By Shalishah & Marci
The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.
Many months into the pandemic we're watching both of our babies rapidly grow into little girls before our very (tear-filled) eyes and, because of Covid-19, only our eyes. We recognize that we're grieving the loss of our dreams and expectations for new mom life - play dates, birthday parties, mommies day out, and uninhibited interactions with our friends and families.
There are women who've given birth or are navigating pregnancies during this pandemic too. Those who've held virtual baby showers, who have gone to doctors visits alone, who are grappling with the reality that one visitor every 24 hours means choosing between your man (or partner), mom or midwife during labor.
Pandemic Pregnancies is a beautifully rich, honest and eye-opening discussion about what it's like to be a mom, or becoming one, in different parts of America right now.
We invite you to share this with moms or moms-to-be who you know. They are going through more than they're sharing, trust us, so this conversation may provide them some comfort.
There are so many things to learn about motherhood, most of which happens on the fly, on the job, or by googling while on the night shift. As first time moms, in addition to our own research, we both relied on the advice, recommendations and real-world experiences of other moms. We've also found that not everybody is keen on receiving unsolicited mom advice. Why is that?
On this episode we chat about:
100 (million?!) days into all that comes with Quarantining as Moms and it's safe to say WE'VE HAD ENOUGH! It's also safe to say, we're embarking on even more of this...
On our 10th episode of Mom Life Crisis, we're catching up with each other 6 months into 2020 AKA the hardest year in modern history, more than 3 months into sheltering in place and away from each other, and more than 100 days without justice for Breonna Taylor.
Listen to hear: Plans for schooling kids in the fall - hybrid-style • How we're prioritizing self-care and what that looks like these days • Why nail shop stops, wandering the aisles of target and date night at restaurants have lost their thrill • How we're adapting to Covid (spoiler alert: we're not) and what this new spike means for our old life, summer plans and family fun • Why you should check in on your Mom friends, especially Black ones. • Virtual baby showers, mom health checks, family reunions and the other ways we're using zoom these days • How we're fighting for the world we want to see for our children and the pain, exhaustion and even fear that has brought forth in recent weeks. Why all Moms were summoned and how we, with our strong amazing selves, can support each other now.
We truly believe that a Mother is only as strong as her village, and now when the village is experiencing a slew of storms, it's important that we give and accept support, share the weight, and find outlets for our questions and concerns. We're all ears.
We're digging deeper into our favorite topic, #liquidgold. On part 2 of Breastfeeding we talk about the importance of seeking the support of a lactation consultant to begin your journey empowered by knowledge, professional support, and a good latch! Letdowns, what that means, all the ways and places it can happen and the tools that helped us have the best experience (and driest clothes) possible. We touch on diet, how proper hydration and thoughtful food choices can lead to the best production of milk for your baby. We give useful tips on pumping, when to start, how to store, and why you should wait to pump, particularly during the pandemic. We take a moment to cry over spilled milk and share our sad experiences with waste, so hopefully you won't experience one. We give you tons of ways to use expired breastmilk to heal everything from cradle cap, to baby acne and potentially Covid-19, but don't quote us. To that note, Marci shares some fascinating facts about breastmilk from Coronavirus patients and how it's been tested to be jampacked with the antibodies to fight off the virus, but none of the virus.
We also promised to share our favorite tools and essentials with you. Visit our website, momlifecrisispodcast.com, to get a link to our favorite dual-purpose bra (for nursing and pumping simultaneously), the best milk collectors, comfiest nursing wear and all of the self-care items you should feel totally confident and empowered to add to your registry.
Breastfeeding is easily our favorite topic when it comes to motherhood at this point. With Marci 15 months in (reluctantly) and Shalishah 7 months in, we've learned a lot along the way that we share, sometimes without invitation, with every pregnant woman, mother-to-be, or person with ears as often as we can. We hope that this series which may go for 2 or 3 episodes, because it's our jam, will equip you with accurate information, support and a plan to provide #liquidgold to your little one for as long as you choose to.
In part 1 we're sharing our two distinctly different roads towards choosing to nurse our LOs. We're debunking a few myths, introducing some less familiar aspects of breastfeeding like #dreamfeeding. We share how milk production evolves to meet the needs of your LO when they're sick, you're sick, the environmental conditions change and even as they grow older and solids are introduced. We're talking about nursing in public, the laws that protect you, businesses that have appropriate environments designated to support you (go Target!) and the must-haves to give you the discretion you desire. We also talk about advocating for yourself and how to have candid conversations with friends, families, partners and strangers to protect your right to feed your baby the way and where you so choose.
