No two births are alike. Just as no two mother’s perception of her birth experience is alike. Trauma related to birth is in the eye of the beholder as Kayleigh Summers, licensed clinical social worker and birth trauma therapist, shares with us today. Kayleigh experienced a traumatic birth which she details in today’s episode. This experience is what led her to helping other moms process and work through their birth traumas and change the trajectory of their healing. Society leads us to believe that if we end up with a healthy baby, we should be grateful.

As we discuss with Kayleigh in today’s episode, your feelings of being traumatized are valid. Yes, you may have a healthy baby, but your experience and feelings matter. Those two emotions, grief and thankfulness, can coexist. Your thankfulness for your baby does not diminish your sadness around your traumatic experience. Kayleigh explains that early intervention with a therapist can drastically change the outcome of the feelings towards the birth. Processing the trauma properly with a professional can help make the triggers less triggering, especially if you plan on having more children, and therefore more birthing experiences, in the future. Kayleigh’s last encouragement is that no matter how long ago your trauma occurred, whether it was 20-30 years ago or more, it is never too late to seek help.

If you found today’s episode helpful, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @thebirthtrauma_mama and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their postpartum journey!

Follow Kayleigh Summers on Instagram

Kayleigh’s Website

Kayleigh’s Podcast

Schedule a consultation with Kayleigh (and you live in PA or FL) at Holding Hope Perinatal

Links & Resources

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

Social media seems to be flooded with the new fad diet of “counting macros”...or is it a fad? And is it even a diet? Dani Patton, nutritionist, macro coach, and face of Mindin’ My Macros on Instagram, is on the podcast today to discuss this phenomenon. Dani wants all of you to know that macros are a tool, not a restricting fad diet, used to help you achieve your health goals and enjoy a well lived life. The idea is to fuel your body with the macronutrients it needs, not restrict it!

After graduating college, Dani was looking for something that wasn’t another yo-yo diet to help her find a sustainable lifestyle to help her look and feel her best. Dani researched and concluded that macros were the answer! Macros are the simple makeup of the food we all eat; protein, carbs, and fat. Manipulating these three main macro categories is the key to sustainable eating habits that will help you reach your health goals.

Through her work with over 1,000 women, Dani has found that protein is the macro the majority are lacking the most. Logging your daily macros in a free macro counting app is a great way to check in on your current eating habits. If macro counting seems daunting for you, Dani suggests focusing on simply upping your daily protein intake. Currently pregnant or soon to be? Dani is pregnant currently too and knows it can be difficult when morning sickness kicks in. Her suggestion is to find what food works for you while sick and try to focus on that protein intake!

If you loved today’s episode, don’t forget to share it and tag @mindinmymacros and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!

Follow Dani on Instagram

Dani’s Podcast, Mindin’ My Wellness

Download MyFitnessPal on AppStore and GooglePlay Store

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram

Having a baby is one of the most exciting times of our lives. We prepare months in advance for the baby's arrival. We take labor and delivery classes, parenting classes, and read all the books…but do we prepare enough for how we are going to feed our baby? Jessica McKee, a seasoned NICU RN, mom, and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), is on the podcast today to discuss everything breastfeeding and pumping.

From our own experiences with breastfeeding, it isn’t always easy. Taking the time during your pregnancy to study up on what “normal” looks like can help you know if there is an issue to address. And while in-person appointments with an IBCLC are great, online services from someone like Jess can be exceptionally helpful too! Jess has a number of tips for us today including proper body mechanics while breastfeeding, things the non-feeding parent can do to bond with baby, and how to utilize the InfantRisk Center Hotline and MommyMeds App if you have questions about medications or supplements you want to take while breastfeeding.

If you are going back to work and will need to pump, you’ll want to listen to this episode. Jess talks with us about when the right time to order your pump is, knowing your rights as a pumping mama, and what to keep with you to have a successful pumping session at work. We also run through some popular baby products and Jess gives us her opinion on if they’re worth using or not! We know being a new mom is hard, but feeding your baby shouldn’t have to be. By preparing before birth, you too can enjoy the newborn stage!

If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @goodbabylactation and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth and parenting journey!

Follow Jessica on Instagram

Jessica’s Website

Links & Resources

InfantRisk Center Website

MommyMeds App on Apple Store and Google Play

Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout

Expecting and Empowered Website

Expecting and Empowered Instagram