The New Mamas Podcast

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As host Lina Forrestal is trying to conceive, she's on a mission to learn as much as she can about fertility. In this episode, Lina chats with Nora Debora who is a Preconception Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition and Fertility Awareness Practitioner.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Should you leave your legs up after intercourse?
• How intermittent fasting is not optimal for fertility health
• Why it's important to balance your blood sugar
• Eating for a healthier menstrual cycle
• How to balance your meals with macro-nutrients
• Busting common fertility myths

Listen to the Ultimate Pregnancy Prep Podcast

Connect with Nora on Instagram: @natrually_nora

Free Guide: Eat to Get Pregnant 

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 of Just Chatting, host Lina Forrestal catches up with her little sister, Gabi Belle.  Being nearly a decade apart, they share how their upbringings were different and how they felt like only-children at different parts of their life. 

Lina and Gabi talk about:

• What it was like being mixed race growing up
• Living abroad in Brazil in childhood
• Going through puberty and Lina's awkward stage
• Funny stories from childhood
• Experiencing micro-aggressions and casual racism in school
• The movie, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
• How Gabi hates reality dating shows and Lina loves them 
• How Lina is about to start a 12-Week Training Program 

Gabi's favorite dance channel on YouTube: Dan-sa / Daniel Saboya

Connect with Gabi on Instagram @itsgabibelle 

Sign up for Engrid's 12-Week "Build A Base" Training Program here. 

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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Welcome to the FIRST episode of my new, "Just Chatting" series! This episode is relaxed and un-edited, meant to feel like I’m a busy mom friend leaving you a long voice note.  

In this episode, I chat about:

• How Daylight Savings week SUCKED
• My fertility journey and using ovulation strips
• How other peoples pregnancy announcements don't bother me 
• Reading "Name of the Wind"
• Watching "The Last of Us" 

In addition to our usual Wednesday episodes, "Just Chatting" will be a more casual, light-hearted series of podcasts released on Fridays that will give me a chance to literally just talk to you like you're my bestie. 

I'll also be bringing on guests and exploring pop-culture and other trending topics all from a motherhood perspective. Catch our new Just Chatting series released on Fridays here on New Mamas podcast. 

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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Ellie is the mom of a five month old baby girl and a full-time college student! In this episode, she talks about balancing motherhood with school, how the newborn phase was challenging but rewarding, and how she took care of her mental health through it all. 

In this episode, Ellie and Lina talk about:

• Timeline of being pregnant, giving birth, and going back for her Bachelor's 
• Surviving the newborn stage
• The reality of bonding with your newborn and misconceptions on social media
• How Ellie asked for her help and what her support system looked like
• The best thing about being a mom
• Biggest lesson that motherhood has taught Ellie 

Connect with Ellie on Instagram: @ellie_hocker_ 

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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Best-selling author and sleep expert, Kim West, also-known-as The Sleep Lady, joins us with me today to share her advice specifically for newborn sleep. Spoiler alert, we are talking about alternatives to “cry-it-out”. In this episode and Kim walks us through a more gentle approach. You’re going to hear us reference her book, The Sleep Lady’s Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide.  

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why cry-it-out is NOT recommended for newborns
• The four main factors of sleep: Feeding, Attachment, Soothing, and Temperament
• Best tips for soothing newborns and infants
• How to transition from the hospital to those first few days at home
• How long do newborns typically sleep?
• Should we wake our babies to feed?
• How to recognize baby's hunger cues
• How to not get "nap trapped"
• How can moms lower the risk of SIDS
• Taking care of mom's mental and physical health

Connect with Kim:

• Facebook 
• YouTube Channel
• Pinterest
• Instagram

KIM WEST, MSW, is a mother of two daughters and a Clinical Social Worker (which is a child and family therapist) for over 25 years. Known as The Sleep Lady® by her clients, she has personally helped over 20,000 tired parents all over the world get a good night’s sleep without letting their children cry it out alone.
Kim has appeared on the Dr. Phil, Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, TLC’s Bringing Home Baby and CNN, and has been written about in a number of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Baby Talk, Parenting, The Baltimore Sun, USA Today, The Telegraph, The Irish Independent and the Washington Post.

Kim is the author of three books: The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help Your Child Sleep Well and Wake Up Happy, The Good Night, Sleep Tight Workbook and The Good Night, Sleep Tight Workbook for Children with Special Needs. Her first book The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight is in its third edition and has sold over 140,000 paperback copies.

Dedicated to providing tired parents with excellent sleep advice and coaching while knowing Kim could not help everyone herself, she started the Gentle Sleep Coach® Training and Certification program in 2010—the first and most comprehensive training program in the world. This program was the start to what is now a global industry: Baby and Child Sleep Consultants. To date, the Gentle Sleep Coach Training and Certification program is available in 2 languages.

You can find her free sleep guides and resources at sleeplady.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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Strength trainer Engrid Latina is a twin mom! Her twins are 7 months now and she recaps her journey in navigating twin newborns: everything from tandem breastfeeding to sleep training. In this episode, Engrid also shares her experience with postpartum anxiety (PPA), intrusive thoughts, and as-needed medication. Lina and Engrid share stories about how their relationships with their bodies have also changed: talking about eating disorder history, eating disorder recovery, and body image through the postpartum stage.

Engrid Latina is a non-diet personal trainer and strength coach (CSCS). She has been a trainer for nearly a decade! She has spent years training clients in-person, but added online training program options when the pandemic started.

Engrid’s personal history with an eating disorder and exercise addiction, has helped her to develop a training model that invites a deep appreciation and respect of the body.

Additionally her experiences with chronic pain due to trauma, has given her immense compassion for her clients and an ability to hold space for others.

Engrid's degree in Biology, her love of life-long learning, and passion to understand human movement allow her to excel as a trainer. She provides strategies that allow clients cultivate deeper body awareness & move in a sustainable and joy-filled way.

Additionally she is the cohost for the podcast Gal Pals. The show is for anyone who likes warm laid back chats with their besties, about navigating life!

On the show they address topics  like diet culture, perfectionism, body image, jealousy, addiction, and their experiences with therapy.

 Referenced in this episode: Taking Cara Babies Sleep Course

Listen to Engrid's Birth Story here.
Listen to when Engrid found out she was pregnant with twins here.
Listen to Engrid's podcast here.

Connect with Engrid on Instagram @livengproof
Follow Gal Pals on Instagram @galpalspodcast
Listen to the Gal Pals Podcast

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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Massachusetts mom Jackie Milani wasn't sure what her options were when she learned her daughter was breech.  When babies are breech, providers will typically perform C-sections. Jackie knew that wasn't right for her and started to seek alternative care. In advocating for herself, she found a provider that worked with her to have the natural birth that she knew was right for her family! 

In this episode we talk about:

• Newborn life 
• How Jackie had a successful breech birth
• Jackie's ECV procedure
• How Jackie advocated for herself during her pregnancy

Connect with Jackie on Instagram: @jackamilani

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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I am back from my business trip to Amsterdam and wanted to talk about how it went! In my last solo episode, I talked a bit about how my anxiety (PPA) was really bad when I first started traveling for work again after being a mom and how I used exposure therapy and medication to improve. 

A little context if you’re new here: I’m a working mom and work for a big tech company called Cisco Systems doing marketing and video work. I’ve been a working mom since Archie was a newborn. 

In this episode I talk about:

• My anxiety, is it still postpartum anxiety? Or just generalised anxiety disorder?
• The medication I'm on for panic disorder
• Managing intrusive thoughts while I was away
• How I managed my emotions and anxiety while away
• How I enjoyed Amsterdam
• How I MC'd an event for the first time

My sister's YouTube Channel: Gabi Belle
The collaboration video I filmed with my sister: Ruining Your Love Lives

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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Carly Ely is a certified sleep consultant and mom of two. In this episode, we chat everything sleep training as it pertains to newborns and infants.

Learn more about Carly here: https://goodnightguide.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) 

Send us Fan Mail

Hey everyone, this is your host Lina and I'm back with a cute little solo episode talking about:

• (00:30) An epiphany I had recently, that putting myself first is putting my family first.
• (02:25) Archie update! All things toddlerhood: meltdowns and how he says he's my best friend
• (05:36) I loved reading Prince Harry's memoir, Spare. 10/10 Recommend. 
• (08:26) I'm still not pregnant and it really sucks.
• (12:59) I'm going to Amsterdam for a week for work! How traveling for work gave me horrible anxiety (PPA) but after exposure therapy I'm doing much better. I walk through the things I do to help my husband John out while I'm gone and give myself some sense of sanity. 

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)