As a mother of two, I know the fragility and rawness of postpartum. I also know how important it is for new mothers to take care of themselves physically and emotionally during this stage. It's also important to plan for support during postpartum. Because, in my opinion, it’s a stage that not enough families prepare for. On today's episode, I'm chatting with Caitlin Simpson, a perinatal social worker and postpartum cook in Houston, TX. Through her business, Dish Doula, she supports the physical and emotional health of new mothers with the power of good food. She creates specialty postpartum food and products and delivers them every week in the Houston area.

With services like Caitlin’s, I think communities could have a better and healthier start to parenthood. This is why I’m thrilled to discuss the postpartum period with her. We're talking about what women need to know and prepare for, as well as what foods they should have in their fridge and freezer for optimal healing and wellness.

One of my favorite things Caitlin said was, "We teach people how to treat us. And when you ask for help, you are showing people that you are strong and that you have confidence in yourself. When we ask for help, we give other women or other people that we are asking the freedom to ask us in return. We then get the privilege of taking care of one another."

Here are the resources that Caitlin and I mentioned during this episode:

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As our listeners know, Mary Alice and I both have recently given birth to baby girls! Mary Alice gave birth in December 2020 and I gave birth in February 2021. We are both in the thick of postpartum and we want to share with all of YOU what you may expect during the postpartum period. There are a lot of changes not only physically but emotionally. We feel that many expecting women prepare for childbirth, but are less prepared for postpartum life. By sharing our experiences and common symptoms as we de-mystify this fragile time, we hope more women can feel more confident as they enter into new motherhood. Here's everything you need to know on what to expect during the postpartum period.

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Many expecting mothers that I’ve taught or worked with as a doula or childbirth educator have expressed some sort of fear or anxiety when approaching their due date anticipating childbirth. While this is common, it still breaks my heart because birth can be a beautiful experience no matter how you give birth. And the best way to reduce your fear and anxiety is by educating yourself. It’s good to talk about what you can potentially expect so the unknown becomes more familiar and less scary. This is why we are thrilled to have Liesel Teen, a mom, wife, labor and delivery nurse from Raleigh, North Carolina, and the owner of Mommy Labor Nurse, with us today to talk about what you may expect when you go to the hospital in labor.

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As a doula, I know that many people have never heard of the term “VBAC,” which is the acronym for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. The old saying “once a C-section always a C-section” is a myth! I’ve supported dozens of VBAC mamas over the years and I have felt that a lot of families don’t get enough information or support about VBACs from their communities or care providers. However, I also know that VBACs aren’t for everyone. That’s why I’m chatting with Meagan and Julie today; doulas, VBAC-moms, and co-owners of the VBAC Link, where they believe in making birth after cesarean better by providing education, support, and a community of like-minded people. We're talking all about VBACs: how to know if you’re a good candidate, what the benefits and risks are, what you can do to increase your chances of having a VBAC, and more!

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Mary Alice and I have gone over "what to expect" in all three trimesters and now we're ready to talk about labor and birth! We both recently have given birth to our babies and we're here to share our thoughts and experiences. Mary Alice gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, in December of 2020 and I, just a month ago, gave birth to my second child, also a baby girl! We had different but powerful birth experiences and we thought it would be great to talk about our birth stories and share with YOU what you may expect from childbirth. We both had vaginal births so this episode is all about what you may expect during labor and a vaginal delivery. We’ll be sure to do another episode in the future about what to expect during a cesarean birth. Let’s dive in!

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Today’s topic is an important one, but one that is rarely discussed . . . circumcision. As soon as you are told “it’s a boy!” during your pregnancy or after giving birth, it’s a decision that you are faced with as a parent. Should your son be circumcised or not? Some parents do lots of research, some parents think little about the decision and do what they are familiar with in their own family. Some parents follow their religious beliefs regarding this decision. Whichever way you choose, let me first state, we are supportive of both sides. However, at Baby Chick, we want all parents to be informed and make their parenting decisions from a place of knowledge and understanding. That’s why I’m thrilled to chat with pediatrician, Dr. Kelly Fradin, today about circumcision and what parents need to know and consider before baby is born.

Dr. Kelly Fradin is a pediatrician and mother of two from NYC. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her career has focused on children with chronic medical conditions and school health. As an advocate for children, she wrote Parenting in a Pandemic. This book provides calm, realistic, and evidence-based advice to families during this stressful time. Dr. Fradin is a wealth of knowledge, and she shares parenting and children's health information on her Instagram page @adviceigivemyfriends as well as her website. We're so happy to have her here to chat about this important decision parents are faced with when they discover they are having a boy.

Notes:

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It's almost that time when we need to change our clocks! This is every parent's least favorite time of year. That's why I’m chatting with Lauren Olson today to help with prepping your baby for Spring Forward. Lauren is a certified sleep specialist and founder of Sleep + the City. She began Sleep + the City in 2014 when she found that there was a real need for a REAL person to help new and seasoned moms with sleep training in a modern way. Her mission is to teach parents a gentle, hands-on, no cry-it-out sleep plan that works with real life. With her online baby sleep classes for children 0-18 months, and helpful DIY guides for toddlers, Lauren is raved about by celebrities and families around the globe!

With daylight savings time quickly approaching, we wanted to chat with Lauren about some baby sleep tips to help our little ones seamlessly transition to the time change. When it comes to sleep, us parents will do anything to make sure that it’s undisturbed. And by preparing ahead of time and having an understanding of what to expect, we can make it an easier shift for us and our littles. So let’s welcome Lauren Olson and learn some tips on how to prep our babies for Spring Forward!

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Today I have the pleasure of chatting with one of our own moms here at Baby Chick and young widow, Cheyenne Bell, and the Founder and CEO of Dayforward, Aaron Shapiro.

CEO, Aaron Shapiro, has a long history of being a marketing and technology executive, serial entrepreneur, but most of all, a father and husband to his wife and three children in New York City. He’s spent his career using digital technology to help make people’s lives better. After leaving his last company, which helped some of the world's largest companies modernize their business with digital, Aaron decided to take on the massive and important problem with financial security in the life insurance industry.

This brings us to today’s episode and the importance of having life insurance if anyone depends on you financially. We’re so happy to have Aaron here to talk about Dayforward and have Cheyenne share her story. Cheyenne is a busy mom of two young kids who suddenly found herself a widow in 2017. Since then, she has become passionate about educating other young couples about the importance of preparing for the worst. She recently wrote an article on our site about becoming a young widow and why life insurance is such a crucial element when planning for your future. And Cheyenne is here to talk about her story and insight on this critical topic.

We know. Life insurance, in general, is one of those things that you don’t necessarily want to think about. And it might not be everyone’s favorite thing to talk about either. Especially ‘what if’ scenarios about untimely death. But it is important when you decide to start a family or already have a family of your own.

Aaron and Cheyenne are both here to discuss:

Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends at Dayforward. If you haven’t heard of Dayforward yet, they’re an entirely new type of life insurance that protects your family by protecting your income. So if you die, your family will continue to receive your twice-a-month paychecks just like they depend on today, until your kids are adults.

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Once you become a parent, so much of your life changes. Your daily schedule, the amount of sleep you get, the amount of time and energy you have, and the list continues. After long days and nights with the baby or working all day and dealing with a fussy toddler, let’s not even forget parenting during a pandemic, sometimes you are too drained to think about getting intimate with your partner. With so much on our to-do lists, it can sometimes feel like sex is just another thing to add to the calendar. But sex and intimacy are essential in romantic relationships. So if things have slowed down and you’re wanting to heat things back up with your partner, this podcast is for you.

Today, we're chatting with Jamye Waxman, a licensed marriage and family therapist, sex therapist, and sex educator, with over 20 years of experience talking about intimacy, romance, and sexual pleasure. She's sharing with us helpful tips about how we can keep intimacy alive in parenthood with our partners.

Jamye is an author of four books, a former radio and TV producer, and she once held jobs as a Playgirl columnist, a Playboy Sextreme Makeover expert, podcast host, Babeland employee, and adult-film maker. With a career spanning the gamut in human sexuality, one thing has never changed -- Jamye loves communicating with people about intimacy, sex, and relationships. This is why we knew she would be full of helpful tips on how to keep intimacy alive in parenthood and she definitely delivered. This is a good episode that you don't want to miss!

Resources that Jamye mentioned:

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With my due date just around the corner, I wanted to chat with Sarah Kuhn, founder of Juna, a fitness and nutrition app for pregnancy and postpartum, about exercising after birth. We know the benefits of staying active during pregnancy and after baby. However, there are a lot of details that aren't clear. As a pre & post-natal exercise specialist, I knew Sarah could give us the real scoop on what we need to know about exercising after giving birth. She's going over what we can do, what we shouldn't do, when we can get started exercising, and more!

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