Elementary School and is a single mom of 1. She, like myself, grew up in Truckee, CA and now lives and works just across the state line in Reno, Nevada. Emma is one of the strongest mothers I know, and I am so fortunate to be able to do this whole parenting thing with her, so I’m so excited to share her story with all of you!

In her episode we chat about:

Being a single mom juggling school and work during postpartum
Being induced just a day or two before her school semester started
Juggling staying in college when she was postpartum with Otto
The challenges of exclusively pumping
The benefits of a flexible school schedule with little babies
Her experience with Postpartum Anxiety around 9 months
Struggling to connect with her baby for the first couple months and the feelings of not being able to share this with other people
Grandma El's Diaper Cream
And so much more!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

Today’s episode is also sponsored by Ecocentric Mom. Pregnancy & new motherhood are the most thrilling times in any woman's life. - but they can also be the scariest. We're overwhelmed with information about what products are safe & effective for ourselves and our babies. Ecocentric Mom helps you navigate those choices by delivering monthly discovery boxes of products to help you care for yourself and your growing family. Each month subscribers receive organic, natural or handmade products and lifestyle accessories chosen just for your stage of motherhood - from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond. Podcast listeners are invited to use code POSTPARTUM10 to receive a 10% lifetime discount on your subscription.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today it was such a joy to talk to my dear friend Lori O'Donley! Lori is a public affairs specialist for the US Air Force, has a master's degree in communications, served in the Air Force herself for 4 years and is mom to two kids. Lori and I met when we were both starting that master's degree program when she had just had her second baby. She is someone I will always have to thank for the career path I ended up on because of her encouragement to look into my birthing options when I was pregnant with my daughter. Lori is such a light, enjoy!

In her episode we chat about:

The importance of knowing your birth options
Her difficult postpartum period with her first child
The unkind care she received in the hospital during her first birth
The amazing difference when she had a midwife for her second
The importance of knowing what to expect from your body during birth
How much she loved Birthing From Within for Birth Preparation
Starting a grad school program when her daughter was 3 weeks old
The importance of giving new parents space and time to bond
Scary Mommy for your sanity!
And more!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

ICON is also giving away THREE pairs of Icon Undies to one lucky winner this month for Mother's Day! Enter to win at the Rafflecopter Giveaway HERE.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

oday I had so much fun chatting with Lori Jill Isenstadt of the All About Breastfeeding Podcast. Lori is an internationally board certified lactation consultant and has spent much of her adult life working in the maternal health field. Once she became turned on to birth and became a childbirth educator, there was no stopping her love of working with families during their childbearing years. Lori became a Birth doula and a Postpartum doula and soon became a lactation consultant. Lori founded her private practice, All About Breastfeeding where she meets with moms one on one to help solve their breastfeeding challenges. Her membership site, All About Mothering, which just launched on April 1st, 2017, helps moms navigate their journey from pregnancy through their postpartum days. She is an international speaker, book author and podcast host. Not to mention, she is mom to 3 grown children.

In the episode we talk about:

The challenges of being a childbirth educator already when birthing her second child
How her career in birth work evolved over the years
Why she decided to start the All About Breastfeeding Podcast
The importance of educating society about breastfeeding
How important it is to talk about the things no one else does when it comes to birth and breastfeeding
Her new educational membership website, All About Mothering
The importance of not comparing birth and postpartum stories
Her experience with polyhydramnios with her third baby
Her incredibly quick labor with her third
The intense details that we remember about our birth stories, even decades later!
The sweet moments throughout the first year
and More!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

ICON is also giving away THREE pairs of Icon Undies to one lucky winner this month for Mother's Day! Enter to win at the Rafflecopter Giveaway!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had a wonderful conversation with Samantha Montpetit-Huynh. She is the mother of two beautiful girls, a certified pre and postnatal exercise specialist with over 15 years experience and the co-founder of Bellies Inc., the creators of the AB Tank Complete System, the most comprehensive, holistic system that combines restorative exercises and abdominal wrapping to help women build core confidence from pregnancy through motherhood.

In her episode we chat about:

The myomectomy she had in her 20s and how that affected her births
Learning that she could have had a VBAC with her second if she'd know and how she processed that experience
Her work with diastases recti and pelvic flood disfunction
How we force moms back into regular life and exercise RIGHT after birth
The need for a pelvic floor physical therapist
How our bodies will never be the same as they were pre-baby
What services Bellies Inc offers both for prenatal and postpartum
How France does postpartum pelvic floor therapy differently
Painful Sex after birth is common but not normal
The increase in prolapse in younger women because they are rushing back into fitness without restorative exercise
Tips for supporting your body both during pregnancy and postpartum, including their Core Confidence Program.
Her own hysterectomy and how she rehabbed her core after that
and more!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I enjoyed chatting with Batya Sherizen, AKA Batya the Baby Coach. Batya is mom to 5 kids, and a child sleep expert. She has been helping parents help their babies sleep for over a decade. She offers one-on-one coaching - no matter where you are in the world! - free trainings and has even created a free gentle guide to baby sleep that you can find here: http://batyathebabycoach.com/postpartumpodcast

In her episode we chat about:

Parenting 5 children!
Living in Israel for most of her postpartum periods
How she became a Child Sleep Coach
The midwifery model of care in Jerusalem
The importance of listening to your own body during pregnancy
How her fourth baby turned footling breech during labor and ended in C-Section
Her top tips for infant sleep issues and parents facing sleep deprivation
And More!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had so much fun chatting with another one of our local Sacramento doulas, and friendBrooke Lonergan of Birthlight Doula . Brooke is a birth and postpartum doula trained through DONA and certified by Heart and Hands. She is also Rebozo certified, a Lactation Consultant Assistant and has doula support training with Hypnobabies. She fell in love with birth and the prospect of being a doula through supporting women in my life who courageously ventured into parenthood. Watching them develop, transform and stand in the uncertain world of child bearing and rearing has inspired and shaped my experience of our culture and life. She is also a devoted woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother and ultimate birth nerd who embraces, explores and loves life. As a doula, she partner with parents to listen, educate and empower them to make the necessary decisions and create experiences that serve their unique needs & desires throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum times. In her episode we chatted about many things, including:

How an unexpected heart surgery caused her to turn her life and career upside down
The realities of doula work - it's not as glamorous as we think!
How having her own baby changed and enhanced her doula work
The importance of choosing your maternal healthcare providers wisely
How just "seeing what happens" during birth is really a false statement
The beauty of knowing that sometimes there is more to learn from our kids than to teach them
The importance of remembering this is a season
The importance of following your own instincts
Find YOUR people
And so much more!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I so enjoyed chatting with Jolie Ankrom, aka @becomingjolie, on today's episode! Jolie is a small business owner of Brim Papery, an online stationery shop that specializes in hand lettered products. She works out of home in Columbus Ohio with her husband and two children. When she's not working, she loves to go out on walks, cook, and thrift. You can follow along with her life on Instagram at @becomingjolie where she discusses food, feminism, family, and feelings. Lots of feelings.

In her episode we talk about:

Her transition from teaching to owning a small business
Struggling with the decision to put her second child in daycare sooner than her first
Expectations when it comes to birth - there's no one right way!
Both of her birth stories & her experience with prodromal labor
The importance of voicing your needs after having a baby
The importance of communication with your partner as parenting continues to evolve
How babies force you to slow down
The season you are in now is now the same as the one you are coming out of or going into - SO true!
And more!

Enjoy!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with local midwife, Chelsea Fredlund. Chelsea is a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife at Placerville Midwifery. Her practice offers full-scale midwifery care for women who choose to birth at home, including prenatal visits, home birth, and postpartum visits. She also offers Birthing from Within childbirth education classes for clients and other families planning a natural childbirth in or out of the hospital. She is mom to one 4 ½ year old girl named Mariah and currently lives in Placerville, CA with her daughter and husband.

In her episode we chat about:

How nice it can be to come in and out of birth work while parenting young kids
Having her partner home for 3 months after birth
Her process of going from being a doula to a midwife in recent years
The importance of nutrition and exercise during pregnancy
Nursing challenging
Shifting your lifestyle around sleep
A "good" baby is not a sleepy baby
The difference between midwifery (particularly home birth midwifery) care and hospital care
Ways that you can use a midwife both for prenatal and postpartum, even if you plan to birth in a hospital
The importance of emotional support around your own parenting decisions during postpartum
Be ready to shift expectations!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had a great time talking with Jessica Turner of The Mom Creative, author of The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You and creator of the Stretched Too Thin E-Course for Working Moms. Additionally, she is an an award-winning marketing professional and freelance writer. She has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Today Show, O Magazine, Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and Inc.com. She and her husband, Matthew live with their three young children in Nashville, Tennessee.

