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It can be hard to recognize what you see in the mirror for weeks, months, and maybe even years after having a baby. And even if you end up looking pretty similar to what you looked like pre-baby, sometimes it's hard to get back in touch with your body. In this episode Kaitlin, founder of Be Her Village talks with Carolina Stone of Street Parking, which is an online fitness community. Carolina specifically leads the Pregnant and Postpartum division of their membership and coaching program. Kaitlin and Carolina talk about Carolina's role within the Street Parking coaching community, and how it shifted after having her own baby and realizing that she needed support to be able to feel okay transitioning from athlete to new mom, and figuring out how to correctly, safely, and realistically move her body again. She helped develop programming within the Street Parking umbrella to help moms get their bodies and minds ready for birth, as well as offer space to help in the recovery.

For more on Street Parking, head to their website, and click here to learn more about the Pregnant/Postpartum Program


We're hosting an event!! (we are closely watching Covid/restrictions)

Sunday October 24th we're coming to Detroit to meet the amazing community of families and birth workers at the Detroit Motherhood Expo click here to learn more!

Be Her Village is an online cash gift registry platform for moms and families to get the support they need instead of the stuff they don't!

If you're expecting, create your free registry today!

If you work with new moms and families in pregnancy, birth, or postpartum, JOIN US! It's completely free for you to create a profile so families in your area can find and fund your services. Get started here!

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In this episode, Bethany Purificato joins us to talk about her birth and postpartum story that did not go as planned. She is strong and vulnerable as she walks Kaitlin through her traumatic experience in the hospital and the first weeks at home. Although this birth story gets quite explicit, we wanted Bethany to tell us with as much detail as she wanted about her birth experience because it is her truth. On The Be Her Village Podcast we want to share birth stories of every kind because no matter what kind of story a birthing parent has, there is going  to be someone listening that feels inspired, heard, validated, or educated.

We are grateful for Bethany's story and that not only does she share the hard parts, but she also is able to share what she's gained from her birth story, as well as share with us what she's doing to help heal from her experience.

If you or someone you know has experienced a traumatic birth, there are a number of maternal mental health providers listed on our registry.

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In this episode Kaitlin, founder of Be Her Village talks with Elizabeth Ireland-- a Hypnobirthing instructor in Detroit. Elizabeth Demystifies hypnosis-- jokingly saying “We didn’t do ourselves any favors by calling it that”. She lets everyone know that the Hypnobirthing method isn’t this swinging-pocket-watch-mind-control thing designed for people who want to have unmedicated homebirths. Hypnobirthing is getting into a state of mind where the birthing person and their body is connected to their intuition and their voice. Like most of the things we talk about on the Be Her Village Podcast, Hypnobirthing is for the entire spectrum of birthing folks, from the homebirth parent to the planned C-Section.

They talk about consent in pregnancy and birth, and they remind us that the power lies within the hands, hearts, and desires of the birthing person. Enjoy this once-again-passionate conversation with two women who are excited about making changes in the birth world!

If you’re looking for a Hypnobirthing instructor, you can find Elizabeth Ireland and her services here on the Be Her Village Registry.

If you’re a parent or a birth worker in Detroit, let’s hang! 

Are you or someone you know ready for a new kind of gift registry? Make your free registry here!

Are you a birth worker excited about sharing our mission of Support Not Stuff? Create your FREE Be Her Village provider profile here!

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 Kaitlin McGreyes, founder of Be Her Village and Dr. Helene Darmanin, PT, DPT, CSCS get into  ALL of the common but NOT NORMAL things: from urinary incontinence, pain during sex, and the issues within our maternal healthcare system.

We also drop a little hint about some upcoming excitement happening in October, so be sure to listen!

This is the type of conversation that happens when you put two self-proclaimed fierce feminists together.

Helene is a Licensed Physical Therapist, specializing in pelvic health, orthopedic, and obstetric physical therapy. She’s the Founder and President of Mama Bear PT-- a completely virtual practice, supporting families and birthing people from pregnancy through postpartum.

You can find her at her website here, AND you can put any of Dr. Helene’s services on your custom registry by clicking here!

***Shout out to Zayacare-- which is another platform dedicated to connecting families with providers and getting providers the pay they deserve. We’re doing it on the gift end of things, they’re doing it on the insurance end of it.

This episode is one that makes you want to get up and do something to make some changes happen for birthing families and vagina owners!

Enjoy!