This episode is full, like babies and boobs, and we couldn't be more proud to have this conversation with you and your mom friends.
We're losing track of time and somedays it feels like we're losing our minds. The laundry is piling up. Canned goods are beginning to not taste so good. We're convinced our houses are shrinking or gravity is pulling all of our family (dogs included) to only the rooms we're in. We miss our mothers something serious and are willing to risk it all for their support. The news gives us the blues and multi-hyphenate, ya know Remote Workers / Partners / Mothers / Homeschool Teachers / Housecleaners / Chefs, is wearing us down! When will outside (safely) open up again?!?
There are also great things about this time - things we're truly grateful for. We're growing children and gardens and eyebrows. We're letting our nails breathe after years of acrylic and polish. We're letting our relationships grow stronger both in communication and collaboration. We're learning how to do more with less. For some of us that's less time (maybe only Moms will understand), less things (like our beloved Target and Starbucks runs) and less resources because more than 20 million of us are out of work indefinitely.
Lockdown Life is the full on crisis this podcast was created for, we just didn't know it yet. On this episode we're sharing our honest experiences and being our truest, most vulnerable selves. We appreciate your support and, even more so, appreciate the chance to support you through THE crisis of all crises, chile.
Sound off in the comments, how you doin' Mom/Friend?
This #coronavirus pandemic has us clinging to our babies a little tighter these days and savoring the mandated moments we get to spend each day with our immediate families. For moms who value goals like completing 40 weeks of pregnancy, the first 6 weeks of newborn bootcamp and a solid 12 months of breastfeeding, these unpredictable times can feel quite unsettling.
On this episode, #SaferAtHome, we get together (virtually) to chat about how things escalated quickly and how we’re preparing our families for the unknown, which sometimes just means having a couple of week’s worth of baby supplies.
We’re grateful to have this opportunity to share our experiences, especially now, when social distancing can make us all feel a little disconnected and even overloaded with new responsibilities. We’re in this with you and we hope this week’s episode feels like a warm hug…’member those?
What do ideas, joy, peanut butter, and viruses have in common? They all spread! The first three we’re totally into. The last one…not so much. Our fifth episode is all about protecting our little ones and ourselves from all the germs. You should totally share this episode with your pregnant friends. Particularly now, in the heart of flu season and the hysteria of coronavirus, there are measures us Mama Bears can take to proactively prevent and control infections.
Tune in to hear why hand sanitizer should be on your baby registry. Why our little ones were worth the wait (for the people we wouldn’t let see them in the first few weeks of life). Sorry, not sorry. Ways to introduce your baby to the world, without introducing germs to your new baby. How to welcome people, and adult interaction, safely in the early months of motherhood. Why breastmilk is better than ‘tussin, ginger ale, vapo rub or any other fix for sick babies or sick moms with well babies. How 20 seconds of Beyoncé can clean up even the dirtiest of us. What moms who haven’t slept in years (it feels like) can do to boost your immune systems, fight off colds, and continue to manage each #momlifecrisis, one day at a time. Remember, even the small steps count, like getting our nails done and washing our hands…A LOT.
Creating life really lit a fire under each of us. Maybe you can relate? We have each become more creative and fearless, hence the real and uncut podcast. We’ve each prioritized relationships that hold us accountable and help us out from time to time. We’ve also spent quite a bit of time asking questions of ourselves, usually during the hours of breastfeeding or watching our little ones sleep, because we don’t get to do much of that! Who do we want to be, not just as mothers, but as role models for our little ones? Who do we want to be remembered as? How do we savor the moments and not just rush from one feeding or dirty diaper to the next? Are we pulling up as parents and, like Rihanna just invited folks to do, are our friends pulling up too? What memories are we creating that we can count on when it’s all said and done?
This episode has some heavy parts, not even going to lie about that. We lost a legend in Kobe Bryant, but we gained his mentality of showing up for motherhood, parenthood and life. We’re calling it "mama mentality" because we’re each committed to living and loving our babies full out…and leaving it all on the floor in honor of #24.
It's easy to give and receive love on Valentine's Day, but what about the other 364 days of the year? On our third episode of Mom Life Crisis we talk about how to prioritize and love your partner, your childcare providers, your family and friends in the midst of new mom life. Let's be real, loving your little one is the easy part... and the priority! It's the other relationships, including the one with yourself, that take intention and work.
Tune in to hear:
You have to teach people how to love you, mom/friend! Not us though, we love you and you're the reason why we created this show!
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The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.