Whatcha Expecting?

Maternity leave is over! As Kate returns to work, she discusses what it’s been like to slowly ease her way into a new routine. Claire recounts what it was like when her maternity leave ended, and how surprised she was to find herself suddenly rusty at skills that used to be second nature. They both consider what it’s like to come back when who you are has so fundamentally changed, and how to manag...

It’s official: Claire’s son Rodney is finally a toddler! As we celebrate the anniversary of Claire’s C-section, also known as Rodney’s birthday, Claire reflects on what it feels like for her baby to be growing up. Will they throw a party? Who is a party really even for? After a year of being a parent (or 5 months in Kate’s case), what skills have they both gained? Joe offers his advice on navigati...

We’re breaking up your regularly scheduled ice storm programming with a little fun in the sun! Back from a recent trip to Florida, Kate shares her travel tips for navigating airports as a breastfeeding MAMA! Claire recalls an early trip she took with Rodney to California, and shares how she’s approaching a family beach vacation a little bit differently. They consider the balance of work and travel...

Drumroll, please; Kate’s baby has been cleared to start solids! But what goes into baby meal prep? What will be on the menu? Kate and Claire discuss what it’s been like for Claire as she and her husband introduced Rodney to solids, how they’ve shared in the responsibilities and joys, and what anxieties still arise as he eats more solids than…uh, liquids. Joe shares more about his family’s journey...

CW: Body image, Self image, Weight loss Fresh from a personal training session, Claire shares a bit about her workout plan and current goals targeting one highly specific part of her body. Kate and Claire reflect on how their body images have shifted during pregnancy and postpartum, how their relationships to their bodies continue to evolve in unexpected ways, and what features they have come to a...

This week, Kate and Claire check in on how feeding their babies has been going. Last season they discussed breast is best vs. fed is best; now that Kate is a MAMA, how has her breastfeeding journey actually gone? Claire reflects on nearly a year of formula feeding, and considers what it will be like as the balance shifts away from formula and towards solid foods and cow’s milk. What would they do...

Happy new year! This week, Kate and Claire are chatting New Year’s resolutions. What practices do they want to adopt in the new year? What are they really proud of accomplishing this past year? They discuss a few anti-resolutions (a concept Kate made up that Joe may or may not have qualms with), and make some controversial predictions for the new year. What will Anthony’s first word be? What bonke...

Happy holidays! This week, Kate and Claire discuss their plans for the winter holidays with their families as new moms, and consider the role religion will play in their sons’ lives. Has Rodney been baptized? What kind of synagogue might Anthony be raised in? How do you negotiate the role of religion for your kids when two partners have different relationships to religion? You know, just some ligh...

The doctor is in! This week, Kate and Claire chat with family medicine doctor, Dr. Rachel Tatz. They learn more about how to make the most of your doctor’s visit, and bring her their list of burning questions. What’s a medically riskier time, pregnancy or postpartum? What should new parents be more (or less) anxious about? What even IS family medicine? We’ll discuss these topics and more, includin...

Ouch! This week, Claire and Kate discuss the ever important topic of boo boos. From head bonks to little finger cuts, they talk about the minor everyday injuries their sons are facing as they grow. They reflect on how physical danger was treated in their own childhoods, and how fragile they did or didn’t feel as a result. They consider what it’ll be like to have their kids out in the world as they...

It’s a pizza party! This week, Kate and Claire recount recent adventures taking their babies out dining with them on (separate) outings for pizza. They chat about what makes a restaurant “baby-friendly”. When deciding whether to bring a baby with you out to dine, what do you owe to the other diners, to the staff, to your baby and to yourself? How do you divvy up the childcare duties when dining ou...

Season Two Episode Seven: The Thanksgiving Episode Happy Thanksgiving! This week, Claire, Kate and Joe share heartwarming, mundane and/or capitalist anecdotes from Thanksgivings past. They reflect on the things they’re grateful for this year, and the ways in which gratitude seeps into life in a new way. They discuss strategies for attempting to be more mindful of the things they’re thankful for on...

This week, Claire and Kate are talking about everyone’s favorite time – naptime! They reflect on the unique challenges of putting a baby down to sleep for a nap vs. letting them fall asleep on you for a contact nap. “Should” you cherish all the contact naps you can, or “should” you make sure you put your baby down so they don’t come to rely on you to fall asleep? Joe shares his trick to help stay...

This week, Kate and Claire reflect on the developmental milestones their babies are expected to have reached by their respective ages. Fresh off a doctor’s appointment with a questionnaire that felt like a pop quiz, Claire wonders what it says about her as a mom that she didn’t know the answer to every question. They talk through the pros and cons of various apps and books that walk you through th...

Season Two Episode Four: Social Smiles This week, Kate and Claire are seeing their sons’ personalities emerge. What makes them smile? How early on did they smile? What parts of Kate and Claire (for better or for worse) are they seeing in their sons? And how much of all this are they actually just projecting while their babies are just…being babies? With kids aged nine months old and two months old...

This week, Kate and Claire talk about the early days of caring for their babies — how they structure routines, scheduled feeds vs. feed on demand, and when sleep may (or may not) happen. They dive into the concept of the newborn “trenches” and whether or not this controversial term fits this unique stage. They brainstorm a few alternate terms and debate which subway tunnels may be a better descrip...

It’s Whatcha Expecting’s first guest episode — featuring writer, performer, and C-Section extraordinaire, Molly O. Kemper! Kate, Claire and Molly discuss what it was like for their birth experiences to be via C-section in a world that mainly talks about vaginal birth. Molly shares her experiences with having both unplanned and planned C-sections, giving birth during COVID, postpartum depression, a...

After what felt like forever, the wait is finally over…we’re back for season two! Oh, and also Kate had her baby. Claire reveals Kate’s baby’s name (thanks Claire!), and Kate walks us through her baby’s birth story, obviously without a single interruption from Claire or Joe. Claire shares more about how it’s been to start to transition to life in Kansas City, and whether or not it’s been…ahem…what...

Surprise! Kate had a baby, which means that Season 1 of Whatcha Expecting? has drawn to a close, but don't worry! We recorded one last episode to tide you over until Season 2. We suspect that the pain we feel in pausing our weekly chats is similar or equal to the pain of being pregnant, the pain of labor, and the pain of being newly postpartum. Kate waddles us through what it feels like (felt like...

This week, Kate and Claire talk about sleep. Kate walks through the foolproof system she had before she was pregnant vs. the challenges she has sleeping while pregnant. Claire reflects on Rodney’s sleep patterns and how sleep has changed for her as a mom. They consider the debate of whether sleep is worse in pregnancy or with a newborn. Joe shares his surprisingly controversial tip for falling asl...

Claire’s moving! This week, Claire’s packing for her imminent move to Kansas. She considers the things she’ll miss about living in New York, while being excited for her new home (which has TWO bathrooms?!). Kate’s world is getting narrower as it gets physically harder to move through the world while being, medically speaking, super duper pregnant. Claire discusses what it was like to see Kate’s ba...

As Claire prepares for her move home to where her and her husband’s parents both live, Claire and Kate reflect on the roles of grandparents in memorable visits, childcare, and instilling ties between generations. Kate breaks down the differences between the coasts of Southern Florida where her future son’s grandparents live. Claire shares a controversial “bit” and/or social experiment she has in m...

Kate’s got a cold! Oh no! Kate examines why she seems surprisingly chill about this situation. Kate and Claire talk about their sick day routines as kids, and Kate talks about which traditions she’s taken forward as an adult (hint: not the Robitussin with codeine). They chat about Claire’s bout with mastitis, Joe’s worries around being too sick to care for his kids, and Claire’s early motherhood v...

It’s go-bag week! As Kate preps her hospital bag, she solicits advice from Claire and Joe on the essentials they put in theirs, and what they brought that they didn’t need. They then look at what they bring with them in their diaper bags, with an unexpected turn into diaper bag ASMR content. They consider the balance of carrying what helps you feel empowered to navigate the world as a parent with...

This week, Kate and Claire talk about their approach and/or aversion to birth plans. Claire recalls all the TikToks she used to see marketing anti-science birth plans, and Kate talks about some of the options she saw on MyChart that surprised her. Claire reflects on her birth experience and wishes she’d went in more prepared for different possibilities. Did you know that if you avoid reading up on...