In her episode we talk about:

How she juggles 3 kids, working full time and her side creative projects
Her experience with bed rest and tiny 6 week maternity leave with her first
Her Book, The Fringe Hours and how she released it 6 weeks after her third child was born
The importance of self care!
All of the good and hard things are both just a season. Changes are fast and real in the first year.
Don't forget about your spouse/partner!
How meal trains can support more than just your physical nourishment
Tips for going back to work for working moms, specifically
And of course, the importance of making time for yourself in the long run.

Check out one of Jessica's great blog posts on how busy moms find time to read.

Sign up for the wait list for her e-course for working moms, Stretched Too Thin!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today was such a great conversation with Kimberly Johnson of Magamama. I had heard Kimberly speak on another podcast and I loved her shared passion for helping and supporting new moms, so I knew I had to have her on! Kimberly is a yogini nomad, bodyworker, doula, postpartum women’s health specialist, and single mom to 8 year old, Cecilia. She is the creator of Magamama. Magamama is a community and resource hub for new moms who want natural, empowering solutions to the physical pain and emotional madness that can accompany childbirth. In her episode we chat about:

Her experience giving birth to her daughter in Rio de janeiro
Her experience with a severe birth injury and how hard it was to find the help she needed
How she traveled the world to find out how other cultures approached postpartum
The meaning of "Magamama"
How we need to flip the script on the idea of women having "low libido"
How we as women never seem to put ourselves first
How trauma is "too big of an experience for your nervous system to digest"
The importance of a Postpartum Plan
How to find practitioners that specialize in this sort of postpartum recovery help. Check out Bellies Inc, Wild Feminine.
The Closing of the Bones ceremony within Mexican culture
And more!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had so much fun chatting with one of our local birth workers, Kaelyn. Kaelyn owns Serene Relaxation and is a birth doula, postpartum doula, lactation educator, massage therapist and more!

In her episode we talk about:

The benefits of having a birth plan in place - shooting for the stars!
The benefits of massage both prenatal and postpartum
What does a postpartum doula do?
The benefits of massage during labor
When infant massage can be done
How belly binding can be helpful postpartum and the process of how it's done
Taking everything day by day
And more!

This episode of the postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry! Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner. Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I really enjoyed chatting with Ashlee Wells. Ashlee is a Chicago based photographer, feminist and storyteller. Mama of three, including two living super kids with special needs, she is also an advocate for visibility and differing abilities. Ashlee is the founder of the 4th Trimester Bodies Project, owner of Windy City Pin-Up and always excited to share her message of positivity and self-love.

We talked about so much in this episode but the highlights were:

Navigating the prematurity of her first child
Losing one of her twins during gestation and carrying both to term
Starting the 4th Trimester Bodies Project right after her daughter came home from NICU
How the trauma of her second birth led her to struggle with body love
The importance of talking about pregnancy and infant loss
How the 4th Trimester Body Project came to be
And more!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

I could not post a regular episode this week without acknowledging the United States Election last week. Personally, it has left me trying to find what I can do to help more, be of more service, and be more inclusive. My goal with this podcast has always been to support ALL moms, and share ALL moms' stories. By having this platform I want to make sure I include as much diversity of women, mothers and parents as possible. Diversity of birth and postpartum experiences and situations but also diversity of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender, ability, religion and class. Every story and experience is unique and every story is important. So I am sending a call out to my listeners to help me bring you more stories of moms from a wide range of experiences and backgrounds. If we are able to share our stories and understand and support one another, we are stronger together. Please email postpartumpodcast@gmail.com if you want to be on the show or if you have a suggestion for a guest or topic.

Take a listen to today's short episode to hear more about this and also about some exciting things that will be happening on the show in 2017, as well as a couple easy ways you can support the show as we go forward. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for listening, sharing and supporting the show.

Love and Kindness to all, Kellie

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

Today I chatted with Lisa Chin. Lisa is a holistic mama to a happy two year old girl. Motherhood has profoundly changed who she is, how she sees the world and the mark she wants to leave. She seeks to live an inspired life of mothering, writing, and pursuing what calls to be created. When she's not wrangling spreadsheets or her toddler, she can be found writing for her blog, Lisa for Real, where she share her thoughts on fierce femininity, eureka moments and lessons in self-awareness. Her latest project is the Fourth Trimester Summit where Lisa interviews over 40 experts in women's health, infant development and mental health who share their knowledge so new moms can create their ideal postpartum experience.

In her episode we talk about:

How motherhood is the best therapy
Changing careers mid-pregnancy
How she decided to create the Fourth Trimester Summit
How her water broke just after the only time she meditated her whole pregnancy
Her surprise Breech Vaginal Birth!
The Importance of having a Birth Plan but also being flexible. It's all about knowledge.
Developing a new partner dynamic after baby arrives
Therapy as a preventative measure
How Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the postpartum period
Focus on the Mom, Not the Baby!
We are all doing the best what we can with the knowledge that we have!

Be sure to sign up for The Fourth Trimester Summit which is happening NEXT week! The Fourth Trimester Summit features 40+ interviews with experts in infant development, health, breastfeeding and more. It is free to view all of the video interviews from November 9-18, 2016. Be sure to sign up through the link below to get email reminders for each of the days' speakers so you don't miss out! ***

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had so much fun talking with Judy Tsuei! Judy is a 4th Trimester Body & Mind Coach and author of Meditations for Mamas: You Deserve to Feel Good. She empowers new mamas to thrive in the postpartum phase, especially in finding their identities again, creating time for self-care, and alleviating the pressure to have it all together. Most importantly, she helps women struggling to get their bodies back to feel more beautiful than ever before — as a mama.

In her episode we talk about:

Her fairytale whirlwind Hawaiian romance
Getting to the other side of the first year of motherhood
Struggling through hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy and how that connected to her earlier bullimia issues
The "creative burn" during postpartum, without the wherewithal to act on these ideas
Being patient when you want to jump right back into your career after birth
A powerful Hawaiian forgiveness practice
Sometimes you do whatever you need to do to survive something like hyperemesis gravidarum, including watching porn
The importance of building your relationship with your child in your own way
Having realistic expectations for what postpartum will look like
The importance of grieving your previous life
No request is too big or too small during the postpartum period

Be sure to check out Judy's website, blog and of course, book! If you purchase her book directly through her website you will receive a complimentary 45-min Feel Good Coaching assessment with me to find more time in their day for themselves, discover how to feel good in their bodies again, and learn how to reclaim their identities. Sign up for that here. She also has a supportive facebook community group: Hot Mamas and Babes.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code"Postpartum20" at checkout.

You can find the show wherever you find your podcasts!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had so much fun chatting with my friend Amy Moy and her wife Dawn. Amy and Dawn have known each other for 14 years, been together for 10, were first married in 2010, not recognized then by the state, and then again legally in 2013. They welcomed their daughter in 2012. Amy, is a birth doula, childbirth educator and placenta specialist here in the Sacramento area. Check out River Bend Birth Services! After the birth of their daughter with a doula by their side, she realized her passion and dove into birth work, believing that every family deserves to experience the kind of compassionate and continuous care that a doula provides. This year, Amy also created Q-Village Birth Associates, a skilled and dedicated group of LGBTQ-identified birth professionals serving families here in Sacramento. Dawn, grew up in San Diego, graduated with a criminal justice degree from Cal State Hayward, and has worked in the field of loss prevention since 2008. She has played semi-professional women's baseball over the years and her biggest claim to fame was playing in the first 24-hour baseball game in history - it was an AIDS fundraiser.

In their episode we talk about:

How Dawn carried their baby, Veronica, while Amy was a Stay-at-Home mom
The challenges of conceiving and being able to switch which partner they tried with
As a butch, how Dawn struggled with maternity clothes
The inappropriate questions people ask surrounding pregnancy and concieving
Their Home Birth experience
The importance of well-rounded childbirth education with realistic expectations
Doulas, Placenta Capsules and more!
Finding - or building - your own community
Deciding to use a known donor when conceiving their daughter
Amy's challenge of being the stay-at-home parent while the nursing parent was at work
The importance of taking some time away when you need it
Dawn talks about nursing in a loss prevention job where finding time to pump was hard
Push back from family on birth, postpartum and parenting
Trusting your instincts

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code"Postpartum20" at checkout.

You can find the show wherever you find your podcasts, or stream it here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I enjoyed chatting with Karen Johnson about her birth and postpartum stories. Karen is a work-at-home mom freelancer. She blogs at The 21st Century SAHM. She has also been featured on some larger sites such as Scary Mommy & Huffington Post, and is a contributing writer in two other anthologies: Lose the Cape: Never Will I Ever (and then I had kids!) and What Does It Mean to be White in America? as well as The Postpartum Year.

In her episode we talk about:

The switch she felt when she decided to leave teaching to be a stay-at-home mom after her first baby was 9 months old.
Figuring out how Stay-at-Home moms make friends
Transitioning to being a Work-at-Home Mom as a writer
The importance of remembering our partner's struggles too
The pride of making it happen every single day
The struggle of a lack of praise and evaluation for being a mom
The importance of finding something that is just for you outside of motherhood

Check out Karen's blog! And don't forget to use Meetup.com to find your own village.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code"Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I was so happy to have Rachel Rambach back on the podcast. You may remember her first episode where we talked about her son Parker's postpartum year. Now that her daughter, Mia is one, I wanted to have her back on to talk about how that postpartum year was different than her first. Rachel is a board certified music therapist, business owner, blogger and fellow podcaster.

In this episode we talk about:

How her daughter flipped transverse during labor and then flipped back
Another plug for the importance of doulas!
Watching your oldest child become a sibling
Watching her business expand during her daughter's postpartum year
How we beat ourselves up for not being present enough
The challenge of caring for both kids at once
Letting go of the guilt of putting kids in childcare to allow more space for work
The importance of having people to help with your older child so you can bond with the new baby
The physical demands of these little years
The importance of asking for help - and particularly from your partner!

Make sure you check out Rachel's podcast, Guitars and Granola Bars as well as her business, Music Therapy Connections.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code"Postpartum20" at checkout.

You can find the show wherever you find your podcasts, or stream it here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Lisa Abramson. Lisa is an entrepreneur, speaker, executive coach and maternal mental health advocate. She co-founded Mindfulness Based Achievement, the New MBA, which teaches high potential women leaders how to create sustainable success. The New MBA has been taught to thousands of women, and at Google, Cisco, Salesforce, Mattel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, The Stanford Graduate School of Business and many other organizations.

Abramson has given a Tedx talk on her experience with Postpartum Psychosis and Depression and been featured in Fast Company, sharing 5 Ways To Lean In Without Burning Out. Lisa was recently honored as one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders Empowering Women Worldwide by EBW.

Over 12,000 people have taken part in Mindfulness Based Achievement’s free 10 Day Meditation Challenge. Lisa graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and lives in Menlo Park, California with her husband and daughter.

In her episode we talk about:

· Postpartum Psychosis

· Wondering if postpartum mood disorders can correlate with Type A personalities

· Knowing that it can really truly happen to anyone, it’s rare, but it happens

· Starting a company right when she got pregnant

· Pain versus suffering in labor

· The delusions and suicidal thoughts that can happen during postpartum psychosis

· How she thought her husband was taking her to the hospital and she thought he was taking her to jail

· Her outpatient clinic experience meeting other people who’ve gone through the same thing

· The importance of reveling in the little stuff

· The importance of protecting your sleep

Check out her company Mindfulness Based Achievement.

Be sure to check out her Tedx Talk also, here.

Also, here is the Brene Brown Ted Talk we mentioned.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored byEarth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code"Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today was such a fun episode. Kelsey and Sarah are two of my most favorite ‘internet friends.’ We are such kindred spirits, and I always find myself turning to them for Working Mama Advice so I wanted to have an episode solely dedicated to talking about being a working mom during postpartum and beyond.

A little bit more about Sarah: Sarah is a wife, mother of three, and writer, blogger at sarahrosemary.com, and podcaster living outside DC. She also teaches group exercise classes and provides social media, marketing, web design, and communications work.

A little bit more about Kelsey: Kelsey is a writer, podcaster and full time working mom. She lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her husband and two young boys. She works full time as a science writer for Arizona State University and pursues other creative projects outside of work including two podcasts (The Girl Next Door Podcast and Matrimoney) and writing her personal blog atrisingshining.com

In the episode we talk about:

· How Sarah has made part-time working work for her family

· How Kelsey decided to stay in the work force full time when she had her kids because she had just started an awesome new job that she loved

· How our parental leave policies are ridiculously short

· Part of making creative work possible is prioritizing and what we “don’t do”

· Ways to fit in Self Care – (Hint, we are all 3 early birds)

· The danger of comparison or “grass is always greener” in the social media age

· That we need to talk more about the positives of working motherhood, not just the downsides

· How being a mother makes you an asset in the workforce

· The importance of remembering Nothing is Permanent

Don't forget to check out their podcasts!

Matrimoney

Girl Next Door Podcast

Sarah R Bagley Podcast

25% Friends Podcast

Also, check out the two articles Kelsey sent me about working motherhood here and here.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code "Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today was such a fun episode full of so much heart and helpful information! I loved chatting with Angie Valentin. Angie is a certified doula and has supported 350+ growing families since 2004 as a Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula, as a Birth & Baby Educator leading childbirth education classes and newborn baby care classes, and as a Placenta Encapsulation Specialist in the greater Sacramento area. Angie is the founder and director of Doulaville Birth Services, (in Seattle, Philadelphia, and San Francisco), a doula collective intended to prepare, support, and nourish the women who so passionately support this labor of love. In Angie's episode, we chat about so many different things, but here are the highlights:

Parenting 3 children with a large age gap - 13 is similar to 2!
Managing pre-existing OCD during postpartum
Dealing with a challenging surrogacy pregnancy and birth
Having her daughter diagnosed with autism and how that challenged her postpartum period
Dealing with long term Postpartum Depression
How short labors can actually be traumatizing in their own right
Self Care with a Type A personality
Such a beautiful way of helping us remember we need to accept help
The importance of those close to you knowing the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression
How we have to speak the same "language" in our relationships
And so much more!

Don't forget to check out Doulaville if you are in Seattle, Philadelphia or San Francisco and Angie's regular website if you are in Sacramento.

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code "Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I loved chatting with Rosemary Fernandez. Rosemary is a mom of two kids, a boy and a girl born just 13 months apart. On top of being a full time mama, she also a freelancer. She blogs at Miss Rosemary's Novel Ideas where she reviews popular fiction. Her work has also appeared on HowtobeaRedhead.com, in Catholic New York and Yankees Magazine, and on NYT Best Selling Author Lauren Willig's website as a guest blogger. In a previous life she was an editor at Hudson Valley Magazine. Rosemary is also a contributor for The Postpartum Year Anthology.

In her episode we talk about:

Coming down with the stomach flu during the labor of her second child
Going right into the Prenatal Period again when she got pregnant with her second child
How fun it is to see how good her two kids are for each other
Adjusting to our children's schedules instead of doing things for ourselves
The importance of giving thoughtful mom-centered gifts during postpartum
How one child instead of few can sometimes actually feel like a break
And more!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code "Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Tina Donvito. Her tenacity and heart is contagious. Professionally she is a freelance writer and is also mom to a two-year-old son. She has written about pregnancy and parenting online for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping and Scary Mommy, just to name a few. Her work was also recently published in the anthology Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It: Life Journeys Inspired by the Bestselling Memoir. She also has a parenting blog, Foggy Mommy and is a contributor for The Postpartum Year Anthology.

In Tina's episode we talk about:

The challenge of parenting a child with hearing loss - see her NYTimes article here.
How she got laid off from work during maternity leave
Her struggle with the reality of facing a necessary Caesarean Birth
How we need to stop saying "all that matters is a healthy baby"
Her son's 4 day NICU stay
Breastfeeding challenges and unsupportive providers
Nursing with a dairy allergy
The importance of finding a network or support group of other moms
Why we have to sometimes shop around for pediatricians
And more!

You can check out the NY Times Article Tina wrote about parenting a child with hearing loss here.

Don't forget to also check out her blog!

This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby has been safely nurturing pregnant women and babies for over a decade with trusted, certified organic and natural herbal products formulated to support the entire journey of childbirth, from pregnancy through postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and baby care, and even baby loss. Listeners can get 20% off your order with the code "Postpartum20" at checkout.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Jenna is so lovely. I loved getting to chat with her about meditation and motherhood and so many other things! Jenna is the founder and nutrition therapist at the private practice Eat to Love where she works with people with disordered eating. She also leads a weekly meditation group for moms called the Open Heart Project Mommy Sangha. She lives with her partner Andrea and their one year old son Domenico Peter, aka Mimmo, in New York City.

In her episode we talk about:

The struggle of being a full time mom and entrepreneur
The beauty of having grandparents to help out with childrearing
The importance of vulnerability to give others permission to be vulnerable
The way time changes when you become a parent
Her work leading the Open Heart Project Mommy Sangha
Changes in partner relationships when a baby enters the picture
The difficulty of not knowing
And more!

Don't forget to check out Jenna's website and meditation group!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I loved chatting with Alaura Weaver! Alaura is a freelance copywriter, blogger, word-geek, mom, and "Bad-ass Motherblogger" who writes web content for small businesses and digital marketing professionals. She specializes in parenting, health, and wellness topics. You can read her blog about the history of motherhood here. Alaura is also a contributor for The Postpartum Year Anthology. I'm so glad to be able to talk about her experiences, which are rare, but I think it's important to share so that other moms who have experienced it feel less alone.

In her episode we talk about:

Her traumatic first birth experience
Leaving her sales job during her baby's first year
Dealing with a PUPP rash at the end of pregnancy
Her struggle with Postpartum Depression
How her second c-section with a midwife's guidance was healing
The importance of not being dogmatic with parenting
Do practical things after the baby is born!
The reality of Baby Blues not being a "just" but something to acknowledge and respect
The importance of being with our feelings
And more!

