Chick Chat: The Baby Chick Podcast

What to Expect From Your First Trimester

Mary Alice and I have a little surprise to share with all of you . . . We are both PREGNANT! That’s right! Mary Alice is expecting her first baby and I am expecting my second. We have been experiencing a lot of different things already so we thought it would be fun to chat during each trimester and share with you what we are experiencing and what you may expect. Here's what's been going on with us during our first trimesters. Here we go!

How Parents Can Prepare for Potty Training

Potty training can be such a daunting task for most parents. When should you start potty training? What are the readiness signs? What are the products that you absolutely need? How can you tackle nap and nighttime potty training? There are so many questions about this major milestone so we are chatting with Allison Jandu, a professional potty training consultant and author. Allison is sharing her tips about how parents can best prepare for potty training and what we need to know. If you're about to embark on the potty training adventures, this episode is for you!

Here are the products that Allison mentioned during our episode!

• The First Years Super Pooper Plus Potty Seat
• Peelaways Sheets
• Lil Advents Potty Time Adventures
• For Overnights: Gerber Training Pants (for Girls and for Boys)

What Your Body Really Needs During Pregnancy & Postpartum: Tips from a Registered Dietician

Once you become pregnant, something that women become more aware of is what they are putting in their bodies. The fuel we eat is also helping us grow our babies. It’s important for expecting and new mothers to understand what our bodies are deficient in, what vitamins we need to take, and what we can do to have the healthiest pregnancy and postpartum possible. So what does our body really need during pregnancy and postpartum? I’m chatting with Lisa Mastela, a registered dietitian with a master's in nutrition and public health and the founder of Bumpin’ Blends, a company that makes and delivered dietitian-designed smoothie cubes to support the many symptoms of motherhood.

Lisa has done research at the University of Washington on special needs children and Type 2 diabetes, along with research on intermittent fasting at the University of Southern California. She then worked in personalized nutrition. As a mother herself, Lisa knows how difficult nutrition for expecting and new mothers is. After years of research, Lisa is giving us the real scoop. She's walking us through what our bodies need during pregnancy and postpartum and is answering our questions.

To learn more about Lisa and chat with her, you can find her on Instagram here!

How to Overcome Mommy Burnout

Today, I’m chatting with Jennifer Blossom, a boy mom of two, occupational therapist, host of another amazing mom podcast called The Blossoming Mommy and Baby Show, as well as the CEO and Founder of Blossoming Mommy and Baby — a digital wellness brand that helps overwhelmed moms simplify motherhood. Jennifer has a passion for helping moms create a simpler, less chaotic, and more meaningful motherhood experience. This is why she is the perfect guest to talk about mommy burnout. I feel like this topic has been discussed a little bit more recently, but what is mommy burnout? How common is it and what can you do to help yourself from feeling burnout? Jennifer is breaking it all down for us and answering our questions.

Here are some links where you can learn more about Jennifer:

Website: https://www.blossomingmommyandbaby.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blossoming-mommy-and-baby-show/id1445916435

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blossomingmommyandbaby/

Becoming a Dad: Our Co-Founder, Brian Spears, Shares His Experience

Since we are in the month of June and we just celebrated Father's Day, we thought it would be fun to chat with a Dad about what it was like becoming a father. So, for today's episode, we have an extra special guest, my husband, the other Co-Founder of Baby Chick, Brian Spears, and he is telling us his story. Was he ready? Was he nervous? And was becoming a dad everything he expected? We rarely get to talk to or hear from Brian on our website or social pages so we hope you enjoy this episode hearing from him. Brian's answering all of our questions and sharing his journey of becoming a dad.

The Different Ways Children Learn and What Parents Need to Know

Every child is different from one another and this includes the ways they learn. Some children are visual learners, preferring pictures, and spatial understanding. Others are aural learners who prefer using sound and music. Some children are verbal learners who prefer using words, both speech and writing. And others are physical (kinesthetic) learners who like using their body, hands, and sense of touch to learn.

In today’s episode, I'm chatting with Punam Desormes, a Speech-Language Pathologist with over 15 years of experience as well as a faculty clinical instructor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Florida. Her experience includes working in a private multidisciplinary clinic, a special needs school for autism, and private practice.

Today, Punam is breaking down the different ways children learn and explaining what we (parents) need to know and look for when it comes to our children’s learning. Understanding how our children learn can help us create better learning activities to help their minds grow. Punam has seen and worked with so many families and is sharing her tips and expert knowledge with us.

Here are some links that Punman mentioned during our episode. We hope these resources help!

CDC: Find your state or territory’s early intervention program - https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) - www.asha.org
Identify the Signs of Communication Disorders - www.identifythesigns.org
Autism Speaks - www.autismspeaks.org
Bluebee Pals: Interactive Plush Learning Tool - www.bluebeepals.com

 

Surprising Body Changes During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such a beautiful time in a woman’s life. But don’t get me wrong, not every day of pregnancy is glamorous. We’ve all heard of the luxurious hair, the glowing skin, the growing belly, but there are also things that happen to a woman’s body that aren’t really discussed. That’s why Mary Alice and I are covering all of the surprising body changes a woman can experience during pregnancy. So if you’re expecting and are noticing some odd changes to your body, you can feel some relief knowing that you are not alone.
*AD: Today’s episode is brought to you by our friends at EU Natural—a company that is all about empowering their customers and their health.
https://store.eunatural.com

Baby Products That You Can Do Without

With so many baby products on the market, it’s difficult to know which products are essential that you need to register for and which ones you can skip and live without. You don’t have to buy the entire baby store to take care of and raise a happy and healthy baby! As postpartum doulas, Mary Alice and I know and have seen what items each family really needs. Today, we are sharing the baby products we feel are overrated and can be left off your list.
#ad This episode is sponsored by Medela, the maker of the NEW Freestyle Flex breast pump and products that we love and recommend to our clients. Their Freestyle Flex breast pump is a product that should remain on every baby registry. https://bit.ly/35odGvZ

Preparing for Birth During Covid-19

Are you currently pregnant and quickly approaching your due date? We know that the current Coronavirus pandemic has left many expecting moms worried about what to expect during their labor and delivery as well as how to protect themselves and their babies. Many of our expecting mama clients have come to us for reassurance and guidance during this time, so we are here to share with you everything you need to know to prepare for your baby's birth during COVID-19.

Home Birth: Is It Safe?

Home birth. This topic can evoke so many feelings and emotions in people. It can also bring up a lot of questions. Is it safe? What are the risks? What are the benefits? Luckily, I'm discussing this controversial topic with Sherry Oldfield, a certified nurse-midwife, lactation consultant and master life coach. Sherry has attended 1000’s of births in every setting -- county hospital, private hospitals, birth centers and homes. She has been assisting women in labor and delivery since 1987 and because she has seen it all, I knew she would be an excellent person to discuss this important topic.

During our episode, Sherry mentioned Henci Goer as an author to look into when researching reading materials for your pregnancy. Here is one of Goer's books:
- The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer