In this episode, we’re talking with Chantal Eder, a movement specialist focused on pre- and post-natal wellness. Jenna and I were lucky enough to take prenatal yoga classes with Chantal—and got so much more than “expensive stretching” (as our dad likes to call it). We’ve learned so much from her earned wisdom on self-care, not just for the body, but for the mind, the spirit, and the soul. Today, we’re lucky enough to have her share some of what she’s taught us with you.

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How to follow Chantal and find her upcoming offerings

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When you’re a new mom, there are a lot of things you need: sleep (a lot more of it!), a hearty meal to fuel you for all that physical labour, and a hot shower. Just one rung higher on the hierarchy of needs: someone to talk to (who really really gets what you’re going through) and probably a bra for whatever new and strange shape your boobs are in.

At The Fourth, a maternity and nursing shop and community in Edmonton, you can get both. Iris’s vision for The Fourth was born from her own personal experience in pregnancy and postpartum—after feeling a lost sense of identity when wearing maternity clothes that weren’t her style and later feeling isolated and not knowing where to look for community when she needed it with a newborn. Today, we’re talking about The Fourth, Iris’s journey to build it, and how she’s supporting moms through all the stages of pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.

(Kasandra’s note: Jenna and I joined many a moms’ group through The Fourth on our mat leave and can personally attest to what an incredible community resource Iris has created!)

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And P.S., here’s a Black Friday nudge to shop local—The Fourth has a 15% off everything sale today!

It’s a big season of change over here—after 13 months off of work, Kasandra’s wrapping up mat leave and heading back to paid work. That means 2 kids in daycare, 2 parents working full time… can we do this? 

We don’t know yet! But in this episode, we’ll talk about closing this chapter (pour one out, a bottle my baby never took preferably), what we’ve done to prepare for this new one, and of course—how we’re feeling about it all.

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It’s safe to say many (most?) of us have some fears when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. Everything is new, we know there will be discomfort and pain, and there’s so much that’s unknown and out of our control. But what about when the fear feels too much to handle?

In today’s episode, we’re talking with Sonia about her experience with tokophobia (the fear of pregnancy and birth), how it showed up for her, and how she worked through it.

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Once you've unpacked, recovered from jet lag, and gotten back into routines, what remains from travelling with babes?

For us, it's a lot—today we're talking about the big takeaways we had when reflecting on our time abroad with babies. We're talking cultural observations, family bonding, and developmental changes.

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We’re ba-ack! And we missed you all. We’ve just returned from two weeks overseas with our babes, and we’re pleasantly surprised to report we’re not too much worse for wear! We’re here to recap our trip and talk through all the logistics, planning, and prep of getting two babies and one toddler overseas—and back—in one piece.

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See you next week, where we'll be reflecting more on the privilege and experience of travelling with babies.

Hello dear listeners! Just dropping in to let you know we'll be away the next few weeks—we are *attempting* to take our little families on an adventure involving overnight airplane travel, new time zones, and new languages. We hope to bring back stories (apparently your boobs get jet lagged?) and our very best travel tips (and, as always, our fails).

This fall we'll be bringing fresh episodes on travel, tokophobia, and more, plus speaking to some *very special* members of the Edmonton moms community. We will miss you but can't wait to come back in October! Take care, mamas and friends.

Whether you’ve been on a waitlist since you conceived of conception, or you’re realizing you’re going to need more support with your wee ones as you transition back to paid work, finding childcare can be *stressful*. It involves a lot of sources of stress—money, parenting/childcare approaches, so many unknowns (especially those mystery waitlists, woof), and for many, guilt.

Today, we’re talking about different childcare options we’ve explored and tried, all of the many feelings we’re feeling, and how the heck to juggle it all. (Hint: balls will be dropped)

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When you’re pregnant and early postpartum, everything’s new and feels different. Your body, brain, and relationships. Plus, you’ve got new stressors on your system—lack of sleep, a baby’s cry that feels like a siren’s wail, and less time to cope with it all. All of these changes can make it hard to tell the difference between “normal worry” and a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), like postpartum anxiety or depression.

In today’s episode, we’re speaking to Sarah, a mom of a now-toddler. She’ll share her journey with postpartum anxiety, talk about how she sought and got help, and how she found hope and eventually re-discovered her “colour” after baby.

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Maybe you’ve been told it’s normal to pee your pants a little after you have kids (forever). Or maybe your pelvic floor is a little uptight and she needs to go to yoga. Somehow, pushing 10-pound watermelons out of your vagina throws off the surrounding region’s groove *just a little bit*.

Today, we have our very! first! Guest! Our friend and fellow listener Katie McLeod has been on a pelvic floor journey through and after birthing 3 babes. A former and possible future runner and full-time Swifie, she’s here to share what she’s gone through with each birth and aftermath—from incontinence to too much tension—as well as what’s helping, and what isn’t.

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Alberta Health also offers free pelvic floor physiotherapy webinars.