Please don't forget to check out Alaura's websites and freelance services here and here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today it was so great to talk with Colleen Lutz Clemens. Colleen is the editor of several books of non-fiction including Philadelphia Reflections: Stories from the Delaware to the Schuylkill and has published short essays in various collections including Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. Her work on miscarriage and infertility has been published in many outlets including here at TRIVIA and in the collection Three Minus One. On the web, she is a staff writer for bitchflicks where she writes about issues of gender in popular films. She has published pieces on Scary Mommy, Literary Mama, and feministing. She is also a contributor for The Postpartum Year.

In her episode we talk about:

Having a baby while in a tenure track position at a university
The hard part of being half in the work world and half in the SAHM world
Why you should take photos while you're pregnant
Managing the identity shift, especially having kids after being established in your career
Bring food you can eat with one hand!
Don't go on the internet!
We know our babies better than anyone else.

Be sure to check out Colleen's other writing as linked above as well as her blog, here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

This week I'm back with the other half of the One Bad Mother Podcast duo, Theresa Thorn, chatting about her postpartum and birth stories with her two sons. Theresa is so warm and funny and insightful, I know you will love her and this episode!

In the episode we talk about:

Attempting to work from home with a newborn when you own a business
Dealing with the separation of the pubic symphysis
Her positive labor and birth experiences with both boys
How One Bad Mother got started, from her perspective
How we don't need to be the same as our mom friends!
How sometimes having kids can actually make us feel MORE like ourselves
Relationship struggles when a baby arrives
The importance of therapy and help and how we need to talk more about mental health
The importance of supporting new parents after birth
There's no right way through the Postpartum Year

Thank you Theresa!!

You can find One Bad Mother online here, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

You can find One Bad Mother on Facebook here.

You can also find the One Bad Mother private Facebook group - as mentioned in the episode - here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I was SO excited to chat with Biz Ellis, one half of the comedy parenting podcast One Bad Mother. I've mentioned on the show many times how OBM was my "gateway" podcast that really helped me get through my daughter's first year and part of what led me to start this podcast as another way to help and support new moms. So naturally, I was thrilled when Biz (and Theresa who will be on next week) agreed to come on as guests! *Apologies for the strange clicking sound my microphone was making for part of the interview!

We talked about so many things in this episode, and I could barely stop laughing through most of it, but here are some highlights. Biz and I talk about:

How our birth experiences really do matter
How she went from a 60 hour work week to being a stay-at-home mom
How our kids are not the same, as much as we would like them to be
We need doulas for everything!
We are doing moms a disservice if we don't tell them breastfeeding can often be challenging in the beginning
If you're bringing a new mom food - put the food close to her! So that she can actually reach it!

You can find One Bad Mother online here, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

You can find One Bad Mother on Facebook here.

You can also find the One Bad Mother private Facebook group - as mentioned in the episode - here.

The one song that would soothe baby Ellis was The Fall of Charleston

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today was a really fun show! I got to chat with Ron Malott of Design Daddy and part of "The Baby Team" with Brian Salmon and Kirsten Brunner.

Ron and his partner Mike ended up adopting two infants, a girl and a boy, who were 6 months apart and we chat about how difficult that transition was for them as a couple, and how they decided to sell their LA home within a month and move back to Austin to simplify their lives. We also chat about how they took care of his mom during her last few years of life while raising their newborns.

We talked about so many different things but some of the highlights were:

The importance of keeping your relationship strong through these early years
Being near supportive family and friends when raising your kids
A common theme for the show - finding community
The adoption agency they used: "The Independent Adoption Agency" and why they chose to do open adoption
The importance of finding 'me' time
How you get the kids you are meant to parent
The universality of parenthood

Thank you again, Ron! It was so wonderful to talk with you. You can learn more about Ron on his website at The Design Daddy on Facebook.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today it was so fun to chat with Kate Taylor, music therapist and birth doula and owner of Creative Childbirth Concepts. I was fascinated with how Kate used her music therapy background to provide support for family's in her work as a doula, and I think you will find this information so interesting and helpful. We talked about so many different things but here are some highlights:

How music can be incorporated into not only your birth but your postpartum experiences as well
How music is used during a birth
Helpful tips for choosing your birth playlist
How to find a music therapist for your birth
How she incorporated music into both of her birth experiences and how it also helped her deal with jaundice and her daughter having to stay at the hospital after she was discharged
How to choose the best lullaby based on baby's brain development (so many things I hadn't thought of!)
The importance of doulas! (a common topic on this show)
Love Languages for helping out in postpartum

Learn more about Music Therapy for Childbirth and Kate here.

The article I mentioned about Empathy Burn Out.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today is a special episode because I got to talk with another one of my dear friends here in Sacramento. Stephanie Dullanty is a birth doula, postpartum doula and birth photographer and mom to Rio. Stephanie and I met through Capital City Doulas and she is such a sweet and wonderful person. I am so happy to share her and her wife Martha's story of how they experienced conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

In this episode we talk about:

How she and Martha chose their sperm donor (They used Pacific Reproductive Services) and how complicated the process can be to conception
How she came to birth work
Ways that we can be more inclusive to queer families in birth education and parenting
Her beautiful birth story with Rio
The importance of finding community
Struggling with Rio's colic
Balancing going back to work when your baby or toddler has only had one primary caregiver

You can find out more about Stephanie at her website Rio City Birthworks

If you are local to Sacramento, please check out our calendar at Capital City Doulas to see when the next Mama Talks event is.

Also, check out Capital City Music Together if you're local, or check out Music Together in your area if you're elsewhere.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I so enjoyed chatting with Sarah Homec, who is one of the cofounders of Mommy Mailbox and mom to 3 boys. Her youngest was just 4 months when we recorded this, and I so appreciated her willingness to talk about motherhood right while she's in the thick of it with her newest addition. Mommy Mailbox also has generously offered to giveaway one of their June Mommy Mailboxes to one lucky listener! Be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway below.

In this episode we chat about:

How Mommy Mailbox got started and how it works
Her C-Section Stories
The importance of having a village of friends around you
The challenges of going from one to two kids and two to three
How good just a clean house can make you feel
The illusive idea of balance in motherhood and how it's more like a pendulum

You can learn more about Mommy Mailbox here and be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win the June Mommy Mailbox!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

oday I chat with author, writing teacher and mama of 1, Kate Abbott. Kate recently released her memoir Walking After Midnight: Into and Out of Postpartum Depression which I had the privilege of reading before our chat. Her memoir is so beautifully written, and I could relate to her story so much. I know that her story will resonate with so many moms and particularly those that have experienced Postpartum Depression/Anxiety.

In her episode we chat about:

Her experience with bed rest and her fast birth story
Her new memoir & postpartum depression story
The importance of knowing the signs of postpartum depression and sharing them with your family, partner and close friends so they know what to look for.
Her journey to starting medication and how it changed her whole life when Henry was 8 months old.
How we need to talk more about mental health
A new postpartum idea of bringing a gift card to a food place for new families

Enjoy!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I so loved chatting with Stasia Savasuk about her birth and postpartum stories! Her stories are so amazing and powerful and she is just such a wonderful and inspiring person. She also blogs at Thrift Me Pretty and hosts Stasia’s Style School, “A 5-week online class and lifelong sisterhood that will teach you how to identify YOUR own personal and unique style so you can be the BRAVE BOLD BEAUTIFUL woman that you are…EVERY. DAMN. DAY!”

In her episode we talk about:

· Two amazing birth stories! Her daughter has some genetic abnormalities and her son was nearly an 11lb natural birth!

· How having a daughter with physical anomalies allowed her to change her own body image issues and how that led to the formation of Stasia’s Style School

· The stories that our closets hold

· How terrible the doctor treated her in describing her daughters unique features right after she was born and how all she saw was perfection. This was the moment she became a mother.

· How advocating for her child probably saved her life.

· Pumping Exclusively for 18 months with her daughter

· How empowered she felt after delivering her nearly 11lb son when her doctors were positive she was going to need a c-section

· And SO much more!

Be sure to sign up to receive an email when the next round of Stasia’s Style School opens SOON and check out Stasia’s blog, Thrift Me Pretty.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I chat with LA-based fitness expert Sara Haley! pre/postnatal exercise specialist, and mom of two boys. Her best-selling fitness programs are for moms: the award-winning prenatal workout DVD, Expecting MORE and follow-up Expecting MORE: The 4th Trimester Workout, for after baby and beyond. She also has a highly acclaimed excuse-proof workout program, Sweat UNLIMITED which offers quick workout solutions for busy people. With over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry and 7 years as a Reebok Master Trainer, Sara has a passion for giving women tools to stay fit, healthy and happy before, during and after pregnancy in the safest and most effective ways possible.

