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Hey everyone, welcome to the very first episode of Poppy Audio Snacks. This is our latest venture in perinatal exploration, self-advocacy, and self-care. I'm Bekah, a full spectrum doula and part of the advocate support team here at Poppy Seed Health. We're so glad you're here. This is a space where you can come to get info, tips, tricks, and support for wherever you're at in your reproductive journey.

So what's an audio snack and how does it work? They're burning questions in 10 minutes or less answered by a doula, nurse, or midwife. Every month we'll release at least three minisodes that dig into your questions about the reproductive experience.

At Poppy Seed Health, we honor and support all pregnancy outcomes and reproductive journeys. This means pregnancy, postpartum, abortion, loss, and everything in between. And you'll see that reflected in the audio snacks as well. We hope there will be something here for everyone.

We also hope you know that nothing is off limits. I mean nothing. No question is too big, too small, or too juicy. I had to say it. This is body stuff we're talking about after all. But truly, there is no such thing as TMI for a birth worker. We've seen it all, heard it all. So when I say Poppy supports everything in between, let's be honest, in between will probably include things like poop, hemorrhoids, blood, leaky nips. It happens.

And we hope these audio snacks will also include fun things like sex, good food, and relationship advice, as well as make space to explore topics that can feel difficult or hard to broach in the day to day. Things like loss, grief, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and bonding with a new baby.

You'll be hearing from me, other Poppy team members, and you'll especially hear from our doulas, nurses, and midwives. These are the MVPs, the people who support you regularly on the Poppy Seed Health app. You may recognize some of their names and we're so excited you'll have the chance to connect with them further and hear more about their expertise in this way.

I want to share one of our guiding principles upfront so you know who we are and where we're coming from. Our work on and off the app is grounded in reproductive justice. I want to mention Sister Song, they're a national activist organization dedicated to reproductive justice for black and brown folks. And they've been a leader in the Reproductive Justice or RJ movement since the very beginning. And I bring them up because their framework for reproductive justice really helps us keep going. And I'll read that now to you here.

“Reproductive justice is a human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”

We stand by this and hope you'll come to see Poppy and your advocates as part of your sustainable community. There's so much support out there and we want to make sure everyone can access the care they need and deserve. And when I say care, I mean physical care, mental health care, and care for your emotional well-being.

We hope this will be a supportive and inclusive space. We're learning just like you in an ever-expanding world and are working to level up our language to match the expansiveness of the human experience. So because of this, you'll hear us use words like pregnant people, birthing people, and body feeding. If we can do any of this better, please call us in. Everyone deserves to be seen and heard. We're committed to that.

One last note about listening and trusting that you know what you need. If at any point any of this or any topic becomes too much, please take a break, give yourself whatever space you need, go drink some water, step outside for fresh air, roll your neck out, rub your feet, be good to yourself. You can come back when you want, if you want.

Here at Poppy, we believe in the power of breaking taboos and being bold about what we're living and feeling. If you're going through it, chances are someone else is too. So let's be brave and talk about it.

We want to hear from you. Again, there's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hi, I'm Alissa Goltzman, Creative Director at Poppy Seed Health. I've been in the creative industry for over 10 years. And to be honest, I always said I would be a freelancer for life, but Poppy got me full-time and for good reason. As a mom and someone who's gone through IVF, this is the only space I want to focus on right now.

I actually created the Poppy logo and the initial branding when I was pregnant with our son, Cooper. And now two years later, while I'm pregnant with our daughter, we just launched our loss campaign called Thiscarried. At Poppy, our lived experiences influence the work we do every day. We genuinely walk the walk and talk the talk, and it's so meaningful to be a part of.

We always focus on pregnancy and infant loss for the entire month of October. And this year, I felt inspired to do something really narrative shifting. We actually had an entirely different campaign idea that we were working on. But after an inspiring conversation about loss and shame with our art director, Connie, I felt this new concept pouring out of me. I find that when an idea is really strong and intuitive, it sort of comes to my mind and runs through me in this effortless flowing way.

