So here's what happens when a seasoned birth doula becomes a first-time mom. Carson Meyer, a sought-after doula, joins us to share her personal journey into motherhood.

With years of experience supporting parents through birth and postpartum, Carson brings a unique perspective on what she thought she knew versus what she learned firsthand.

In this episode, we talk about the realities of postpartum recovery, lessons from home birth, and the balance of caring for yourself while caring for a newborn.

Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Learn more A Parent’s Guide To Building Self-Trust (And Why It Matters) | How a Friend or Family Member Can Help You After You Have a Baby | Postpartum Soups and Stews Collection (including Carson's Chicken Seaweed Soup)

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan | The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram 

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian and the author three books designed to support healthy conception, birth and postpartum, including how to prevent and manage gestational diabetes.

Her books are Real Food for Fertility (co-authored by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack), Real Food For Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.

Lily shares important information all women should know about optimizing their diet for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum from a scientific perspective.

Even for women who aren't currently in the pregnancy state of mind, knowing this information early on helps everyone to make better choices down the road.

Connect with Lily Nichols lilynicholsrdn.com | Instagram

Learn more The Institute for Prenatal Nutrition | Postpartum Recovery Meals | Fourth Trimester Soups and Stews Collection | Nutrition and Nourishment - The Essentials

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Want trustworthy parenting data at your fingertips? Download HelloGaia Parenting Copilot for FREE today. The app uses reliable sources like ACOG, AAP, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. FREE app available now on Apple & Google Play

In this empowering episode, we invite you to get up close and personal with the part of your body that’s about to do something extraordinary—birth your baby. Many parents enter labor feeling disconnected from their vaginas and pelvises, but our guest Britt Fohrman offers a different path—one grounded in awareness, preparation, and trust.

Drawing from over two decades as a doula, yoga teacher, birth educator, and pleasure coach, Britt shares practical tools to help you prepare your vagina for birth with more ease, confidence, and connection. By deepening your relationship with your body, you not only support a smoother birth experience, but also lay a strong foundation for your baby’s arrival and your own empowered parenting journey.

Full show notes: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Britt Fohrman brittfohrman.com | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

Britt's Classes (Code is FOURTHTRIMESTER for 10% OFF for on-demand course) Preparing Your Vagina for Birth In person - San Francisco | Preparing Your Vagina for Birth On Demand | Yoga for Your Yoni | 7 Days to Becoming More Confident in Opening for Birth with Britt-Free Video Series | Practices for Body Awareness | Prenatal Partners Yoga and Massage: Conscious Connection for Birth and Beyond

Learn more Somatic Experiencing Can Build Attachment Between Parent And Child

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Want trustworthy parenting data at your fingertips? Download HelloGaia Parenting Copilot for FREE today. The app uses reliable sources like ACOG, AAP, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. FREE app available now on Apple & Google Play

Dual-PhD researcher Celeste Beck is a leading maternal health researcher at Heluna Health who just published a groundbreaking study on vitamin D and pregnancy.

It turns out something as simple as your vitamin D levels could have a major impact on your pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and your baby’s health. 

With over 15 years in public health and a dual PhD in Nutritional Science and Clinical and Translational Science, Celeste breaks down what every parent needs to know—how to recognize the risks of deficiency, when and how to supplement, and why this one nutrient can make a lifelong difference for your baby.

If you're pregnant, postpartum, or supporting someone who is, this episode gives you the critical info your doctor might not be talking about - yet. Advocating for yourself with the right information empowers you and gives your baby the healthiest start possible.

Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Celeste Beck PhD LinkedIn

Celeste's research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Maternal vitamin D status, fetal growth patterns, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a multisite prospective pregnancy cohort

Learn more Evidence Based Care for Improving Postpartum Recovery - Advice From Dr Rebecca Dekker | Morning Sickness Causes and Cures: Hyperemesis Genetic Link and Practical Advice from USC Geneticist Dr Marlena Fejzo

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Want trustworthy parenting data at your fingertips? Download HelloGaia Parenting Copilot for FREE today. The app uses reliable sources like ACOG, AAP, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. FREE app available now on Apple & Google Play

Mikka Bonel is a doula and a long-time facilitator of New Parent Circles. In these groups, parents gather in a safe and supportive, facilitated group. All parents of new babies are welcome to share and connect around the transition to their new role as a parent, changing family relationships, and the vast spectrum of emotions that arise in new parenthood.

In this episode, Mikka shares the top 5 questions parents ask in her groups, touching on:

• Confidence and balancing the pressure to "get it right"
• Partner dynamics
• Emotions during the fourth trimester
• Physical recovery
• Navigating first few days to 6 weeks

By listening, you'll benefit from decades of wisdom and experience that supports new parenthood.

Full show notes here: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Mikka birthingyoga.com | New Parent Circles | Instagram

Special Mention Natural Resources Online Shop Code: 4THTRIMESTER for $15 OFF  (On $40 or more)

Learn more Snack Trays | Postpartum Soups and Stews Collection | Wire Your Baby for Success Through Optimal Newborn Brain Development

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Ezrin, award-winning author, world-renowned yoga educator, and maternal mental health advocate, to talk about micro destressing techniques for busy parents.

Sarah shares simple, effective ways to regulate your nervous system, restore your energy, and find calm in the chaos of daily life. The best part is that it doesn't take additional time, so it still works even if you have a full schedule.

Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Ezrin sarahezrinyoga.com | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Substack | YouTube

Learn more Mom Group Guide: How To Find, Join Or Facilitate Your Own Mom Group | How a Friend or Family Member Can Help You if You Don’t Have a Doula (What is a Doula?) | A Parent’s Guide To Building Self-Trust (And Why It Matters) | The Power of Yoga Pre & Post Birth | Generational Parenting, featuring PSI Founder Jane Honikman

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Parenting isn’t just about raising children—it’s about the roles we all play in supporting the next generation. 

In this episode, PSI Founder Jane Honikman shares wisdom for parents, partners, and grandparents on the power of community, mental health, and the importance of not doing it alone.

Please share with the dads, grandparents, other caregivers and extended family in your life!

Special thanks to podcasthon.org, the world's largest podcast charity initiative.

Full show notes: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with PSI Founder Jane Honikman janehonikman.com

Learn more Postpartum Recovery Plan | Pinpoint Where You Are on the Spectrum of Mental Health

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan | Postpartum Support International Parent Groups | PSI Helpline

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Birth is one of the most transformative experiences in a person’s life, but when things don’t go as planned - something traumatic or simply not what you thought would happen - the emotional impact can linger.

Chanti Smith is a licensed professional midwife and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. In this episode she talks about healing from birth trauma and reclaiming joy.

Listen to learn how somatic experiencing helps release stored trauma, reconnect with the body, and create a new sense of empowerment. This conversation is an important reminder that healing is possible, and you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Full show notes: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Chanti Smith embodiedbeginnings.com | Book A Session | Workshops

Learn more Somatic Experiencing Can Build Attachment Between Parent And Child | Reproductive Psychiatry: Optimizing Your Mental Health with Dr Ida Eden | Preparing to Enjoy the Fourth Trimester

Resources Mindfulness Childbirth and Parenting Courses | Somatic Experiencing | Snack Trays | castellinotraining.com

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Additional Resources

• HelloGaia Parenting Copilot
• FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan
• FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan
• FREE DOWNLOAD Birth Team Overview – Who’s Who At The Hospital

I don't know about you, but one of my top goals as a parent of a newborn was getting more sleep. A night doula is a great addition to any postpartum dream team because they will help with achieving exactly that - more sleep. More sleep for you, your other family members in your household, your baby.

It's perfectly normal for newborns to be awake multiple times during the night (just ask PhD Sleep Consultant Dr Millette). And, it's also true that sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of postpartum anxiety and depression. Plus, sleep is simply wonderful.

In this episode, we talk with Kristin Revere, a doula and the founder of Gold Coast Doulas. She's also the author of Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby. We talk about how to get the most out of your night doula experience, including:

• Hiring the right person, what to check and ask
• Costs and affordability
• Benefits
• A typical night with a night doula
• What to expect: practical, mental, social, emotional support examples

Wishing you happy family sleep!

Full show notes: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Kristin Revere goldcoastdoulas.com | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Learn more Doula Interview Questions | How a Friend or Family Member Can Help You if You Don’t Have a Doula (What is a Doula?) | A Parent’s Guide To Building Self-Trust (And Why It Matters) | Baby Sleep Solutions - The Top 10 Sleep Training Questions Every Parent Asks with Dr Angelique Millette

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram

Additional Resources

• HelloGaia Parenting Copilot
• FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan
• FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan
• FREE DOWNLOAD Birth Team Overview – Who’s Who At The Hospital

Wondering how to make the most of your parental leave? In this episode, we talk with Mamattorney lawyer Daphne Delvaux about your rights, how to maximize your maternity, paternity, and parental leave benefits, and what every new parent should know.

Daphne spells out how you can stitch together different types of leaves and benefits to make sure you are getting the full amount of leave available so you can spend the most time possible with your baby

Full show notes: fourthtrimesterpodcast.com

Connect with Daphne Delvaux themamattorney.com | Instagram | Facebook

Resources HelloGaia Parenting Copilot | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Birth Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Customizable Fourth Trimester Plan | FREE DOWNLOAD Birth Team Overview – Who’s Who At The Hospital

Learn More Family Financial Wellness: Three Finance Must-dos for Families | A Parent’s Guide To Building Self-Trust (And Why It Matters) | Prepare For Taking Maternity Leave Like A Pro - Maternity Leave Guide

Connect with Fourth Trimester Facebook | Instagram