Motherbirth

Sarah Peck was the first employee to get pregnant at the Silicon Valley startup she worked for. And while her boss affirmed things would work out, she could feel unconscious competition and misogyny in the air. Inside she was feeling lonely and wondering if she was sacrificing the career she had built. In addition to her other duties, she was tasked with helping to write the ‘maternity employee handbook’ for the entire organization.

Since that time, Sarah has left that position to become an entrepreneur and to follow her passion for writing. She founded Startup Pregnant, a soulful space for women wanting to be intentional about the intersection of career and motherhood, based on her own experience of unpacking what it meant to be a woman in a corporate startup venture blended with her many years of blogging experience.

During our conversation, we delve into the seldom discussed topics of how the modern world changes the way women prepare for pregnancy, how keeping up with the Joneses can add stressors to what should be a transformative experience and the myth of finding a work-life balance.

Sarah articulates beautifully the struggle so many of us feel — how can we pursue meaningful work that matters while also desiring to create a family landscape that is nurturing and healthy?

In This Episode:

• Having a baby in the male-dominated startup world
• The benefits of having a pregnant woman on the team
• The emotionally complex situation entrepreneurs face while expecting
• How pregnancy launched her new career
• How she created a company’s policies on pregnancy and maternity leave
• How she took a softer approach to parenting in the commercialized ‘baby market’
• Cost-justifying a Doula
• How her partner negotiated extended time off to spend with family
• How the inexpensive gift of letters from family and friends can help guide parents through their first year
• How to building body confidence during pregnancy
• The effects of the modern lifestyle on the birthing experience
• How she prepared for birth physically, mentally, and spiritually
• Visualising the tender care you want from others during postpartum
• How women can be more specific about what they want
• How to build your maternity wardrobe with style and ease online

Show Notes:

Startup Pregnant
Startup Pregnant Podcast
@StartupPregnant on Twitter
Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door

A lack of support during her postpartum transition inspired today’s guest, Kate Turza, to become a certified postpartum doula. Feelings of frustration and loneliness crept over her after the birth of her third child. Her searches for support in her rural Long Island community came up empty. She decided to offer women the support she wished she’d had by becoming a doula and by joining the board of a non-profit that facilitates a monthly birth circle.

During our conversation, Kate shares the problems she encountered during breastfeeding due to a retained placenta and lack of hormones, how doula training brought balance back into her life, and the struggles mothers and partners face finding community and support today’s individualized culture.

We talk about why postpartum support is absolutely negotiable, why you might want a postpartum Doula, and how to get the support you need even if there aren’t a lot of resources in your community.

In This Episode:

What a postpartum doula does
What a postpartum doula does not do
How mothers put pressure on themselves by setting unrealistic goals
How she dealt with increased anxiety during her postpartum transition
The struggles of breastfeeding and sleep deprivation for many new mothers
How a retained placenta affects a new mothers ability to nurse
How societal changes are affecting the fourth trimester
Considering a partner’s emotional needs during the birth cycle
Creating a support community for mothers and partners
Where to find support in the U.S. and internationally
How to build your maternity wardrobe with style and ease

Show Notes:

La Leche League — U.S. Branch
DONA — International Doula Training
CAPPA — International Doula Certification
Trust Your Body Again — Motherbirth Course
Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door

Today’s guest, Evan Manskey, always wanted a family but doubted her body’s ability to have children. A self-proclaimed late bloomer, her monthly menstruation didn’t come until after she started driving. When she experienced excessive bleeding during her first two pregnancies, both of which ended as miscarriages, she was overcome with anxiety and fell into depression. She and her husband decided to take a break from trying to conceive.

Today, Evan and her husband have two sons and they are also foster parents to children who need temporary homes with loving families. During our conversation, Evan shares her emotional story of beating the odds, her difficult but beautiful transition into motherhood, how she fulfilled her desire to have a vaginal birth after a Cesarean (VBAC), and how fostering children affects family dynamics.

In This Episode:

• The courage to try again after two miscarriages
• Overcoming anxiety and depression during the journey to motherhood
• How she found support and friendship in online communities
• The major life shift a new mother experiences
• Having a Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC)
• How her doctor decided to dismiss her as a patient
• The benefit of surrounding yourself with encouraging people
• The empowering feeling of giving birth on your own terms
• The work of attachment in foster care
• What it is like to mother a child that is not your own knowing they will soon leave
• How to build your maternity wardrobe with style and ease

Show Notes:

Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door

In today’s episode, Amanda Cunningham shares the moving story of her two very distinct birth experiences. During her first pregnancy, she was euphoric and felt a profound spiritual connection to her son but after he was born, the separation triggered a severe postpartum loneliness which lasted for eighteen months. And after struggling with the decision of her readiness to have another child, her daughter was born with an undetected, random form of Down Syndrome.

Amanda’s feelings during her postpartum depression overwhelmed her and took a toll on her marriage. She found relief in a prescription of progesterone and the understanding that she was could affect how she allowed her feelings to affect her. Acknowledging her feelings empowered her to move forward and take the actions necessary to heal.

We talk about the extremely complicated emotions she faced after their daughters unexpected Down Syndrome diagnosis, how different she felt about her pregnancies, and how she came to terms with it all.

In This Episode:

• Feeling spiritually connected to an unborn child
• Experiencing extreme loneliness during postpartum
• Taking progesterone during a postpartum transition
• The expectations of others
• How to know when you are ready to conceive again after a difficult postpartum transition
• Severe, long-lasting illness during pregnancy
• The three types of Down Syndrome
• Being introduced to a diagnosis rather than a child
• The unexpected mourning of what may never be
• The benefits of a grief counselor
• How to get a free one-month trial of guided meditations through Expectful

Show Notes:

@RoryBlakeisGreat on Instagram
The Down Syndrome Diagnostic Network
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members

In today’s episode, we discuss the spiritual, mental, and emotional transitions women go through on their motherhood journey. Dr. Katayune Kaeni — aka Dr. Kat — joins us to share the traumatic personal experience that led her to specialize in maternal mental health and how she helps women to prepare for and heal from the under-discussed challenges mothers face.

When Dr. Kat experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, she was unsure exactly what was happening. Like many women, she felt ashamed, embarrassed and didn’t open up about what she was experiencing. And as a psychologist, she thought she should be able to figure it out on her own.

During our conversation, we learn about how Dr. Kat started her healing process with energy work and whole body healing, how she empowers women to answer the ‘what if’ questions, and the many different ways our motherhood journeys change us.

In This Episode:

• Why many women are silent about their postpartum anxiety
• How women can ask for support from a partner or their community
• The limited support mothers receive through social structures
• Depression assessments
• The relationship between the motherhood journey and the mental health journey
• Energy work and whole body healing
• The unexpected ways healing occurs
• How to separate what is happening to you from who you are
• Creating an adjustable set of expectations for friends and family
• How to get a free one-month trial of guided meditations through Expectful

Show Notes:

The Mom & Mind Podcast
Mom & Mind Podcast on Facebook
Mom & Mind on Instagram
Dr. Kaeni on Twitter
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members

Today’s episode inspires women to shed the programming and ideals society has fed us about how we feel about our bodies and what we should look like. Licensed Psychotherapist Ellen Boeder shares insights on how to be empowered during motherhood and beyond and how we can profoundly respect the value of our nurturing, feminine, magnificent selves.

Ellen has spent most of her career working with women through the deep-rooted confusion that can lead to eating disorders and body image issues. She helps women sort through the culturally handed-down and media-driven information that has created unrealistic ideals of what it means to be a woman.

We get into how pregnancy and the postpartum period can be significant contributors to a woman’s perception of her body and lead to body dysmorphia, eating disorders and generalized shame about our bodies and even our worth as humans.

During our conversation, Ellen also shares her own personal journey to motherhood including how she integrated the newfound joy of motherhood with her treasured career.

In This Episode:

• The narrative women are offered around work and their bodies
• Society’s impact on the motherhood journey
• The use of food to distract from deeper issues
• The earning mentality: Binging and deprivation
• Motherhood as a trigger and a cure of body image issues
• Unconscious modeling
• The influence of marketing on women’s decisions about beauty, health, and wellness
• Disassembling the beliefs handed down from past generations
• The lost practice of celebrating our fertile bodies
• A Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT)
• Using crowdfunding to save for future college expenses

Show Notes:

Rearranged by Motherhood Blog
Rearranged by Motherhood on Facebook
Ellen Boeder Private Practice
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link

In today’s episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Megan Connolly, a Co-Founder of Well Made Mama. There are many resources available to women regarding the physical changes their bodies experience during motherhood but few focus on the emotional and mental transformations that last a lifetime.

For Megan, starting a conversation and raising awareness about the importance of community during motherhood is essential. Her organization aims to offer resources and community to modern mothers to help them thrive in their transition to motherhood.

The science of motherhood often has a gap that exists in what to expect when preparing for a baby. During our conversation, we discuss the changes in our society that have removed the community component from motherhood, how making friends can be an essential survival skill for a mother, the neuroscience of motherhood, identity shifts, and how to adapt to all of these changes in a personal, healthy way.

In This Episode:

• The continuous state of change that is motherhood
• The role of oxytocin and dopamine during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• How having a community can ease your anxiety
• The transitions and identity shifts of young mothers
• The process of turning to information for comfort in place of communities
• Creating an assessment of the level of support a new mother has
• Tips for finding a community
• How to invest in your well-being
• Different cultures offer different levels of community support
• How friends are beneficial role models to mothers
• Extending the meaning of postpartum
• Using crowdfunding to save for future college expenses

Show Notes:

Well Made Mama
Trust Your Body Again — A Course from Motherbirth
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link

In today’s episode, we speak with three women who were instrumental in establishing midwifery into traditional, bustling, hospital settings. Between them, they have over 50+ years of birth work experience and they continue to mentor, teach and serve women in the midwife community and beyond.

