Her Village

The Motherhood Intended podcast, hosted by Jacqueline Baird, is coming back with Season 4! This show explores the journey to motherhood and all its challenges and joys. It aims to create a safe space to discuss topics such as infertility, family planning, mental health, and parenting. Jacqueline shares her own experiences and interviews other women and experts in the field. The podcast encourages...

In this *bonus* episode, Jacqueline reflects on her summer activities and shares her personal journey with body image and self-acceptance during infertility and motherhood. She discusses the challenges of navigating loss, the impact of infertility treatments on body image, and the importance of self-care and self-love. Jacqueline encourages listeners to give themselves grace, honor their bodies, a...

On this episode of Motherhood Intended, Jacqueline shares a deeply personal story about the birth of her daughter via surrogacy. Detailing the steps leading up to the birth, including signing with an agency, being matched with a surrogate, and the excitement of learning the pregnancy news, she provides insights for anyone curious or embarking on a similar journey. She discusses the emotional and l...

This episode features a conversation between Jacqueline, and guest Jess Hull, a former Facebook and Google executive who founded Mother Me, an app, online course, and support framework for successful women navigating postpartum. The core of the episode delves into the Mother Me Method, developed by Jess, based on the science of matrescence and incorporating global perspectives on postpartum suppor...

After an unexpected hiatus, Jacqueline is back with a new episode as she joyfully shares her family's recent expansion to five as they welcomed a perfect little girl into the world! She was born happy and healthy on April 17th via their gracious surrogate. Everyone is doing well! More on her birth story to come... In this episode, Jacqueline chats with Jodi, a fellow preemie mom, on how to ma...

This episode features an inspiring conversation with Gretchen Witt, who shares her profoundly personal journey through pediatric cancer with her son, Liam, and how it led to the founding of Cookies for Kids' Cancer. Faced with the dire need for funding in pediatric cancer research, Gretchen turned her pain into purpose, initiating a massive cookie bake sale that evolved into a year-round nati...

In this bonus episode, Jacqueline shares a personal conversation with her son Hunter, reflecting on his growth and experiences as he turns six. The episode explores themes of family, memory-making, and celebrates milestones, including Hunter's progress in school and his latest birthday party. Additionally, Jacqueline highlights the importance of community through the 'Motherhood Intended...

In this heartfelt episode, Jacqueline shares her personal journey of navigating a pregnancy after experiencing multiple losses, including miscarriages and the loss of her daughter Maren at 20 weeks. Recorded from a makeshift desk in her family room, she discusses the emotional and physical changes her family has undergone in preparing their home for their new daughter, who is arriving via surrogac...

In this episode, Jacqueline shares her personal journey of anticipating the arrival of her daughter through surrogacy, emphasizing the stress and preparations involved when not physically pregnant. Jacqueline mentions listening to Amy Porterfield's podcast for inspiration and perspective on embracing uncomfortable moments for growth, touching upon her infertility struggles and the benefits of...

In this episode, Jacqueline offers a rich tapestry of content, beginning with an intimate look into the world of surrogacy through the eyes of Ashley Mareko, a seasoned surrogate and expert. Ashley shares her multifaceted journey, covering everything from the emotional aspects and ethical considerations of surrogacy to the science and success rates behind it, drawing from her roles both as a surro...

In this episode, Jacqueline shares her personal journey through surrogacy, from explaining the concept to her children to celebrating milestones and advocating for surrogacy awareness. She details visiting their surrogate in Texas, the excitement of her pregnancy, and her family's anticipation of welcoming a new baby. Moreover, she interviews Alexandra French, a breast cancer survivor, mother...

In this episode, Jacqueline discusses significant life transitions and reflections on her purpose, mainly triggered by her journey into motherhood. She introduces her guest for the episode, Katelyn Denning, a coach who supports busy working moms find balance between their personal and professional lives. Katelyn shares her experiences navigating multifarious roles and responsibilities, explaining...

In this episode, Jacqueline speaks on the gratitude perspective in motherhood and her intentions to create a gratitude journal geared towards women dealing with infertility. She further welcomes Catherine O'Brien, a licensed marriage and family therapist with a focus on the transition to parenthood. Catherine shares insights on sharing the mental load of parenting, relationship dynamics after...

In this podcast episode, Jacqueline invites her sisters-in-law, Rachael and Summer, to share their individual experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. Rachael discusses her pregnancy journey and her son's eventual c-section birth (on his due date!). Summer details her attempts to have a natural labor which ultimately resulted in a scheduled induction. Throughout their conversation, both moms...

In this transparent and relatable *bonus* podcast episode, Jacqueline shares her conversation with her brother Jake who opens up about his journey of becoming a father while simultaneously battling a gambling addiction. He discusses his struggles and transformation, sharing his process of acknowledging he had an addiction, tackling it head-on, and continuing to uphold his commitment to staying cle...

In a lively conversation with Jacqueline, Danielle LaShawn, a mom of four, author, content creator, and full-time employee shares her experiences of motherhood and self-transformation. Danielle emphasises the importance of maintaining personal identity and fulfilling individualistic goals alongside motherhood - a principal topic in her book 'Make a Deposit'.  She explains the concept of...

Gender disappointment. Maybe you’ve heard this term, maybe you haven’t, but it definitely isn’t openly talked about enough. Gender disappointment is a very real parenthood experience which involves holding a preference for having a daughter or a son, then experiencing emotional distress when baby’s sex does not match that vision. But disappointment is only the tip of the iceberg. Often the feeling...

In this episode, Jacqueline connects with a mom she's known since elementary school and they discuss both of their sons' birth defects. Melissa educates listeners on cleft lip/palate and what that journey looks like for her son. Jacqueline chimes in with her shared experiences as it relates to her son's bilateral clubbed foot diagnosis.  Topics discussed... Birth defects Cleft lip a...

We're back with SEASON 3! Pop the champagne, it's the 1 year anniversary of Motherhood Intended! In this episode, Jacqueline shares the unique conception and birth stories of her six children - the two sons she's blessed with at home, her three angels in heaven, and a baby girl on the way due in April. *trigger warning* the topics of premature delivery, miscarriage, and stillbirth a...

Jacqueline is joined by Mia Funt, the co-founder and president of ByHeart - a next gen infant nutrition company. Mia is a powerhouse and entirely dedicated to shaking up the formula industry through owned manufacturing and Clean Label Certified ingredients, providing a healthier foundation for growing babies. While building the business with her Co-Founder (and brother) Ron, Mia was also building...

Jacqueline is joined by Angela, a BRCA previvor and mom of twins. In this episode, Angela shares her journey to motherhood and educates listeners on the BRCA gene mutation. Take a listen to how she took control of her health, took preventative measures from passing this gene down to further generations, and how that paved the way to the family she has today. In this episode... What is the BRCA gen...

Jacqueline is joined by Jessie Jaskulsky, the founder of Surrogacy Simplified. Jessie shares her personal story of loss, Asherman syndrome, IVF, and surrogacy. Her company, Surrogacy Simplified, is changing the surrogacy experienced for Intended Parents with their passion of helping navigate the complexities of surrogacy with compassion, expertise, and personalized care. *Trigger warning* Prematur...

Jacqueline shares her experience with the diagnosis of polyhydramnios while pregnant with her youngest son in 2018. In celebration of his birthday month, you'll also hear the cutest bonus Q&A with an almost 4 year old! In this episode... Jacqueline's pregnancy experience with her son Noah What is polyhydramnios? How do you know if you have polyhydramnios? What problems can polyhydram...

Jacqueline is joined by her sister, Megan, to chat about how trying to conceive can become STRESSFUL. Whether it's your first child or your third, the path to baby isn't always easy-breezy. Take a listen as they discuss their experiences and leave some helpful tips to keep you calm while trying to conceive. In this episode you'll hear... Megan's experience TTC (trying to concei...

Jacqueline was honored to be asked to speak at the 2023 Walk to Remember, so this week she's sharing her speech with you! This annual event for bereaved parents is hosted by Edward-Elmhurst Health's chapter of SHARE, a national support group for families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal loss. *Trigger Warning* Miscarriage, premature delivery, and stillbirth are di...