Postpartum Support

How To Handle Visitors When You Have A New Baby

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 for yourself
communicating how you need visitation to work to your loved ones
the difference between visitors who help vs visitors who don’t know how to positively contribute 
how to set up an appropriate ‘meet the baby’ event 
why your birth story is a private experience you may or may not choose to share 

Mental Health , Recovery

Postpartum OCD Is A Thing

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 starts acting on those thoughts. 
On episode 67 of Fourth Trimester Podcast we focus on postpartum OCD and speak with Megan Ellow who is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Delaware.
 
The episode covers: 
Signs of Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD
How to find help if you think you may have symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD (Hint: start by calling an anonymous helpline 800-944-4773) 
Megan’s true story of postpartum OCD and her recovery 

Mental Health

Afraid Of The Birth? Anxious About Being A Parent?

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

We talk 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. Topics covered:
Hormones and their influence
Emotions prior to birth 
Anxiety, Depression and “feeling bad about feeling bad” 
First two years of child’s life – transitions physical and mental 
Benefiting from being around other parents
Ruling out physical issues – how physical and emotional are intertwined 

First-time Parents , Postpartum Support

How Nethal Abdul-Mu’min Is Helping Muslim Families Find Their Reflection In The Parenting Community

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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
Nethal’s background and what led her to become a Birth and Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator
Resources Nethal has helped develop  as a Childbirth Educator, specifically for the Muslim community

Recovery

Perinatal Herbalism Can Provide Enjoyment, Rest & Recovery

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

Esther introduces Beth Rees and the topic of Perinatal Herbalism to our audience. On our show we like to hear about all sorts of supportive approaches to pregnancy, postpartum and parenting. Beth tells us about how herbs can nourish us and add enjoyment, rest and recovery to our intensive work growing our families. 
We discuss:
How Beth became a doula/herbalist
Geeking out about Birth and Postpartum
Heart-opening  
Herbal self-nourishment and caring for the new mom and baby
Herbalism/Acupuncture integration
Local approaches
Gentle Giants of the herb world
Internal and external nourishment and healing
Show notes for specific herbal supports for parents and children

Childcare

How To Hire A Nanny

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 episode 63, 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 interview process (because you need more than one interview with your final selections)
conducting a nanny trial period 
how to develop and maintain a good line of communication between parents and care providers
what to expect for how to pay a nanny (over the table vs under the table) and having contracts 
how to consider the nanny’s perspective, including pressure they may feel (e.g. if you don’t have any backup care)
how to set clear household expectations 

Mental Health

The Secret To Raising Confident Kids – Confidence Master Class

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 mothers in particular. The course covers: 
The importance of demonstrating confidence to our children
Loving and respecting yourself 
What self care means 
How to unearth your true identity 

Birth

The Importance Of Birth Education (Know Your Options!)

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 can begin in each life with the benefits paying forward to individuals and society.
 
In this episode we have the honor and delight of speaking with a mother-daughter duo whose work together spans this cultural intervention of doula work in the context of social justice.  We weave together these elements along with the practical benefits of doula care. We explore the generational and traditional threads of women caring for families.

Birth , Recovery

Healing Birth Trauma

by: Sarah TrottPosted on:

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 hear: 
How to recognize that you’ve experienced trauma or PTSD 
How to begin addressing a potential trauma – the first steps to take for healing