We hear the same questions from parents time and again. Here's a quick guide to the questions every new parent asks. Continue reading

Emily Flynn is a birth and postpartum doula and health consultant in the Bay Area. She specializes in connecting folks in various places in their gynecological health cycles with compassionate and evidence-based care providers best suited to their individual needs. Emily's journey into birth work started through her legal research work with international organizations supporting migrants and refugees, which has informed and inspired her work with other birth care providers in building solid contracts and safe, strong, and satisfying businesses. Continue reading

Suzannah Neufeld, MFT, yoga therapist has dropped by my house to have tea and discuss her new book Awake At 3AM and tell us about how she applies insights both from psychotherapy and yoga/mindfulness practice to help parents through the very challenging perinatal period. Suzannah herself suffered with grueling hyperemesis and was thrown into depression and anxiety as a result. Hear her story and learn about her approach to helping us with the tough stuff. Continue reading

Melissa Hurt is our guest this episode and she offers us an easy and rather fun and funny technique for "finding our voice" as new parents. This little exercise, known as the Y-Buzz will warm up your vocal chords and open your voice and tickle your face. But it's not just for fun-- this technique is something you may find empowering as well as spirit-lifting. Continue reading

How to avoid anemia (and recover from anemia) using nutrition. Anemia is common during and after pregnancy. Esther talks about how to stave it off, and how to use nutrition and what you eat to help recover from mild to severe anemia. Continue reading

The Dos and Don'ts and Whys and Hows of being a respectful and HELPFUL visitor to your new-parent family and friends. This is some frank talk based on Esther's decades of observation and cultural comparison. Everyone can learn from this episode, whether or not they are, themselves, or know new-parents-to-be Continue reading

Esther and Sarah return to the subject of visitors. A discussion of why visitors in the first two to six weeks aren't always the right thing for new parents from a physical, emotional-social and spiritual perspective, as well as why our culture doesn't foster appropriate support. This episode of the Fourth Trimester Podcast is a playbook for handling visitors, including: setting boundaries for yourself communicating how you need visitation to work to your loved ones the difference between visitors who help vs visitors who don't know how to positively contribute how to set up an appropriate 'meet the baby' event why your birth story is a private experience you may or may not choose to share Continue reading

Wait, what is Postpartum OCD? Yep. It's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that develops or is magnified as part of the postpartum experience. Women who don't have OCD can develop it as part of their childbirth experience. Women who already have OCD can see their symptoms intensify during postpartum. Most simply defined, OCD is when "intrusive thoughts" become fairly constant, and a person starts acting on those thoughts. On episode 67 of Fourth Trimester Podcast we focus on postpartum OCD and speak with Megan Ellow who is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Delaware. The episode covers: Signs of Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD How to find help if you think you may have symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD (Hint: start by calling an anonymous helpline 800-944-4773) Megan's true story of postpartum OCD and her recovery Continue reading

We talk with Leah Chalofsky about the New Parents Circle and Cesarean Birth Support Group, anxiety (as it relates to pregnancy and parenting), domestic violence, and teen pregnancy/parenting. Topics covered: Hormones and their influence Emotions prior to birth Anxiety, Depression and "feeling bad about feeling bad" First two years of child's life - transitions physical and mental Benefiting from being around other parents Ruling out physical issues - how physical and emotional are intertwined Continue reading

We are so happy to introduce Nethal Abdul-Mu-Amin to our listeners. In this episode we also give our listeners an opportunity to learn a bit about Islamic cultural diversity and how Nethal is helping Muslim families find their reflection in the Parenting Community. We discuss the following and more: Homebirth Midwifery in the era before legalization and the current state of access Nethal’s background and what led her to become a Birth and Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator Resources Nethal has helped develop as a Childbirth Educator, specifically for the Muslim community Continue reading

Esther introduces Beth Rees and the topic of Perinatal Herbalism to our audience. On our show we like to hear about all sorts of supportive approaches to pregnancy, postpartum and parenting. Beth tells us about how herbs can nourish us and add enjoyment, rest and recovery to our intensive work growing our families. We discuss: How Beth became a doula/herbalist Geeking out about Birth and Postpartum Heart-opening Herbal self-nourishment and caring for the new mom and baby Herbalism/Acupuncture integration Local approaches Gentle Giants of the herb world Internal and external nourishment and healing Show notes for specific herbal supports for parents and children Continue reading

Trusting another person to care for your child can be challenging. Having a plan in place for hiring and employing a childcare provider will go a long way in alleviating some of the stress. Put your plan in place with episode 63, including: when to start looking for a nanny / childcare provider (accounting for how long it can take to hire someone) how to pre-screen candidates and conduct the interview process (because you need more than one interview with your final selections) conducting a nanny trial period how to develop and maintain a good line of communication between parents and care providers what to expect for how to pay a nanny (over the table vs under the table) and having contracts how to consider the nanny's perspective, including pressure they may feel (e.g. if you don't have any backup care) how to set clear household expectations Continue reading

Confidence-building is a lifelong exercise for all people, including parents. Listen to this Confidence Masterclass on episode 62 of the Fourth Trimester Podcast. Learn the confidence-building foundations. This audio masterclass is designed for women and mothers in particular. The course covers: The importance of demonstrating confidence to our children Loving and respecting yourself What self care means How to unearth your true identity Continue reading

Sometimes simply knowing your options is what makes all the difference. Education is key for pregnant mothers as they prepare for their birth and early motherhood. Birth Education is important for women because the "childbearing year" of pregnancy, labor, birth and the fourth trimester, is the moment where fundamental respect, care and nurturing can be experienced and where culture-change can begin in each life with the benefits paying forward to individuals and society. In this episode we have the honor and delight of speaking with a mother-daughter duo whose work together spans this cultural intervention of doula work in the context of social justice. We weave together these elements along with the practical benefits of doula care. We explore the generational and traditional threads of women caring for families. Continue reading

Every woman deserves the opportunity to fully heal and recover from birth trauma. It is never too late to address a past trauma. Listen to this episode of Fourth Trimester Podcast to hear: How to recognize that you've experienced trauma or PTSD How to begin addressing a potential trauma - the first steps to take for healing Continue reading

Most women in the USA do not have a community coming to support them and their new family during the first 90 days after having a baby. Listen to this episode to learn about the advantages of building up a community of friends, family, trusted neighbors, and professional supporters (e.g. a postpartum doula, a night doula). Continue reading

Good Enough Mothering is actually The Best Mothering Continue reading

There are many treatments for postpartum (or pregnancy) mood disorders and mothers (and fathers) are encouraged to speak to their care provider about the best course of treatment. PSI also has a Warmline, 800.944.4773 (4PPD) where you can get basic information, support and resources, in English and Spanish. Continue reading

On Episode 56 of the Fourth Trimester Podcast we speak with Lynn Benson, co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul Life Lessons for Busy Moms." Listen to hear more about: Signs you’re suffering from burnout as a result of caregiving The physical, emotional stress and financial toll of caregiving Tools and resources available to help family members with the challenges of caregiving Continue reading

As it turns out one in three women experience urinary incontinence after having a baby. The good news is that urinary control is something that can be regained. In other words, if you wee yourself a little bit (like Kate Winslet), this isn't something you have to live with forever. Women can regain confidence that they aren't going to accidentally pee during exercise (think running, jumping jacks, CrossFit, etc.), when they sneeze, laugh out loud, or simply when they have to go to the bathroom. Here's how. Continue reading

This is THE PREP LIST episode that can act as an essential checklist for any expecting parent. Here's what we cover: 1. Caring for the postnatal body 2. Preparing for life with a newborn - an introductory playbook -- seriously, it's good Continue reading

The episode about MIND + MOVEMENT. We speak with Evelyn Freebury who is a movement therapist and who has decades of experience working with parents and newborns. She shares ways in which movement therapy benefits both parent and newborn. At the end of the episode, Evelyn leads us through a live, guided somatic experience. Enjoy! Continue reading

You can help your child by starting adjustments ahead of the time change. Beginning Tuesday night (March 6), begin to put your child down 10 minutes earlier for bed. You can do this by comforting, singing, reading, and starting the bedtime routine 10 minutes earlier. Continue this for the rest of the week. When the time change happens, your baby or toddler will have slowly adjusted to the new time. Continue reading

No one parenting experience is the same as another, but one thing we can continually agree upon for all new parents is that support for the new family during their first few months with a newborn is paramount. Moms and Dads are better equipped to take care of their babies when they themselves are getting their needs met. And when it comes to twins, there is perhaps double the reason (or triple if you're having three babies!) to make sure you'll be well-supported during the first six weeks at home. We are excited to call this episode of the Fourth Trimester Podcast the TWINS episode. Here's what we cover: Having twin babies prematurely and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience Why it isn't just a simple formula of twice the work Identifying and getting help for postpartum anxiety Feeding two babies at the same time Taking shifts between parents, and additionally with the help of a doula or someone else and how that can benefit everyone Preparing for the specific differences between preparing for having multiple babies compared to a single baby Continue reading

Even Kourtney Kardashian ate her own placenta. Some women eat their placenta because they believe the organ contains the nutrients being transferred from mother to child while the baby is in the womb. Some benefits could include increased breast milk production and a decrease in post-natal depression. Listen to hear everything you never knew you TOTALLY WISH YOU KNEW about placentas, including: what is the placenta what prenatal foods and practices can benefit the placenta what is placenta encapsulation what are some of the ideas and benefits around the practice how have women historically used their placentas what are some of the placenta traditions in other cultures where to go to find someone to make capsules for you what happens with the placenta after birth - how transported to person doing encapsulation - how to store other beautiful things done with the placenta (e.g. artwork prints) Continue reading