The New Mamas Podcast

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There's no denying that being a mother is a full-time job in itself, but when you add your own career on top of it, where do you find the time to add in passions and side hustles?

Host Lina Forrestal and high school teacher Melissa Pyrch talk about: 

• How to find the time as working moms 
• How to navigate the fear of failure
• How to not get lost in comparing yourself to others
• Learning how to "fill your cup" in ways outside of motherhood
• Learning to find your definition of self-care
• How to navigate imposter syndrome 
• How graduating high school is the start of adulthood

Order Melissa's Book: Beyond the Bell: 12 Lessons for Navigating Your Life After High School

More about Melissa: For more than 20 years, high school English teacher Melissa has encouraged her students to go for their dreams and never quit on themselves.  While leading a motivational speaking class for a group of seniors in 2019, Pyrch realized she needed to be listening to her own advice.  And she began the journey to becoming a published author, starting with getting herself on social media and creating @pyrchgetspublished.  In addition to teaching and pursuing her author dreams, Melissa is also a mom of 3 and a fire captain’s wife. She has learned to make sacrifices and deal with obstacles head-on, which she talks candidly about.

Connect with Lina on Instagram
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Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

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[This episode is sponsored by Creidm.com]

Creidm.com is a Distributor of the all-natural and eco-friendly home, skin, and health products created by Shaklee. These products are the most clinically tested and clinically proven. Creidm and the Shaklee Products focus on children and mothers. They offer personalized vitamin packs for children and adults called Meology and can come in gummy and pill form. What is great, is they offer higher discounts on the Meology kids packs for the more kids you have! Also, starting in November they will be releasing their pre- and post-natal line to help support Mothers and their children in such an important time of their life.

Creidm also offers ways to become a distributor yourself and make extra income all from home! To learn more, go to Creidm.com.

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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As moms, we all have something that triggers us: everything from the baby crying, to our husbands, clutter, or our pets. And then sometimes, that trigger turns into rage. That 0 to 100 feeling leaves us feeling less than great. In this episode, host Lina Forrestal sits down with speaker, life coach, and the fellow podcast host,  Dr. Gertrude Lyons.  

In this episode, Lina and Gertrude talk about:

• Their personal triggers
• Strategies they've learned to work through their triggers
• Gertrude's advice for how to work through your emotions when triggered
• How they define "mom rage"
• Tips to overcome mom rage
• Their personal experiences with mom rage

Dr. Gertrude Lyons is the Founder of Rewriting The Mother Code, Lead Faculty member, Senior Life Coach and Director of Family Programs for The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential.

Gertrude uses her past personal experiences and learnings to help other women heal on their personal journeys. Her mission is to challenge the traditional and outdated notions of mothering instilled in our society to help women tap into their feminine power, reclaim their lives, and connect with their own mother code.

Listen to Gertrude's podcast: the mot(her) podcast
Connect with Gertrude on Instagram: @drgertrudelyons

Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

-

[This episode is sponsored by Creidm.com]

Creidm.com is a Distributor of the all-natural and eco-friendly home, skin, and health products created by Shaklee. These products are the most clinically tested and clinically proven. Creidm and the Shaklee Products focus on children and mothers. They offer personalized vitamin packs for children and adults called Meology and can come in gummy and pill form. What is great, is they offer higher discounts on the Meology kids packs for the more kids you have! Also, starting in November they will be releasing their pre- and post-natal line to help support Mothers and their children in such an important time of their life.

Creidm also offers ways to become a distributor yourself and make extra income all from home! To learn more, go to Creidm.com.

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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In this episode, Lina talks to Kristen about body image, the pros and cons of the body positivity movement, how to simplify nutrition and health for new moms, and what the first steps are to losing the baby weight.

[This episode is sponsored by Creidm.com]

Creidm.com is a Distributor of the all-natural and eco-friendly home, skin, and health products created by Shaklee. These products are the most clinically tested and clinically proven. Creidm and the Shaklee Products focus on children and mothers. They offer personalized vitamin packs for children and adults called Meology and can come in gummy and pill form. What is great, is they offer higher discounts on the Meology kids packs for the more kids you have! Also, starting in November they will be releasing their pre- and post-natal line to help support Mothers and their children in such an important time of their life.

Creidm also offers ways to become a distributor yourself and make extra income all from home! To learn more, go to Creidm.com.

Kristen shares what her body image journey has looked like after having four kids and Lina talks about how she had to have "radical acceptance" with her postpartum body. They talk about the body positivity movement and how it's great but then how it can also be harmful in having toxic positivity around the subject of weight loss. Lina shares her experience in that she can love her body but also want to lose weight for reasons other than what she looks like. Kristen shares what it's been like navigating the space as a dietitian. 

Other topics discussed in the episode:

• How do we define "baby weight"?
• How new moms can begin the path towards to losing the baby weight
• How long can it take for moms to lose the baby weight
• How much of losing weight is diet versus how much of it is exercise
• How true is “calorie in calorie out”
• What is the best form of exercise? Cardio, strength training, etc. 
• Kristen's favorite hacks for new moms to implement to get them started on the path to losing weight
• How to deal with cravings 

Kristen Noriega is a registered dietitian nutritionist, mom weight loss expert and host of the top 5% podcast for Christian women, the Baby Weight Nutritionist   As a Catholic-Christian mom of four, her mission is to help moms of littles lose weight and feel comfortable in their bodies.  She's talking sustainable lifestyle changes that are doable with a baby on the hip and toddler tugging on the leg!

Connect with Kristen on Instagram: @babyweight.nutritionist
Join Kristen's Facebook Group: Lose Weight After Baby, Simple Shortcuts, Support for Lasting Weight Loss

Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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When Marianna and her pilot husband started trying for a baby, they never imagined that they would struggle with their fertility. She was surprised to learned that most doctor's won't see you for fertility issues until one year of trying. She saw a specialist who found polyps in her uterus. After having surgery for the polyps removed and going through two failed medicated cycles, and a failed IUI, Marianna took a break from trying to put her mental health first. 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. Lina and Marianna also talk about religion and their relationship with God and church and what that's like navigating it as millennials. 

What Marianna talks about in this episode:

•  Marianna's fertility journey 
• When did Marianna and her husband knew it was time to seek treatment
• The reality of how much IVF costs
• How infertility and everything going on in the world has weighed on Marianna's mental health
• How sharing on social media has both helped and harmed Marianna
• The worst things you can say to someone struggling with their fertility 
• How to be there for someone struggling with their fertility
• How Marianna's husband has supported her throughout

Connect with Marianna:
Instagram: @mariannabdeoliveira
TikTok: @mariannabolanos
Read Marianna's Blog: https://www.lifewithmarianna.com/

Resources:

• CDC Infertility FAQs

Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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(Content Warning: Abuse, Self-harm, Suicide) First time mom Emily sits with host Lina Forrestal and talks about life as a new mom and her struggles with postpartum depression. She talks about her journey into motherhood: her miscarriage, pregnancy, a misdiagnosis of a down syndrome test, and postpartum depression.

Emily shares that her anxiety started at her 10-week ultrasound when the technician couldn't find a heartbeat. She shares that she has struggled with her depression and anxiety ever since she was young, since her beloved father passed away. She shares that it was hard to be happy during the newborn phase, even though it is a happy time and her son, Odin, was a wonderful baby.

Lina and Emily also talk about drugs at birth, not having a birth plan, and their experiences with anxiety. Emily talks about holistic health and remedies for her postpartum depression and how her outlet is running. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988. Learn more about the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

Your body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy. If you feel empty, emotionless, or sad all or most of the time for longer than 2 weeks during or after pregnancy, reach out for help. If you feel like you don't love or care for your baby, you might have postpartum depression. Treatment for depression, such as therapy or medicine, works and will help you and your baby be as healthy as possible in the future. Read more about postpartum depression here. 

Resources: 

• Symptoms of Postpartum Depression 

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Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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Lina is back with a solo episode about what she's learned in therapy the last few months. 

Things discussed in this solo episode:

• The three C's: You cannot change, you cannot control, and you don't cause them to be this way
• Codependency: A person who is codependent will plan their entire life around pleasing the other person, or the enabler. In its simplest terms, a codependent relationship is when one partner needs the other partner, who in turn, needs to be needed.
• How to detach with love
• How it's bad boundaries to try and fix someone
• For anxiety: Don't believe your thoughts, it's just a thought
• For anxiety: Remember presence, this is my presence existence
• For anxiety: Please remember love
• "Collective subconscious" by Carl Jung
• I can hear someone's opinion but I don't have to be influenced by it 

Other episodes you might enjoy:

• I'M BACK! My depression diagnosis, starting antidepressants, and what's to come for Season 2
• Postpartum Anxiety and Growing Up With Fear-Based Parenting with Stephanie Feng
• Solo Episode: Post Partum Anxiety (PPA), Weight Gain, Mom Guilt, & PUPPP

Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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Shortly after Theo's birth, Alexis and her husband learned that their son was born with an ultra rare genetic condition (so rare, that it has no name except a jumble of letters and numbers). 

