Chick Chat: The Baby Chick Podcast

Taking Charge of Your Birth with Henci Goer

Giving birth is a powerful moment in a woman's life. As a birth doula for over a decade, I've witnessed hundreds of women walk into their new role as mothers as they welcome their children into the world. The biggest goal of a doula is for the expecting woman to feel fully supported, informed, heard, and respected during her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We want her to have the birth experience she ultimately desires because that's what every mother deserves. With knowledge and support, we believe she can take charge of her birth and feel empowered in her birthing time. A woman who I've admired in my doula journey, who is well respected in the birthing world, and who has been empowering mothers for decades, is Henci Goer. I am overjoyed that she has joined us on our podcast today!

Who is Henci Goer?

Henci is the author of four books: Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach (co-author Amy Romano MSN, CNM), The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (which is one of my top books to read during pregnancy), Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities, and her latest book Labor Pain: What's Your Best Strategy? In addition, she has written numerous blog posts and articles, given lectures around the world, and received multiple awards for her work. Henci's passion and life's work provide pregnant women with what they need to make decisions about their care: complete and accurate information, presented neutrally, on the pros and cons of all their options. In her efforts, Henci wants to be a resource, not a guide, and instead of leading, she wants to have your back.

Today, Henci is chatting with us about optimal birth care. Instead of offering instruction on what constitutes optimal care and how to obtain it, she wants to help empower women to take charge of their births. Her goal is to help expecting moms figure out what is right for them and how to get it. Listen to this episode to hear her story and her best advice!

SIDS: What You Need to Know to Reduce the Risk with Dr. Harvey Karp

Sleep is something that many new parents obsess over. Is their baby getting enough sleep? Too much sleep? Not enough consolidated sleep? It can be overwhelming and exhausting. One of the biggest fears about sleep that many parents with a new baby have is SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. About 2,300 babies die per year in the United States.¹ It's an alarming statistic, and every parent wants to reduce the risk of SIDS for their babies. Thankfully we have a special guest who is talking to us about it and what we can do.

Dr. Harvey Karp is one of America's most trusted pediatricians and we are thrilled to have him on our podcast again. He is the author of the bestselling books Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block and the video Happiest Baby on the Block, which I highly recommend. Dr. Karp has become a household name and has helped millions of parents understand safe infant sleep practices. He has guided parents on nurturing their children and relieving some of the stressful issues new parents face. We couldn't think of a better person to talk to about this important topic.

Today Dr. Karp discusses SIDS — what parents need to know and how to reduce the risk of SIDS. We talk about the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated sleep guidelines, the new research that found a possible connection to babies at risk of SIDS, and more. There are many ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and practice safe sleep, and Dr. Karp is breaking it all down for us.

Resources
1. https://www.childrenshospital.org/

Breaking the Cycles of Family Trauma and Moving Forward with Libby Ward

Childhood. It can be one of the best times of your life. No real responsibilities. You are just learning, growing, and becoming the person you were meant to be. While some of us wish we could have stayed little forever and avoided adulting and big responsibilities, others couldn't wait to grow up. They couldn't wait to be able to go out on their own, provide for themselves, make their own decisions, have control, and start a new life. Not everyone grows up in a home with a perfect family with a white picket fence. Family trauma is real. And if you have experienced family trauma and have the opportunity to start your own family, breaking the cycles of family trauma can feel like a heavy process.

Today, we have Libby Ward from Diary of an Honest Mom on our show. Libby is all too familiar with this topic. She's a digital creator, speaker, and mental health advocate with a deep commitment to breaking the cycles of family trauma. Libby knows that being a mom is hard and wants other moms to know that it's normal to feel that way. She wants to change the narrative on what it means to be a "good mom" and remind others that taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your kids. We couldn't agree more.

In this episode, Libby is sharing with us how to break the cycles of family trauma and move forward. She knows firsthand how important it is to heal from the past and become the mom you want to be for your own family. With her words of wisdom and advice, we feel like you will leave this episode knowing good steps to take to move forward and break the cycles of family trauma that you may have experienced.

Resources that Libby Recommended:

• It Didn't Start with You - Mark Wolynn
• The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
• The Good Mom Project - a guided journal from Libby

How to Have Tough Conversations & Prepare Your Child for the Real World

It can often feel like there is always something big and scary going on. Turn on the news, and unfortunately, you'll probably hear of something tragic that happened that day. When you have little ears listening, many parents are unsure of how to approach these tough conversations in a safe and informative way with their child. From racism to gun violence to the pandemic and so many other complex topics, it is essential as parents to start the dialogue with our children at an early age before someone else has those conversations with them. So, how can we have these talks and prepare our children for the real world without scaring or overwhelming them? Today's guest is here to help!

In this episode, we have Tara Miko Ballentine with us. Tara is on a mission to change the way we think about parenting. With a 25+ year background in marketing, she is now focused on empowering parents to have those tough and "outside the box" conversations with their children. She started Bright Littles, a company that sells conversation tools, to help in this mission.

Today, Tara is sharing with us when and how to begin these conversations age-appropriately and why it's important to do so. Our children are being exposed to so many things, and as their parents, we need to ensure we are the ones preparing them for the world. This episode will help you feel more confident when having these talks with your kids.

Why Breastfeed? Everything You Need to Know

We all know how wonderful and beneficial breastfeeding is for mothers and babies. However, mothers don't all experience the same breastfeeding journey. For some, it's straightforward and natural, while others experience a lot of struggles and even pain. Some women are surrounded by a lot of encouragement and support, and other women aren't. It can be very discouraging when breastfeeding doesn't happen as easily as you hoped, but we're going to talk about it — the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby, the history of breastfeeding, the root causes of disparities in breastfeeding, and so much more.

Today, we have the privilege of having Dr. Cameual Wright join us on our show. An OBGYN by trade, Dr. Wright is currently the ​​Vice President and Market Chief Medical Officer at CareSource. She leads clinical initiatives to ensure vulnerable populations receive accessible, affordable, high-quality, and high-value healthcare. She is a passionate advocate for the care of women and children and health equity.

Today Dr. Wright is here to discuss everything about breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated its guidelines around breastfeeding, now supporting continued breastfeeding of a child until two years old or older. As the U.S. continues to face a shortage in infant formula, and with these updated guidelines, it's of the utmost importance now for mothers to be informed on breastfeeding. We're grateful to Dr. Wright for sharing informative and helpful information with us on this episode.

Becoming Parents: Kam Williams & Leroy Garrett

Becoming a parent is, in my opinion, the biggest moment in a person's life. Your life will never be the same in all the wildest and best possible ways. Today's guests can relate to this and I am so excited to have them both here on the show, Kam Williams and Leroy Garrett!

Kam is from New Jersey and Leroy is from Las Vegas. They both come from the reality TV world—Kam was originally on Are You the One, and Lee was on The Real World. The two met while they both were filming the show The Challengeon MTV. They’ve been together ever since and now reside in Houston, TX, where they recently welcomed their first child, their adorable son, Kingston. I had the honor of being their birth doula during their pregnancy and birth of Kingston and had the immense pleasure of getting to know these incredible people. We had to have them on the show to get a peek at what new parenthood has really been like.

Today I am chatting with Kam and Leroy about their journey to becoming parents. They're sharing what the pregnancy was really like, what their biggest challenges and best moments have been so far as parents, and they're even sharing what some of their favorite baby products are too! This power couple is an incredible duo. You're sure to find yourself laughing and relating with me throughout this episode. If you want to continue to follow their journey, be sure to check out their accounts below:

• Kam William
  • Kam Kollection
  • Instagram: @iamkamiam_
  • YouTube: @iAmKamiAm
  • Twitter: @iamkamiam_
• Leroy Garrett
  • RoyleetheBarber
  • Instagram: @royleethebarber
  • Twitter: @Bruce_Lee85

Rediscovering YOU After Baby with Dr. Ashurina Ream from Psyched Mommy

Having a baby is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, day of your life. It's when you meet the little person you have been growing inside of you that you couldn't wait to meet. It's when you experience all the emotions and are so happy that they are finally here. And once they are here, the postpartum period begins, and not only do you meet your new baby, you begin to meet a new you. Holding your precious little one makes you realize that as you're learning about them, you are also rediscovering you after baby.

Today we have the privilege of having Dr. Ashurina Ream on the show. Dr. Ream is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified in perinatal mental health. After struggling through early motherhood herself, she knew there had to be a better way. She has taken everything she has learned from her own experiences and evidence-based research to help other moms navigate this time. This is how she started Psyched Mommy. She offers great information, tips, and resources through her website, courses, newsletter, and social media.

In this episode, Dr. Ream is sharing about rediscovering you after baby. Dr. Ream believes every mom deserves to be honest about how they feel and met with total support — judgment-free! We are so happy to have her as our guest, and we know that you will leave this episode feeling better about prioritizing yourself, setting boundaries, learning how to deal with all the emotions, and more.

