Fourth Trimester: The First Months and Beyond | Parenting | Newborn Baby | Postpartum | Doula

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...

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. Full show notes fourthtrimesterp...

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. Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more  How a Friend or Family Member Can Help You After You Have a Baby | The Second Child Transition | Improve B...

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 Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more  How a Friend or Family Member C...

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 f...

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...

I had a ton of anxiety about THE BIRTH. And then a fair amount of feelings about being a parent - would I be good enough? I appreciated talking 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. The recorded conversation (Episode 66 of Fourth Trimester Podcast) inclu...

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 Netha...

Here’s a good introduction to the topic of Perinatal Herbalism. Beth Rees is an Herbalist, a SF-based Doula and she has worked with families over 20 years. Beth tells us about how herbs can nourish us and add enjoyment, rest and recovery to our intensive work growing our families.  Go to fourthtrimesterpodcast.com to download recipes for specific herbal supports for parents and children Full...

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 this episode, 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 int...

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 moth  ers in particular. The course covers:  The importance of demonstrating confidence to our children Loving and respecting yourself&nbsp...

LGBTQ Parenting and the community organization that supports it in the Bay Area are our topic in this episode. Our Family Coalition is a non profit that is also involved in policy work and advocacy throughout the state of California. Our guests Dy Nguyen and Jeanette Page bring their individual and collective experience to the show to talk about family-making outside the heterosexual box.  We...

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 ca...

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 learn:  How to recognize that you've experienced trauma or PTSD  How to begin addressing a potential trauma - the first steps to take for healing  Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more H...

Good Enough Mothering is actually The Best Mothering. Join us for a heartfelt conversation about Parenting & Emotional Multitasking. Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more How to Rewrite Your Birth Story and Find Joy After Trauma with Chanti Smith  |  How To Ease The Transition Into Parenting |  Data-Driven Parenting With Dr Amanda P Williams |  Prepare your...

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) to help during the first 90 days after having a baby.  Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more Birth Doula 101 |  Postpartum Care At Home - What To Expect From A Doula |  Great Postpa...

On this episode 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 Fu...

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,...

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 Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Our favorite Fourth Trimester Books The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother | Becomi...

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! Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more Perinatal Chiro...

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 additio...

It makes intuitive sense that communication and play during the first 0-12 months of a baby's life help set the tone for the child's relationship with the world around them. But how do we proactively and thoughtfully communicate with a baby in a way that encourages learning, emotional security and confidence?  Here's what you'll learn on Episode 51 of the Fourth Trimester Podcast: + How...

If you are even remotely considering hiring a doula to help you out after you've had a baby, we highly recommend listening to Monique Cowan (a.k.a. Monique The Doula) share her first-hand experiences in a typical day in her job. She talks through the practical offerings of helping families prepare for a birth and thrive after baby has arrived.  Monique was inspired to become a postpartum doul...

One of the major contributors to that feeling of overwhelm for expecting parents is the notion of having to hurry up and prepare for their little one's arrival. A major tickbox for that preparedness is BUYING TONS OF STUFF. That can be a fun part, and also a hugely EXPENSIVE and EXHAUSTING experience. So here's the simple thing you can do: buy a charming, high-quality clothing set that you can sel...

Serena teaches a class to help parents ease the transition into parenting by sharing what to expect and how to prepare for the first few months of being new parents. The class covers everything from postpartum healing, infant CPR and first aid, newborn care and gear, infant feeding, relationship savers and more. Full show notes fourthtrimesterpodcast.com Learn more  Why Postpartum Midwif...