I quickly got the concept down on paper, mocked up a visual and called our founder, Simmone and said, “We have to change the campaign. I have something else, and I don't know if it's my pregnancy hormones, but I'm sitting here in tears.” This is what I presented to her:

“Miscarried. Mis means wrong. There's shame right there in the word. But through miscarriage or stillbirth, there's nothing wrong with you.

What if instead of blaming ourselves, our bodies, our actions, burying it, not talking about it, feeling weak or less than, we focus on how it changed us and shaped us. How going through a loss is the opposite of weakness. It's the strongest we'll ever have to be. And that strength stays with us always. We didn't miscarry. What really happened is this carried, this body, this belly, this uterus, this mind, this heart.”

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the video call. And then Simmone looked at me and started crying, as she sometimes does. “This is it, Alyssa. This campaign will change how the world talks about loss and it will be a turning point in your career.”

Woo, wow. From that point forward, we threw all of our energies and resources into bringing the campaign to life. Everyone we presented to, from the photographers to the big name CEOs, to the potential cast members had the same reaction — tears and chills.

There was something universally moving about taking a topic riddled in shame and instantly turning it into strength. It made people feel seen, hopeful, empowered and free. And that made me more and more inspired to bring this into the world in a way that created a movement, a shift in how we think about and internalize loss.

Today, we're just a few weeks out from the day we launched the campaign. We've already seen some really impressive results — thousands of minutes of watch time, engagement numbers six times our organic audience, reshares from brands with millions of followers.

But the most impactful metric of all? The people who've met through our campaign and shared their stories of loss together over coffee. The personal notes we've gotten from people saying, you have no idea how much I needed this, I'm going through a loss right now. The endless thank yous for reframing loss in this way.

Personally, I've learned so much through working on this campaign and immersing myself in these stories. The biggest takeaway being utter awe and inspiration at the human ability to get through darkness and come out the other side stronger.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

I am Cat, Certified Nurse Midwife and advocate here at Poppy Seed Health. Thanks for joining us. Today, I'll be answering a common question by our members.

Birth plans: yay or nay? I'm worried my provider won't take my birth plan seriously. How can I bring it up to them? Should I even make one?

This is a common concern of our pregnant people and their support system. Here's my take on it — you have to be your biggest advocate. If you feel like your provider won't take you seriously, then maybe it is time for a different team.

Obviously, it's easier said than done, but why would you want to spend what can pretty well be the most significant and special time of your life with people who won't take you seriously? Get a feel for what their practices look like at the time of labor, birth, induction, cesarean delivery, or a trial of labor after a c-section. It's as easy as asking the questions.

If you're not familiar with them and their hospital practices, or the birthing center practices or the at-home policies — ask. Make sure you ask what they are. Ask for standards of practice, clarification, and elective procedures, and see how you feel about it and your desires.

If you feel like it's a good match, then a great time to start talking about your actual birth preferences would be that very first third trimester visit. That usually coincides with when you would do your glucose test.

Start putting together what those preferences are or your list is. And you can even go to the hospital website. A lot of times if you are delivering at a birthing center or the hospital, usually they have a website where they actually have a blank birth plan or a birth preference sheet. And then you can actually fill it out with what your preferences are.

Your nurse, or your doula, or your partner will actually also be your biggest advocates. So it's something that you’ll want to share with them. And then you just bring a copy to the office, put one in your bag and take one to the hospital or submit it to the hospital.

Make sure that it is something realistic, be open and know that it's an ever evolving time. But you definitely want to write down the things that you would like, things that you wouldn't like. You want to talk about baths, vaccines, skin to skin time, delayed cord clamping, pain management.

Nothing has to be set in stone. You have to remember that flexibility is huge at this time in your life, and it could be as specific or as broad as possible.

Some patients' birth plan or birth preference only includes a healthy baby and an epidural. Some other patients are very specific with timing, position changes, oil, a song list, things that they want their partner to do, things that they don't want their partner to do, people that they want present, people that they don't want present. So make sure that you write an outline and then just bring it to your visit and talk about it.

