The MOTHERLODE Podcast

On this week's episode we had the pleasure of sitting down with Becky Fawcett, the Founder & President of HelpUsAdopt.org. Help Us Adopt is a national 501(c)(3) adoption grant program that helps hard-working families overcome the financial obstacles of adoption so that children can join loving and permanent homes. 

Adoption is expensive. Typical costs include the home study; social worker visits; lawyers’ fees (for adoptive parent(s) and birthmother); birthmother's living expenses, medical expenses and counseling expenses; agency/orphanage fees; airline tickets (often last minute); hotel; car rental…. The average adoption costs approximately $40,000. The magnitude and uncertainty of these expenses is a significant obstacle to finding permanent homes for the millions of children around the world who need parents. Through the generous contributions of their donors, Help Us Adopt is able to knock down that obstacle, helping parents complete their families, and helping children find their forever homes. Since the organization’s launch in 2007, they have awarded 372 adoption grants totaling over $3.3 million!

Becky and her husband Kipp have two adopted children of their own, and have dedicated their lives to fighting for children around the globe who are in need of a safe, loving, permanent home.

RESOURCES:
To learn more about Help Us Adopt or to get involved by volunteering or donating, please visit https://www.helpusadopt.org/
If you or someone you know is thinking about adoption, Becky wants to support you! She is available as a shoulder to lean on, an  ear to listen, and an incredible resource. You can contact her directly by emailing her - [email protected] or on Instagram @helpusadopt and @becky.fawcett

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all!

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

You may have heard birth referred to as a "marathon" - an athletic event that requires strength and endurance both mentally and physically. In this week's episode we discuss what "labor training" actually is, as well as the many benefits in doing so. We also cover how to prepare to push during birth and the ways in which how you push can impact your pelvic floor, advocating for yourself while you are in labor, the best birthing positions, preparing for postpartum, and lots of other juicy tips!

RESOURCES:
Have we sparked your interest? Are you ready to prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally for your birth marathon and postpartum period? Subscribe to LUNA Mother Co and start training for your birth marathon with hundreds of workouts, pelvic floor & core programs to keep you strong and connected through your pregnancy, childbirth education classes, postpartum prep, and so much more! New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all!

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

When Stephanie got pregnant with her daughter Parker, it was just 5 weeks before Covid would hit. At that time, like many others, she never imagined she would be giving birth amidst a worldwide pandemic 8 months later. But here we are! In this week's episode, Stephanie shares her daughter's birth story and what it was like for her giving birth in a hospital during a pandemic.

RESOURCES:
Doulas can provide wonderful support both leading up to and through your birth, even virtually! Find a doula in your area HERE

Check out our virtual childbirth education class that you can do from the comfort of your home, on your time. Tune in HERE.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

On today’s episode, we are joined by Tara Brooke and Gina Giordano, the Founders of  Born Into This, a 501c# non-profit organization & yearly conference, and Doula Trainings International. We discuss the importance of autonomy & reproductive justice, as well as the role of a doula and why you should consider hiring one.

 Over the last decade, Doula Trainings International has become one of the premier online and in-person doula training organizations in the world. With a network of educators, their team has trained thousands of birth workers across the US and internationally, with a commitment to autonomy, cultural humility, reproductive justice, collaborative entrepreneurship.  Through their work with DTI, Gina & Tara invited thought provoking leaders in their community to creatively connect, share resources, and examine injustices and privileges within the birth world. Inspired by the impact those conversations and connections, the vision of Born Into This grew. Now a 501c3 non-profit organization, Born Into This continues to produce conferences, workshops, and online content that work to revolutionize the world’s relationship with reproductive health. 

 Tara & Gina also recently published their first book called “Born Into This: A Creative Guide Through Reproductive Health” – written from the perspective of birth educators and doulas, their book explores everything from hormones to pregnancy to menopause. Grab your copy HERE!

