Finding Your Village

Episode 100!! Happy Mother’s Day and Introducing Solids to Baby: Interview with Madison Holden

Thank you so much for listening to this very special episode today. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there and to all of the moms-to-be. I hope you have a wonderful day where you feel honored and recognized for all that you do. Today’s episode is extra special because this is the 100th episode of the Finding Your Village podcast. It is hard to believe that I have created 100 episodes of this podcast and that people listen to the show and keep showing up 100 episodes in! Thank you to everyone who has listened to one episode or all 100. I appreciate you so much and you are the reason why I show up every week. 

To commemorate the 100th episode of my podcast and as a Mother’s Day gift to all of the expecting moms out there, I am offering $5 birth classes this week. They will be live on Facebook and I will do one class starting tomorrow, Monday, May 9th at 12 noon EST and then there will be another class at the same time on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each class will focus on a different aspect of labor and birth preparation. You can take just one of the classes individually for $5 or take all four for $20. To sign up, grab the link in the shownotes of this episode, which will route you to Facebook to register and pay for each class individually there. I hope to see you there this week!

Register for the $5 Birth Classes here!

In today’s episode we are talking about introducing solids to baby and our guest is Madison Holden, who is a ​​pediatric nurse and certified postpartum and baby nutritionist , and a mom of two. Her goal is to empower and provide knowledge to new moms to help nourish and replenish themselves after labor. So this episode is going to focus on doing just that.

In the episode we discuss: 

• When to introduce solids to baby
• What is more important than baby’s age is readiness signs
• What the readiness signs are!
• Using nutrient dense food that are gentle on the digestive system 
• What kinds of food and texture to introduce to baby
• Following baby’s cue
• Add spices (not too spicy or salty!) to your baby’s mood

How to get in touch with Madison:

• Website
• Instagram

How to get in touch with me: 

• Register for the $5 Birth Classes here!
• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In this week's episode we are talking about how to prepare your toddler for the arrival of a new baby sibling. Our guest to talk about this is Devon Kuntzman. Devon is the original toddler parenting coach and the founder of Transforming Toddlerhood. As a toddler expert, she is on a mission to transform the myth that toddlerhood is terrible. Devon empowers toddler parents to overcome the challenges of toddlerhood, nurture development and create confidence in their skills by being the Loving Leader & GuideTM through using positive, respectful and developmentally appropriate parenting tools. As a result, parents are able to transform their parenting, their toddler’s behavior and their overall experience of toddlerhood creating a foundation for a relationship that lasts a lifetime with their child. Devon has supported thousands of parents and caregivers across the world to transform their parenting and their toddler’s behavior. She holds a degree in psychology and child development and is an ICF certified coach. When she isn’t working with parents and toddlers, Devon can be found on her yoga mat, riding her bicycle or drinking kombucha (not all at the same time!)

In this episode we discuss: 

• how to prepare your toddler for the arrival of baby
• introducing your older child to the new baby
• Common traps that parents fall into during this transition
• How to reframe negative toddler behavior

How to get in touch with Devon: 

• Instagram
• Website

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok

Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

I am doing a podcast swap in today’s episode. Laura Froyen and I sat down and talked about the things that don’t get talked about enough regarding perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. This episode is going to air both here and on Laura’s show, The Balanced Parent podcast. 

Dr. Laura Froyen has her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Couple and Family Therapy. Laura combines trauma-informed practices with the latest in child development research to help families find more peace, calm, & connection. She teaches conscious parenting & communication with heaping doses of grace and compassion through her podcast, The Balanced Parent, & her courses and programs.

 In this episode we discuss: 

• Rage as a symptom of a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.
• What parents can do outside of therapy for their mental health
• The occurrence of Dad’s and partners getting postpartum depression and that their mental health struggles are often not focused on
• Find a Postpartum Support International Support Group here
• Check out Self-Compassion.org
• Book recommendation: Man Enough
  
  

How to get in touch with Laura:

• The Balanced Parent podcast
• Website
  
  

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok

Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In today’s episode we are discussing birth photography! Our guest today is Linnéa Geiger. She describes herself as an emotional storyteller rather than a photographer. She captured the real moments of connection, love, joy and sweetness within families. 

In the episode we discuss: 

• What a birth photographer does
• What to look for in a birth photographer
• The importance of asking for consent, especially within a birth space
• How people process their birth stories
• Linnéa and I also share things we took away from the births of our children

How to get in touch with  Linnéa:

• Website
• Instagram

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

Hello, thank you for listening to this episode of the Finding Your Village Podcast. My name is Amanda Gorman and I’m your host. My goal for this show is to make the early days of parenting more connected and my mission in life is to help parents who are pregnant or postpartum find their parenting village. I am also a mom and understand how important this is. 

Today’s episode is sponsored by the Pregnancy to Preschool Postpartum Class. I teamed up with my friend, Amanda Israel, to create this class because we know that the first few weeks after birth can be especially overwhelming as you adjust to caring for your new bundle of joy. Our Postpartum Course is designed to help you navigate this period, providing essential information and support so that you can take care of yourself and your baby.

You'll learn about topics like breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, postpartum recovery and much more. So whether you are expecting your first and don’t even know what questions to ask or you are expecting your second and want your postpartum experience to be better this time around, we want to help you feel prepared for this exciting time.

We are offering a 15% discount to all podcast listeners!

Go to www.pregnancytopreschool.net and use the code FYVPODCAST to sign up now and give yourself and your baby the best possible start in life.

In this episode we discuss: 

• How we decided to start a education for new parents business
• Why we started with creating the Postpartum Course
• The feedback that we heard from so many new parents that they wish someone had prepared them for postpartum and all the things to expect when baby arrives

Don't forget to download our free Guide to Tummy Time: https://pregnancytopreschool.ck.page/tummytime 

How to get in touch with Amanda Israel: 

• TikTok
• Instagram

How to get in touch with me: 

• Instagram 
• TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Thank you so much for listening!

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In this solo episode, I am going to dive into the mission of Finding Your Village, which is to guide new parents in finding experts and resources to add to their villages. 

Get the 7 Experts to have in your Parenting Village Guide for free here!

I started my Finding Your Village Podcast in 2020 — it sprouted from my passion for being a parent and connecting with other parents. There is so much information out there, and it can be really overwhelming. 

I felt compelled to share topics about pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood because they are so important, and we need to be talking about them. So, I started conversations on my podcast, that grew into my online birth classes, which evolved most recently into creating self paced online courses and partnering with other providers to help even more parents.

Everyday I am fueled to do this work because, I think many of us experience an entire identity shift once we become parents, starting with our pregnancy journey. 

Our screens are saturated with cute outfits, colorful plates of baby food, and Magnolia-level nurseries. But for some reason, no one highlights the significant transition you undergo while giving birth, or how much you might hate being touched by your husband after breastfeeding for 6 months straight, or how your anxiety might express itself as bitter anger, and maybe even rage. The scary thoughts, your changing body, and the spiritual stamina it takes to become a parent...no one told me about those things. 

I’ve felt shame at several points in my life since having kids. Had these issues been normalized, or at least discussed — maybe I could have turned that shame into humility a little bit sooner. I am learning to have grace, and to treat the things that trigger me as clues to growth.

But this has taken time, and plenty of people in my corner to help me get to this place. I want you to have all the tools you need, too and for you to find your own village. 

So I am going to share a list of 7 experts that you can include in your prenatal and postpartum village and for easy access, I also have created a PDF with this list in it that includes links to find an expert to help you. 

Here is my list of 7 experts to have in your prenatal and postpartum village:

1. Birth Doula
2. Perinatal Mental Health Provider
3. Birth Educator
4. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
5. Sleep Consultant
6. Lactation Consultant
7. Postpartum Doula

If you would like to download a PDF version of this list, click here!

Thank you so much for listening to the show today!

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In today’s episode we are talking about postpartum nutrition and our guest is Madison Holden, who is a ​​pediatric nurse and certified postpartum and baby nutritionist , and a mom of two. Her goal is to empower and provide knowledge to new moms to help nourish and replenish themselves after labor. So this episode is going to focus on doing just that.

In the episode we discuss: 

• The importance of Postpartum Nutrition
• Using nutrient dense food that are gentle on the digestive system right after birth
• Postpartum nutrition is important for both parents!
• People who just gave birth should continue to take their prenatal vitamins after giving birth
• Prenatal vitamin brands that Madison recommends: 
  • Ritual
  • Needed
  • Perelel Health

How to get in touch with Madison:

• Website
• Instagram

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In today’s solo episode I am talking all about Tummy Time: what it is, why it is important, how to do it, when to do it and how to help babies to enjoy it

If you would like to save a guide to Tummy Time, you can download for free here!

In the episode I discuss: 

• What is it: allowing baby to spend time on their tummy when they are awake and alert
• The history behind Tummy Time: NYTimes article that I referenced: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/parenting/baby/tummy-time
• It is important to help baby develop gross motor skills, overall development and to prevent against brachycephaly, plagiocephaly and torticollis
  • In 2020, the AAP published a meta analysis that reviewed the effectiveness of tummy time and it found that tummy time was positively associated with gross motor, total development, a reduction in BMI, it helped prevent brachycephaly, and helped babies develop the ability to move while on their belly, while laying down, roll and crawl https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20192168/76940/Tummy-Time-and-Infant-Health-Outcomes-A-Systematic
• How to do it: When baby is awake and alert, place baby on a clean swaddle blanket that is laid out on the floor.
  • A parent or caregiver should always be present and awake.
  • You can also put baby on your chest while you are laying back 
• How long to do it: The World Health Organization recommends 30 minutes per day, an easy way to remember this and get close to it is 5x5, five times per day for five minutes
• How to make it more enjoyable for baby: Join baby on the floor by laying on your side or belly and talk or sing to them
  • Put black and white images in front of baby or a baby mirror
  • Add toys in front of baby

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to download a free, printable guide to Tummy Time to save for later, you can download it here

Thank you for listening! 

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In today’s episode we talk about cord blood banking and our guest is Kathryn Cross. Kathryn Cross is the founder of Anja Health, which she founded in memory of her brother, Andrew, who had cerebral palsy.

In the episode we discuss: 

• What cord blood banking is
• How cord blood cells can be helpful
• How you can store your baby’s umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and placenta
• What cord blood donation is 
• What delayed cord clamping is

How to get in touch with Kathryn:

• Website
• TikTok
• Anja Health discount code: Village

How to get in touch with me: 

• Get the Postpartum Online Class!
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast
• Download for free: https://pregnancytopreschool.ck.page/tummytime 

Use code: FYVPODCAST to save 15% on the Postpartum course at www.pregnancytopreschool.net

Announcement: My online Postpartum Class is available now! You can still get early access to the course (including the early access discount) until March 31st, find out more here: www.pregnancytopreschool.net

Additionally, I would love to hear your feedback as a listener of this podcast: Here is the link to the feedback survey!

In today's episode we are discussing how to get the postpartum support that you need and deserve. My guest today is Royah Loie. She is a certified doula, childbirth educator and lactation education counsellor by day and a landing page, web and graphic designer by night. She's also the creator of Insider Mom, a resource for uplifting tips and information for modern moms. Her path to becoming a doula began after the birth of her daughter and realizing the critical need for professional care focused on maternal health. Through her work she's witnessed the interconnectedness between maternal, infant, community and environmental health. As an advocate for moms, she understands the need for greater community support for mothers; support which includes time for family, rest and healing.

In the episode we discuss: 

• Lamaze childbirth classes
• Getting paid as a birth worker, why it is important and why many women feel a certain way about it
• How to get the postpartum support that you need

How to get in touch with Royah: 

• Website
• Insider Mom VIP
• Time Saving Guide (scroll to bottom of page)
• Instagram

How to get in touch with me:

• Take the online Postpartum Class 
• Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillage.com/podcast
• Download for free: https://pregnancytopreschool.ck.page/tummytime

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show