Trigger Warning: Miscarriage is discussed.

Yessenia and I found each other at a plant repotting zoom class for Mother’s Day. She reached out after class and it felt like the universe just wanted us to be in each other’s lives because she was ready to share her story and I had the platform ready to provide her the stage. After two years of trying to conceive, she underwent multiple tests to check for fertility and discovered a fallopian tube blockage was getting in the way of her ovulation. Being diagnosed with infertility led her to be hard on herself and her mental health struggled. She turned to her faith and trusted that she would “let go and let God”. After the long journey to conception, she experienced a miscarriage with her first IUI, it was a chemical pregnancy. For 5 months she walks us through the logistical nightmare of commuting to a whole other state, before work, to get blood work and hormone injections, etc. They decided to forgo the IUI process and focus on their marriage, their faith in signs from God, and a few months later they got pregnant on their own! She walks us through her cesarean, the amazing support from her doula, and did you know you can get a postpartum doula? We get into the tricks of how to get some sleep in those early sleep-deprived weeks.

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Yessenia’s bio: Yessenia Mercedes, MSW, is an alumni from Seton Hall and Fordham University.  She worked in the Children and Family field in NJ for about 10 years; from being a Case Manager with Child Protection and Permanency to a School Social Worker for the Board of Education. She recently quit her tenured job to explore and venture on a new career journey.

Yessenia is a wife, new mama to a healthy & beautiful baby boy, dog mama and a life long advocate. She wants to be a light & a voice for those who are struggling in silence. Her journey to motherhood has rooted her to focus on her own healing and growth while evolving into someone stronger.

Contact her on @rootedcourage

Her affirmation: Bible verse: Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

Show notes are below and also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2episode14

Lonnie Morris' midwifery practice

Partnership for Maternal & Child Health

ICAN of Northern NJ

ICAN

What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

Disclaimer: This episode does contain profanity sprinkled throughout.

Jeannette found me on The Birth Hour when she found herself chasing a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). With her first child, she was induced and when her water broke she developed a fever, which resulted in needing a cesarean. Her grandmother had 11 kids all natural! She came from a line of women who all had a natural birth, so it was a huge blow to her. She started researching VBAC the minute she got home after her first birth. She researched providers and found her earth angel, Dr. A. She describes the synchronicity of her journey and how she had no idea how much she had progressed before walking into the hospital. I will let you tune in to hear all about her quick delivery! Jeanette experienced a cervical tear, I had no idea the kind of recovery that entailed. This is was a very informative conversation and it was so nice to speak to a fellow mama who also did placenta encapsulation! Click here for my review of the placenta encapsulation experience.

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Jeannette’s bio: I am a 34-year-old mother of two now!  Although I am on maternity leave, I have worked for 4 years in child protection services for the state of New Jersey and investigate child abuse and neglect.  I am currently working on growing my family YouTube Channel, House Full of Us which really took off as a hobby during the pandemic. Also, led my husband and me to want to record the birth of our son Noah! My current goals are to become the best version of myself and one day become a full-time entrepreneur. By doing so, I can be a more connected mother and wife for my family.

Contact her on Instagram @Jae_nettie 

Her affirmation: You can f*cking do this sh*t! Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Show notes are below and also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2episode13

ICAN of Northern NJ

ICAN

Book mentioned: Natural Labor and Birth- An Evidence-Based Guide to the Natural Birth Plan written by Michelle Aristizbal, MD, FACOG

ACOG: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Sharing my VBAC interview from The Birth Hour.

I got pregnant with my second child in September of 2018. After an anxiety-ridden fearful cesarean 2 years prior, due to failure to descend, I was determined to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)!  I  experienced a lot of push back from doctors, family, and my partner. Ultimately after facing my anxiety, getting my partner on board, and breaking down all my VBAC fears, I was successful in birthing my son via VBAC in May of 2019. I share the journey of my healing birth, including breaking up with two doctors in both my second and third trimester and her empowered labor and delivery with a full female staff.

What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

Birthing fulfillment via your side hustle

Tatiana and I met on Instagram when I came across her amazing plant business, Mrs. Fresh Cut. She describes an amazing metaphor of how our plants grow from little seeds into beautiful thriving plants, just like our babies. She had a premature baby at 34 weeks pregnant and shares what her transition to motherhood was like when you leave the hospital without your baby. She exclusively pumped for 10 months and stayed home with her baby for his first year. She set up an awesome postpartum plan to allow boundaries for her family of 3 to establish themselves before family members started pouring into her home. She keeps herself grounded through journaling, meditating, listening to music, and her plants - of course! Tune in to learn how she took one of her tools for grounding and turned it into a side hustle fueled with passion!

Her affirmation: Remember this too shall pass, no matter what we will get through this.

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Tatiana bio:

My name is Tatiana Quinto. I am a 31-year-old Colombian Mami to an amazing little boy named Tai. I’m a devoted plant mama living in New Jersey who loves her family, and fashion. Through storytelling, I’ll share what I’ve learned (and continue to learn) on the journey to becoming my true self--from various confidence-boosting techniques to guidance on self-discipline, self-acceptance, and living consciously. On my website  you’ll get tons of plant tips, home decor ideas, & insight on how to look fly on a budget.

Visit her website here.

Show notes are also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2episode11

What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

August is National Breastfeeding Month and this week is world breastfeeding week! I feel compelled to keep pushing my campaign, Breast is Gold, during a time where the world will be exposed to the power of breastmilk via grassroots campaigns worldwide.

I feel this is so necessary and as unpopular as it feels, and as much as I sometimes try to resist from standing out on this message,  I simply cannot stay silent. Every year I am even more committed to share and enlighten others.

You need to understand the history of the campaigns I am competing against. Some of you may have heard a campaign called “breast is best” which competes with “fed is best”. Moms often find themselves on one side or the other. So you are either on one side or the other with no middle ground to stand on. 

Tune in to find out what Breast is Gold stands for.  Full blog post and show notes are also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/bonusepisode

Go stream it on:  Apple Spotify Anchor Breaker Google Podcast Overcast Pocket Casts Radio Public

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What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

Mental State of Infertility: TriggerWarning:

Disclaimer: Trigger warning alert. We discuss miscarriage, prenatal, and postnatal mood disorders, anxiety, and PTSD. If you are not in a place where you can take in a story of this nature please do not tune in.

I don’t even know where to begin with introducing this beautiful, honest, difficult, raw story that my dear friend of many years, Alexandra, shared with me. Alex and her partner have been together forever, they are high school sweethearts, went to college together, etc. It took them 10 years to have a baby, and I’ll start with a spoiler alert: they end up having miracle twin baby boys! Now their father, Joan, is a twin himself, not sure if that played a role but I do feel that miracles happen for many reasons and I am so happy Alexandra is making medicine from her hardships and opening up about her story and journey. She is the epitome of someone who acknowledges that they can heal others while healing themselves along the way. This conversation is about a woman’s mental state when dealing with IVF, PCOS, chromosome issues, multiple miscarriages, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. If you are not in a place where you can take in a story of this nature please do not tune in. The chances of her having these healthy 3-year old twin boys were so slim that at times we cry along with her throughout the story. She is so resilient and she owns her baggage and knows she has to keep healing. If you tune in, tune in with an open heart and open mind.

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Alexandra’s bio:

My name is Alexandra. I currently reside in Northern New Jersey and have a side business related to weddings. I have been with my high school sweetheart for 21 years and married for 9. We are the proud owners of two dogs, Copper and Eevee. It took 10 years but I finally got my rainbow babies on July 2, 2017, in the form of twin identical boys. I am now training to become a peer mentor for women who need peer support for perinatal mood disorders through Postpartum Support International.

Contact her:

Wedding business: Knot by the Sea Weddings -  Visit over on IG or Facebook

Her latest project is on IG @cuarto_trimestreprj. Cuarto Trimestre Project will be sharing the high and lows of pregnancy, birthing, postpartum, and parenting. Podcast here!

Her blog throughout this journey can be found here.

Postpartum Support International- Peer Mentor Program 

Her affirmation: God has a time for everything. There will be good days, worst days, and bad days. Every day is a day to start over again.

