Dear Listeners, I have some both exciting and a little bit sad news to share with you in today's episode.  First, the exciting news is that we are expecting our second child due in April.  We are both excited and nervous to be taking this journey all over again.  My daughter will be 4 in February, and I started this podcast over 3 ½ years ago when she was just a couple months old.  It’s truly been a labor of love. Now, for the a little bit sadder news. In an effort to practice what I preach and really slow down during these last months of pregnancy and the newborn phase, I have decided to take a 6 month break from the podcast.  This is the last episode that will be in your feed for a while.  I hope to come back with renewed vigor next summer, and with more stories to share from my own second newborn phase! Until then, there are 80 episodes in the archive - all still available on iTunes - of wonderful stories of all the good and hard things about the postpartum period. I would love if you share them with your friends and family.  Wishing you all the best for the holiday season and the early part of 2018 – and please remember to take the time for yourself, even in the smallest of ways.  Thank you, as always for listening. So much Love, Kellie  

Today it was so fun talking to Michelle Beckner! Michelle is a mom of two who is passionate about real food and educating new and expecting moms on how to stay happy and healthy so that they can raise happy and healthy babies. She was working as a chemical engineer and pregnant with my second child when she decided to go back to school to become a certified nutrition coach in 2016. Since then, she's taught courses on starting solids and how to be a Calm Mom. Now, she mainly work with breastfeeding moms with babies who have food allergies and intolerances. She has breastfed both of my babies through food allergies. With everything she's learned, she's made it her mission to educate new and expecting moms of the signs of allergies as well as educate and support moms who need to eliminate dairy and other foods from their diet. In her episode we chat about: Birthing a business and a baby all in the same year! Balancing a business, another part time job and a move all in the postpartum year Her experience with food allergies and intolerances with her own children The complications of so many different opinions on how to manage allergies with babies How she can help breastfeeding moms with with allergies Her experience switching to midwifery care mid-pregnancy The importance of educating ourselves about our birthing options and care providers The challenges of having the second child and the work multiplying Disposable plates and utensils for your friends who are newly postpartum! You can find Michelle on Facebook @mlbfamilywellness or on her website here. If you are a dairy free mama then check out her Facebook group Dairy Free Breastfeeding: Surviving & Thriving!  This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  Thank you SO much for your support! You can find Michelle on Facebook @mlbfamilywellness. If you are a dairy free mama then check out her Facebook group Dairy Free Breastfeeding: Surviving & Thriving!

