Episode 59: Mini-Episode: New things on the Podcast in 2017 and a Note about Diversity

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   

Episode 57: "Healing Your Perspective of Your Body Through Motherhood" with Judy Tsuei

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, 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!

Episode 56: "No one is making choices AT you" & The Importance of Self Care with Amy & Dawn Moy

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!

Episode 55: "There Should Be Gold Stars in Parenting" with Karen Johnson

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.  

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!

Episode 53: “Learning to Receive Support” – Postpartum Psychosis with Lisa Abramson

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.  

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

Episode 52: “Just Because it’s hard, doesn’t mean you are doing it wrong”: Working Motherhood with Kelsey Wharton and Sarah Bagley

Kelsey and her boys, Cedric and Dashiell

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 at risingshining.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.  

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!

Sarah and her kids, Kate, Michael and Thomas

Episode 51: "Say Thank You and Eat the Weird Food (AKA Accept Help!) " with Angelina Valentin

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.  

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!

Episode 50: "It's all just flying by the seat of your pants" with Rosemary Fernandez

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.  

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!

Episode 49: An Unplanned Caesarean and Parenting a Child with Hearing Loss with Tina Donvito

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.  

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!

Episode 48: "The Postpartum Body and The Difficulty of Not Knowing" with Jenna Hollenstein

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. 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!

Episode 47: "You are gonna get through it! Postpartum Depression, PUPPs and More" with Alaura Weaver

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. 

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!

Episode 46: "You aren't going to be a perfect mother, but you are going to be THEIR perfect mother" with Colleen Lutz Clemens

Pregnancy Photo taken By Colleen's friend as mentioned in episode

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.

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

Episode 45: "You ARE the mom. And it is up to YOU" With Theresa Thorn of One Bad Mother

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.

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

Episode 44: "This is impossibly hard, and you actually ARE doing a really good job" with Biz Ellis of One Bad Mother

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

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

Episode 43: "You Can Take The Cape Off" with Ron Malott of Design Daddy and The Baby Team

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.

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

Episode 42: "Not every day is going to be your best day." Music Therapy for Childbirth and Postpartum with Kate Taylor

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.

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

Episode 41: "It's about Positive not Perfect" with Stephanie Dullanty

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. 

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

Episode 40: "The Days are Long and The Years are Short" with Sarah Homec of Mommy Mailbox

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 below for a chance to win the June Mommy Mailbox!

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

a 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 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!

Episode 39: "Take it one day at a time, you aren't alone" with Kate Abbott, author of Walking After Midnight: Into and Out of Postpartum Depression

Today 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!

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

Episode 38: "We Can Do Hard Things" with Stasia Savasuk of Thrift Me Pretty

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!

Picture mentioned in the episode of the doctor telling her all the things that were "wrong" with her daughter

Pregnant with her son who was almost 11 lbs!

Stasia with both her kiddos!

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.

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