Hello Postpartum

Listen in on Dr. DiGrado (Alex) as she explains the difference between a pelvic floor that is too loose or too tight and common pelvic floor issues in postpartum – you might be surprised. 020 | Alexandra DiGrado of Boston Pelvic Floor Therapy

What is the pelvic floor, and why is it important to postpartum mothers?

This is a question many new mothers should be asking. Unfortunately, there isn't much information about the importance of pelvic floor health for those who have just given birth.

In this episode, I chat with pelvic floor therapist Alexandra DiGrado about this topic.

The pelvic floor supports our bodies in so many ways and, if not properly supported, can lead to many concerns for postpartum mothers and beyond.

Alex highlights the importance of pelvic floor support, the signs that you may need to support yourself, and how you can advocate for yourself to seek the help you need.

About Alexandra DiGrado:

Owner of Boston Pelvic Physical Therapy. Alexandra is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with advanced training and certification in pelvic floor rehabilitation through Herman and Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute.

She is Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certified (PRPC) with over ten years of experience as a physical therapist and pelvic health expert.

Alexandra founded Boston Pelvic Physical Therapy because she's passionate about decreasing the stigma around seeking help to heal your private parts and offering people of all genders a safe and holistic way to achieve a healthy pelvic floor and core.

Topics Covered:

1:17 | Pelvic floor therapy 7:26 | Advocate for mom 10:54 | What is the pelvic floor? 14:12 | Signs of tightness 21:01 | Top tip for pelvic floor 31:34 | Final question 33:15 | The importance of rest

Additional resources

You can connect with Alexandra on her website for additional resources. Check out Alexandria's online pelvic floor class pelvicfloorproject.com.

Other articles you might enjoy

• What to Expect: Pelvic Floor Issues in Postpartum
• Downloadable Guide: Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
• Bengkung Belly Binding: What It Is and Why You Need It

Listen in as a Motherlove marketing specialist and postpartum doula, Brooke, chats with us about c-section recovery essentials, tips you need to know, and the one thing that can make your recovery that much smoother. It's a must-listen. Brooke Nielsen of Motherlove

There is a lot to know when recovering from a c-section (and birth in general). With so many postpartum products on the market, sometimes it's tricky to know what's both quality and effective, all without compromising ingredients.

That's where Motherlove comes in. A company founded on natural products to help support them in pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood.

This week, I chat with Motherlove's marketing specialist, Brooke Nielsen, about how you can best prepare for c-section recovery.

• What to buy
• What to ask for
• How to feel empowered

As a c-section mom herself, Brooke shares insight into her own postpartum recovery, with advice on things she wished she did to prepare and some fantastic products that can help support you in your own journey.

About Motherlove Organics

Kathryn Higgins, Motherlove's founder, grew up in a Mayo medical family from Rochester, Minnesota, who were avid gardeners in love with flowers and plants.

After moving to the Rocky Mountains, she became passionate about the uses of plants in the meadows and forests surrounding her mountain home in Northern Colorado's Rist Canyon.

She began incorporating the wild plants into her daily life for food, medicine, and teaching others.

Not able to find herbal products to support her pregnancy and birthing experiences, she began making her own—and sharing them with other women. These creations in the early 1980s became the seeds for Motherlove® products.

Today, our products are sold in hospitals, pharmacies, natural food stores, and specialty retailers in nearly 20 countries.

Even though you'll see the company's familiar blue bottles on the shelves of the nation's biggest retailers, their family still makes their products the old fashioned way, with love, from their family to yours.

Shop Motherlove now Topics Covered

1:13 | What is Motherlove? 5:03 | C-section talk 11:36 | 3 Tips for c-section recovery 16:42 | Favorite Motherlove products 22:29 | Process and celebrate 31:36 | Feel empowered 36:15 | A mother is born 41:45 | Final question for Brooke

Additional Resources Our Motherlove C-Section recovery essentials

C-Section Recovery Cream Rhoid Balm

Motherlove discount code

Don't forget that you can save 15% on your entire Motherlove order with code HELLOPOSTPARTUM15 at checkout. Shop now.