At the end of the day, this is your pregnancy and you should feel as prepared as you need to going into the delivery. So speak up, feel free to share all of those concerns with your team, and I hope it actually turns out to be exactly what you want.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Welcome and thanks for being here. We want to preface this episode with a content warning and some extra warmth and attention before we get into it.

This audio snack is about perinatal and infant loss and more specifically, what you can do to prepare for and recover from a D&C. That stands for dilation and curettage, which is a common procedure to remove tissue from inside the uterus. A D&C may be a necessary medical treatment or offered as an option during a miscarriage or pregnancy termination.

We know how difficult it can be to sit with the topic of loss. And if you've found your way here, we want you to know that you're not alone.

Everyone processes loss in their own way, on their own time, and we are here to say again and again that there is no right or wrong way to feel about any of this. Physical recovery and emotional healing happen at different paces. Allowing ourselves space for grief and emotional rest is important.

We invite you to listen along with anything that will add an extra layer of comfort to your day. That could be cozying up with a blanket or a pet and something warm to drink. Qhatever it is, you do you. Thank you for trusting us. We're so glad you're here.

My name is Alyssa and I am a licensed master social worker, doula, and advocate focusing on supporting people through pregnancy and infant loss. Everything I share comes from a place of love, honor, and respect. I do my best to be mindful while keeping it real. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, please take care of yourself. We'll be here when you are ready.

So today's question focuses on physical comfort after a loss. What should I have ready for recovery from a D&C? So I'm going to start at the beginning. A D&C is a minor surgical procedure used to manage a non-viable pregnancy.

The procedure itself usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes and then is followed by some observation time. Usually you will be able to go home the same day and you can elect general or local anesthesia. If you choose general anesthesia, you will need to have someone take you home. So that's one thing to have prepared when you are going in for your procedure.

So what should you have ready or be ready for?

You may experience bleeding like a heavy period for a few days, but this should become lighter and ease within about two weeks. If you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, or signs of infection, definitely call your provider and just check in on that.

And just like any operation to prevent blood clots, it helps to be mobile once your doctor says you're ready. Make sure you ask for a time frame from your doctor. And by mobile, I don't mean go start doing HIIT workouts. Just go for an easy walk, do some gentle leg raises, maybe some very simple yoga. And another way to help with this is compression socks. If you're not able to be as mobile as you would like, compression socks are very helpful in helping prevent blood clots.

The most important thing is rest. In the first 24 hours after any surgery, I would have movies and books and podcasts ready to go so you can curl up in bed or on the couch and just relax. Your body has been through a lot and you need to take some time for yourself.

Some other tidbits I can give you — use pads instead of tampons. This reduces the risk of infection and it also helps give you a better indicator of how much you are bleeding. So you can figure out is this abnormal heavy bleeding or is this just a regular, heavy period bleeding?

Make sure you ask your provider when you can have sex, take a bath or start exercising again. And then a couple of things we don't really think about for after a D&C. Be prepared for your first period after the procedure to look, smell or last differently than it usually does. Your system's a little out of whack and it's just gonna try to fix itself. So it's gonna look a little weird for a bit, but it should go back to what is normal for you within a few months.

If you are 16 weeks or more along in your pregnancy when you have a D&C, there is a possibility for milk production to happen. So talk with your provider about a lactation plan in case that is something that occurs and you don't want to be caught off guard when that happens.

And of course, have a mental health professional on call or at the ready to help with any emotions or hormonal shifts, and identify your support network so that you can reach out for the support that you really need and want.

I hope that was helpful and I look forward to talking with you again soon.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Welcome again to Poppy's latest Audio Snack. I'm Alisa, your friendly neighborhood advocate focused on supporting people through pregnancy and infancy loss in all forms. I am honored to be a part of your journey. And while the topics I discuss are difficult, I want you to know that I approach it all with love and respect. If at any time you feel overwhelmed, please take care of yourself. We will be here when you are ready.

Today's topic, coping with PAIL, or pregnancy and infancy loss.