In this episode we talk about:

Her postpartum stories and how she fell into working in the prenatal and postpartum fitness realm
What diastasis recti is
Her advice for fitness when it comes to pregnancy and postpartum: Listen to Your Body!
The importance of getting into good physical shape pre-pregnancy if you can
Check out two of her youtube videos that were mentioned: 3 Things to Know Before Baby and Top 5 Biggest Postpartum Exercise Mistakes
The importance of accepting our changing priorities as new moms.

Sara has also generously offered 30% off her DVDs with the code PP30! You can learn more about Sara by visiting her website.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I am excited to welcome blogger and fellow podcaster Bryn Huntpalmer. She is mom to two kiddos, blogs at With Her Own Wings, is a senior content manager for Modernize.com AND is the creator and host of the Birth Hour Podcast. I enjoyed sharing my daughter’s birth story on her podcast at the end of 2015. In her episode we talk about:

· Her first postpartum year while her and her husband were in grad and law school

· Interviewing for a job at 3 weeks postpartum

· How the strength from her birth allowed her to have a kickass interview

· Breastfeeding challenges

· How she got started with the Birth Hour Podcast

· Hormones!

· Reaching out to your friends who are new moms, even if they aren’t close friends

· #TakeBackPostpartum, #VariationsofNormal, #StopCensoringMotherhood on Instagram

You can learn more about her podcast at The Birth Hour. To hear the episodes where she talks about her kids/ birth stories, go here and here. If you want to hear me talk about my daughter's birth story on her show, go here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I got to chat with Julia Aziz. Julia is the mother of three children and author of Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery Through Birth and Motherhood. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a hospice spiritual counselor, Julia leads private classes and silent retreats exploring the bigger questions of self and purpose. Before having children, Julia worked as a counselor for youth, adults, couples, and families. She has facilitated a personal growth group for teens, silent retreats for midwives and doulas, and a mindfulness group for new mothers.

I so enjoyed chatting with her in depth about her birth and postpartum stories!

Just a few of the things we chat about:
- How birth is a metaphor for what we need to learn as parents
- Her vivid descriptions of her kids’ birth stories
- How a 30 day challenge ted talk inspired her to start her book
- How she learned to let go of control when it comes to parenting, and how labor taught her that.
- Looking for the spaces in between the pain – in labor and in life
- The best advice is to not take any advice too seriously
- Love is expansive, not exclusive

Here is some praise from the one and only Penny Simkin about Julia’s Book:

“From her own unique and varied childbearing experiences, Julia Aziz learned much beyond what labor and birth can be like; she guides us through her musings on the lessons gained from her labors–about life as a woman, life partner, mother, and human being. This engaging book, told in her personable style and warm voice, relates how she was transformed, and her pithy wisdom helps us see how we also may be transformed by life’s unpredictable adventures.”
–Penny Simkin, author of The Birth Partner, co-founder of DONA International

Be sure to check it out here AND enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway to be entered to win a copy of her book!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today is a special episode where I talk with Jillian Van Ness who is a certified Infant Massage Practitioner and Watsu® Massage Practitioner. I am so excited to share these two lesser known modalities with you all today!

In the episode we talk about:

· The benefits of infant massage for both babies and their caregivers

· What an infant massage class looks like

· The absolute importance of touch in our lives

· How she got into infant massage

· What is Watsu Massage?

· What a Watsu Massage session looks like

· How Watsu can be particularly helpful for pregnant women

· Her dream to build an aquatic center here in Sacramento

To learn more about Jillian please visit her website.

Free Swim Lessons at Swim America in Davis, CA

To find an infant massage practitioner in your area go here.

To find a Watsu® Massage practitioner in your area go here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I had a blast chatting with Brian Salmon, also known as Brian the Birth Guy. Brian is a childbirth educator, lactation counselor and San Antonio’s only practicing male birth doula. I so enjoyed hearing his perspective as a dad, doula and birth enthusiast!

Brian is hilarious, passionate and kind. We talked about so many different things, but here are the highlights:

Compassionate use of pain meds, pain versus suffering
His “Rocking Dads” Birth Education Program and how dads go from “Dude to Dad”
What brought him to birth work
How it was being a single dad during the postpartum period with his second daughter
The importance of a solid foundation in your relationship before baby comes
His candid thoughts about the struggle of a breakup while having young kids
The movie that I couldn’t think of during the show was called Friends With Kids from 2011
Real talk about anxiety and mental health
Kristen Brunner of Baby Proofed Parents who was my Episode 29 guest
The Sutter Davis Volunteer Doula Program (which just opened applications for Spring!)
Mama Sherpas Documentary
The Heads Up Vaginal Breech Birth Documentary
Family Centered Caesareans
And More!

You can find more information about Brian on his website, you can follow him on Facebook and on Periscope.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I’m really excited to chat with Nathalie Saenz of the Dearest Doula Podcast. Nathalie is a Birth Doula and mom of one with another on the way. I had the pleasure of being on her Dearest Doula podcast last year, twice! – you can listen to those episodes here. In this episode we talk about:

· How she healed from her C-section from her first birth

· And found her passion in birth work after seeing a play about birth and The Business of Being Born

· How she is planning for a VBAC homebirth with her second child

· Undergoing a mastotomy from mastitis during her first breastfeeding experience

· The importance of not projecting our own expectations on new mom friends, supporting the fact that being a new mom is hard.

To find out more about Nathalie and find her podcast, visit her website here.

She also mentioned the Birth Without Fear Blog.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I chat with Tamara Morales of Placentamom.com. Tamara is a mom of 2 "middles" and a placenta encapsulator in the Sacramento area. She started her placenta business 7 years ago and is also the one who encapsulated my placenta with my daughter's birth. I so enjoyed chatting with her about her postpartum experiences and about the benefits of placenta encapsulation.

In her episode, we talk about:

Postpartum Depression and how placenta capsules can help
How postpartum depression manifested for her with her first, and how much better it was with her second baby and the lifestyle changes her family made when prepping for the second baby
H.A.L.T. - the idea that you shouldn't ever let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired
The importance of asking moms if you can do something specific to help after the baby is born rather than asking a blanket question about what they need
Importance of embracing all of the moments, even the bad ones and sharing with other moms that it IS hard in these early days.

Tamara also generously offered to help anyone looking for a placenta encapsulator in other parts of the country to contact her and she will help find you one!

You can learn more about her services here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I love love love Tiffany's Podcast, Raise Your Hand Say Yes and I was thrilled that she agreed to come on the podcast. In addition to the podcast, Tiffany is a branding coach for the highly creative woman and general kick-ass woman, lives in the bay area of California with her husband and is mom to twin girls. She is one of the most inspiring and creative women I know online and I know you will all draw inspiration from her story, her humor and her ability to let go of some difficult experiences during her postpartum year.

In this episode we chat about:

How her mom went to multiple psychics that predicted that she would have twins
Managing motherhood as a work-at-home mom
Using humor to cope with the chaos of postpartum, especially with twins
Starting her podcast when the girls were only 4 months old
Showing her girls that it's great to be ambitious, particularly as a woman
Staying flexible and open to all experiences in birth, postpartum and parenthood
Processing her traumatic birth, "forgiving" her body and being grateful for two big healthy babies. Over 7lbs each for Twins!
Letting ourselves off the hook when things don't go as planned
And SO much more.

Books Mentioned:

Baby 411
Baby Bargains
Bringing up Bebe
French Kids Eat Everything

This is a great one, guys, enjoy!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I chat with Kirsten Brunner of Baby Proofed Parents. On top of running this awesome and helpful blog for new parents, Kirsten is an actively practicing licensed professional counselor and mom of two rambunctious boys. In her episode we chat about:

How she came to create Baby Proofed Parents
Early breastfeeding troubles
A huge plug for Brian the Birth Guy who will be another guest on the show this spring
The importance of taking a "self inventory" of yourself for postpartum BEFORE birth
Letting go of perfectionism in motherhood
The importance of taking care of yourself and your relationship with your partner

As was mentioned in the episode, Kirsten also offers skype consultations for those who aren't in Austin, Texas, so feel free to reach out to her! Enjoy!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go towww.audibletrial.com/posptartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

More info about the Mama Talks happening here in Sacramento can be found here.**

Today the podcast has teamed up with Appleseed Fertility to giveaway TWO Wink Thermometers!

About Wink:

"Whether you want to get pregnant faster, avoid pregnancy naturally and effectively, or better understand your cycles, Wink is here to help. Wink will accurately record your BBT up to 4x faster and sync automatically with the Kindara app. Better data means you can take better ownership of your reproductive health and achieve your fertility goal with more ease"

It also includes NO beeping!

Wink is currently in the preorder stage of development. If you don't win the giveaway, you can also get $10 off your pre-order price by clicking

How do I win? You must be following Postpartum Podcast and Appleseed Fertility on both Facebook and Instagram. You can get extra entries for becoming a Patron on Patreon and subscribing to the blog. Visit Rafflecopter for details! Giveaway ends February 1st!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I first learned about Danielle when Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein were running their Kickstarter to make the documentary "Sweetening the Pill" about hormonal birth control. Danielle is a major fertility awareness advocate, the creator of Appleseed Fertility and a new mom!