Other articles you may enjoy

• Our Founder's Birth Story: Hopeful for a VBAC
• C-Section Wound Care: What to Know

Listen in as Carley chats with a physiotherapist about common pelvic floor issues in postpartum, how they affect not only our daily lives but our sexual nature, health, and wellbeing.

There are a of things about postpartum that many women are never told about. These things could be common, but that doesn't mean it's normal.

Pelvic floor is not something that 'just happens' with becominga mother.

Women physiotherapist Taryn Gaudin talks about what pelvic floor is and how it can affect women in their postpartum recovery. Taryn brings the cause and complications of pelvic floor to light, sharing her knowledge in the many ways it can affect a women's life both in postpartum and in the future.

If you are experiencing difficulties in your postpartum recovery, I hope this episode helps inspire you to take action in your recovery journey.

About Taryn Goudin:

Like so many women, throughout my lifetime I had constantly ignored, criticised, and buried parts of who I am, and now in this new phase of my life, I had a deep desire to reconnect with those parts of me. I believe my body was calling for me to soften – to become more kind and gentle with myself, and to tune into myself on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level.

I began to rebuild the foundations of my mind-body connection, firstly by agreeing to listen to my body. I began tuning in to my body and asking how it felt and what it needed. To describe my journey is challenging because, like life itself, it was dynamic. There was no linear path. There were surges of growth, followed by long pauses of integration, huge a-ha moments, and lengthy periods of confusion. I spent a lot of time feeling like I was getting nowhere. The entire time though, I allowed myself to follow the thread of possibility, letting each clue lead to the next, and over time I began to understand my rhythm, my body, my nature, and what I needed to nourish my whole self. I learned the art of slowing down, and practising self-compassion. I began embracing all of myself, particularly the softer, slower, and simpler feminine aspects that I had suppressed for such a long time. I began cultivating a lifestyle and working with women in a way that was completely unique to me.

Topics Covered:

1:53 | Pelvic floor & sensuality 5:22 | Reconnect with your body 9:38 | Pelvic floor in depth 17:06 | More proactive approach 24:00 | Taryn's story 30:43 | Final question

Postpartum hunger is real, and it's trying to tell you something. Listen in as Kim Perez, a functional nutritionist, shares what it means to deeply nourish and care for yourself after birth. It's not what you may think. 017 | Kim Perez of Root and Branch Nutrition Nutrition and postpartum can be difficult hurdles to climb. So many mothers struggle with balancing their own health while trying to recover and take care of a new baby. It can feel impossible.

In this episode, I talk with nutritionist Kim Perez about identifying postpartum depletion symptoms during the postpartum time. Kim specializes in working with women during their motherhood journey, from conception to postpartum.

She highlights some significant factors surrounding postpartum nutrition and some simple tips on how you can help support your health without fancy diets and expensive meal prep.

About Kim Perez

For years, I tried to do everything to such unattainable standards that I lived in a constant state of exhaustion. Little rest, restrictive nutrition, and intense exercise routines led to hormonal imbalances and fatigue—a lifestyle that just wasn't sustainable.

Even when I did everything "right," I still struggled to feel good. I needed to replenish and rebalance my body, and planning for pregnancy was the reality check to heal.

Even armed with knowledge and awareness of what my body needs to thrive, some days, I struggle. I don't have the perfect diet. I like wine. I eat chocolate.

I deal with stress (sometimes not well). It's a big-picture kind of journey that doesn't end with one tough day, but it's hard to do this alone.

Through all of my experiences, the good and the bad and the downright tough postpartum seasons, I realized that so many women—especially moms—wrongfully believe they can't feel amazing again.

Topics Covered

1:48 | Signs of postnatal depletion 3:14 | Nourishment 9:32 | Quieting the nutrition noise 13:45 | Breastfeeding weight myths 16:51 | Go-to food groups 22:38 | Blood sugar 27:49 | Coffee and fat 31:34 | Pick your battles 36:55 | Magnesium power 43:08 | Keep asking 44:39 | Final question

Additional Resources

You can connect with Kim at rootandbranchnutrition.com for more information and additional resources.

