The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Have you ever uttered the phrase, "Don't worry, kids are resilient"? It’s a line meant to comfort us as adults, but what if it’s actually giving us permission to skip over our kids' real struggles?

In this episode, I sit down with children's therapist and author Stacy Schaffer to dismantle the massive misconceptions around childhood coping and resilience. Stacy shares her own powerful story of navigating a traumatic childhood under the guise of being the "perfect, shiny" kid , and explains why our well-behaved children might actually be suffering in silence.

In this episode we cover:

Connect with Stacy Schaffer on Instagram @hoperestored, visit her site https://stacyschaffer.com/ and buy her new book: https://go.shopmy.us/p-69552166 (paid link)

Check out her new course: Staying Connected to Your Kids in a Digital World. www.stacyschaffer.com/workshop

00:00:00 - The Danger of the "Kids Are Resilient" Myth

00:02:16 - Meet Child Therapist Stacy Schaffer

00:04:24 - Why Adults Overuse the Word "Resiliency"

00:06:53 - Rescue Parenting vs. Building Real Resilience

00:08:39 - True Resilience: You Don't Have to Do It Alone

00:12:12 - Stacy's Personal Story: "Shiny" Coping vs. Safe Containers

00:14:38 - Destigmatizing Therapy & Embracing Imperfect Parenting

00:18:14 - Red Flags: Is Your "Good Kid" Coping in Isolation?

00:23:38 - The Power of Being Seen: Stop Fixing, Start Listening

00:29:26 - Restoring Hope for the Next Generation

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona’s favorite products: https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So many moms feel they must always be gentle, patient, and nurturing. When intense irritability, sudden anger, or rage bubbles up during pregnancy or the postpartum period, it’s easy to suffer in silence out of fear of judgment. Dr. Mona and Dr. Ashurina pull back the curtain on why parental rage happens, how to recognize the clinical signs of a flooded nervous system, and why getting help early—before reaching a crisis point—is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family.

Here are the key takeaways from this episode:

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona’s favorite products: https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you read all the parenting books, followed the expert social media accounts, and known exactly what you want to say to your child—only to find yourself frustrated and yelling in the heat of the moment? You are not alone.

In this episode, I welcome back licensed therapist, author, and crowd-favorite social media follower, Dr. Cassidy Freitas. Together, we take the shame out of "mom rage" and explore the painful gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it when it matters most. Dr. Cassidy dives into the core concepts of her new book, Mom Needs a Moment, explaining how our childhood "rulebooks," sensory overload, and a lack of societal "margins" trigger our nervous systems into survival mode. Tune in to learn how to catch your triggers, build a buffer between stimulus and reaction, and use the ultimate parenting superpower: the power of repair.

In this episode, we cover:

The deep shame mothers face when they know the right parenting techniques but still find themselves yelling in moments of frustration.

How Dr. Cassidy pulled together a decade of clinical themes and personal experiences as a mother of three to write her new book, Mom Needs a Moment.

How childhood survival "rulebooks" and an overstimulated nervous system cause parents to default to reactive habits like fight, flight, or freeze.

The desperate need for modern parents to consciously protect empty "margins" of space on their calendars to regulate their bodies outside of stressful moments.

A powerful look at how breaking generational cycles allows parents to build a lasting emotional legacy for future generations.

Connect with Dr. Cassidy Freitas on Instagram @drcassidy, visit her site https://www.drcassidymft.com/ and buy her new book: https://go.shopmy.us/p-69435027 (paid link)

Check out our earlier episode on EMDR: https://pedsdoctalk.com/podcast/trauma-therapy-why-you-may-need-emdr/ 

00:00 - Introduction & The Parenting Gap

01:54 - EMDR Therapy & Processing Motherhood

03:49 - A Psychic Medium's Prediction & Toxic Perfectionism

06:33 - Impact vs. Notoriety

08:55 - How the Book Got Its Title

11:31 - The Overstimulated Digital Parenting Era

13:40 - Why Do We Snap? (The Survival Rulebook)

19:57 - Dr. Mona’s Instagram Troll Trigger

22:59 - Why Insight Alone Isn't Enough to Change Behavior

24:42 - What Are Margins? (Before, During, & After)

32:50 - The Chocolate Popsicle Story

37:46 - The Power of a Child Expecting Repair

42:20 - ADHD, Hyperfocus, and Managing Interruptions

43:53 - Breaking Generational Cycles Without Blame

49:27 - Reclaiming Your Intuition

52:24 - Building Legacy & Finding Joy

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'll be honest with you - this episode hit differently for me as a mom. My son is six and learning Spanish in school, and my parents speak our native language with him, but listening back to this conversation with Alicia made me wish we had been more intentional from the start. No guilt though... just real talk about what the research actually says.

Alicia Gandhi is a bilingual speech language pathologist and clinical assistant professor at NYU, and she is the person you want in your corner when it comes to separating fact from fiction on raising kids with multiple languages. There are so many myths floating around out there, from pediatricians, from teachers, from well-meaning family members, and we break them all down.

In this episode we cover:

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BED SHARING DISCUSSIONS SHOULD BE CLEARED WITH YOUR CHILD’S CLINICIAN. This episode is not personal advice.

If there is one topic that makes parents go quiet in my exam room, it is this one. Where is your baby actually sleeping? Not where you planned for them to sleep. Not what you told your mother-in-law. Where are they really sleeping at 2am when you are exhausted and just need everyone to rest? I brought Dr. Michael Milobsky on the show because he is one of the few pediatricians willing to have this conversation out loud. Twenty-seven years in practice, father of seven, grandfather of five, and someone who has been in every corner of pediatric medicine. We sat down and got honest about bedsharing in a way that I wish every parent could hear from their own doctor.

Here is what I want you to know before you hit play. I used to be the doctor who said independent sleep space and moved on. No room for nuance, no real conversation. And what I have come to understand over the last several years is that when parents feel judged, they stop telling us the truth. And when that happens, we lose the chance to actually keep babies safe. This episode is not about telling you what to do. It is about giving you the information you deserve so you can make the most informed choice for your family.

What We Talk About

Why so many parents are not being honest with their pediatrician about where their baby sleeps, and why that silence is the bigger safety problem

What the AAP guidelines are actually designed to do, and where they fall short in a real clinical conversation

The specific risk factors that make bedsharing significantly more dangerous, including smoking, alcohol, sedating medications, soft bedding, prematurity, and very young infants

The Safe Sleep Seven, what it covers, what its limitations are, and why it is still a useful harm reduction tool

How bedsharing is practiced in other countries and why the surface and setup matter as much as the decision itself

Why breastfeeding changes the biology of bedsharing and shifts the risk picture in meaningful ways

What both of us did with our own kids, because real talk requires real transparency

Room sharing versus bedsharing, and what the updated AAP recommendations actually say

Why most pediatricians default to the hard line, and why it is usually about time in the system, not ignorance of the nuance

What to do if your pediatrician will not have this conversation with you

Connect with Dr. Michael Milobsky on Instagram @drmichaelmilobsky and visit his site linktr.ee/milobsky .

00:00 - Pediatric Sleep Guidance: The Nuance of Bed Sharing

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Both my husband and I have anxiety. So yeah, we are two anxious people raising kids and watching closely for signs of anxiety in them. The irony is very real. But it also means I am deeply invested in understanding where childhood anxiety comes from, and how much of it we as parents are actually influencing.

In this Follow Up episode, I brought back child psychiatrist Dr. Helen Egger to break down the nature vs. nurture of anxiety, what it actually looks like in kids and parents, and how we can interrupt the cycle without losing our minds trying.

In this episode we cover:

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a pediatrician, I was not asking enough questions about my patients' periods. We ask when the last one was. We rarely go deeper than that. And after this conversation, I will never approach it the same way again.

I sat down with my friend and colleague Dr. Natalie Crawford, reproductive endocrinologist, fertility specialist, and author of The Fertility Formula. Here is what I want every parent raising a girl to understand: the menstrual cycle is not just a monthly inconvenience. It is one of the most important windows into your daughter's hormonal health, her long-term fertility, and her overall wellbeing. And the symptoms we keep brushing off as "just puberty" or "just a bad period" are often the first clues to conditions that will matter deeply later in life.

In this episode, we cover:

Why the menstrual cycle is a vital sign and what that means for the girls in your life

The warning signs parents and pediatricians too often dismiss as normal

What a first period should actually look like, and when irregular cycles need to be taken seriously

Hypothalamic amenorrhea: the condition linked to over-exercising, under-eating, and chronic stress that silently affects estrogen during some of the most critical years of development

PCOS in teens: why it does not always look the way doctors expect, and why so many girls get missed

Thyroid disease and how it shows up in the menstrual cycle before anything else

Endometriosis in adolescents: when period pain is not normal and what to do about it

Why birth control is sometimes the right treatment but not always the full answer

How to advocate for your daughter when you feel dismissed at the doctor's office

The referral path from pediatrician to OB to specialist, and when to push for more

Connect with Dr. Natalie Crawford on Instagram @nataliecrawfordmd, visit her site https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/ and buy her new book: https://a.co/d/0byHPtzr

Here is the revised list of 20 chapters, spaced out chronologically to cover the entire duration of the provided text for "Podcast Natalie Crawford Final.mp3.txt":

00:00:00 The Paternalistic History of Women's Health

00:01:19 Introducing Dr. Natalie Crawford & The Fertility Formula

00:02:56 The Stigma of Cycle Tracking and Menstrual Shame

00:04:53 Dr. Mona's Personal Battle with Secondary Infertility

00:06:00 Overcoming the Unknown and Paternalism in Medicine

00:08:11 Empowering Younger Women to Advocate for Their Bodies

00:10:27 Raising Children to Trust Their Physical Cues

00:11:32 Dr. Crawford's Personal Experience with Pregnancy Loss

00:13:13 Shifting Medical Research Toward Natural Fertility

00:16:33 Cultivating Fast Vulnerability in Doctor-Patient Bonds

00:18:15 The Ovarian Vault and the Biology of Puberty

00:20:25 The Brain-Ovary Dance: Follicular vs. Luteal Phases

00:21:59 Static on the Walkie-Talkie: Environmental Disruptors

00:23:40 Red Flags: School Refusal and Endometriosis Risk

00:26:03 Beyond the Basics: Upgrading Pediatric Screening Questions

00:30:11 Deep Dive into Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

00:33:14 The Metabolic Realities of Living with PCOS

00:41:43 The Diagnostic Criteria for PCOS and Clinical Workups

00:44:16 Thyroid Disease and Its Impact on Reproductive Hormones

00:48:15 Long-Term Health Risks Linked to Untreated Infertility

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If your toddler begged for mac and cheese, took one bite, and declared it disgusting, this episode is for you. Picky eating is one of the most common and most stressful phases of childhood, but the good news is there are real, practical things you can do before it starts and when you are already deep in it.

Dr. Mona sits down with Jennifer Friedman, registered pediatric dietitian, picky eating expert, and founder of Feeding Picky Eaters, to break down what actually works at the dinner table and why letting go of control might be the most powerful thing you can do as a parent.

In this episode, we cover:

Want more? Click here for the full episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a pediatrician and mom, I know firsthand how easy it is to get overwhelmed by standard parenting tips and the pressure to have a perfect family life. In a culture obsessed with quick fixes and curated social media fairy tales, so many couples feel like they are constantly falling short. On this channel, my goal is to share the beautiful, unglamorous reality of making relationships work. We cannot just hope for a happy marriage and connection to happen by chance…we have to be intentional about creating it. That is why I love bringing authentic guests onto the podcast to share real, unfiltered relationship advice.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with former Navy SEAL sniper instructor and author Brandon Webb to talk about his brand new book, Puddle Jumpers. Brandon reminds us that we don’t have to succumb to public judgment or relationship anxiety. Real growth happens in our everyday routines, like setting core family values, prioritizing intentional quality time, and learning how to celebrate failure. By breaking down the illusion of perfection and working through messy parenting moments, we can move past the comparison trap and build a resilient, peaceful home.

Why treating presence as an intentional choice rather than a balancing act is the key to lasting connection with your children.

How choosing fewer distractions and putting down your phone can completely eliminate family disconnect and parenting anxiety.

Easy, practical ways to establish a united co-parenting front and protect intentional habits like individual father-child trips.

Why elite military instructors, pediatricians, and parents must embrace failure and small stressors as necessary stepping stones to confidence.

Breaking down the distinct transition from a dictator parent to a counselor role as your children mature into adulthood.

How a legendary Olympic coach used a mental management curriculum to teach positive self-talk, self-reflection, and unshakable grit.

How to find joy in the mundane, unglamorous phases of parenting—like letting your kids jump in a messy mud puddle.

Connect with Brandon Webb on Instagram @brandontwebb, visit his substack: https://brandontwebb.substack.com and buy his book Puddle Jumper: https://go.shopmy.us/p-65451601 (paid link)

00:00 – Intro: Why Small Daily Challenges Build Confidence in Kids

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. Mona is joined by Chelsea and Caitlin, the founders of Mama Psychologists, to unpack a crucial topic that many new mothers face: the difference between the "baby blues" and more serious perinatal mood disorders.

Together, they challenge the misconception that postpartum anxiety and depression always look like crying on the floor. Instead, they discuss the subtle, real-world signs—like the inability to hand your baby to a loved one without a racing heart or a mental to-do list that won't shut off at 3:00 AM.

The "Baby Blues" vs. Postpartum Disorders: While the baby blues are an incredibly common reaction to the massive hormonal shifts right after birth, symptoms that persist, worsen, or significantly disrupt daily functioning may signal postpartum anxiety or depression.

Signs of Postpartum Depression: Key red flags include a persistent low mood, an inability to enjoy things you used to love, and struggling to meet basic needs like eating, drinking, or showering.

Signs of Postpartum Anxiety: This often manifests as racing thoughts, an intrusive "worst-case scenario" mindset, physical agitation (like a racing heart or tension), and difficulty turning off your mind to rest, even when the baby is sleeping.

The Timeline Myth: Postpartum mood disorders don't always appear in the early weeks; they can frequently emerge four months postpartum or even later. Seeking support is vital, no matter how much time has passed since giving birth.

Breaking the Silence: Many moms suffer in silence due to guilt, shame, or fear of judgment. Finding a safe person to talk to is the first step toward healing because suffering quietly is not a badge of honor.

Want more? Listen to the full, original episode.

Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠.

Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Shop Dr. Mona's favorite products: ⁠https://shopmy.us/shop/pedsdoctalk⁠ (paid link)

And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices