Is deciding how to birth your baby more overwhelming to you than having a baby itself? As moms, we are tasked with making so many decisions for our littles, and some of those first decisions start when we are pregnant. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin when trying to make a birth plan, especially as a first-time mom. Today, we are talking about the many birth options that are available to us as moms.

This is part one of a very informative two-part series, where we sit down with two birthing experts Anna Forsberg & Angela Diaz DeLeon from The San Diego Birth Network. What you can expect to hear in this series is information about the different types of birth providers, and what options are really available to you as a mom about to go through delivery. We will break down what a doula is vs midwife, and relay some tips for the challenging postpartum period.

What's In This Episode:

• How Angela & Anna's careers transitioned due to motherhood
• Their personal birth experiences
• The mission of the San Diego Birth Network
• What traumatic births are
• How the immediate postpartum care impacts your perspective on traumatic births
• The trauma that a doula or support person can experience
• A doulas role when it comes to making decisions in the birth process
• The difference between midwives versus doula
• Who can hires a doula & whether c-section mamas would hire a doula
• The continuous care that a doula provides

Are you looking to simplify your life? Do you want more efficiency and functionality? Today we are talking about how simplicity is the key to a fun and functional family & life! We invited Jessie Ansley, founder of Streamlined & Simple a collection of paper goods & organizational tools with a functional and simplistic design, to share her tips and tricks to make your home more functional. We hope that you walk away from this episode seeing that you can eliminate chaos simply by making things more simple.

What's In This Episode:

• How Jessie's career & life has transitioned since becoming a mother
• Where and how her business was born
• What the early stages of her business were like while balancing motherhood
• Why she believes that simplicity creates a more functional lifestyle
• Jessie's tips for moms to simplify your days
• Survival chores and how they help eliminate chaos
• The benefits of a family command center
• Ways to simplify clutter in your house
• Where routines & rhythms are most effective
• Why it is important to write things down
• How & why Jessie meal plans
• The importance of community in motherhood

Today we are talking about the choices we make as moms relating to the education of our children. We have invited Caroline Hull to the podcast. Caroline is a podcast host herself, a podcast editor, and still manages to find time to homeschool her two daughters in Colorado.

What's In This Episode:

• Caroline shares the path that led her to homeschool her two girls
• What is the definition of homeschooling
• Caroline explains how she decides what to teach and when
• Discussion on homeschooling laws and options for meeting state requirements
• Establishing boundaries as a work-from-home homeschooling mama
• The process of managing homeschooling more than one child
• Homeschooling through high school
• What children ask and understand about being homeschooled
• The importance of community as a homeschooling family
• Socialization in the homeschooling world
• Homeschooling as an option for families seeking geographic flexibility
• What support is available for homeschooling parents
• What prep time and lesson planning looks like as a homeschooling mom
• Bringing in outside help

Today we are talking about the nuances of family dynamics, especially the conversation and transition around adding a second child to the family. Since Lara is in the midst of this herself, we thought we'd have a candid conversation about the ups and downs of this time.

What's In This Episode:

• Do you innately know that you want more children?
• The reality that sometimes the first child is so disruptive in your life that you question a second
• Jenn shares her vision for her family
• Lara discusses her desire for three or more children
• Jenn shares her upfront conversation with her husband about adding to their family
• Discussion about the fear of regret
• Lara talks about her second pregnancy surprise
• Jenn reflects on how long it took for the decision to become a plan
• There is no one right way to have the second child conversation
• The financial component of the decision
• Should older children be considered in the decision to add to the family?
• Special needs or other factors and how they may impact a decision
• Lara discusses her biggest concerns about transitioning to a household of four
• The importance of not keeping score in your marriage
• Lara talks about the biggest challenges she faced in bringing another child home
• Things that Lara and her husband did to help Sawyer transition to having a sibling
• Lara discusses her day-by-day routine as a mom of two

Today we are talking about authenticity and transparency in motherhood. We've invited Desiree Fortin, infertility warrior, triplet mom, blogger, Instagram influencer, and Today show contributor to the podcast. Desiree tells her story of becoming a mom of triplets and her journey since becoming a mom. She shares her honest experiences and the challenges she faces everyday in navigating motherhood. We reflect on how the power of vulnerability is so important in the experience of becoming and being a mom.

What's In This Episode:

• How The Perfect Mom blog came to be
• Why Desiree feels that connecting with others is important
• The belief that good can come from struggle
• Desiree and her husband Ryan's reaction to finding out they were expecting triplets
• What Desiree feels has been the most challenging aspects of raising triplets
• The importance of being open to support while keeping clear boundaries
• How transparency and vulnerability can help others
• Desiree's experience with her toddler's near-drowning
• Frank discussion about anxiety and postpartum depression
• Desiree's Confessions of the Anxious Mama series
• Desiree's husband's role in the blog and related projects
• The Marriage Truths series
• Thoughts on body image and self-love

Generation.Mom is a community where you can share without judgment or critique, and we'd love for you to share your thoughts and find a friend to hold you accountable! Find us at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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03.13.19

The balance between career and motherhood is one of the most challenging equations for today's moms. Our guest today is Erin Meanley Glenny, the editor in chief of San Diego Magazine and mother of two young children. She shares some of her insights on the challenges and blessings of being a working mom as well as her perspective on the ways that the career landscape is evolving to support mothers in their return to the workforce.

What's In This Episode:

• How this generation of motherhood looks different than in previous generations
• The ways in which Erin transitioned in her career before and after motherhood
• The reality that driven, career-focused women often find challenges in balancing work ethic with the responsibilities of motherhood.
• It's okay if you're not a "baby person"; embrace what you're good at
• How settling into a new identity can be overwhelming
• How childcare arrangements can dictate options in a career after becoming a mother
• Advice for returning to the workforce after having children
• The importance of a good support network
• Using meditation as a tool in career and motherhood
• The emotional aspect of missing milestones
• The value of being truly present when with family
• The importance of giving yourself grace
• Trusting in the guidance and care of child development professionals
• How to approach an employer about an alternative work arrangement
• Offering benchmarks as a valuable tool in seeking support from an employer
• The importance of finding a good routine for your family
• Discussion on "the baby penalty"
• Mom guilt is common among high-achieving women who have stayed in their careers
• Recognizing the need to take downtime as it comes
• Real talk: It's okay if your kids aren't your whole world
• The need for more mother and baby friendly businesses
• The value in raising children who see their mother go to work

Are you a mom of a toddler? Today's show is part 2 of a two-episode series about toddlerhood, with toddler expert Megan Pierson of The Potty Shop. In part 1 we discussed toddler behavior, development, discipline, and sleep. In part 2 we continue to discuss the in's and outs of this time in our children's lives, but also get to the nitty-gritty on toddler eating and most importantly Potty Training these little humans!

What's In This Episode:

• Tips for getting your toddler to eat
• Using creativity to get your toddler their servings of fruits and vegetables
• Making dinner time fun
• Family dinners are not always realistic and that's okay
• Why toddlers throw food and how to deal with it
• The value of giving choices and offering variety
• Make mealtime shorter for your toddler
• Tips for dining out with toddlers
• What lead Megan to start her research into potty training
• The pitfalls of the "cold turkey" method of potty training
• Potty training is very individualized
• Starting positive potty associations between 16 and 18 months
• Modeling that using the bathroom is a normal part of life.
• Physical, emotional, and cognitive signs that your toddler is ready for potty training
• The importance of making sure that life is at a calm stage before beginning potty training
• Expectations for how long potty training will take
• Potty training as an "awake hours" activity vs. expectations for a child being night/nap trained
• The right way to handle potty training accidents
• How to offer rewards, not bribes
• The advantage of fun underwear
• Pitfalls of the "commando" method of potty training
• Regressions in potty training
• Advice for enjoying toddlerhood

Do you live with a bunch of tiny people who serve as your middle-of-the-night alarm clock, keep you on your toes with their unpredictable mood swings, and challenge you in new ways every day? Today's episode is part 1 of a two-part series on toddlerhood. Since we are not experts on toddlerhood, we have enlisted the help of Megan Pierson of The Potty Shop to help.

In this episode, Megan covers toddler behavior & development and educates us on discipline methods and sleep training for these little humans of ours. She breaks down what all mamas need to know about their toddlers, what can be expected during this period of their life, and how you can best handle being a supportive figure to help them grow.

What's In This Episode:

• Megan's background and how her career transitioned after becoming a mother
• The age & developmental stages of toddlerhood
• High tides & low tides when it comes to having a toddler
• How smart and manipulative toddlers can be
• The main challenges and themes a toddler will experience
• How to approach your toddler when they are having a tantrum
• Creating a spot in your home for your toddler
• The importance of role-playing & utilizing pictures
• How to successfully transition from activity to activity with your toddler
• When to use time out & how to use it appropriately
• Utilizing positive affirmation to reinforce positive behaviors
• Sleep regressions in toddlerhood & creating firm boundaries around bedtime
• Comforting toddlers during night terrors & nightmares
• How to determine when to check in when your toddler cries at night
• Transitioning a toddler from crib to bed

Does your home feel chaotic and cluttered because you're busy raising little ones? Today, we are talking about the benefits of organization, not just for you personally, but how it can benefit your family as a whole. Managing the ins and outs of children -- their schedules, their meals, and all of our personal needs isn't easy but organization can be a simple step in minimizing all of that stress. Since we are no experts on this topic and are constantly trying to get better at it ourselves, we have enlisted Jen Robin of Life in Jeneral to share her inspiration with us all!

In this episode, expect to hear some simple and relevant tips on how you can simplify your life, simply by getting better organized at home. Jen breaks down how she helps her clients stay sane with all the clutter little ones create, and her best methods when it comes to purging, getting organized and most importantly staying organized. Trust us, once you are through listening you are going to head straight to that closet you've been ignoring for far too long, inspired to clean out, clean up, and live with less!

What's In This Episode:

• How Jen's company helps moms & families
• What inspired Jen to start Life in Jeneral
• How her passion for organization impact Jen's day to day life
• The benefits of organization for families
• How Jen helps clients navigate through the psychology of organization
• Working with people who are naturally organized and those who need to be taught
• Little things that can make the biggest impact
• Having systems that grow and change with you over the years
• The process of hiring Jen and her team
• Why you need to start with a clean slate
• Jen's tips for the purging process
• Advice for managing children's gear and toys
• Small ways people can start getting organized
• Whether or not there are people are beyond help when it comes to organization
• What is coming up for Life in Jeneral

Have you experienced the rollercoaster of postpartum? Today, Lara is pulling down the veil and getting real with you by breaking down her postpartum experience after the birth of her second son last year. She'll be sharing what the first 12-weeks as a postpartum mom of two has been like, the ups and downs, what she learned, and what she is still learning about motherhood. Lara's honesty and vulnerability will help you feel less alone in your postpartum experience.

What's In This Episode:

• How her experience with bringing Sutton home has differed from her experience with bringing Sawyer home
• How the introduction of Sawyer to his brother went
• Sawyer's reaction to Sutton being home from the hospital
• Allowing more help the second time around
• How Lara and her husband are navigating being parents of two together
• What the holiday season looked like during postpartum
• When she started struggling a little more with anxiety & letting things go
• Managing all of the changes that Sutton was going through
• The difficulties that her & her husband faced while feeling overwhelmed during the holidays
• Sutton's struggles with nursing and how her experience with breastfeeding differed from the first time
• Why it's important to take care of yourself in order to take care of the rest of your family
• What caused her to go to the doctor
• The things that have been helpful to her in this postpartum period