Resources Dr. Ashurina Ream Recommends

• Postpartum Support International
• Open Path - low-fee service for therapy

How to Effectively and Compassionately Discipline Our Children — Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

It can feel challenging when you need to discipline your child. You may ask yourself, "What is the best way to discipline a child? How can I help my children learn what is right and wrong that won't cause more damage while still holding them accountable for their actions?" Every parent wants to do their best to raise happy, healthy, and kind children. And today, we are so excited to have New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and educator, Dr. Tina Payne Bryson with us on today's episode. She answers all of our questions and gives us solid information on how to discipline our children effectively and compassionately.

Who is Dr. Tina Payne Bryson?

Tina is a psychotherapist, author, speaker, mother, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Connectionand The Play Strong Institute. If you are unfamiliar with her name, you may have heard of her work or read one of her excellent books. Tina is the author of The Bottom Line for Baby and co-author (with Dan Siegel) of The Power of Showing Up and The Yes Brain, as well as two New York Times bestsellers — The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline — each of which has been translated into over fifty languages. The Whole-Brain Child has now sold over a million copies.

However, before she's a parenting educator or a researcher, Tina is a mom. We love how she sets limits on her clinical practice and speaking engagements so that she can spend time with her family. Alongside her husband of 27 years, parenting her three boys is what makes her happiest. And this is another reason why we are so grateful that she made time for us.

In this episode, Tina discusses how to discipline our children effectively and compassionately. She gives multiple examples of parenting children of different ages and great tips to use and keep in mind. We discuss her research on the "whole-brain" of a child and what we as parents can learn from this concept. We are honored to have her as our guest, and we thank her for sharing her knowledge and research!

Resources Dr. Tina Payne Bryson Recommends

• tinabryson.com
• Instagram @tinapaynebryson
• Brain-Body Parenting by Mona Delahooke
• The Addiction Inoculation by Jessica Lahey

How to Heal Your Pelvic Floor After Baby

A woman’s body goes through many changes during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. One of those changes is her pelvic floor. As a baby grows in the womb, the organs around it move to make room for the baby. This causes the uterus, intestines, and bladder to place extra pressure on the pelvic floor. And whether you had a vaginal birth or a cesarean birth, the pelvic floor after pregnancy and childbirth can potentially cause issues; urinary incontinence, pooping problems, painful sex, organ prolapse, and more! None of this is fun, which is why it’s so important to heal your pelvic floor after baby.

Today, we’re chatting with Dr. Sara Reardon, the Vagina Whisperer. Dr. Reardon is a Physical Therapist, Board Certified Women’s Health and Pelvic Floor Therapist, and a mom of two. In 2006, Dr. Reardon created her business, the Vagina Whisperer, so women could finally get the care and attention they deserve regarding pelvic floor health. She’s an expert in her field (watch her TEDx Talk on Rethinking Postpartum Care here), and we are so grateful to have her on our show.

In this episode, Dr. Reardon shares with us how to heal your pelvic floor after baby and everything that comes along with that. She believes we shouldn’t be normalizing pelvic floor problems — instead, we should be normalizing pelvic floor conversations. We couldn’t agree more! And this is why we had this conversation with her to learn more.

Other Resources Dr. Sara Reardon Recommends

• Pelvic Rehab
• The Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

Evidence-Based, Intuitive, and Respectful Baby Sleep Tips from Rachael Shepard-Ohta

When parents bring home their new baby, everything about their life changes — their priorities, schedules, and sleep. After many sleepless nights, parents can become fixated on how to help their new little one sleep longer stretches. We get it. We've been there. It can be exhausting. But most parents think the only way to get through it is to sleep train their baby. We thought so, too, that is until we met Rachael Shepard-Ohta. We like to call her "the no-sleep-training sleep consultant." She's all about evidence-based, intuitive, and respectful baby sleep and helps parents listen to their intuition, learn more about their specific babies, and helps them discover what's best for them.

Rachael has a Bachelor's and Masters in Elementary and Special Education. When her son was born, she became obsessed with baby sleep, and through her own baby sleep journey, she discovered her new passion. Rachael then decided to pivot her entire career to helping other mothers thrive! She does exactly that with her business and social media, gently leading parents and their babies to better sleep. If you haven't seen Rachael on Instagram @heysleepybaby yet, you'll see a refreshingly new side to baby's sleep and attachment that hasn't been discussed much before. And on today's episode, you'll learn more about sleep science, how to understand your baby (from their temperament and sensory profile to the way they form attachments), and more.

Topics We Discussed:

• How she came to use this attachment-first method and why she thinks it is beneficial
• Her opinion on traditional sleep training
• Her tips for moms in the "sleep obsession" phase and how they can be more confident
• How infant brain development and attachment play a part in how our babies learn to sleep