In this episode we chat about:

Fertility Awareness Method (of course!) and knowing all of your choices when it comes to birth control
Her Birth Center Birth Turned Hospital Birth
Restructuring our ideas of what productivity looks like with a small baby
How important it is to ask a new mom what THEY need or want in postpartum.
The return to fertility while breastfeeding
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding

To learn more about Danielle and Appleseed Fertility visit her website here.

To learn more about the Sweetening the Pill Documentary, go here.

To see the HelloFlo video check it out, here.

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go tohttp://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

Thank you SO much for your support!

I learned SO much from this episode with Dr. Jolene Brighten. I definitely want to have her on the show again in the future to talk more about postpartum health. Jolene is a naturopathic doctor, a practicing Holistic Pelvic Care provider, Hashimoto's disease advocate and expert in postpartum thyroiditis. She also the author of the book "Healing Yourself Naturally After Childbirth - The New Mom's Guide to Navigating the Fourth Trimester" which is coming out in hard cover this week! Jolene has generously offered to giveaway one copy of the book to a listener! Enter the rafflecopter giveaway here.

We covered SO much in this episode, but here were some highlights:

Thyroid Health during the Postpartum Period
Hashimoto's Disease (Postpartum Thyroiditis), which can affect up to 17% of women. We talk about what it is, the symptoms and treatments and how it can affect future fertility.
Realistic Self Care Practices
The importance of taking enough time off of work during your postpartum period
Hilarious thoughts she had towards the end of her home birth labor.
How our emotions SHOULD go up and down and we should explore that
How we need to treat miscarriage with more reverence

Thank you so much for sharing your insights and knowledge, Jolene!!

To learn more about Jolene, you can check out here website here.

Don't forget to purchase her new book that is sure to be an amazing resource for new moms here.

for new moms here.

You can find the show wherever you find your podcasts, or stream it directly here.

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As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

The podcast is also sponsored by Audible.com. To get your FREE audiobook and 30-day trial, please go to http://www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon. No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show. Click here to learn more.

I thank you SO much for your support!

Today I chat with doula, certified hypnotherapist, hypnodoula, and hypnobabies instructor Michelle Lockett. Michelle is also a mom to two and part of our local doula collective Capital City Doulas as well.

In the episode we chat about:

How her healing second birth led her into birth work.
The dire importance of rallying support after you have a baby.
Processing our fear surrounding birth and parenthood.
What a hypnotherapy session looks like
Having a fund at your baby shower for a postpartum doula or birth doula instead of getting more baby stuff.
How the whole first year of your baby's life is when you are giving birth to yourself as a mother.

The blog post I mentioned about a moms group for moms who don't want to talk about being moms can be found here.

Locally, I mentioned Midtown Lactation Consultants and you can find them here.

You can find out more about Michelle's Doula and Hypnotherapy Services and classes here.

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As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.

Do you shop on Amazon? Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.

I thank you SO much for your support!

Just a quick "Hello" to say Happy Holidays and that I'll be back with a new full episode on January 5th! Have a safe and wonderful holiday season, from my family to yours!

Today is a special episode where I invited Kelsey Wharton from episode 4 back to both give us an update on her life with two children and to have her interview ME.

I wanted to turn the tables and be able to share my own birth and postpartum stories with my listeners without having me just talk at you. And Kelsey's podcast, The Girl Next Door Podcast with her neighbor Erica is one of my favorites and her and I really connected so I thought she would be a wonderful person to have on to interview me!

In this episode we talk about:

Kelsey's advice & experience on life with two kiddos
About my daughter Clare's birth story (which you can also read here) & both Kelsey and I's coping methods for labor
My ICEA certification and how I decided to enter birth work
Nipple Shields & Tailbone Pain
Accepting the changes in our bodies Postpartum
Focusing on non-comparison, and doing what's right for our babies and families
And so much more.

Thank you SO much Kelsey for coming on and taking over the show for an episode! :)

Check out Kelsey's Blog, Rising Shining.

Also the Girls Next Door Podcast and her other podcast with her husband, Matrimoney where they discuss marriage and money. You won't be disappointed!

As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here.

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An update on The Postpartum Year Anthology: Thank you all SO much for your submissions! I have received over 50. Yay! Due to the insanity of the holidays, I will likely not get into reading through them until the new year. (An email will go out to those who submitted shortly, so hang tight.)

And again - THANK YOU!

Today’s episode is with Carmen Oates. Carmen is a DONA, Rebozo and Hypnobabies certified birth doula and mom to 3 living children and one angel baby. When Carmen was featured in this issue of Kidaround Magazine I knew I wanted to share her story with you all.

Carmen tells the story of how she lost her first baby during labor. Her first child had a chromosome disorder – trisomy 18. Her perspective of this experience is so heartbreaking and beautiful and she gives some great advice about how to deal with pregnancy and infant loss and to support someone who may be going through it. A great local organization she mentioned for support is Sharing Parents.

We also talked about:

· The transition of meeting the needs of two little ones when the second baby came around, including tandem nursing.

· The benefits of having a large age gap between her two oldest and her youngest baby

· Trusting yourself when it comes to parenting, birth and everything in between

· The Nicaraguan tradition of “Cuarentena” or 40 days rest after a new baby is born.

· How “shoulds” are evil.

· How to manage our lives less and really live them more.

· The importance of listening to all new moms, including those who have had losses.

You can find out more about Carmen at her website here.

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As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here.

The Postpartum Year Anthology deadline is approaching, get your story in here!

And a very Happy Thanksgiving to my listeners in the United States!

Hi all - today's episode is a short quick reminder episode:

First - the deadline for the postpartum year anthology is quick approaching! Please get your stories in by December 1st. More information and guidelines here.

Second - don't forget you can support the show by shopping with us on Amazon. Just bookmark the link and do your shopping as usual. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this!

Finally - in 2016 I will be introducing mini episodes called "Ask the Childbirth Educator" so please send any and all questions you have about pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum to postpartumpodcast@gmail.com.

Thank you ALL for listening!

Today is a very special episode, I talk with one of my best mama friends, Monica Denniston. Monica and I met when our daughters were just 5 and 8 weeks old in a mommy baby yoga class. Our girls are nearly two now and have literally ‘grown up’ together. Monica is due with baby number 2, a boy, in January. We’ve been talking about having her on the podcast since I began recording them, and I’m so glad to be able to share her story.

In this episode we talk about:

Monica’s unique vaginal breech birth story. Monica delivered at the same hospital I did here locally. If you check out the Mama Sherpas documentary, Sutter Davis is featured and includes her OB delivering another vaginal breech birth. (Shout out Annette Fineberg!)
How Monica made the decision to go from being a corporate lawyer to staying at home with her daughter and the ever-present pressure society puts on women to stay in the workforce.
How to deal with “helpful” advice from friends, family and even strangers
The importance of mom friends, hiring a doula and reaching out to a lactation consultant.
How being able to make the choice to stay at home was the first time she really felt like a “real” adult because she was doing something for herself and not just because society said she “should.”

I know you will love this episode and our conversation! Love you, M.

You can find Monica’s blog “Cest’ Law Vie” here.

As always, you can find the podcast on iTunes.

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Don’t forget! You still have a couple weeks to submit your stories for The Postpartum Year anthology. More information at www.kelliejoy.com/book

Thank you again for listening, supporting the show, and supporting moms!

Today I chat with Catharine Bramkamp. Catharine is an author, college professor, writing coach and podcast host of The Newbie Writers Podcast. She is also mom to two grown boys. Catharine and I met several years ago at the San Francisco Writer's Conference. She's hilarious and witty and I loved getting to chat with her about her postpartum stories - especially because she has the great benefit of perspective on those early years now that her boys are grown. We chat about:

The benefits of having mom friends close by, within walking distance
The benefits of having kids close together in age - hers are 16 months apart
The great benefit of building your tribe, it doesn't have to be family, it can be anyone who is supportive!
The real challenge but importance of staying in the moment with our babies while they are little.
And finally - why we need to stay away from Dr. Google!

I know you will enjoy her interview, and be sure to check out Catharine's website here.

You can check out her new book, Future Gold on Amazon.

And give The Newbie Writer's Podcast a listen!

As always, you can find the podcast on iTunes.

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Have you reviewed us on iTunes? You still have time to enter this giveaway by leaving us a review this week!

Don't forget to get your submissions in for The Postpartum Year anthology!

I am so excited to share this episode with you all! When I heard Jeanne Faulkner speak on One Bad Mother a few months ago, I knew right away that I wanted to have her on the show. Jeanne is a writer, registered nurse and strong maternal health care improvement advocate. She works with the Every Mother Counts non-profit which is dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for all mothers around the world. She is also the author of the book Common Sense Pregnancy: Navigating a Healthy Birth for Mother and Baby which came out earlier this year.