It is very common to feel ungrounded after experiencing perinatal loss. It may be hard to focus, nowhere to turn, or you may even have trouble figuring out what you need. You are not alone. Today, while I'm going to present five tips or strategies for coping with PAIL, I want to acknowledge that everyone's process is different. Not all of these strategies will work for everyone. So if something does not work for you, don't be discouraged. Try something else and figure out what makes the most sense for what you need.

First, I'd like to introduce you to the Three Peaces. Created by author, activist, and founder of the Body is Not an Apology movement, Sonia Renee Taylor, the Three Peaces are meant to help us accept what we don't understand about our bodies and keep us from judging ourselves or feeling shame. The Three Peaces are, make peace with not understanding, make peace with difference, and make peace with your body.

Making peace with not understanding is a reminder that not knowing something is an opportunity for exploration without judgment and demands. We don't need to understand in order to love, honor, and respect ourselves.

Making peace with difference is a reminder that our bodies are diverse, and therefore you should never compare yourself to others. Your body isn't a failure because it didn't do something someone else's did. It is simply trying to figure out and do things in the best possible way for you.

Making peace with your body requires you to practice looking at negative thoughts with a critical lens about where they came from and release them. Remember, your thoughts may be yours but they are not you. Changing the way we think about ourselves allows more space for healing.

Healthy practices are essential for coping with a loss. It can be only too easy to fall into bad habits or simply forget to take care of ourselves. The way our bodies feel affects how we think and view the world. Think about it. When you're sick, how often are you cranky, irritable, antisocial, or just generally sad and miserable? I mean, I know that describes me. A healthy diet and regular exercise supports good physical and mental health.

In the wake of a loss, I also recommend finding a purpose. Pursuing satisfying work and or participating in a community provides a reason for pushing forward. It helps your brain focus on something new and reminds you that you are more than your loss experience.

If you have a partner in this loss, it is important to remember that while you may experience the loss together, grief is an individual process. As much as possible, practice patience with your partner. Healthy relationship dynamics require mutual respect and honest communication. You both need time to heal in your own way.

And finally, I can never stress enough the benefits of therapy. This could be individual, couples, or family therapy. A good therapist will listen and provide tools to help you work through your loss. It may take a few tries to find someone you really connect with, so don't give up, please. I promise it will be worth it.

Remember, there is no timeline for grief. It's not about getting over anything, but rather surviving and thriving. I'm sending you love and positive energy. You are not alone. You got this.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

I’m Cat, certified nurse midwife and advocate here at Poppy Seed Health. Thanks for joining us. Today I'll be answering a common question by our members. So let's get started.

Pee versus water breaking. What will it be like if and when my water breaks? So here's what I always say. When it comes to urine, it's usually yellow. Your amniotic fluid is usually clear. Or it could be green if your baby's had bowel movement in there.

It could also have white chunky stuff in it. It could also have blood tinge. I feel like it's probably warmer than urine. Some people say they could actually tell a difference between the odor of urine and amniotic fluid. And when looking at amniotic fluid, it's actually gonna come out regardless of what you do. So whether you're sitting, walking, jumping around, you're gonna have that flow.

Sometimes though, you could have a large gush or you could have a small leak. So it's kind of hard to know. The recommendation would be to just put a pad and then that would also make it easier to actually see what's coming out of you. It's also very common to have women that are unable to tell whether it's discharge or semen if they've had an intercourse recently. So get comfortable with what your normal discharge feels or looks like versus what your urine looks like. Remember, it also changes color if you're dehydrated or if you're actually very hydrated.

It doesn't necessarily break before labor. For some people, it actually doesn't happen until they're like 10 centimeters or well into their labor process. Some people hear a pop, some people don't. Sometimes your baby can punch you or kick you or you can have a bladder spasm and then you can pee on yourself.

So again, it's definitely hard sometimes. Make sure you are emptying your bladder frequently, but if you're in doubt, always get checked out. I always tell my patients, if you have any questions, any doubt, we're only a phone call away, or a clinic or hospital visit away, definitely always better to be on the safe side.

There is actually tests that we can do when you come in to get checked out. When we look at the discharge versus amniotic fluid or urine, you could do a Fern test and actually look under the microscope and they actually look different under the microscope.

There is actually testing known as Actimprom, Shrom Plus. We could do a Nitrazine test and a Lumis paper will actually change colors when it's amniotic fluid versus urine or other types of discharge. We could do a speculum exam and actually see the fluid actively coming out of the cervix.

You could actually have an ultrasound and they could actually check your amniotic fluid. So there's different ways to tell if you're unsure. Once again, it's always better to reach out if you have any questions instead of just wondering. Thank you for coming and I hope this was helpful.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. We're here to explore topics in birth work in a full spectrum way, meaning that any experience and all outcomes of pregnancy are discussed here. Poppy Seed Health validates and honors whatever it is that you are going through. We know that the reproductive journey is a lot and we're here to support you through all of it. Pregnancy, postpartum, abortion, loss, and everything in between.

And I want you to keep that in mind as we move toward the main topic. First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Brooke and I'm your facilitator today. I'm an RN BSN as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery, and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey.

And so our question today is getting support from loved ones. What are some tasks I can give to loved ones who are asking what they can do to help? I'm so tired and have zero brain power to come up with any ideas.

First of all, I would just love to validate that that is just such a real place to come from. It's so honest and true, and this can be a really vulnerable time. And it can be challenging to even think about the tasks that we possibly could use help with.

So I'm hopeful that in our time today, I'm able to give you realistic, tangible examples of things that might be helpful, while also empowering you to believe that not only do you deserve these means of help, your support team is actively looking for ways to provide you with the help that you need to make the transition of adding this new life into your family a bit smoother. And so let's discuss adapting our expectations.

In our social practices and media consumption we subconsciously create expectations for what this period of time will look like. It is vital for your peace that you broaden your expectations of the fourth trimester. Give yourself grace and gratitude during this stage. Your body went through a magical transition and it is your duty to now honor yourself as you deserve. Creating space for rest and healing lays the foundation necessary to build the bond with your baby and celebrate your amazing magical accomplishment.

You did this, it wasn't easy, but you did this and you continue to show up, learn and grow. That is something to celebrate.

So I would love to read you a piece that I wrote. This is called The Letting Go. You may be in the same robe for days on end. If you are rested, nourished and bonded, let it go. You may forget where you even kept your pre-pregnancy clothes. If you are rested, nourished and bonded, let it go.

Your baby may be in the same jammies they wore two days ago. They may seem perfectly clean or they may have old milk dribbles on them. If you are rested, nourished and bonded, let it go. Your house may closer resemble a daycare than a living space. If you are rested, nourished and bonded, let it go. You might not be doing it all. You might not be being at all. You might not have envisioned it this way. But if you are rested, nourished and bonded, let it go.

I hope that that rings true for some of you. This is where we get into the importance of asking for help. Feeling the weight of doing it all is another social constraint we've allowed in our culture that does not serve the parent, the child, or the support community. Asking for help is beneficial not only for the support of the birthing person, but for the sense of the community and encouraged bonding and processing ritual among family and friends.

Empowering the birthing person to ask for help lends to a healthier recovery and healthier community dynamic. While there are physiological and psychological benefits for the birthing person to be the point of contact for the infant, especially if choosing to chest feed, there are duties and tasks that can be shared and delegated. This is a time to communicate clearly, efficiently, and effectively to have your needs and infant's needs met.

Express gratitude and reaffirm your support person's worth and value in yours and your infant's life for these requests for help to substantiate the bond and connection that you are building. Realistic means of help could be food preparation and delivery, ordering groceries and meal prep, laundry, cleaning, dishes, making beds, airing out the house and the energy, lighting candles, changing the baby, snuggling the baby in order for the birthing person to rest or perform self-care activities, preparing and stocking stations with easy to find necessities for the birthing person. So having these stations throughout the house can be very useful and can make your life a little bit easier in those early days.

Changing areas with diapers, wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, swaddles, and jammies.

