Lady! Today's guest host has a story of resilience amidst and after an emergency C-section with her first baby, quite the opposite of the unmedicated birth she prepped, planned, and hoped for! Stories like Veronica's are the heart behind the PoP podcast: tough things can happen, but we can move through them. Our plans can go sideways, and we can accept and adapt. Whether you're still expecting and hoping so hard for an unmedicated birth, or baby's already come and you didn't have the birth you planned, you're going to love this episode. Such a treat!

Get in touch at [email protected]. Full show notes and links to get in touch with Veronica are over at postartumonpurpose.com/my-blog.

The single most important thing that I want you to know: you don't have to be afraid. Let's talk where scary thoughts, aka intrusive thoughts, in new motherhood come from, what they mean about you (spoiler: absolutely nothing), and what to do with them, using a spot-on analogy called Man in the Park from psychologist and OCD specialist Shala Nicely.

As usual, get in touch at [email protected].

Per of course, the information presented in the Postpartum on Purpose Podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for actual medical or mental health advice from a doctor, psychologist, or any other medical or mental health professional.

"How do you bury a baby miscarried at home?" "How do you buy a casket for a baby born still?" Today's guest host, Jocelyn Abyad, is VP of We Carry You Still, an organization that connects grieving parents (and those who support them) with answers to the most pressing, heartbreaking practical questions after miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. Often, these questions are time sensitive, requiring answers within just days of suffering the loss. That's why I want you to know exactly how to access help, for when you or someone you care about it needs it right away.

Full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog, including a resource for weighing miscarriage management options (expectant management, D&C, etc.). Get in touch at [email protected].

If you've read or heard that you shouldn't allow relatives or others to spend time with your baby if they haven't had certain shots, or learned what to say to keep strangers from touching or holding your baby, this episode's for you! Taking those positions with strangers or relatives is certainly open to you (you're the mom!), but they aren't the only reasonable, rational available options. I'm sharing the perspectives that have allowed me to exhale and release control when it comes to who can and can't be around our family, new baby and all.

Find the full show notes over at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog and get in touch at [email protected].

Hi Lady! If you've ever wondered whether your 2nd postpartum could be better than your 1st, or your 5th could be better than all the rest, even though you have an additional person to care for and more logistics to work through--today's episode is for you. Guest host Amylynn Smith of The NFP Podcast humbly shares the parenting ideas that didn't serve her and candidly shares the resources and ideas that did in her 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd postpartum (including one with twins!!!). She covers it all in this episode: placenta encapsulation, attachment parenting, pelvic floor physical therapy, mom rage, cluster feeding, what to do when the novelty of a new baby wears off, nutrient depletion, building a grandma tribe, and more.

Full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog for Episode 105. Get in touch at [email protected] or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Lady, hi! In this episode, I'm covering the arena of both maternal and child health that your garden variety baby care book is missing, as well as ways we incorporate this kind of health practice for our babies. The one baby care book I've found that does a great job covering all the health bases for both moms and babies is Nurturing Whole Health: You, Your Baby, and God in the First Year, by pediatric nurse practitioner Nicole Lea and pediatrician Kathryn Italia, MD. Links to the book and how you can download a free chapter are in the show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog.

Get in touch at [email protected] or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Lady, hi! Following up last episode's review of Nina Spears' book "The Baby Chick Guide to Positive Pregnancy," here's Nina herself sharing the ways she as a postpartum doula encourages her clients to prepare for new motherhood (or motherhood again!) while they are still pregnant. She talks about the questions moms ask her, and shares how the types of questions change as postpartum progresses. She speaks to how many partners "wait to be told what to do" during postpartum, because they want to help but don't want to get in the way or make things worse or harder for mom...even though that ends up causing her more stress. You're in for a treat with this episode, lady. Enjoy!

Full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog. Get in touch [email protected].

Hi Lady! Here's my book review of The Baby Chick's Guide to Positive Pregnancy: How to Prepare Your Mind, Body, and Partner, by Nina Spears. This is a pregnancy guide book I'd give to a friend expecting her first, or third, or fifth. :) Why am I reviewing it on my postpartum-focused podcast? Hint: It's because she gets that women need to intentionally *prepare* for postpartum. I'm all about that!

Full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog. Get in touch at [email protected].

Hi Lady! If you want to stay home with baby but just aren't sure how to make the money work going from 2 incomes to 1, today's episode is for you! Guest hosts Shana and Vanessa, aka The Budget Besties, are Dave Ramsey-trained master financial coaches and co-hosts of the Financial Coaching for Women podcast. They've both been in your shoes and they're sharing what they know!

Full links to free goodies from the Budget Besties are in the episode show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog.

Get in touch at [email protected].

Hi Lady! Can't sleep (at night) even when the baby is? If you're unable to sleep or to stay asleep aside from baby's diaper changes and feedings, here's what I want you to do: 1) make an appointment with your healthcare practitioner. Now. Please. Get help with your sleep ASAP, so that you're not fighting both sleep deprivation and insomnia. Sleep deprivation on its own is tough enough. 2) Listen to this episode on 3 research-based insomnia treatments (none require medicine!) so you can make a real action plan with your practitioner to start sleeping (and therefore feeling) better.

Be sure to check out the full show notes at postpartumonpurpose.com/my-blog. Get in touch [email protected]. As always, nothing in these episodes should be construed as medical advice. That's why I'm telling you to get in touch with your local practitioner. :)