Today I SO enjoyed chatting with Rebecca Egbert. Rebecca was a practicing midwife for nearly 10 years and is now the Founder and CEO of The Mother Love, a company building inclusive technology and connected communities to improve women’s health. Often told she has the energy of 7 people, hard work is part of her cellular body. After starting many businesses, she committed deeply to her entrepreneurial and innovative spirit deciding to take a giant leap away from clinical care, into the health education and tech world. With a hint of intuition and playful communication, Rebecca and her team create fun, accessible and actionable self-care tools that are designed to be used, most importantly, and shared to grow healthy women, strong families, and create connected communities. She loves her people and places deeply, and does a lot of things that might make you think she’s nuts in her little spare time. I so appreciated her real and honest approach and I know you will love this episode! In her episode, we chat about: Her interest in healthcare at a young age How she saw a hole in the postpartum care arena from her experience as a midwife How she chose to become a CPM instead of a CNM How she transitioned from a practicing midwife to an entrepreneur  Her research into what postpartum women most need How Little Mother's Helper came to be The importance of women supporting other women The importance of nurturing your relationship with your partner before birth The break and space needed after the baby is born - limit your visitors! How this year was the year of "slowing down" for a lot of people What's next for The Mother Love...venture capitalists and more! And SO many other wonderful things! Be sure to check out Little Mother's Helper here! This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Bianca Sprague and Natasha Marchand of bebo mia inc. Bianca is a birth doula and lactation educator and has supported hundreds of families through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. She feels particularly passionate around maintaining the family's relationships and mental wellness. As a queer woman she advocates for inclusive language in the birthing space. She lives in Toronto with her spouse, Alana, and their daughter, Gray. Natasha is a pre & postnatal fitness professional and birth doula. After a long fertility journey with her first daughter, Natasha has positioned herself as a fertility expert. She specializes in working with families with a history of try to conceive through their pregnancy and postpartum period. Natasha lives in Toronto with her husband, Chris, their 6 year old daughter, Sadie, and just gave birth to her second daughter in September. bebo mia inc is a training & mentorship organization for women in the maternal health field, including pregnancy/birth professionals, childbirth educators & parenting specialists. They offer comprehensive skills, business support & community care through an innovative online structure that spans a global market.  In their episode we chat about: bebo mia's origin story Why they have some focus on fertility in their business Inclusive gender language when it comes to birth work How they feel like they did the opposite with their postpartum experiences that they tell their clients to do and what they would've done differently The challenge of working in this field and people "expecting us to be really good at this" Postpartum planning and asking for what you want Their birth stories and Natasha's thoughts about her upcoming C-Section The importance of setting yourself up for a positive postpartum experience Their differing experiences with postpartum as Natasha is more social and Bianca more introverted Postpartum struggles with a spirited high needs baby Letting moms experience whatever they experience postpartum Don't do it on your own!! And more! This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I enjoyed chatting with Carole Kramer Arsenault, RN, IBCLC. Carole has devoted her career to infant and pregnancy care, and worked for many years as a delivery nurse, including at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She founded and runs Boston Baby Nurse, a home health agency offering specialized support to families with babies. She lives outside Boston. In her episode we chat about: ·      Her work as a labor and delivery nurse and how that played a role in her birth and postpartum stories ·      How she came to start Boston Baby Nurse and what services they offer ·      Why she decided to write Newborn 101 and what readers can expect to get out of it – it’s like a pocket Postpartum nurse for you to take home! ·      The importance of trusting your instincts during the postpartum period and avoiding getting too caught up in the fear-based perspective of Google searching ·      Slowing down during the early postpartum weeks ·      Lowering our expectations of our postpartum bodies. ·      And so much more! Be sure to check out Boston Baby Nurse and get yourself a copy of Newborn 101 This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Betsy Schwartz. She is a pioneer and a visionary. She began her career in 1991, working for one of the oldest postpartum doula services in the country. In 1994 she established Tenth Month Doula Services, the first of its kind in South Florida. Betsy is a founding member of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, where she served on the Board for two years. Her most recent accomplishment is the creation and publication of Down the Canal – The Game of Birth. She also offers online courses for birth workers. Betsy continues to pioneer in Citrus County Florida where she is actively involved in community collaboration as part of the Citrus Committee of the Florida Healthy Babies Initiative. Betsy holds a master’s degree in management of human services. She was a DONA postpartum doula trainer for fourteen years, and before that a CAPPA trainer. Betsy is a certified postpartum doula, a Reiki Master and a yoga enthusiast, and is active in transformational work through Gratitude Training. In her episode we chat about: Why she was called to be a Postpartum Doula after her first birth How she came to create "Down the Canal: The Game of Birth" The best way for parents to be informed and take responsibility for their choices Her two very different birth experiences Her goal of sharing and teaching Reiki to Birth Workers and Pregnant Couples How lovely the postpartum period is for forcing us to slow down Navigating her second postpartum during the grief of losing her father Sleep challenges Our soap box about maternity leave in this country not being long enough The disservice we do moms by telling them they should be "doing it all" Redefining self care And more! Be sure to check out Betsy's work and the "Down the Canal Game of Birth" here.  This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon.  No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show.  Click here to learn more.  Thank you SO much for your support!

I so enjoyed chatting with Arianna Taboada. Arianna is a maternal health consultant who works with experienced entrepreneurs who are becoming first time mothers, helping them customize their maternity leave plan and return to work. She is deeply committed to providing on-going, multi-faceted support that meets the professional, physical, mental, social, and emotional needs of entrepreneurs as they babyproof their business and navigate new motherhood. Prior to her consulting practice, Arianna worked on maternal health issues for over a decade as a health educator, a social worker in a mental health clinic, a reproductive health researcher, and a yoga therapist. She draws from her expertise as a maternal health professional, combined with her experience as a business owner and mother, to provide highly personalized services so expecting entrepreneurs have the tools and information they need to make decisions and take action when it comes to balancing their business with a new baby.  In her episode we covered so many topics but they included: How she got into the work that she does How she saw the need for helping entrepreneurs navigate maternity leave Midwifery care having a re-birth in Mexico The amazing difference between postpartum care in midwifery versus obstetric care The WHO recommendations for postpartum visits Tools to use for planning out your postpartum period and filling in gaps that may be missing in your support system and care. Building the muscle of asking for help and how her postpartum period looked The reality and perhaps taboo topic of it not being all happy sunshine and rainbows in both pregnancy and postpartum The benefit of not building back up to her same workload after baby The importance of social support during postpartum How her maternal health coaching works - spoiler - it's all online and you can access her from anywhere! :) Learn more about her services at http://www.ariannataboada.com/  This episode of the postpartum podcast is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps.  Aeroflow helps you navigate qualifying for a breast pump through your insurance. Just because its covered, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Let Aeroflow handle the bureaucracy so that you can enjoy your baby. Go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/postpartum to learn more. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon.  No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show.  Click here to learn more.  Thank you SO much for your support!  