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In this interview, Kaitlin-- founder of Be Her Village talks to Janalyn Pomeroy, a birth and postpartum doula. Janalyn’s story is really cool in that she started supporting pregnant and birthing moms while working in an adoption agency. She was actually doing doula work before she knew there was a name for it. We hear how she came to be a doula (officially)-working with families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum (all while being a mom of three).

In this episode they talk about what doulas do, how they support families during birth and postpartum. They dispel some myths around doulas-- that they’re not just for “the crunchy granola moms” but that they support a range of parents-- from homebirths to scheduled c-sections.  And they talk about how important ongoing support is for new parents after baby is born; that it feels new and a little hard to navigate whether it's the first or fifth baby. Everybody deserves support!

Janalyn is one of our support providers on Be Her Village, supporting the new mamas and families on Long Island. Find out more about Janalyn and her services here!

If you're a doula and you'd like to get your services listed on our website, it's completely FREE! Get started here!

If you're a mama, a dad, or anyone stepping into parenthood, you owe it to yourself to get the support you want and deserve. Create a registry here!

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In this episode of the Be Her Village Podcast, Kaitlin talks to 2x Homebirth Dad Brian Costello on what it's like to be on the other side of pregnancy and birth. Brian gives us a unique and honest insight into what it was like for him to have to stand back and be the observer rather than the active do-er, how he prepared himself for watching his wife birth their two babies at home, and how having a doula enhanced his experience as a partner in birth. This episode is a great one for dads and partners who are heading into birth!

Brian Costello is a proud dad of two, Founder of O23 Holistic Systems, and self proclaimed natural birth enthusiast. If any dad-to-be is curious about homebirth, Brian is happy to talk to them, you can find him here!

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In this week's episode of the Be Her Village Podcast, Kaitlin McGreyes, founder of Be Her Village talks with Andrea Costanzo, owner of Wonders Of My Belly (W.O.M.B.) an at home sonography experience. Andrea has been part of gender reveal parties, part of intimate moments with extended family and relatives, as well as being an integral part in keeping families connected to their sonogram experience during Covid. In this episode they talk about what the home sonography experience is like, that gender disappointment is a real and normal thing, and how WOMB is changing the way people connect to their bellies.

You can find Andrea and her services on the Be Her Village gift registry.

Let us know what you think of this episode!

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In this Father's Day episode, Kaitlin McGreyes, founder of Be Her Village talks to Link Moser, Owner of Windhill Design and proud dad of five! They talk about how even after having multiple children, you still don't know quite what to expect or how your world will shift when you bring home a new baby.  Link acknowledges that there can be some emotional challenges as for dads while they navigating bonding with baby, caring for other children, as well as maintaining a healthy partnership with their partner. Link offers much wisdom to parents, and specifically dads. Some of his pieces of advice are:

• Acknowledge that parenthood and new-babyhood bring an array of feelings-- and that's normal!
• Make an investment in your partnership
• Maintain an outlet to talk about parenthood 

Like this episode? Share it with a dad who could use Link's words of wisdom.

Do us a favor and rate + review this podcast!

And as always, if there's someone in your life who is expecting a baby, give them the best gift of all-- SUPPORT-- which is possible with the Be Her Village online cash gift registry.

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Kaitlin McGreyes, founder of Be Her Village talks with Marisa Hughes, LCSW, Maternal Mental Health Specialist, and Trauma Specialist to learn more about birth trauma. Birth trauma doesn't necessarily mean scary and morbid (although in some cases it can), but birth trauma can be, simply, that your birth didn't go the way you planned.

Marisa emphasizes the importance of maintaining flexibility in your birth plan as you head into birth, focusing on controlling the things you can, even when  there are many things you can't.

We look at the questions:
"How do I know if I've experienced birth trauma?"
"What do I do if I have birth trauma?"

This conversation is rich with information to help new mamas prepare for birth as well as helping heal the mamas who might have had a traumatic birth.

Marisa Hughes is one of many Maternal Mental Health Specialists listed on the Be Her Village Gift registry.

Know a mama who might benefit from hearing this episode? Send it her way!

Have a pregnant friend? Introduce them to the most innovative and practical baby registry around: BeHerVillage.com

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Join Kaitlin McGreyes, founder of Be Her Village, as she talks to Sowania Germain, maternal mental health specialist, about her experience giving birth as a Black woman, and how her traumatic experience called her to work with mothers. Sowania talks about EMDR therapy and how she uses it to help women heal from birth trauma.  And we have an enlightening conversation about the myth of "strong Black women" and how this idea can be harmful to Black women as they navigate the medical system. This is one episode you don't want to miss!