There is no way around it - America is failing mothers. We are in a crisis of burn out, physical and mental health challenges, financial obstacles, lack of support at work postpartum, and more.

Today you’ll hear first hand stories from American women who have, or are currently facing, all too common issues that come with being a mother in this country. They share about the lack of maternity leave, lack of health insurance options, physical and financial burden after birth, extreme childcare costs, and the overall stress of maintaining a career with children.

My hope for this episode is to bring light to these very real issues that mothers face in America today. Mothers should not have to face these challenges alone. I strongly believe that the more we talk about these issues. the more we are able to change them going forward and create a better life for the next generation. Be sure to tune in next week to part two of this series.

In this episode we discuss:


Lack of maternity leave in The United States, and how it negatively affects families (and companies)

The significant expense of childcare

The shame that often comes with postpartum depression and anxiety

Why women should not go six weeks after birth before seeing their provider

Possible solutions for the challenges that mothers are facing 

 
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Disclaimer: This podcast does not provide medical advice. The information on this podcast is for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 
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91. How America is Failing Mothers: Part 1

The Motherhood Meets Medicine Podcast is a space that brings all women together. It's for those who hope to be a mom one day, those who are already mothers, and mothers of mothers. This podcast will give you candid, informal interviews on motherhood topics that you can listen to while you're driving to work, folding laundry or whatever else your busy day may bring. Each week, Your host, Lynzy Coughlin, will be focusing on topics ranging from postpartum issues to parenting teens. She's bringing in experts with formal training to cover everything motherhood! So grab your coffee and join us for a weekly chat on your time. All are welcome! Lynzy is a Physician Assistant in the Emergency Department where she has practiced medicine for the last 15 years. You can connect with Lynzy on her Substack account, Badass Matriarch.

Kids & Family

Medicine

Science & Medicine

Health & Fitness

When a woman becomes a mother, it sometimes feels like she’s entered the wild, wild west without any sort of map, compass or guide. Half the things you read on the internet are purely opinion and not based in fact. The other half may be factual, but how does it apply to your life? 
In the U.S. there is a dire need for better and more comprehensive postpartum care. Which is why Megan and Lauren, co-created The Matrescence App.
The Matrescence is a maternal mental wellness app created after personal and professional recognition of the gaps in care for women navigating their Matrescence or process of becoming a mother. 
Lauren is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, who turned her pain into passion and teamed up with Megan, the marketing and business brains behind the operation to create this space, their app empowers women with valuable mental health resources. As a member only community it serves as a vital place for peer connection, education by accredited experts, and curated mindfulness based stress reduction activities. 
This was such an amazing conversation. We originally were going to talk so much more about mindfulness, but with the growing need for more postpartum care, we dug in deep and discussed the app and the reason they created it. 
Investing in yourself and your mental health as a mother is a direct investment into your family. Remember that when your first instinct is to put yourself and your needs on the backburner. 

In this episode, we discuss: 
The Matrescence app and what it does for new moms.
Our thoughts on wellness capitalism here in America and how it tends to prey on mothers.
How simple breathing techniques can help stress relief throughout the day.
Ways that journaling can help with wellness.

Discount Codes from Our Sponsors:
Factor: Get 50% off when you go towww.factormeals.com/lynzy50 and use the code lynzy50 to get 50% off your first box and 20% off your second as long as your membership is active.

Resources: 
Listeners can use code: M3 for a 30 day free trial of our premium membership! - *This code is only available on our website and not the App Store*
If you want to make changes systemically - join one of these groups:
https://chamberofmothers.com/
https://aitogether.org/
https://momsfirst.us/
Connect with Megan & Lauren:
The Matrescence -http://www.thematrescence.com/
The Matrescence App -https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-matrescence/id1576425396
Instagram @‌thematrescence -https://www.instagram.com/thematrescence/?hl=en

Questions:
Can you describe a moment where mindfulness positively affected a challenging situation in your motherhood journey?
Many mothers struggle to find time for themselves. How do you integrate mindfulness into your busy schedule with children?
In terms of mindfulness, what is one piece of advice you would give to a new mother facing the overwhelming changes that come with parenthood?
How does practicing mindfulness contribute to the emotional and mental well-being of both you and your children?
Could you provide examples of how you use mindfulness to foster deeper connections with your children? What are some of the resources and exercises you offer through the app that can be done with your children?
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157: A Candid Conversation About the Reality of Life For Mothers in America + Tips on Mindfulness with Megan + Lauren