Apologies friends, it's been radio silence over here!  My plan was to take a break from the podcast during this busy month of August and reset in the Fall starting mid-September. But then I got super sick and was unable to record this minisode to let you all know my plan! I will be back September 12th with a brand new interview episode and I have some fab guests lined up for the fall.  In the meantime, I am running my semi-annual iTunes ratings & review giveaway! Just Leave a Rating & Review on the Podcast between now and September 11th and you'll be entered for a chance to win the above prizes! And maybe some fun treats along with what's pictured above! :)  Good luck! Again click HERE to leave your review! *** Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon.  No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show.  Click here to learn more.  Thank you SO much for your support!

Today I so enjoyed chatting with Dr. Erica Zelfand. She is a family physician specializing in integrative and functional medicine. After graduating from medical school, completing a midwifery apprenticeship, and finishing a family practice residency, she then completed four additional years of post-doctoral training in pediatrics under the tutelage of Paul Thomas, MD, the author of the acclaimed book The Vaccine-Friendly Plan. She sees patients of all ages in her family practice in Portland, Oregon, and is deeply committed to a patient-centered, root-cause-oriented, nature-honoring approach to healing.  In her episode we talk about: The benefits of having a family physician  Postpartum Fatigue, why, how and what to do How the plethora of options makes it harder for new moms The benefit of starting pregnancy in a non-depleted state Anemia is common after childbirth Ferritin Test, CBCs and other important postpartum testing How to best get your iron levels up Our constant state of stress and how social media affects it Emphasis on Blood Sugar Levels Herbs for the 4th Trimester and adrenal fatigue: rhodiola, ashwaganda, schizandra, licorice and B Vitamins Hypothyroidism and Hashimotos The importance of a mindfulness practice Explanations of thyroid testing and what you need to check for imbalances Simplicity Parenting And More! Learn more about Erica's work and practice here. This episode is sponsored by audible.com.  Audible makes it easy to listen to all of your favorite books.  They are offering listeners of this podcast a FREE audiobook and 30 day trial.  Go to audibletrial.com/PostpartumPodcast to get your free book now.  *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon.  No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show.  Click here to learn more.  Thank you SO much for your support!

    Today I so enjoyed chatting with Kate Turza. Kate is a mom of 3 and postpartum doula. After navigating difficult postpartum periods with each of her children, she realized that there needs to be better support for new moms. She began her postpartum doula training when her youngest was 3 months old, and has been practicing for over 2.5 years now. She moderates an in-person new mom support group in her area, as well as a Facebook group for new moms, she's also created a directory of professionals in her area (East End Parent Support).  She's also on the board of a non-profit, Long Island Birth Network, which provides education, support, and resources for expecting and new families in her area.  In her episode we chat about: The challenge of having 3 kids under 4 when she had her 3rd How you're always tired once you have kids Consider negotiating bring baby with you back to work if you can How we don't have enough maternity leave How she decided to become a postpartum doula Breastfeeding challenges from a retained placenta An overview of what Postpartum Doulas do How a Postpartum Doula should be called a "Fourth Trimester" Doula The challenge of not dwelling on our decisions The importance of knowing where your postpartum support is in your area The importance of non-judgmental support just for you The importance of checking in And so much more! Enjoy! This episode of the Postpartum Podcast is sponsored by ICON UNDIES. Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience little bladder leaks when they run, jump, sneeze, or laugh? This is especially true for new moms. But because of Icon, You don’t have to worry!  Their undies feel like a regular, beautiful pair of underwear, but can hold up to 6 teaspoons of liquid without the bulky, bunchy plasticy feel of a pantyliner.  Icon is also offering listeners of the podcast $5 off your order with code postpartum at checkout.  Today’s episode is also sponsored by Ecocentric Mom. Pregnancy & new motherhood are the most thrilling times in any woman's life. - but they can also be the scariest. We're overwhelmed with information about what products are safe & effective for ourselves and our babies. Ecocentric Mom helps you navigate those choices by delivering monthly discovery boxes of products to help you care for yourself and your growing family.  Each month subscribers receive organic, natural or handmade products and lifestyle accessories chosen just for your stage of motherhood - from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond. Podcast listeners are invited to use code POSTPARTUM10 to receive a 10% lifetime discount on your subscription. *** As always, please consider subscribing and leaving a review on iTunes here. Your reviews really help the show out because they allow it to be more visible so that we can reach more moms.  Do you shop on Amazon?  Use this link and do your shopping as you always would and the show will get a teeny tiny kickback.  You can also support the show by becoming a patron on Patreon.  No donation is too small, for as little as $1 per episode, you can make a huge difference for the show.  Click here to learn more.  Thank you SO much for your support!