Nursing areas with snacks, water, chargers, blankets, chest feeding support pillows, as well as the bathrooms where we can have pads, tucks, dermaplast, clean underwear, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, as well as essential oils.

I would love to encourage you to honor yourself in this time. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery are recognized, valued, and supported in our culture.

Unfortunately, the birthing person can oftentimes be left with a lack of support and understanding of the fourth trimester. Culturally, we are encouraged and expected to take care of this time by ourselves while presenting something more easily digestible for others. This cultural misstep is inherently flawed, only to be corrected through continued education, support and self-advocacy.

By changing the culture and conversation surrounding the fourth trimester, we stand to pave the way to a more healing, ritualistic reality for birthing people choosing to begin their journey into parenthood. I hope that today was not only helpful but supportive for you, and I look forward to meeting you again on your journey.

We want to hear from you. Again, there's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello again and welcome to Audio Snacks by Poppies Heat Health. I am Cat, certified nurse midwife and advocate here at Poppy Seed Health. Today I'll be answering a common question by our members. What is a mucus plug and does it mean I'm in labor?

Well, a mucus plug is a thick piece of vaginal discharge, literally think of a disgusting clump of mucus that actually blocks the entrance from the vagina to the uterus. So it's literally hanging on the cervix. It actually prevents bacteria and infection from entering the little baby's home.

It does start coming out as the cervix thins out and dilates, but sometimes it also happens with sex or for other reasons. It is not to be confused with your normal discharge, which does increase in pregnancy. Also not to be confused with an actual vaginal infection which would also change your discharge — yeast, bacterial infection, STI.

Usually this mucus plug does not have an odor. It could be blood tinged and jelly-like. It could be clear. It could be off-white. It could be brownish or actually have a pretty decent amount of light pink blood in it. But again, if you're seeing a lot of blood, then that's definitely not normal. That should be something you actually call or go get seen about.

And so what it does, it just kind of blocks the entrance into the uterus. And as that cervix does start to thin out and open up, it comes out. It doesn't necessarily mean that labor is coming. It could happen weeks before delivery, but it could also happen hours before you actually go into labor. It could also happen after you've been checked for dilation.

Now it's definitely important that you do talk about it with your provider, especially if you've had a preterm delivery or any reasons to worry about it coming out. However, it is not something you have to bring to the office. We appreciate it if you keep that at home.

The body is constantly creating this vaginal discharge, so it does regenerate. But again, listen to your body, listen to your intuition. If you do have a history of preterm labor, preterm delivery, it's something to definitely come in and talk about. If it's happening after 37 weeks, especially if you've been cramping, having a bunch of contractions, there's nothing to worry about unless you're thinking your water broke. Or if you're unable to tell, okay, is this just watery discharge after the mucus plug is coming out? Or is it actually my water?

Any doubts, just reach out. Hope this helped and see you next time!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello again. My name is Alyssa. I am an advocate with Poppy Seed Health focused on supporting people through pregnancy and infancy loss. I'm honored to be a part of your journey. Please know that everything I share comes from a place of love and respect. If at any time you feel overwhelmed, please take care of yourself. We'll be here when you are ready.

So today's question, how do I tell my employer about my loss? Do I even have to? Well, the short answer is it depends. Some laws vary by state and policies often vary by employers. It also depends on what you are asking for. For example, requesting time off may require less information than requesting accommodations. So unfortunately, you might have to do some homework. What I can do is give you some tips to point you in the right direction.

First, always start by speaking with HR if your employer has one. If your employer does not have an HR person, get a copy of your employer's policies and really read through them. You don't want to be surprised by anything because you've skipped a section. So when you're requesting time off, for shorter periods of time off, your paid sick days might be your best bet.

You can say you need time off for a doctor appointment or health issue, and you shouldn't be required to provide any more info. For a longer period of time, you can request time off under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the PWFA, or the Family Medical Leave Act, the FMLA. With the PWFA, you don't have to be specific about what it is for, but you do have to say that what you were requesting is pregnancy related in order to qualify. Under this act, it is illegal for your boss to ask for details about how your pregnancy ended.

If you are requesting time off under FMLA, your employer may require doctor certification that does require more specific details like type of condition, expected duration, et cetera.

If you are requesting accommodations, it should be sufficient to say, I have a pregnancy related condition and state the accommodation you need. Some employers may require a note from your doctor confirming your medical need. In that case, the doctor will need to be specific about what you can and can't do, but might not have to disclose why. Again, check with your company's policies.

The Center for Work-Life Law has a great website with lots of resources surrounding pregnancy and loss at work. You can check them out at www.worklifelaw.org.

I hope I was able to answer your question today, and if not, I hope I was able to point you in the right direction. I'm sending you love and positive energy. Take care!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke. I'm an RN, BSN, lactation counselor, as well as a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery and have supported friends and families throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm so excited to support you in your postpartum journey.

And so the question that we have today is let's talk about sex post-baby: “I'm six weeks postpartum, and my provider just gave us the okay to have sex. My partner is so ready, but I'm not. What should I do?”

So I just want to start by saying that this is such an important, vulnerable topic. I'm hoping to address this question with realistic suggestions for a return to a healthy sex life, but also help to redefine intimacy as it relates to the season of life that you're currently in. I'm hopeful that this conversation will empower you and will give you a sense of community in this new postpartum world that you're now entering.

From the time that we are young we're encouraged to follow a predetermined formula for what our lives should look like if we are to be considered successful and complete. With this formula, we are told to meet a partner, fall in love, get married, and have babies. Unfortunately, in our society, there's very little context given alongside the formula explaining how to redefine and rediscover your romantic partnership once you have transitioned into parenthood. Media and social folklore further complicate this transition by sending messaging that once you are parents, life as you know it is over and intimacy in your sex life will never be the same.

Although having a baby does change everything from our physical bodies to our identities, the truth behind it all is that this transition can truly be an opportunity to strengthen your partnership and find new depths of love that you haven't experienced before. Opening your partnership to the addition of a baby can feel as though you're being asked to fall in love with another being while finding a way to continue to hold space for your romantic partnership.

While it's imperative that we open our hearts to this new addition, it's also crucial that we hold space for the connection that gave us it all, our romantic partnership. In the fourth trimester relationship shift, just as in pregnancy, the fourth trimester is a transient time that is absolute and passing.

This period of time is renowned for the complicated feelings, both emotionally and physically, that present. We are falling in love with this new beautiful being while also mourning our sense of freedom in our bodies and in our identities. Birthing partners are beginning this new amazing journey that requires a deep interconnectedness with their baby in order to support bonding as well as physical wellbeing and regulation. This complicated shift requires reprioritization of our relationships. And without healthy communication and validation can leave both partners feeling unsupported, unrecognized or unloved.

During this period of time, it's imperative that communication is clear, succinct, and loving. Requests for help and connection are to be delivered in a thoughtful and loving way while also recognizing that this will not be your new normal. By ushering your relationship through this period of time in an intentional and loving way, you're setting a foundation to strengthen your bond. As we shift through this transition thoughtfully and intentionally, there will be moments where we can once again reprioritize our romantic relationship.

In a home once built as a love nest for two, we find ourselves now tripping over toys and baby gear and yelling to each other from across the house what size diapers to order. This is when the work of reorganizing bids and finding intentional physical contact helps us find our way back to one another.

And so simple ways to nourish your romantic bond are to remember first and foremost that you're on the same side. Always prioritize your hellos and goodbyes with a seven second rule. So you take that seven seconds to really intentionally say hello and goodbye to one another. Hug each other until your bodies settle in. Speak in calm, loving, intentional ways when possible. Verbally recognize and praise their efforts in the home with the baby, in your relationship and in their work. Carve out quality time, in-house date nights, physical contact while nursing, holding hands while watching TV. Make sure to give each other eye contact and take time to breathe together. It can be so truly grounding.