RESOURCES:
Find a doula in your area HERE
To learn more about DTI or become a doula or childbirth educator, visit https://doulatrainingsinternational.com/
You can now watch past Born Into This conferences  HERE! Want to join the next one? Visit https://www.wearebornintothis.com/conference for info about upcoming events, workshops, and to connect with Tara and Gina.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

Diastasis Recti is a term that is getting a lot of buzz these days (thankfully!) However with all that buzz comes some myths, misconceptions, and untruths. On today's episode we debunk some of these myths and misconceptions surrounding diastasis recti with Ashley Nowe, the Founder of Get Mom Strong.

For those who may not be familiar with the term, Diastasis Recti (also referred to as "abdominal separation") is the partial or complete separation of the rectus abdominis, or “six-pack” muscles, which meet at the midline of your stomach. Diastasis occurs naturally during pregnancy in order to accommodate for the growing uterus and often resolves on its own within 6-8 weeks postpartum. However this isn't always the case, and many mothers are left with injury-based diastasis after that initial healing stage that may require rehabilitative exercises to correct. Join us as we share some of the common misconceptions surrounding this condition.

Ashley Nowe is a mom of three, stepmom of two, and a pre & postnatal exercise specialist. After birthing her three children (including a set of giant twins) Ashley didn't recognize her body. She says "The twins shook my foundation, taking such a toll on my body, and my sense of self.  I struggle(d) with diastasis recti—a “separation” of the abdominal wall—but have worked hard to learn to love my stomach again in its new form and reconnect with my core. This journey set me on a mission to educate other women and to help them take back pregnancy and postpartum! Whether you are a mom to a newborn or a grown kid, it is never too late to improve your core and pelvic floor and live a life full of function and vitality." To learn more about Ashley, visit her at www.getmomstrong.com and follow her on Instagram where she shares lots of great tips, workouts, and more!

DIASTASIS RECTI RESOURCES:
Find a pelvic Floor Physical Therapist near you by clicking HERE

LUNA Mother Co offers a thorough self-assessment video taught by our in-house pelvic floor physical therapist to help you identify if you have diastasis recti postpartum and how to begin healing. LUNA's Core Restore program also addresses diastasis and provides you with the tools to begin reconnecting to and healing your core.

Get Mom Strong also offers tools to help you reconnect to, rehabilitate, and restrengthen your core post-birth.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

On today's episode we sit down with Georgia Noonan, a Registered Labor & Delivery Nurse and soon to be Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, to discuss becoming parents as LGBTIQ individuals, ways to advocate for yourself and your family amidst a broken healthcare system, navigating ART (assisted reproductive technology) and finding the right practitioner for you, as well as an often overlooked yet common condition that plays an important role in fertility.

Georgia is a soon-to-be Women's Health Nurse Practitioner with under four weeks remaining in her graduate program at Frontier Nursing University. Originally on track to be a certified nurse midwife, Georgia is incredibly passionate about all things pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum. She is an advocate for birth justice and empowerment and helping birthing individuals achieve their birth outcomes and avoid the obstetrical violence and trauma she witnessed firsthand as a labor and delivery nurse for six years before returning to grad school to more actively implement the birth and women's healthcare revolution our nation demands. As a queer woman herself, she is both personally and professionally motivated to work with LGBTIQ individuals after graduation and address the rampant health disparities her community faces. The provision of Evidence Based Care and Information is of paramount importance to her and she recently became part of the Evidence Based Birth® instructor and childbirth educator team. In April, she launched her platform Birthing Beings to help connect and provide all of these services and more to clients in need.

You can also find Georgia on LUNA Mother Co's platform teaching our Childbirth Education Course as well as our Preparing For Postpartum Series. To connect with Georgia visit www.Birthing Beings.com or follow her on Instagram

RESOURCES:
Thyroid Health Resources:
https://avivaromm.com/category/energy-adrenals-thyroid/
https://avivaromm.com/book/

Evidence Based Birth:
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/

How to find an LGBTIQ+ provider:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/find-lgbtq-ally-health-provider#Online-resources-to-help-you-find-an-LGBTQIA-friendly-provider

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

Since Covid struck and many people found themselves now working from home (without childcare), many parents (especially mothers) find themselves struggling to create balance between work and parenting when that line has become indefinitely blurred. In fact, nearly half of working parents (primarily mothers) have had to pause their careers in some way, either by reducing their hours or quitting entirely. In episode 9 we sit down with the Deputy Editor of Working Mother, Audrey Kingo to discuss the disparities many working mothers are currently facing in the workplace, ways to advocate for your job as well as your needs as a parent, and some tips for finding some sort of balance. Connect with Audrey via Twitter!

RESOURCES:
- 40 Percent of Working Parents Quit or Reduced Their Hours Since the Pandemic
- Millennial Moms Without Childcare 3 Times More Likely Than Dads To Stop Working
- Dads 3 Times As Likely As Moms To Receive A Promotion When Working From Home During COVID
- The Best Ways Family Friendly Companies Are Helping Parents With Childcare Right Now

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

Living through a pandemic is stressful for everyone, even more-so for expecting and new parents! In episode 8 Sarah sits down with Dr. Jessica Shepherd - a Board Certified OB/GYN, mother of two, and the go-to women's health expert on Good Morning America, The Today, Show, Dr. Oz, The Talk, and ABC. They chat about what you can expect during a prenatal telehealth visit with your healthcare provider, to in-person visit protocols, what it's like to give birth amidst a pandemic, as well as ways to help cope with the stress and anxiety of it all.

To learn more about Dr. Shepherd and connect with her, visit her on Instagram @jessicashepherdmd and @dallasgynecologist and give her a follow!

RESOURCES:
To find a doula in your area, visit https://doulamatch.net/
To find a mental health practitioner that specialized in perinatal mental health, visit https://psidirectory.com/

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Sarah & Stephanie are the Founders of LUNA Mother Co, the first all-in-one digital platform for motherhood. From their evidence based fitness method, to pelvic floor & core physical therapy programs, parenting classes, & community, LUNA Mother Co has it all. New subscribers, get your first month FREE using the code MOTHERLODE.

Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! 

In episode 7 Sarah and Stephanie chat with Kimberley Johnson, a mother and advanced doctoral student in clinical psychology with an emphasis in women's health. Kimberley shares her postpartum experience with navigating pelvic organ prolapse and the direct link to maternal mental health, and how it has illuminated a major unmet need among postpartum women. Through her research and clinical work, Kimberley aims to advocate for reproductive justice, help shift postpartum care, and improve maternal health and wellbeing. Connect with Kimberley and follow along with her journey on Instagram HERE.

RESOURCES:
Mental Health Resources -
During our conversation, Kimberley discussed "both/and" flexible thinking, which can be a really helpful skill to build not only in coping with a birth injury and postpartum/motherhood challenges, but life in general! She mentioned DBT as one type of therapy that does this, but this concept is woven through many types of research-supported psychological treatments. To learn about various types of therapy, chick HERE.
Postpartum Support International

Physical Healing & Rehabilitation Resources -
Julie Wiebe is a skilled women's health physical therapist with several online programs who's focus is on helping people return to sport through the integration of breathing and pressure management. 

PopUplift is is a comprehensive resource for people of all ages and all stages of POP. Delivered entirely online, POPUp gives you access to expert guidance without having to  leave the couch. Check out their program HERE.

LUNA Mother Co offers pelvic floor & core physical therapy series for pregnancy and postpartum as well as an abundance of evidence-based fitness classes and workouts deigned to help you heal post-birth and build a solid foundation of strength. Use code MOTHERLODE to get your first month for free. 

General Wellbeing/Self-Care -
The book Kimberley references in our interview is Falling Upward, by Richard Rohr

Free mindfulness & relaxation resources: UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations); Dartmouth Guided Audio Recordings (https://students.dartmouth.edu/wellness-center/wellness-mindfulness/mindfulness-meditation/guided-audio-recordings)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Subscribe to The MOTHERLODE Podcast so you never miss an episode, & catch up with us on Instagram! Interested in being on the show or know someone who would be a great fit? Email us [email protected] Like this episode? Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts!