Hey Lady! A couple months back, I saw an Instagram post from @postpartumuniversity asserting that 500 extra calories per day for breastfeeding moms might be nowhere near enough calories. In today's episode, I'm sharing why new moms might need two or even three times that many calories, especially early on, plus the mindset shift I've had about what reasonable weight loss goals and timeframe might look like (hint: it's much slower than I've historically expected).

If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd love for you to SUBCRIBE, RATE, and SHARE the podcast with a mom friend. As always, get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com or @postpartumonpurpose on Instagram.

Hi Lady! How much exercise should you be getting during postpartum, and when is it safe to start? Here's how I'm incorporating the idea that 'movement is medicine', starting in my earliest postpartum days through now, almost 8 months(!) with my fifth baby. For further reading, an article I wrote for Natural Womanhood https://naturalwomanhood.org/postpartum-exercise/, plus the guideline I referenced: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/8/515.

If you enjoyed this episode, SUBSCRIBE + RATE + SHARE. As always, get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com or on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose.

Hi Lady! You know by now how I feel about free things, so it'll come as no surprise how enthused I was about the free Hinge Health app offered through my husband's employer. Here are all the things I love about the app, including built-in accountability to keep me honest and actually using it, plus how virtual physical therapy (a la Hinge Health) and in-person physical therapy (a la pelvic floor PT) can go hand-in-hand.

If you enjoyed this episode, SHARE it with a mom friend, please! I'd also love for you to SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW so other moms can find this, too. Get in touch on Instagram @postpartumonpurpose or annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! If you've had a C-section (or known someone who has!), this guest episode is for you. I asked physical therapist assistant Sarah to cover the steps of C-section scar self-massage, and she delivered! Maybe most importantly, you can do C-section scar massage even if your C-section was YEARS ago (she explains early on in her video how a recent client got pain relief working through scar tissue from a surgery 30 years back!). Learn more from Sarah at https://www.instagram.com/strongmom.sarah/

If you appreciated this episode, SHARE it with a mom friend and SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss another episode. Want to get in touch? Try @postpartumonpurpose on Instagram or annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! Up until several months ago, I had never heard of a C-section scar defect, Cesearan scar defect, uterine isthmocele, or uterine niche (yep, those are all names for the same thing). But once I learned that between 30 and 70% of C-sections (depending on the research study) may result in C-section scar defect, I realized that every.single.woman who has a C-section should know what to look out for afterward, especially because it is treatable!

In the episode, I covered what a C-section scar defect is, signs you might have one, how to know for sure, how it's fixed, and whether or not they are preventable. For more info on diagnosis and treatment options: https://veritasfertility.com/conditions/uterine-isthmocele/. For research on C-section scar defects: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8620716/ and https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1028455924001207.

SHARE this episode with a mom friend, and RATE the podacast so other moms can find it, too. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hey Lady! This guest episode approaches sacred ground, a taste of the unique complexities, triumphs, and trials that come when a child is born and an unsuspected medical condition is discovered. Elena doesn't overwhelm the listener with particular details of her daughter Maggie's diagnosis, she draws out themes that any mother facing similar uncertainty will recognize. What shines through her testimony is the play of shadow and light on a postpartum impacted by a child's unknown medical diagnosis.

I hope you'll return to this episode again and again to glean new bits of wisdom, to exhale with its candor, and that you'll share it with all the new moms you know, especially those faced with a child's unknown medical diagnosis.

Learn more about Elena's family's apostolate, Mercy Tree Adventures, https://mercytreeadventures.org

As always, you can get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hi Lady! There's so much noise around how and when you introduce solids to your baby, including a fair amount of maxims about what you must do or must not do. Five babies in, my approach has become progressively more relaxed with each child. Here's what I'd offer for your consideration if you asked me how to ditch the stress about starting solid foods.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to SUBSCRIBE and RATE the podcast, and then SHARE it with a mom friend. Get in touch at annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.

Hey Lady! Let's talk about keeping your sanity and your peace while traveling with a baby (and older sibling/s) over the holidays. Here's what to consider as you decide a) whether you want to travel at all b) how to set reasonable expectations for holiday travel c) how to not be overwhelmed by *all*the*things everyone tells new parents they *must have* for traveling with a baby.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to SUBSCRIBE, leave a REVIEW, and SHARE with a mom friend. Get in touch annemarie@postpartumonpurpose.com.