Alexis was told that Theo would not make it to be one year old. Fast forward to today, Theo is the most amazing little two year old boy.

Theo’s family is desperate for more time with their “Teddy Bear.” The difficult decision has been made to proceed with correcting Theo’s heart defects this summer. There is also risk that this surgery could make Theo’s situation much worse and could end his life. 

We are asking that our friends and family purchase a candle or make a small donation in Theo’s honor. Proceeds from the candle sales will be used to support Theo in his recovery and a portion will be donated to Wee Care Centre in Halifax.

Donate at theotheheartwarrior.com

Connect with Alexis on Instagram: @alexisasimon

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Read Lina's Motherhood Blog

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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When we think hypnobirthing, a lot of us imagine someone with a yo-yo swinging it back and forth and saying, "You are getting very sleepy..." 

But that's not what hypnobirthing is at all! Hypnobirthing is a mindset technique involving calm breathing techniques, some deep relaxation, guided mediation, visualization, and affirmations. 

New mom Linnea caught my attention when she shared with me that she was able to have the birth experience she wanted much thanks to hypnobirthing. I was immediately fascinated by this and knew I had to have her on the podcast to tell her story. 

In this podcast, Linnea walks through the process of hypnobirthing and goes into detail about what it entails. She also shares her experience in hiring a doula and why she thinks that having a doula played an important part in her birth experience.  

Resources: 

• HypnoBirthing, Fourth Edition: The breakthrough natural approach to safer, easier, more comfortable birthing - The Mongan Method, 4th Edition
• Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better 

Connect with Linnea: @linneakayak

Other New Mamas Podcast Episodes You May Enjoy:

• How to Empower Dads in the Newborn Stage (and beyond!) with Chau Dang, AI Product Manager at NVIDIA
• An Honest Chat: The Newborn Stage with Food Blogger Erin Aronowitz

Connect with Lina on Instagram
Follow the New Mamas Podcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Motherhood Blog

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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SLEEP! New mamas need more of it, that's for sure. In this episode of the New Mamas Podcast, host Lina Forrestal and Huckleberry's Co-founder and CEO, Jessica Toh, discuss the relationship between sleep and maternal mental health. They explore why they think moms struggle asking for help and brainstorm creative ways moms can prevent burn out. 

Stats discussed in this episode:

• Nearly 500 Huckleberry app moms and found that their most significant mental and emotional health challenge (58%) is trying to successfully juggle all of their responsibilities. Not only that, the poll uncovered that despite 50% identifying “quality sleep” as the most important aspect of their mental health, one of their biggest blockers is that they have too much on their mind, making it hard to relax.
  
  
• Maternal mental health conditions affect 800,000 women in the U.S. each year—yet 75% of those women go untreated.
  
  

Learn more about Huckleberry at https://huckleberrycare.com/
Download Huckleberry for Apple here.
Download Huckleberry for Android here.

Connect with Huckleberry on Instagram @huckleberrycare

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast) 

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Host Lina Forrestal and Relationship Therapist Aaron Steingberg talk all things relationship after baby. Aaron Steinberg is a certified Relationship Therapist and creator of Babyproofing Your Relationship, an on-demand course that helps couples navigate their relationship after a baby. 

Things discussed in this episode:

• The most common things that couples feel disconnected on
• How to know when your marriage/relationship is in trouble 
• How couples can build intimacy back into their relationship
• How often couples should be intimate to maintain connection
• How couples can take steps in strengthening their relationships after a baby

Connect with Aaron on Instagram: @aaronfscoaching
Connect with Aaron on TikTok: @thespiritualbro
Enroll in Aaron's Babyproofing Your Relationship Course: babyproofingyourrelationship.com

Connect with Lina on Instagram: @linaforrestal
Connect with Lina on TikTok: @linaforrestal
Read Lina's blog: Lina Forrestal

Episode edited by Chris Duffy: [email protected]

Support the show

Connect with Lina on @linaforrestal on Instagram
Follow the @newmamaspodcast on Instagram
Read Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.com
Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast)