The LIFTS Podcast

Guest: Dorothy Troutman, BSN, RNC, C-EFM, CLC, SBD, SpBCPE, CCE, CEIM, Certified Body Ready Pro, and Body Ready Birth Educator - Doula (Sacred Birth Doula Services); Labor and Delivery Nurse (Intermountain Health St. James Hospital) Join Emily and Cass in conversation with Dorothy, who works with families at all stages of pregnancy and birth, and has been instrumental in increasing options for bir...

This last spring we said a fond farewell to our incredible host Clair Larson and have been working since then to continue sharing the stories of moms, birthing people and their families to help people know they are not alone in their struggles and to inspire asking for help when they need it.  Coming this winter, HMHB will be releasing a multi-episode series to relaunch our Mother Love Podcast. Th...

Join us as we share a bittersweet episode as we wrap up this season of Mother Love and say farewell to our dear friend and host, Claire. Claire shares with us her experience of crafting and hosting the Mother Love podcast over the past three seasons. As we bid adieu to Claire, let's fill the digital airwaves with gratitude for her dedication, warmth, and the moments of inspiration she has sha...

When preparation only takes you part of the way, support and a good care team can make all the difference.  Cass Weber, a mom of 2, and an active member of the Butte community, describes how support and a good care team can make all the difference when things do not go as expected. Her resilient and positive attitude is refreshing and she has very useful advice for parents.  After she had a caesar...

In this episode Lisa shares her survival story and teaches us about the subtle and overt forms of domestic abuse and interpersonal violence. There are multiple ways this can manifest (lovebombing, gaslighting, sexual violence, physical violence, emotional abuse, reproductive control, financial control, stalking) and many victims have difficulty recognizing that may be experiencing abuse due to the...

This episode on domestic and interpersonal violence is so rich and helpful. We are joined by Jaime Gabrielli and Gina Boesdorfer, two incredible women who are passionate about bringing hope to those experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. They take turns eloquently explaining the many different forms of abuse, debunking myths that often surround the this taboo topic. As the h...

In this episode, we hear from Sarah Crowley, IBCLC and owner of Wee Bumble, a home visiting lactation consulting business in Helena, MT. Not only is Sarah an absolute expert in breastfeeding, she is also one of the most kind and compassionate humans we've ever met. We talk about her crash course introduction to breastfeeding after the birth of her first son, Amos and how the pain and sufferin...

In this episode, Rachael Watters, postpartum psychosis survivor and mother of four joins us to talk about her frightening and healing journey through severe mental illness as a new mom. Many factors contributed to Rachael's experience and as her children have grown and she has continued to heal and recover, she has become a passionate advocate and educator for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disor...

In this episode we get to hear from Dr. Sam Greenberg, a Family Physician practicing in Kalispell, Montana. Dr. Greenberg (or Sam for short) specializes in Obstetrics, Maternal Child Health, Reproductive Health, and Adolescent Medicine. As you'll hear in this episode, Sam is passionate about providing patient-centered care and strongly believes in developing trust and mutual respect over time...

In this episode, Ashley Watson shares her family's journey to wholeness. When Ashley's son, Jase, was unexpectedly born with a rare craniofacial condition called called Apert Syndrome, she was stunned and so were the doctors. From that moment on, they spent 6 weeks in the NICU, were life-flighted from Missoula to Seattle where Jase would undergo his first of almost 20 surgeries while the...

Public Health Department RN Case Manager Marisa Johnson joins us to talk about what she's learned in working with families as a home visiting nurse. We get to hear about her own journey as a single mom and some of the obstacles she had to learn to overcome when it came to accepting help in order to heal, grow and build a beautiful life for her and her two daughters. Marisa is a joy to listen...

Amy Stiffarm joins Claire for another conversation with Camie Goldhammer, who also happens to be one of our most celebrated #sheros at HMHB. This time, we focus on the topic of feeding choices and how important it is for families to be able to make informed decisions when it comes to feeding their babies. Which means they need adequate information and it shouldn't be all on them to find it. ...

In this lively discussion Camie happily teaches about so many things she's come to know in caring for families over the past 20 years. Her most powerful tricks of the trade are not complicated- building trust and connection, being fully present in every interaction, empowering families and birthgivers to trust themselves and honor their needs and desires, and offering traditional practices to...

In this episode, we get to meet Erika Menning, part-time, hair stylist, full-time mom and natural comedian. This conversation covers so many things, from unexpected body image comments during pregnancy and postpartum depression and anxiety to preeclampsia and the significance of post-birth giving rewards, like Italian subs. We talk about mom guilt, how to regroup and repair after you've unrav...

After struggling with severe Postpartum Depression following the birth of her daughter, Diana sought medical treatment but because this was in the early 90's, no one really knew what to do. Three long years later, she was given an accurate diagnosis, began the road to recovery, and has dedicated her career to helping women navigate similar terrain. She's been in the field of Women's...

In this episode, we meet Ashley Fish, a first grade teacher, wife, and mother of two. Ashley's road to motherhood took some unexpected turns as her first, Barrett, came early and, after just a few days at home, the family was transported to Missoula to the pediatric ICU to monitor and address respitory challenges. He recovered well but Ashley was left with intense anxiety. During her second p...

John Morrison, an attorney, former Montana State Auditor/Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, and long-time friend of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, joined us to speak about a donation he facilitated and helped award to HMHB this past summer. The generous contribution resulted from a settlement in a legal case John filed and won on behalf of more than 2,600 Montana businesses. Morrison prop...

This episode captures a conversation between Dana Hillyer, PMHCNS and Claire, who, this time, plays podcast host and patient/case study. Dana approaches her work with exceptional warmth and kindness and is committed to continued growth and self-reflection. When it comes to helping with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), she is a pro. Dana is a shining example of a mental health professi...

In this final episode of our Native American Initiative Series, we welcome to the show, Chelsea Bellon, a mom of three and the Health Equity Community Engagement Specialist at the Western Montana Area Education Center. Chelsea offers her wisdom and insight to help identify and raise awareness of the racism that exists in education and academia as well as health inequities in rural populations.  Ch...

Joining us for our 4th episode in our Native American Initiatives Series is the talented Rachel Twoteeth-Pichardo. Since mom life is an all day everyday attempt to balance all. the. things., we cover a lot of ground in this convo: sleep struggles, tantrum trials (and how much grace and self-compassion they require), and how art and creative works have shaped Rachel. She talks about her artwork (wh...

Before jumping into our time with our amazing guests, we wanted to share a conversation between Amy and Claire about Thanksgiving: what we learned in school, what we have needed to unlearn since then, and how we share hard truths with our families on a day that boasts feasting, abundance and gratitude. It's complicated but important and Amy is so good at embracing both with humor and grace. T...

In this episode, Claire shares the mic with Dr. Amy Stiffarm, HMHB's Native American Initiative's Program Manager, as they interview Dr. Janelle Palacios. The wealth of knowledge and experience that Dr. Palacios brings to her work is indescribable. She is a Nurse Midwife, a highly regarded researcher, an advocate for Indigenous  maternal child health and a mom herself. Honestly, the list...

In this episode, Amy and Claire have the chance to sit down and talk about the upcoming series featuring some of the most powerful leaders in indigenous maternal health. Each episode speaks for itself but we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the importance of uplifting and highlighting some of the incredible work that is being done to improve health outcomes for native people both on the nati...

I don't know how many times Ashley and I have walked into the office and opened with the typical "How are you?" only to dive into deep, honest mom to mom conversation that usually leads to laughter, tears and ultimately a deep sigh of relief. This episode is that and I have a lot of faith that the things we talk about and touch on might deliver the same strong dose of validation and...

In this episode, Annie Tague and I talk about what it is like to discover and adapt when your kiddo is diagnosed with a food allergy. Her daughter, Sally, has lived with Celiac Disease all of her life and over the past 10 years, Annie has learned a lot about the adjustments and advocacy that is required to keep her family happy and healthy. What does eating out look like? Birthday parties and othe...