Show notes are also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2episode10

What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

Your girl is a Published Author now!  So much has happened with my business and I want to take a step back to bring people along in the journey with me. So back in January, I incorporated my passion project, and Mari Vega, LLC was born. Through that venture, I support women in tapping into their intuition so they can nurture their entire "self" and experience motherhood with confidence.  No one expected this to be such a challenging year. With the pandemic, lockdown, social and racial injustice, and much more, there’s one thing I still believe in, and it’s the power that stories have in bringing us together. That’s why I’m so honored to share my own story in the pages of Diamond Mind. This is a recording of the happy hour I hosted on the day of my book launch, July 15, 2020.

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What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

My heart is heavy and I needed to release an episode where I just share my own allyship journey, opinions, and I challenge you all to join me in the conversations. 

Enlightenedhood - When Motherhood meets Spirituality

Intro:

I was so drawn to Leena from the minute I came across her podcast. I don’t know how I found her but the term, Enlightenedhood, and her gorgeous podcast photo drew me in during my maternity leave last summer. Little did I know that she was also in her postpartum period after having had her first child just 2 months before launching into what would become an amazing motherhood community! Leena shares the journey to peeling away the shame and emotional baggage that was keeping her from reaching her own self-actualization. Once she got in touch with her higher self and unleashed her feminine confidence, she coincidentally also began her journey into motherhood. The multitude of health challenges she faced during and after her pregnancy helped her learn that healing is not linear and that working on the mind also helps heal the body. Through elevating her spiritual self-care she began rocking out motherhood and building a community for like-minded mothers to thrive!

Read on to learn more about Leena!

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Leena bio:

As a leading millennial voice in spirituality, Leena Lemos is on a mission to raise the collective consciousness through empowering women to step into their power and out of the spiritual closet. After feeling completely under-supported as a new mom, Leena started collecting stories on how other mothers were using mindfulness and spirituality while navigating motherhood and this blossomed into a global movement, reaching almost 100 countries in under a year. Today, Leena is passionate about a many-to-many approach to education and making spirituality less stigmatized and accessible to women worldwide.

To learn more about Leena and contact her visit: www.enlightenedhood.com

Instagram : @LeenaLemos @Enlightenedhood

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Show notes:

Astrology: Crystal B. Astrology http://crystalbastrology.com/ in Bloomfield, NJ

Daily OM provides inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy, and fulfilling day. They have a variety of life-enhancing courses. I’ve personally taken conscious parenting and kundalini chakra courses.

Dr Shefali - Conscious Parenting - I highly recommend YouTubing her if reading isn’t your thing.

Mantra/Affirmation: I am already everything I need.

Manifest: A community of like-minded women who are going to lead the way and change the world together.

Show notes are also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2ep7

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What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.

I have no doubt in my mind that Marcela and I were destined to meet. Tune in to listen to this single mother’s journey to creating a global platform affirmation vision board business that helps affirm powerful mindful flourishing words. She describes how motherhood is a metamorphosis of the soul that challenges us to evolve. Marcela opens us up to the idea of building a legacy and dedicating yourself to teaching your children to listen to themselves before believing what the world is going to tell them they should be. She closes with “I am…” statements that will empower you to make this year happen for you! Don’t miss out, tune in NOW!

Read on to learn more about Marcela!

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My name is Marcela Tapiero and I am a passionate educator, mother,  entrepreneur, and global speaker. I became an entrepreneur at 21. Since then, I have created a global business to empower people of all ages. Now, I am on my way to achieving not only true financial freedom but the joyous freedom of time, which allows me to travel the world sharing knowledge with students across the globe. To learn more about my business and my recent foundation, jump-started during the COVID pandemic, visit: WWW.YOURDREAMWALL.COM or on Instagram @your_dreamwall

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If you’d like to connect with Marcela she can be reached at: [email protected]

Show notes:

Affirmation to lean on in rough times

Take a deep breath, repeat these words:

I am going to become better & better every single day. I am choosing to love myself whether it is’ through hurting and pain, I am going to win this battle.

Show notes are also available on https://www.marivega.me/blog/season2episode6

Go stream her episode on:  Apple  Spotify Anchor Breaker Google Podcast Overcast Pocket Casts Radio Public

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What did you think of this episode? Want more like it? Have an amazing story you’d like to share? Want to be featured on the Vida de Madre podcast? Email [email protected] or visit www.marivega.me to learn more. Please support and subscribe! To follow the Mari Vega brand visit me on IG @Mari_Vega.