In this episode we talk about how Jeanne came to change paths from a career as a labor and delivery nurse to that of a writer. We also talk about how her "Ask the Labor Nurse" column for Fit Pregnancy led to her writing her Common Sense Pregnancy book.

We talk about her very differing birth and postpartum stories with each of her children. She's given birth with all kinds of practitioners and both in and out of hospitals. She talks about pregnancy, birth and postpartum during nursing school, and as she took the nursing boards, and even during cancer treatments after her 4th child.

I loved being able to share Jeanne's knowledge and expertise with you all. We talked about the state of maternal healthcare today and about how she hopes we are going into seeing a shift in the way things happen, and how we as women and moms, as well as practitioners can help make this happen.

I really think it's good for us to hear moms who have been there already, perhaps have grown kids, and are able to tell us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel getting through these hard early years of raising kids. Thank you so much again, Jeanne for coming on and sharing with us!

You can find Jeanne's book here.

You can find her website here.

Here is more about the Every Mother Counts nonprofit.

As always, you can find the podcast on iTunes

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Have you reviewed us on iTunes? You still have time to enter this giveaway by leaving us a review.

Don't forget to get your submissions in for The Postpartum Year anthology!

Today I was SO inspired by Samantha Broyles Birth and Postpartum stories. Samantha is the blogger behind All About Baby's World and a mom of two girls. In her episode, we talk about how she went from having a breech caesarean in the hospital to delivering her second daughter as a VBAC at home and what went into making that happen. We discuss the challenges of tandem nursing and how she's making that work with her 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old. I love what she said about breastfeeding being natural but not always easy. This is so true and a reason to always ask for help. Seeing a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader can make all the difference. Samantha's strength in truly advocating for herself and her maternal healthcare is inspiring.

You can find out more about her blog and the types of baby products she reviews, check out All About Baby's World.

You can also find her on Facebook & Twitter

If you’re listening on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms! It only takes a couple minutes and it really helps out the show. Plus, if you do so between now and November 1st, you'll be entered the win this New Mama Care Package.

Ready to share YOUR story? The Postpartum Year: Tales From the Trenches in the First Year of Motherhood anthology is accepting submissions now!

Today I chat with Danielle Corrales. Danielle is single mom to one 4 year old boy, Joah and works full time in mortgage banking. Danielle found the podcast via the social media grapevine and reached out to me to be on the show (which yay - please keep doing that!) And I'm so glad she did. Not only is her story unique, but she's local here in Sacramento where I'm based and we've even been able to meet up in person for a playdate since the recording.

In the episode we talk about what it was like for her to go through pregnancy and postpartum as a single mom, how going to school full-time and caring for Joah actually turned out to be 'the best of both worlds, and how amazing it sometimes can be when you get to create an unconventional family for your kiddo. Danielle shares how even though her birth didn't go to her "plan" she still felt empowered and educated. She wants to stress to new moms that every baby is unique and every mama is unique and every story is unique. Things we all need to remember!

We also mentioned the super helpful Happiest Baby on the Block book and DVD.

Enjoy!

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms! It only takes a couple minutes and it really helps out the show.

Ready to share YOUR story? The Postpartum Year: Tales From the Trenches in the First Year of Motherhood anthology is accepting submissions now!

Today I got to interview Katie Clemons, creator of Gadanke and blogger at Making This Home. In this episode we talked about how Katie was inspired by her 90-year-old grandma and Story Corps to start her journaling and writing prompt business Gadanke. She has a fantastic pregnancy journaling course and she explains how that came to be.

We also talk about how even though storytelling is her business, she struggled with sharing her own positive birth story for fear of what others with difficult births would think. She shares her experience of giving birth around the same time that she lost both of her grandmothers and how that affected postpartum for her, and finally how it was to give a TedX talk at 7 months pregnant.

Katie is such a wonderful soul, I am sure you will be encouraged by her stories!

You can find Katie’s TedX Talk here.

You can learn more about Katie's journal company Gadanke here.

Be sure to check out her pregnancy journaling course, also!

You can find Katie's blog Making This Home here.

You can find here on Twitter and Instagram.

As always, you can download the episode on iTunes here and subscribe to the podcast as well.

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms! It only takes a couple minutes and it really helps out the show.

Ready to share YOUR story? The Postpartum Year: Tales From the Trenches in the First Year of Motherhood anthology is accepting submissions now!

This week I chat with Lindsey Taylor, the owner of the doula agency Taylor Made Doulas. Lindsey is a full spectrum birth and postpartum doula and mom of 4. In this episode we talk about the mom/life balance, how she started a business during her 4th child's postpartum year and how that experience compared to that of her first child when she was just 18 years old.

We also talk about the importance of prenatal childbirth education and postpartum support and how we need to be real with one another about the whole picture when it comes to breastfeeding, not just the social media worthy moments.

You can find out more about Lindsey and her doula agency here.

The postpartum depression documentary we mentioned is Dark Side of the Full Moon.

As always, you can download the episode on iTunes here and stream it directly here.

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Don't forget - The Postpartum Year: Tales From the Trenches in the First Year of Motherhood anthology is accepting submissions now! More info at www.postpartumyear.com

Listen to today's episode for a special announcement! The Postpartum Podcast is being turned into a book! More info at www.postpartumyear.com!

The Postpartum Year: Tales from the Trenches in the First Year of Motherhood.

Thank you SO much for listening!

Today I chat with the lovely, jack of many trades Rachel Rambach. She is a board certified music therapist, singer, songwriter, educator, blogger, podcaster and now – a mom of TWO! Her daughter, Mia, was born at the end of May after we recorded this podcast.

We chat about:

· The unique challenges of maternity leave when you work for yourself and own a business, and working as a music therapist in the afternoons.

· Sleep Deprivation

· Dealing with an incredibly quick first labor and how that shaped her view and expectations for her second labor

· What a music therapist does. (So cool!)

· How pregnancy is different the second time around with a toddler running around

· And a whole lot more!

It was so wonderful talking with Rachel – if you want to learn more about her, check out her podcast, Guitars & Granola Bars, her Blog, and her private music therapy practice. You can also find her on Instagram and Twitter.

As always, you can download the episode on iTunes here.

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Look for a SPECIAL Mini-Episode next week with an exciting announcement!

Happy August!

Today's episode was an incredibly informative and helpful episode! I chat with Anne Dimond who is a co-creator of Bella Materna. Whoever said there was no such thing as a pretty nursing bra never has bought from Bella Materna. Their maternity wear and bras are beautiful and very well made. (I think I need to buy several more of their anytime tanks - they are SO comfy.)

We chat about so many different things, her experience with pre-term bedrest, MRSA on her breasts, the importance of wearing comfortable clothes during labor and negotiating parenting roles with your partner ahead of time.

And especially important since it's Anne's expertise, we talk about nursing bras, bra sizing during your pregnancy, postpartum and later breastfeeding periods. Important stuff!

I learned so much during this episode and I know you will too. Anne has also graciously offered podcast listeners 20% your purchase at Bella Materna now until September 1st with the code PostpartumPodcast.

You can find Bella Materna online here.

You can also find and follow them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast, download the episode on iTunes here. While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Thank you!

This week I talk with Sara Hery. Sara is an internationally certified childbirth educator and has been a practicing birth doula since 2005. She is also working towards becoming a certified nurse midwife and is a mom of 2. Sara's story is such a wonderful example of pushing through the adversity that often new moms face. We talk about her experience with a home birth transfer and tongue tie with her first, and a torn iliacus muscle that led to postpartum depression with her second and how Bowen therapy helped her recover. Her experience is inspiring and I hope it helps other moms realize that you can come out on the other side of these experiences, or similar ones, stronger. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Sara, her classes and the BBB Cafe here.

Some other resources for postpartum support that we also mentioned include La Leche League, Postpartum Support International, Doula Match, DONA and CAPPA.

If you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Thank you!

Today I chat with Heather Ash of the blog Happiness Mama. Heather is mom to two little girls and step mom to one boy. In this episode we chat about the importance of remembering to think about postpartum while you are pregnant, postpartum depression and anxiety awareness, and the beauty of lactation consultant home visits.

Heather was also generous enough to offer podcast listeners her postpartum bliss list - which is 10 conversations to have before (or after) baby comes and her favorite baby and toddler sleep tools and resources. Make sure you go here to get yours!

You can find Heather at her blog Happiness Mama

And on Twitter here.

As always, you can download the episode on iTunes here.

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Thanks for listening!

This week I’m so excited to be chatting with Lisa Druxman! Lisa is the creator of the incredibly popular Fit4Mom exercise program, which includes Fit 4 Baby, Stroller Strides and their newer Body Back program. Lisa also created the Motivating Mom Podcast, which I love, to give moms ‘the strength for motherhood.” In this episode we talk a lot about fitness and health because that’s her specialty, and we also talk about taking time for ourselves as moms. She has so many wise words and practical advice, and I love what she says about thinking about ‘How do we want this chapter of our stories to read?” New motherhood is such a short flicker in the span of a life, so I think that’s a perfect way to think about it! Enjoy!

