Birth can be a beautiful experience, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without fear and concerns. After hearing from our community, it’s evident that some women feel ready to go! While others feel excited to meet their baby but anxious about the labor and delivery process. We want you to know that ALL of those feelings are valid and so normal! Today’s podcast is going to be all about mentally preparing for labor and delivery. We’ll be going over some tips to help you feel more confident when it comes time to meet your baby! Our first major tip is to run towards your fears instead of away. Educating yourself with as many resources about your fear can help you feel empowered and prepared. Whether your fear is pain during birth, fear of needing a c-section, or fear you may not receive enough support from your partner, we will go over ways to approach these fears head on. Our second tip is to decide on the person who will be your continuous support person through the labor, delivery, and recovery process. Sometimes this is your partner, but for others that can be a person like your mom, sister, close friend, or doula. This support is not only huge for creating a positive experience, but it is backed by science to have improved outcomes for mom and baby! The final tip is to write a letter to yourself, express how you feel with your upcoming birth, and tell yourself how much you believe in yourself! We believe in you too!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!

Links & Resources

Save on our Labor & Delivery Course with code PODCAST25 at checkout!

Amy’s book recommendation: “The Birth Partner 5th Edition: A Complete Guide…”

E + E Podcast Episode 16: Preparing Your Mind and Body For Labor + Delivery

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Our guest on today’s episode is mom of two, founder of Taylor Lee Yoga, and yoga trainer in the Expecting and Empowered app, Taylor Kaulius! So many mamas requested prenatal and postnatal yoga be included in our workout app, so we brought Taylor onto the team! We have loved her perspective on why including yoga during pregnancy and postpartum as not only a physical practice is so important, but that it’s also so great for feeling like yourself during your journey through motherhood. We also wanted to use this as an opportunity for you to get to know Taylor a little more and her motherhood journey; what she felt was the hardest, where she finds the most joy, and how the principles of her yoga practice spill outside the studio and into other aspects of her life for the better! We hope that this episode encourages you to incorporate yoga back into your daily moment routine or to try it out for the first time!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @taylorleekaulius and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!

Follow Taylor Kaulius and her virtual yoga studio on Instagram

Taylor’s Website

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Urinary urgency and incontinence are topics that often don’t get enough attention in women’s health—which is exactly why we're diving into them in today’s episode. Join hosts Amy and Krystle as they share top tips for better bladder health! It’s common to be practicing unhealthy bladder habits without even knowing it, so we will cover what healthy habits should look like for you, your partner, and your kids!

Urinary urgency is when you get the feeling that you have to rush to the bathroom, which can lead to incontinence. This is mainly caused by poor bladder habits. The good news is that you can retrain your bladder! We’ll share some great tips and strategies to help retrain your brain and bladder for a more functional, healthy bladder. Whether you’ve had babies or not, these tips are for you!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Expecting and Empowered Blog Post - Regaining Control: Tips for Dealing with Urge Urinary Incontinence

Bladder Diary FREEBIE!

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today on the podcast, we are honored to have relationship expert Dr. Morgan Cutlip on to talk all about sharing the mental load as mothers and some tangible tips on how to do so. Transitioning from committed partners or a married couple to parents of young children can come with seemingly never ending to-do lists and a lot of emotions. Sharing the mental load of household tasks, schedules, expectations, and more by having open and honest conversations with our spouse can help prevent feelings of resentment and keep you feeling connected. Dr. Morgan shares with us that weekly family meetings foster closeness and can create positive shifts in your relationship, like increased intimacy and a more enjoyable time in the bedroom! We know that after having babies, some women feel uncomfortable in their new bodies. Dr. Morgan shares some encouraging words about how to shift the mindset to how powerful your body is after baby!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @drmorgancutlip and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Follow Dr. Morgan Cutlip on Instagram

Dr. Morgan’s Website

Order Dr. Morgan’s new book, “A Better Share”

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

One-third of babies in the United States are delivered via c-section. In honor of C-Section Awareness Month, we thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit one of our earliest episodes about everything you need to know during the first two weeks after a c-section. Here at Expecting and Empowered we celebrate all births whether they are vaginal births like Amy’s, or c-sections like Krystle’s. We will link Krystle’s c-section birth story about her breech baby, Brooke, down below! Our hope from this episode is to revisit important information that still holds true today to empower you and give you the information you need to start your healing process off on the right foot!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!

Links & Resources

Episode 10: Krystle Howald's First C-section With Breech Baby Brooke

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum can sometimes leave new moms feeling confused, tired, and depleted. Here at Expecting and Empowered, we feel passionately that every mama should get the care, education, and support they deserve and love sharing the microphone with other women who feel the same. That's where Stacia Scott and her company Postpartum Care USA come in! Stacia is a mother of 3, CEO of Postpartum Care USA, and nurse practitioner. With her root-cause approach using in-depth lab testing, tailored nutrition, and natural treatments at her revolutionary postpartum and postnatal care company, she helps women with things like gut health, cortisol levels, and thyroid imbalances. We will be breaking down some of these common postpartum frustrations on today’s episode and hopefully leave you with an empowered mindset that there are people to help you through your 4th trimester and beyond, and that there is something you can do to improve your mind and body to start feeling better!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @PostpartumCare_USA and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!

Follow Stacia Scott on Instagram

Stacia’s Website

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Finding the motivation to workout while being a mom can be hard. Our to-do lists are long and our schedules are busy! Amy is solo for today’s episode to share why we feel pure motivation isn’t going to get you to workout. Instead, changing your mindset, prioritizing yourself, and creating the habit of exercising by knowing your “why” are the three keys to keeping a consistent workout routine and a healthier mind and body. We’re going to dive deeper into these three keys in today’s episode and leave you with some great tips and thinking points to reflect upon after you’ve finished listening. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. And getting 20 minutes, even 10 minutes of your workout done is better than nothing! Taking that time to care for yourself will help you tenfold in caring for your family!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Over our last few episodes, we’ve gone over our #1 most downloaded resource about c-section scar mobilization AND our second most downloaded resource ever on labor positions! Today we are bringing you a BRAND NEW resource we think all of you need to see all about the pelvic floor! The pelvic floor is the “basket” keeping all of our internal organs up and in place and plays a huge role in our everyday activities. During pregnancy and birth, these pelvic floor muscles are doing a lot of work which can make them tight and weak. We are going to walk you through the step-by-step guide of how to do a self-assessment, breathing exercises to work on your pelvic floor, as well as signs when you should seek further in-person care of a pelvic floor specialist. 

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Links & Resources

Postpartum Pelvic Floor Check-Up Freebie!

Find a Provider Near You!

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

As moms of young babies and children, we focus so much on their sleep. Baby sleep is so important for growth and development. But why isn’t the sleep of the mother more talked about? Today on the podcast, Dr. Shelby Harris, a Board Certified Sleep Psychologist and mother, is here to help us dissect sleep as a mom. There are so many different influencing factors that go into how we sleep at night like having a newborn, stress and anxiety, and sleep diagnoses like insomnia, just to name a few. Dr. Shelby is walking us through some tangible steps we can take to not only increase our amount of sleep, but increase the quality of our sleep too! Dr. Shelby also helps us find the balance of getting our rest we need while also living life and having fun at a night out with girlfriends or staying up late to watch a movie with your spouse. You may have been enticed by the promise of sleep by the many sleep aids on the market like melatonin and magnesium. We get the expert opinion on if you should utilize these in your sleep routine, or steer clear!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @sleepdocshelby and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Follow Dr. Shelby on Instagram

Dr. Shelby’s Website

Links & Resources

Order Dr Shelby’s Book; “The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia”

Preorder her upcoming book; “The Essential Guide to Children’s Sleep”

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

As avid lifelong runners, we, Amy and Krystle, know that when you’re a runner, you want to keep running through all phases of life! And sometimes, pelvic organ prolapse can feel like it’s keeping you from doing the thing you love. One of our most popular blog posts was about running with prolapse. So, today we thought we’d expand on that post and bring you more of the education we think you need to know to feel empowered about your own health. Addressing prolapse sooner after it happens is key, versus waiting until older age, as Krystle as seen first hand in her physical therapy practice. In this episode, we will go over what exactly is prolapse, how prevalent it is in postpartum women, what Krystle’s ground rules are for running with prolapse, and many tips on managing prolapse symptoms with the goal of being able to run again! Our goal for this episode is to help bring awareness to this common issue that happens to postpartum women and bring you tangible tips to help you get back in the game and safely out for a run again!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Links & Resources

Tips For Running With Prolapse Blog Post

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout 

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.