Our children are begging for us to listen to them. In fact, recent polls suggest that many of our children, pre-teens and teens feel like we aren’t listening because we’re engaged with our phones and distracted. Is this true? Are we really not listening? Or have we forgotten the importance of active listening in conversations? 
Dr. Maisha Clairborne is an integrative family physician, Master Practitioner and trainer of neuro linguistic programming, hypnosis and timeline therapy and founder of the mind remapping Academy. Through her live training, Dr. Clairborne teaches individuals how to master their thoughts, beliefs and communication, while eliminating fear, shame, self doubt and old trauma that interfere with their ability to experience full aliveness and live their best, most fulfilled, productive and peaceful life. 
Listen as Dr. Clairborne and I talk about this extremely important topic. She even provides examples of situations where she has used active listening with her own son to help build his confidence and trust. 
If you’ve been struggling with communication in your home, you will not want to miss this one. 
In this episode, we discuss: 
What active listening really is.
Tips for balancing communication boundaries and providing safe spaces to talk.
Non-verbal ways to show our children that we’re listening.
The best ways to communicate with our children.
When to incorporate humor into parenting
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Resources: 
Connect with Dr. Clairborne
The Black Mind Garden Podcast -www.TheBlackMindGarden.com
Mind ReMapping Academy -https://www.mindremappingacademy.com
Facebook-www.facebook.com/drmaiysha
Instagram -http://www.instagram.com/drmaiysha
LinkedIn -www.linkedin.com/in/drmaiysha
Twitter -http://www.twitter.com/drmaiysha
YouTube -http://www.youtube.com/drmaiysha
Questions:
What are some ways we as parents can take care of ourselves when we are emotionally dysregulated?
How can we use humor and play to redirect our children when it seems they are not listening?
How can understanding our children's values help us to motivate and directionalize their behavior?
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156: The Importance of Active Listening with Dr. Maiysha Clairborne

Is it impossible to build new friendships when you become a mother? How about maintaining the relationships you already have? No. It’s not. In fact, it’s vitally important to our health that we continue to actively build and maintain our relationships.
But how do we do that when we’re juggling all the things as moms, wives, employees, business owners, etc? Here to share her tips and strategies for navigating friendships is Danielle Bayard Jackson. 
Danielle is a female friendship coach and educator who speaks nationally on the science of woman's platonic connections. She's also the author of Fighting For Our Friendships, which is coming out in May of this year. She also has a coaching business Friend Forward that is dedicated to teaching women how to create and maintain better female friendships. And her expertise has been featured in The New York Times, NBC News, Psychology Today, Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, and a host of other media outlets as the resident friendship expert for the global app Bumble for friends. 
Listen as she shares her story, research, and why it’s so important that we continue to hone our friendships as we move into different stages of life. 
In this episode, we discuss: 
Ways to navigate current friendships and make new ones once you are a mom.
How to handle different parenting styles or issues that come up between friends.
What research has to say about quality friendships.

Resources: 
Book-preorder - Fighting For Our Friendshipshttps://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/fighting-for-our-friendships
Article by Kirsten Powers -The Way We Live in United States is not Normal https://kirstenpowers.substack.com/p/the-way-we-live-in-the-united-states
https://substack.com/home/post/p-139238299?r=5ftqh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=substack
Article by Rosie Spinks -The Friendship Problem
https://rojospinks.substack.com/p/the-friendship-problem?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=4486&post_id=139046175&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=180ck&utm_medium=email
Connect with Danielle:
Instagram - @‌daniellebayardjackson -https://www.instagram.com/daniellebayardjackson/
TikTok - @‌thefriendshipexpert -https://www.tiktok.com/@thefriendshipexpert?lang=en

Questions:
What is the surprising research around the benefits of women’s friendship?
What are 4 tangible ways to make time for friends as a busy mom?
Do you know the 3 of the most common conflicts that arise between mom friends (and how to solve them)?
What does the research say about how friendship changes for those in their 30s and 40s?
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155: How to Maintain Current Friendships and Build New Ones as A Mom with Danielle Bayard Jackson

With processed foods being so excessively available to us, how do we nourish our brains and fuel our bodies for longevity? Believe it or not, you can use nutrition for brainpower and to deter the effects of neurological dysfunction and disease. 
Here to do a deep dive on what to eat to support your brain and body for life is Barbie Boules. 
Barbie is a registered dietician, certified health coach and meditation teacher with over 22 years of experience. In her practice, she works as a private coach, community educator, passionate speaker, popular corporate wellness programmer, and respected dietetic intern preceptor. She's had the privilege of counseling 1000s of men and women around the country on her journey to better health. Barbie specializes in the unique needs of women over 40. 
She focuses on helping her clients achieve optimal metabolic and cognitive fitness. Without the unnecessary and unsustainable rules of FAD dieting, and rather, through a genuine understanding of what each client truly needs to transform their health for good.
Listen in as she debunks some of the widely held beliefs about diet, whole grains, coffee and more. Plus she shares tips and tricks for creating a home that supports healthy eating habits early on… without the stress and regrets. 
In this episode, we discuss: 
The biggest risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s.
How you can nourish your body to help protect your cognitive health.
Protein and its role as we age.
Why coffee and tea are still important for your diet.
The importance of whole grains.

Resources: 
Nutrition Essentials - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5mc1lhdr00hoszmy3l0jd/NUTRITION-ESSENTIALS-1-1.pdf?rlkey=19plr4uhrchgpy3fb91ykf3ue&dl=0 
Everyday Mindfulness - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HIW60H_j8fcO0sk7hLSxqqozBBwsv_wz/view?usp=sharing
Connect with Barbie:
Barbie Boules Longevity and Wellness
LinkedIn | Instagram
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Questions:
What are the biggest risk factors for developing Alzheimer's? 
Is the MIND-DIET beneficial and what key foods are in it?
When it comes to 80-20/90-10 rules, does the time frame matter for the “treat” days? 
Why does she like coffee and tea being added to the diet?
What are the best sources of whole grains?
How can what we eat affect our cognitive brain health?
What would her approach be with her kids to grow up eating in a similar way?
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154: Nutrition for Brainpower: A Deep Dive with Dietician Barbie Boules

If you’ve listened to the podcast for any amount of time, you know that one of our children has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Once she was finally diagnosed, an entire world of knowledge and resources opened up for us. But it took a LONG time to get to this point. 
Because of our journey, it’s important to me to share expert information with you about this extremely common neurological condition. Which is why I reached out to April McMurtrey. 
April is a professional reading specialist, dyslexia specialist, author, and the developer of the Learn Reading program. She has been helping struggling and dyslexic students for over 30 years, breaking through their reading barriers to unlock the world of words. April is currently preparing for a TED talk about dyslexia awareness that I cannot wait for. Her book, Is That Dyslexia, is now on shelves, and she also has resources that will help struggling and dyslexic students, parents of those students and parents who are those students, including dyslexia screenings and online courses. 
Having dyslexia doesn't mean you're at a disadvantage. It's just your brain seeing things differently. Listen in to learn about how you can support your kids, why dyslexia can be a strength, and how to get the right screenings if you notice certain behaviors in your child.
In this episode, we discuss: 
How common dyslexia is.
The signs and symptoms of dyslexia.
How to advocate and help your child with dyslexia.
Talents and strengths of people with dyslexia may have.
Resources: 
The Learn Reading Program
Is it Dyslexia by April McMurtrey
Aaron Slater, Illustrator: A Picture Book (The Questioneers)
Connect with April:
Learn Reading
LinkedIn |Instagram| Facebook
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Factor: Get 50% off when you go towww.factormeals.com/lynzy50 and use the code lynzy50
Questions:
What is dyslexia?
What are some of the signs and symptoms of dyslexia?
How common is dyslexia?
How early can dyslexia typically be identified? How important is it to diagnose early as opposed to later on?
How do you go about diagnosing dyslexia? What should I do as a parent if I think my child may be dyslexic but the school won't evaluate?
How do you help a struggling or dyslexic learner?
What are some effective teaching methods and approaches that can be employed to help individuals with dyslexia improve their reading skills?
What are some of the talents and strengths that dyslexics have? How can I help foster this in my own child?
What are some of your favorite resources for those wanting to learn more about dyslexia?
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91. How America is Failing Mothers: Part 1

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