Use code "HELLOPP" gets 10% off any of Kim's educational resources, such as:

• The Fourth Trimester Guide
• Postpartum Weight + Body Image Workshop

Learn about her 1:1 services or her 12-week program, Nourished Roots.

More postpartum nutrition resources

• Ranked: The Best Meal Delivery Services for Postpartum
• Six Stress-Free Nutrition Tips for New Moms
• What Nutrients Do Postpartum Women Need? A Closer Look

Listen in to an honest and raw conversation with three moms who became parents in the middle of a pandemic. They share their strategies for coping, navigating, and feeling more connected during this truly, well, unprecedented time.

Episode 16 | Sarah Goodman and Mira Lax of Eva Mental Health

Pandemic pregnancy and birth. It is our new reality. And while living the last two years in this new way of life, it does not make becoming a mom any easier.

How do we find the support we need during these unprecedented times?

Mira and Sarah of Eva Mental Health share their stories of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum during the beginning of the pandemic.

Through their experience, they've nurtured a way for moms to connect, share and support other women in their motherhood journey. Because while having a baby might look different today, knowing you're heard and supported can make all the difference.

More about Sarah and Mira:

Mira is a mother, writer, and marketing strategist who creates, curates, and collects high-quality content.

She has experience with online and offline marketing, corporate writing and editing, branding and rebranding globally, strategic partnership development, and large-scale event planning.

Sarah Goodman, MSW, RSW, is a mother, a registered social worker, and a passionate supporter of mothers at all stages of their parenting journey.

She intimately understands that becoming a mother is hard. Many stressors can make you feel alone and overwhelmed, from trying to conceive to loss, pregnancy, and motherhood.

As someone who became a mom during the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced loss prior, Sarah quickly understood the importance of support throughout the journey to motherhood.

Sarah is passionate about providing quality support to women in their most vulnerable moments. When so much is asked of you, Sarah's goal is to help mothers feel validated, supported, and cared for.

Topics Covered:

1:01 | Becoming a Covid-19 mom 4:23 | Facing the risks 11:26 | Coping and navigating 18:48 | Eva services 29:25 | I "should" be happy 32:36 | You're allowed to complain 41:43 | Final question

Additional Resources

To learn more about Mira and Sarah, go to evamentalhealth.com for additional information and resources.

Other postpartum pandemic resources

• A Therapist's Guide to Pandemic Parenting
• Coping During a Pandemic? This New Mom Turns to Cooking
• Identifying Postpartum Rage and How to Deal

As mothers, we're in tune with what our children need, but are we listening to our intuitive voice with ourselves? Listen in as Zo'e describes what she believes it means to be an intuitive mother and shares her personal stories of growth.

015 | Zo'e Cole of The Aloha Mamatog

Becoming a mother is far from simple. With it comes challenges most parents do not prepare for well.

But it's not impossible to overcome.

Zo'e Cole is a photographer who specializes in capturing the precious memories of motherhood, from pregnancy to postpartum. Zo'e and I dive into what it means to be an intuitive mother.

Turning into yourself and putting yourself first can be a huge mountain to overcome, but Zo'e's tips and insight grant us simple ways to help guide us in being seen and heard.

No two mothers are alike, and the path may look different for each of us, but it's a path each of us takes in realizing our worth in our role as a mother.

Meet Zo'e Cole

Zo'e is the happiest when churro'd in warm sand by the sea. She is a motherhood story photographer serving in Orange County, CA. Growing up in San Clemente, She began her photography journey shooting surfers from afar. Although she's shooting different stories these days, the surf, sand, and stoke are still in her aesthetic style.

She fell in love with maternity and newborn memories long before becoming a mother myself, but becoming a mama made her truly envelop herself in all the ups and downs of motherhood—from conception to postpartum.

After her daughter's birth, Zo'e's purpose was solidified. She knew she wanted to change her birth narrative to something that she's empowered and created to do. When she started witnessing and photographing more births, Zo'e knew she had the honor of fulfilling that desire for other mothers, too.

She invokes passion, focus, and talent, photographing mothers and their loved ones during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Topics Covered:

2:19 | The meaning of intuitive motherhood 14:31 | Survival brain 20:04 | Is that really what you need? 30:39 | Each child is different 35:45 | Educating yourself 38:12 | Social media 40:35 | Being seen and heard 44:59 | Final question

Additional resources

You can learn about Zo'e and connect with her at thealohamamatog.com for additional resources.

More articles on intuition you might enjoy

• Use Your Motherly Intuition to Make Postpartum Easier
• 10 Tips for Giving Birth with Confidence
• Five Steps to Advocate for Yourself After Birth

Asking for help, setting boundaries, and receiving support can feel paralyzing in postpartum and beyond. Here's an honest conversation around how to do just that. 014 | Caitlin Morris of Coaching with Caitlin One of the most important things you can do postpartum is asking for help. Sounds like something every new mother should know, right?

But many of us struggle with finding our voice in, not only in asking for help but knowing what kind of help we actually need.

In this episode, I chat with life and health coach Caitlin Morris about how women living up to society's standards for what it means to be a mother needs to shift.

From real-life experience, Caitlin touches on all the things surrounding support in postpartum. Setting boundaries, knowing when to say no, and breaking the stigma of mom guilt are just some of the topics we cover in this episode.

Support shouldn't stop after you bring a baby into this world. I hope this episode helps you find your voice, ask for help and give yourself the grace and support you deserve. Because trust me, you're not alone.

Meet Caitlin Morris

Hi! I'm Caitlin. I'm a wife, mom, friend, coach, trainer & fitness instructor. Like you, I also know how easy it is to put everyone else before myself.

To be honest: Motherhood has been all of the beautiful things I thought it would be. It has also been unexpected and challenging in ways I didn't see coming.

Since then, I've become a personal trainer behavior change specialist, learned to set boundaries and say no, prioritized workouts, my time, and self-care. I've also had a second baby and started two different programs as a life coach & health coach.

I'm still learning as I go, but now I know: you don't have to do it alone. And it doesn't have to take you years as it did for me.

The more time I spend working with other clients and even just other moms, other women in the wellness space, I've realized a few things: There's power in sharing our stories, in learning our struggles are our own but that we are not alone. There's power in vulnerability, asking for help, and choosing to step into our possibility.

Just because it's a part of our day to take care and support others doesn't mean we have to come last.

It's so important to me to help women in this way because I believe if we can create the time for ourselves, we can give so much more to others and the world around us.

Topics Covered

1:31 | Why it's so hard to ask for help 4:46 | Backstory to taking up space 10:47 | Asking for Help 17:41 | Adult to Adult Boundaries 26:33 | Handling difficult emotions 31:21 | What I wish I knew about postpartum

Additional resources

You can connect with Caitlin on her website for additional help and resources.

Other articles you might enjoy

• Four Tips for Sharing the Domestic Load After Birth
• Identifying Postpartum Rage and How You Can Deal
• Five Steps to Advocate for Yourself After Birth

Mom guilt.

It's something all moms struggle with, and not just in postpartum. It can affect our entire lives raising kids. While this is an entirely normal feeling, it's essential not to fall too far into the trap that mom guilt can create for us.

How do we shift away from mom guilt without feeling like a bad mom?

Kelsey Mizell is a licensed professional counselor specializing in prenatal and maternal health. In this episode, we talk about the social stigmas surrounding mom guilt and how we can break away from the standards put on mothers everywhere.

Kelsey's advice and strategies focus on being worthy, not perfect. We talk about the importance of being in tune with your emotions, knowing when it's okay to ask for help, and giving how to give time to yourself finally.

Meet Kelsy Mizell, LPC

Kelsey is a Licensed Professional Counselor and specializes in Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health. She helps women and mothers to feel connected with themselves and confident in their motherhood. She provides virtual counseling services through Georgia and Florida.

Kelsey is married with a two-year-old and two dogs. She enjoys drinking too much coffee and spending time outside with family and friends.

Topics Covered

1:38 | The reason for mom guilt 8:23 | How to flip societies expectations 12:22 | Mom guilt is about… 18:22 | The duality of emotions 28:29 | Shifting focus 31:48 | Being worthy, not perfect 34:15 | Final Question

Additional resources

You can connect with Kelsey Mizell at likeamothercounseling.com for additional resources.

Articles on navigating motherhood

• Having a Motherhood Identity Crisis? How a Postpartum Plan Can Help
• Identifying Postpartum Rage and How You Can Deal
• Tips for Overcoming the Pressure to Be a Perfect Mother

What is a VBAC?

Most women don't know about their options when it comes to delivery. VBAC stands for vaginal birth after cesarean. This procedure gives mothers a chance to experience a vaginal delivery if they have had a c-section in the past.

So, how do you know if you're a candidate for a VBAC?

Morgan Miller is a full-time midwife specializing in helping women prepare for birth. Through her experiences working with mothers, she gives us a look at her role in the lives of expecting mothers and how to prepare your body and mind for a VBAC. Morgan is a wealth of information, giving some incredible insight on delivery and how to self-advocate.

I hope you enjoy this episode, and it gives you the courage to talk to your doctor or midwife about your options for delivery.

Meet Morgan Miller

Passionate about pregnancy and reproductive care, Morgan has over seven years of experience caring for people throughout their reproductive cycles. She was a full-time midwife at the Bend Birth Center in Oregon for over five years before relocating to Maine to establish SOFT CORNER.

Dedicated, kind, and considerate, Morgan doesn't think twice about running that extra mile for her clients. She has a fierce enthusiasm for what she does and supports the vision of fundamental reproductive rights and the highest-quality reproductive care available to everyone.

Topics Covered

1:33 | Not attempting a VBAC 4:54 | Self-advocate 10:38 | Preparing for a VBAC 22:06 | Fight or flight 25:57 | The role of a midwife 30:43 | Where to find info on midwifery in your state 36:32 | Definition of progress 44:32 | Final question

Additional Resources

You can connect with Morgan Miller on her website at softcornermidwifery.com. You'll also find additional information and resources.

More resources on birth

• Five Steps to Advocate for Yourself After Birth
• How to Prepare for a Successful VBAC
• 10 Tips for Giving Birth with Confidence

Most new mothers are not prepared for what postpartum will bring.

Yes, a new baby means a new chapter in your life is beginning, but for a lot of mothers, it's less like a new chapter and more like a new book. Postpartum recovery comes with a lot of surprises for families and, even with support, it is a constant struggle growing accustomed to, not only a newborn, but a new way of life.

In this episode, I chat with postpartum doula Gigi Vera Vincent about navigating the rough waters of postpartum. Gigi was inspired to become a postpartum doula after her own struggles with postpartum depression and identity loss. She talks about what the roll of a postpartum doula is in helping parents set realistic expectations and understand that there is no one mold you need to fit when it comes to parenthood.

There is so much societal pressure that does not support a healthy postpartum recovery. We hope, though Gigi's experience and advice, that you feel supported and heard in your motherhood journey.

Meet Gigi Vera Vincent

Gigi a postpartum doula, newborn care specialist, non-toxic educator, mother to three toddlers, including twins, and a wife to her high school sweetheart.

As a former teacher, she brings realistic, evidence-based, and actionable advice (and LOTS of handouts.) I empower families, so once baby arrives, they can focus on resting and bonding instead of researching or stressing.

She's here to streamline the newborn learning curve and guide birth parents, partners, and other family members. There isn't ONE way to have and raise a little human. Gigi's here to assist parents as they find THEIR way so that they can thrive in the fourth trimester and beyond.

Topics Covered:

1:47 | One thing you wish 3:22 | Comparing other cultures 9:32 | Fitting the mold 15:39 | The roll of a doula 21:48 | What can come up during postpartum 27:35 | Realistic expectations 32:32 | The path to postpartum doula 35:44 | Something you wish you knew about postpartum 43:29 | Connect with Gigi