Nel assisted her mother in the birth of a sibling at age three. The baby was stillborn. This left a lasting impression on her. After countless babies appeared in her life, she knew she should follow the path to midwifery and has dedicated her career to creating a homebirth model in a small hospital setting. She currently mentors and teaches midwifery to midwives in rural Maine. Nell has pioneered many revolutionary practices in midwifery and is well known for her contributions.

Denise is a midwife in a hospital in The Bronx. She assists women from marginalized areas of society gain access to a midwife in high-risk pregnancies. She works to build trust with doctors who may not understand the role or purpose of a midwife and with the patients who come from various cultural backgrounds.

Sharon is Chief of the Midwifery Division and oversees a midwife education program at Baystate Medical Center. She works with women who need care but have barriers to getting it. She helps women of all backgrounds to make informed decisions about their pregnancy with the goal of removing the anxiety and judgment sometimes related to the birth process.

We sat with these women and heard their powerful stories and now share their power with you.

*This is our second session of recordings with women who serve as midwives from the Motherbirth booth at the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference.

In This Episode:

• The importance of relationships
• The similarities of Midwifery in rural and urban environments
• Integrating the homebirth model into a hospital setting
• How midwives can decrease the level of trauma during birth
• Changes in midwife care since the 1970’s
• The continuity model of care
• Eliminating the judgment women have about their birth experience
• Building access to midwife care for women in marginalized communities
• Making doctors aware of the role of a midwife
• Prenatal and postpartum emotional support
• The need to reduce anxiety in expectant mothers
• Allowing the body to follow its natural birth process
• The father’s experience of childbirth
• Using crowdfunding to save for future college expenses

Show Notes:

Listen to Episode #68 — “Peyote In Labor, Feminism, and Running Away From the Army”
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link

In today’s episode, we speak with three extraordinary women who are dedicating their lives to the service of others. All three are birth workers who embrace respecting a woman’s cultural heritage and traditions. They candidly share their personal journeys and the wisdom they have cultivated over their many years of service.

T’Karima believes that birth is a ceremony. She is an American who deeply identifies with her Mexican roots. She is researching a highly controversial topic — using peyote during labor and giving birth in sweat lodges like many indigenous Latin American cultures do.

Missy is a certified midwife who serves all people. She is an advocate of human rights and for the LGBTQ+ community. She is working to implement an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) program within her practice.

Mary Rose is a nurse/midwife who left the Army at 18 when she became pregnant after being raped. She gave birth to her son at The Farm in Tennessee. She stayed at the Farm for four years as a midwife assistant apprentice and she now serves Navajo women on a reservation.

We sat with these women and heard their powerful stories and now share their power with you.

*This episode was recorded live from our Motherbirth booth at the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference.

In This Episode:

• The importance of respecting cultural heritage and customs
• Supporting a mother’s choice of birth environment and method
• Giving birth in a sweat lodge
• Using medicinal plants during pregnancy and childbirth
• Midwife care for LGBTQ+ communities
• Implementing an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) program
• What midwives can do next
• Identifying with multiple cultures
• The importance of language while serving all people
• Running away from the army after being raped and having no recourse
• Finding a safe place on The Farm to give birth and heal
• Setting a foundation of love and peace for children
• Using crowdfunding to save for future college expenses

Show Notes:
American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Conference
T’Karima Ticitl on Facebook
College Backer — Listeners of Motherbirth receive a $10 match contribution with this link

Today’s guest, Ashley Logsdon, had always wanted to have children and in the most natural way possible. During our conversation, she details each of her three birth stories - all of which took unexpected turns in the opposite direction of her birth plans. Ashley had to learn to accept the way her daughters chose to came - and by her third birth, she had learned how to advocate for the birth experience she wanted, pioneering the adoption of gentle, family-centered cesarean procedures in her local hospital.

Her experiences proved that it is possible to have an empowering experience while proactively preparing for emergency situations. Ashley is a huge proponent of educating yourself ahead of time to remove the stress and uncertainty of making big decisions in the moment.

Ashley works as a coach and educator for families who wish to connect with each other and the world in a meaningful way. Through personality assessments and the concept of a family vision, she communicates intentional living and accountability. Along with her husband and three girls, she travels the U.S. full-time, in an RV. She advocates for women, encouraging them to make their voices known, whether that be in pregnancy, birth, health care or anywhere else.

This was a fun and inspiring conversation full of really practical tips for mothers facing cesarean birth, but also for anyone wanting to create an intentional family life full of joy and purpose!

Expectful is a guided meditation app for each stage of the motherhood journey — you can sign up for an exclusive one-month free trial here!

In This Episode:

• How emotions can cause physical manifestations
• How to create a family-centric home
• Her experience having a natural cesarean
• Her ‘Before You Have Your Baby’ guidelines
• How to prepare for emergency situations during birth
• How DISC personality assessments can benefit family communications
• How she allows her children to see her humanness
• Creating family vision statements
• Living an intentional life
• The power of positivity
• How women can find their voice during a birth
• The book Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom
• How to get a free one-month trial of guided meditations through Expectful

Show Notes:
Mama Says Namaste
Mama Says Namaste Podcast
Mama Says Namaste on Instagram
Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members