To learn more about Lisa’s podcast, check out the Motivating Mom Podcast.

To learn more about Fit4Mom and to find a class in your area, go here.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

While you’re on iTunes, I hope you consider rating and reviewing the show so that we can reach more moms!

Thanks for listening!

Today I talk with the wonderful Kari Shipman. Kari is a mom to one baby girl, and the owner and creative director of Juniper James whose tagline is “Fashion Moving People Forward.” Kari is also the official and exclusive stylist for Kidaround Magazine. In this episode we talk about how she had to slow down her crazy work schedule before becoming a mom, her passion for helping people and especially new moms and about realizing how much the little stuff ceases to matter after becoming a parent. She also gives some neat ideas for memory keeping during pregnancy and throughout baby’s first year. Enjoy!

You can find Kari’s work with Juniper James here. I love her concept of “Maternal Maven Makeovers”

Check out her styling work at Kidaround Magazine.

She’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you want to support the show, please use this amazon link to do your regular shopping, check out audible for audiobooks, and please rate and review us on iTunes. This helps more moms find the show!

Thanks for listening!

Today I chat with the amazingly talented Elizabeth Laime of the Totally Married and Totally Mommy podcasts and formerly of the now defunct Totally Laime podcast. I was so excited to have her on, as her podcasts are two of my absolute favorites that I look forward to every week. She is mom to one baby girl who just over a year old, a comedy writer and wife to Andy who is a record producer. She and Andy host their weekly Totally Married Podcast while she co-hosts Totally Mommy with a different mom friend each week.

In this episode we discuss her experience having her first birth at the Del Mar Birth Center in Pasadena, what led her to switch from an OB/GYN to a Midwife and all of the extreme feelings that come along with the first year of motherhood. We also talk about the benefits of prenatal couples counseling and that although the identity shift that takes place during the first year is a massive one, you WILL get your identity mojo back, in time. Elizabeth is wonderful and hilarious and I think you will really enjoy this episode!

You can find out more about her and about her podcasts at www.totallylaime.com

You can also follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Today I chat with Kristen Tenini. Kristen is a mom of TWIN one-year-old girls. She is formerly a hospice social worker, but once they found out they were expecting twins, her and her husband decided to have her stay at home and she loves being home with her daughters. In this episode we discuss the challenges she faced as a first time mom of twins, and her experience in the NICU. We also talk about the benefits of telling your loved ones about your pregnancy early on and the freedom that can be found when you learn the confidence to do things by yourself while caring for young children. Kristen was a delight to talk with and I really think her insights resonate, whether you are a mom of a singleton, twins or more! Enjoy!

Today I talk with the lovely and passionate Tashina Benning. Tashina is a birth doula and childbirth educator. She is mom to an 8-year-old and a 2-year-old. We talked about her transition from marketing work to birth work and about her very different birth stories with her two kids. She reminds us of the importance of childbirth education, choosing your birth facility and the power of a village of friends to support you during postpartum and beyond. One of my favorite things she says is when it comes to guests during postpartum, we should follow this rule: “If you come over, bring something. If you stay, do something.” Enjoy!

You can find more information about Tashina at her website: http://www.indulgentbirth.com/

The International Caesarean Awareness Group can be found here.

The Business of Being Born and Orgasmic Birth documentaries were also referenced.

Finally, here is the link for the Sacramento Birth Community Group.

PS – Don’t forget, you can also support the podcast by checking out Audible.com at www.audibletrial.com/postpartum or do your Amazon shopping with us.

Today I talk with Marriage and Family Therapist, Catherine O’Brien. Catherine is a mom of a 6 year old and almost 2 year old. She is incredibly passionate about helping new parents and helping couples strengthen their relationships when adding a new baby to the family. She helps clarify the difference between all the different postpartum mood disorders as well as the risk factors. We also talk about how she got into working with the postpartum demographic and she shares advice for couples to help with this transition, including making time for each other and information about the Gottman relationship institute. Her information is so helpful and her passion and support is contagious! Enjoy!

You can find Catherine’s website and online resources at www.happywithbaby.com.
If you are interested in Catherine’s Sacramento New Mom Connections Meetup Group, you can check it out here.
Catherine also has classes locally including “Mine, Yours, Ours: A relationship survival guide for baby’s first year.” This takes place at Herself Moms.
You can purchase John Gottman’s book that was mentioned here: And Baby Makes Three: The Six-Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and Rekindling Romance After Baby Arrives

Today I talk with my dear friend Pam Hart. Pam is a register dental assistant and has one son, Benjamin who is my daughter Clare’s birthday twin. She also has two French Bulldogs and a kitty. I really enjoyed chatting with her about her postpartum story. She is incredibly encouraging about how calm and wonderful birth can be. We talk about how important other mom friends can be during the postpartum year and also about how all of your friendships change and shift as your life goes through the huge change of becoming a parent.

We also talked about these two songs: “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” that pretty much sums up our combined feelings on this postpartum year.

This podcast is now sponsored by Audible. To get a free audiobook while supporting the show, please visit www.audibletrial.com/postpartum

Thank you SO much for your support!!

Today I interview the doula I had for my birth with Clare, Nataly Bates. Nataly is a Birth Arts International trained birth doula. She is also a Hypnobabies certified hypnodoula and is rebozo certified. Nataly is also mom to two wonderful children. In this episode, Nataly and I talk about the importance of support, both during childbirth and after. Nataly talks about why she decided to become a birth doula and how different her postpartum stories were with each child. We also discuss chiropractic care and postpartum depression and the importance of finding and asking for help when you need it. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Nataly on her website here.

You can also find her on Facebook here.

I was so excited to chat with Kelsey Wharton of the Girls Next Door Podcast for this episode. I feel like we are such kindred spirits and we could have talked for so much longer. I hope to have her on the podcast again in the future.

Kelsey is a science writer for Arizona State University, a blogger at RisingShining.com, and a podcaster on the Girls Next Door Podcast. She is a mom of two boys - her second was just a month old when we recorded.

In this episode we talk about the transition from maternity leave to going back to work full time, postpartum blues and the importance of birth doulas. We also chat about the e-course that Kelsey is working on called Radiant Mamas. This will be a course geared towards bringing community and supporting working moms. Thank you SO much Kelsey for coming on!

Check out the Girls Next Door Podcast here.

Read Kelsey’s Blog here.

You can also connect with Kelsey on Twitter and Instagram.

The website Kelsey mentioned for setting up a food train for new moms was Food Tidings**.

Today we talk with Sarah R. Bagley, the host of the Sarah R. Bagley Podcast. Sarah is a blogger, podcaster, group fitness instructor and part time working mom of two – with a new baby on the way! On her podcast Sarah interviews guests about pushing past perfection and on what living a “B+” life looks like for them. During our episode Sarah and I talk about piece-mealing a work/life balance together once you have children, the identity shift that comes with going from working full time to being a mom. We also discuss the importance of finding a good pediatrician, how unexpected the loneliness of postpartum can be, prenatal and postpartum exercise and the importance of confidence during the postpartum period. Sarah is a joy to talk to and her confidence is sure to inspire. Enjoy!

You can find Sarah’s blog here.

You can listen to Sarah’s podcast here.

If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving us a rating or review on iTunes. These help the podcast get more visibility and reach more moms. Thanks for listening!

Today we chat with Emilie Beecroft. Emilie is a postpartum doula, lactation consultant assistant and mom to two. Her children are 4 ½ and 2 1/2 . We chat about how Emilie decided to pursue becoming a postpartum doula, what a postpartum doula does and why a new mom might want to hire one and about some really helpful resources for new moms, both locally in our Sacramento area and more generally. When the weather gets nice again, Em will be hosting her monthly postpartum in the park moms groups here in Sacramento. You can follow her facebook page for more updates. She also hosts new moms groups at Java Mama here in Folsom twice per month on the first and third Tuesday. My favorite part of the interview was what she would tell a new mom – “You’re Doing It Right.” Enjoy the show!

You can find Emilie’s website here.

Follow her on Facebook here.

Emilie is also a member of the Capital City Doula collective.

In the inaugural episode of the Postpartum Podcast, I speak with Lesley Miller of the blog Barefooton45th. She is also the editor of Kidaround magazine, wife to Jonathan and mom of two. In this episode we talk about how her first postpartum year was rocked by her husband’s cancer diagnosis, how different her postpartum period looked like with her second child, the importance of slowing down during your postpartum year, rest, and listening to your instincts. Lesley also talks about how helpful counseling can be and overcoming her struggles with anger during the newborn period. Her honesty is inspiring and I thank her so much for sharing her story!

A blog post of hers that we discussed was her post called “Dear Mom of a Newborn.”

You can find her blog here.

You can find her on Twitter here.

You can find her on Facebook here.

You can find Kidaround magazine here.