Pure Nurture Pregnancy and Birth

Latest Episodes:

Reclaiming your power, pregnancy, and birth with Dr. Kelly Brogan Dec 10, 2019

Show notes

Kelly Brogan, M.D., is a holistic health psychiatrist, author of the New York Times bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children's book, A Time for Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. She completed her psychiatric training and fellowship at NYU Medical Center after graduating from Cornell University Medical College and has a B.S. from M.I.T. in Systems Neuroscience. She is board-certified in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and integrative holistic medicine and is specialized in a root-cause resolution approach to psychiatric syndromes and symptoms. She is a certified KRI Kundalini Yoga teacher and a mother of two.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

How Kelly started her career
Depression isn't caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain
Psychiatric medication — is there another way?
Evolution of motherhood
Chronic illness & modern-day diseases
Symptoms are a gift
Your body is a compass
Kelly's notorious blog: Homebirth: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
Emotional alchemy during birth
Own Yourself book by Kelly Brogan
Step into your own power

Begin your journey home to yourself at KellyBroganMD.com. Get to know Kelly more on Instagram, YouTube. Facebook, and Twitter.

The Importance of Taking a Childbirth Education Class with Sarah Thorpe Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

Meet Sarah! She's a Registered Nurse, Mom, Certified Postpartum Doula, and Doula Certified Childbirth Educator. Sarah realized that childbirth education and doula work doesn't have to be all or nothing. Like a lot of things in life, most families (like hers) end up landing somewhere in the middle. She helps new parents find the best way to nurture their birth and postpartum phase.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

What is a postpartum doula?
Our society is lacking communal support for women
Evidence-based education
Preparing for childbirth

Here are Sarah's favorite resources:

DoulaMatch.net - Find a postpartum doula near you who fits well with your personality
The Birth Partner Book
This Isn't What I Expected Book: Overcoming Postpartum Depression

Nurturingbirthrva.com Instagram: NurturingBirthandBeyond Facebook: Nurturing Birth and Beyond

Our society is lacking communal support for new parents. It really does take a village to raise your child and now that we live so far from family, it can be SO hard. Having a postpartum doula tips us back to where we're supposed to be—doing the best that we can, with helping hands.

Montessori Method—Giving Kids the Chance to Thrive with Jeanne-Marie Paynel Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

Jeanne-Marie Paynel, founder and CEO of Voila Montessori, is a Parenting Mentor and Home Consultant. Her mission is to help parents appreciate the true importance of their role - not as servants or teachers, but as guides for their children's natural development. She believes that a supportive and peaceful atmosphere at home will allow every child to grow up as an independent and confident learner. Jeanne-Marie speaks locally and internationally about her three passions: Montessori, Conscious Parenting, and Positive Discipline.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Jeanne-Marie's passion for the Montessori Method
The Art of Parenting Podcast with Jeanne-Marie
What is a Montessori School?
Four Montessori areas to create in your home
Parent with more joy and ease
Parents are guides for their children (not servants)
Nursery Checklist

For more about Jeanne-Marie, visit: VoilaMontessori.com/jeanne-marie-paynel

Montessori's Website: Voilamontessori.com
Montessori's Facebook: Facebook.com/jeannemariepaynel.yourparentingmentor
Montessori's Instagram: Instagram.com/jeannemariepaynel
Montessori's Vimeo: Vimeo.com/voilamontessori
Jeanne-Marie's Pinterest: Pinterest.com/jmpaynel
Jeanne-Marie's YouTube Channel: Youtube.com/user/VoilaMontessori/videos

Bonus Episode: Connect with Your Baby through Music with Vered Benhorin Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

Vered is a musician, music therapist, psychotherapist, and mom of 3. Her albums Good Morning My Love and Hello My Baby received GOLD awards from both the Parents Choice Association and the National Parenting Publications. She's the creator of Baby in Tune, a workshop that teaches parents how to use music to bond with and understand their baby. Vered has done staff trainings for Sanctuary for Families, the San Francisco Public Library, and was invited to present her work at Zero to Three, the largest conference for professionals working with ages 0-3 years old. She lives with her husband and kids in Brooklyn. In this episode, you'll hear about:

How Vered got into music
Grieving her dream career of being a rockstar
Music and pregnancy: fetal auditory learning
Music and less colicky babies
Kristy's daughter remembered her favorite Marc Anthony song (first heard in utero)
How you can use music to connect with your baby
Why music is so important to play for babies
How you can use music during pregnancy to connect with your baby

Learn how to soothe your baby with Vered's NY and online classes. Find more here: Website - BabyinTune.com Instagram - @babyintune Facebook - Facebook.com/babyintune

Painless Birth is Possible--One Mother's Story with Crystalee Beck Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Crystalee Beck is a mama of three, cute, mess makers, writer, and cofounder of The Mama Ladder, an organization that empowers women at the intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship. After leaving her corporate ladder job, she "created her own ladder" to fit her family in 2016. She gets her best ideas on mountain climbs and treasures daily adventures with her kids. See more at TheMamaLadder.com.

In this episode, you'll hear:

Who is Crystalee Beck?
How Crystalee prepared for her 3rd birth (VBAC: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)
Painless Childbirth Book
Recognizing my own power
Making a difficult decision during birth
Experiencing a painless birth
Mama Power Program

Website: TheMamaLadder.com Instagram: @themamaladder Facebook: Facebook.com/themamaladder

The Holistic Guide to Better Sleep for Everyone with Kim Hawley, MA, MPH Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

Learn 5 key facts that our culture gets wrong, so that you can stop the sleep struggle and "Am I doing it wrong?" anxiety.

Kim Hawley, MA, MPH is a Holistic Sleep Consultant and Lactation Counselor, as well as, the owner of Intuitive Parenting. Kim's passionate about helping parents confidently navigate nighttime parenting and family sleep using evidenced-based information and parental intuition. Her specialty is gentle, attachment-based sleep support for breastfeeding families. Kim lives in Capitol Hill, Washington DC with her husband, her two children, and a few animals, including her guide dog. She loves to run, read a good book, eat delicious food, and enjoy a glass of wine or cup of coffee.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Kim's story
A holistic approach to sleep
5 Sleep Facts
Guilt and pride over your baby's sleep
Sleep is genetic
Safe co-sleeping and room-sharing
S L O W D O W N & see if sleep advice feels right to you

See how you can be responsive to your baby's needs and still take care of yourself. It's a delicate line. Don't over-commit yourself, so you can have a nice balance of work and play. With your intuition and as you try new things, you'll eventually sing a lullaby that soothes the whole family.

Learn more about Kim and possibly working with her at IntuitiveparentingDC.com. Take care and sleep well.

Cervical Exams- Everything You Need to Know with the Birth Kweens Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

Meet, Karly and Ali. Hosts of the Birth Kweens Podcast, a wildly honest conversation on all things natural pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. Together, they've attended 1,000+ births and have A LOT to say on this. They help women explore their pregnancy options with a funny, lighthearted approach. Our conversation is one of my faves. (I think I can officially call myself a "birth nerd.")

In this episode, you'll hear about:

What Ali & Karly are up to
Vaginal Steam Therapy (or Yoni Steaming)
Cervical exams- What they are, when they're done, how they're done, etc.
Speeding up the birth process (or NOT speeding up the birth process)
Birth Kweens Podcast

They are a powerful combo! Between a Doula and a Midwife, they're definitely ones to watch! Catch them online and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Also, here:

Instagram - @birthkweens Website - www.birthkweens.com

Using Infant Massage to Naturally Alleviate Common Concerns Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

When Khyati Desai-Seltzer gave birth, her Mom came to live with her for six months to help out and would frequently massage her baby. Khyati took infant massage for granted and saw it as something her culture does for babies. The more she learned from her Mom, the more she became fascinated.

Now, she's certified by the International Association of Infant Massage to provide instruction to parents on massaging their babies for short term and long term benefits. She received a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and International Studies from LSU and a Master's in Public Administration in Nonprofit Management from GMU. She's the mother of a three-year-old girl and enjoys yoga, meditation, travel, and dancing in her free time. Khyati believes if every baby had a chance to experience loving, physical touch on a regular basis, our world would look very different. She's passionate about holistic living and wants to share the power of infant massage with as many parents as possible.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Khyati's Mom taught her infant massage
Benefits of infant massage
Massage techniques & tools
What is epigenetics?
Conscious conception
Massage helps calm postpartum depression
VyanaInfantMassage.com
Online classes to learn all about infant massage
IAIM: International Association of Infant Massage - Find in-person instruction for infant massage

It's time to stop feeling like a stressed-out parent (or worse - guilty over it)! When you massage your infant, you'll start to relax and bond with your baby. Maybe you'll even hear a coo.

Reach out and touch Khyati's world at:

Website - VyanaInfantMassage.com

Instagram - @vyana.infantmassage

Importance of Community in Motherhood Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

Kate Turza is a mom of 3, co-host of the Mom Deconstructed Podcast, and postpartum Doula. She's passionate about normalizing the emotions that new (and seasoned) moms feel and creating a community in motherhood. It's so important to share personal stories with other Moms, so you know you're not alone.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Who's Kate Turza?
Mom Deconstructed Podcast
Hiring a Postpartum Doula (AKA Mothering the Mother)
Increasing your confidence as a Mom
How Kate became a Postpartum Doula
Importance of community
Mommy and Me Groups
Breastfeeding Support Groups
Postpartum Support International
Pittsburgh Postpartum Center for Women
Why it's important to share your story
Mother's intuition or trial and error?

If you're not getting postpartum support you need, do your research. The Pure Nurture Podcast is a great resource to find Mom support systems. It does feel awkward to be vulnerable about your first-time-Mom-experience, at first. There's this myth that we're supposed to "just know everything" about being a good Mom, but you're not really sure about this or that.

Guess what? No one knows what they're doing. Having a sounding board to get things off your chest is so liberating! Free your mind with Kate in these safe places:

Instagram – @momdeconstructed Facebook – @momdeconstructed Website – MomDeconstructed.com

A Mental Health Revolution Begins in Infancy with Greer Kirshenbaum Ph.D. Oct 08, 2019

Show notes

Greer Kirshenbaum Ph.D. is super excited to be the first Neuroscientist Doula and the first Neuroscientist Infant Sleep Educator. Greer's company, Nurture Neuroscience, is on a mission to revolutionize the future of health. She wants families and perinatal practitioners to understand how early caregiving experience can boost mental wellness and diminish depression, anxiety, and addiction in adulthood by shaping babies' brains through simple, intuitive, enriching experiences in pregnancy, birth and infancy. Greer teaches courses, provides consultations for pregnancy and infancy and is a birth and postpartum doula. She is currently creating an Infant Sleep Educator course with Bebo Mia.

When you understand that how you respond to your baby's cries affects their longterm mental health, you may pick up your baby more. This episode explores how early caregiver and child bonding influences brain development. The science behind parenting is FASCINATING.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

Greer's attraction to neuroscience
How your early life experience impacts your mental health
3 ways you can support your baby's lifelong mental health
Prenatal bonding
How the caregiver and child relationship benefits lifelong mental health
Serve and Return communication method
Conscious Discipline
Sleep
Keep doing your best

You're a BIG influence in the development of your baby's brain and nervous system. Ditch the fear of, "Am I parenting right?" Instead do great things for the sake of being a positive force. Absorb as much of Greer's Instagram posts as you can. Find her at:

Instagram - @nurture_neuroscience_parenting Facebook - @NurtureNeuroscience Website - www.nurtureneuro.com