Something that's so important as we look at returning to this sense of intimacy in our sex life is also our birth story processing. The birthing partner went through a physically, mentally, and emotionally transformative experience. This experience at times can also be traumatic and difficult to process. Helping your partner process their birth story helps to ease their transition into parenthood while also strengthening your romantic bond.

And ways to do this are to have active listening, ask open-ended questions, give words of affirmation, offer positive observations, recognize the difficult transformative experience, and truly express your gratitude. In your return to sexual intimacy, some of the physical experience can include body changes, which can sometimes lead to an emotional difficulty with acceptance and understanding of your new normal, vaginal discomfort related to healing, lubrication changes related to chestfeeding, chest discomfort related to chestfeeding or drying out of milk, chest milk leaking or exhaustion. And the emotional experience that can go alongside this is difficulty taking time away from the baby, body insecurity and concerns, concerns related to partner enjoyment, issues disconnecting from the mental load and worries about missing opportunities to sleep.

Returning to sexual intimacy at first can feel foreign for the birthing partner. After a transformative experience that changed them in every way a person can be changed, it can feel difficult to get back in touch with the intimate part of themselves. As the support partner, it is important to be patient, kind, and understanding as they rediscover and reconnect with this facet. Expressing thoughts of encouragement, praise, and love while also steadfastly maintaining patience and understanding is how you can nurture your partner and pay honor to your romantic relationship.

Take this time in the fourth trimester transition to be intentional, thoughtful, and nurturing to each other as individuals, the new life you've brought into the world and your romantic partnership. Recognize that this period of life is challenging, messy, and beautifully chaotic all at once, and use each other as your space for grounding. By showing up for your relationship in intentional ways,

You have all the tools you need to strengthen, deepen, and maintain your connection. I hope that this was helpful. I hope that it was comforting, and I hope that it meets you where you are at. Please remember that you're not alone in this journey. Poppy Seed Health is always there for you, and we're here to support you in any way that we can. Thank you so much.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks by Poppy Seed Health. I'm Cat, a certified nurse midwife and advocate here at Poppy. I'm so happy you're here. Today we will be talking about packing your birth bag. The question is…

“What essentials should I pack to make sure I'm prepared for any length of labor and all possible outcomes? Is it possible to bring too much?”

If you're having a birth center delivery, you usually get a list of things to bring with you. So I will answer this question with a hospital birth in mind. My number one recommendation is to ask the hospital what they provide. Most hospitals will provide pads, underwear, diapers, wipes, and formula.

A lot of my patients bring extra pillows, blankets, gowns, essential oils, a diffuser. Definitely recommend the fuzzy socks. Games if you're being induced, especially if you want to bring things that will help you pass the time until the process really gets started. Put together a playlist of music you like if that's your thing. Snacks are definitely a plus. PJs, gowns, or clothes. Anything that's going to be comfortable for after or during the delivery.

You will not fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes. So make sure you keep that in mind. Slippers, shower shoes, toiletry bag, deodorant, lotion, soap, nursing bras. Definitely bring your own underwear for when you're going home, but some people are still really comfortable with using the underwear provided by the hospital. Same with pads. Some people are more comfortable bringing in their own pads, but you could also use the one that the hospital provides.

You also need to bring clothes that you want to dress the baby in. The car seat, it's definitely something that you can leave behind and then you can bring in on the day of discharge.

It is definitely possible to bring too much, but it is a very special time in your life and you want to bring whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy and who cares what people think.

I hope this was helpful. See you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Welcome back to Poppy's latest audio snack. This is Alyssa, here to support you through pregnancy and infancy loss in all forms. While this can typically be a heavy subject, I'm hoping today's topic brings some light and comfort, not just today, but at any time. And it's a topic I tend to get excited about in my everyday life, and I have a feeling I'm not alone. Today, we're talking about food.

The question at hand: what are some recipes or foods that will help nourish me right now body and soul?

All right, let's get started. Quick disclaimer. If you have dietary restrictions, please follow them. If you've been told to avoid something by a medical professional, please avoid it. And always check with your doctor or nutritionist before consuming anything new.

So let's start with the body. Eating a balanced diet is always important, but what exactly does that mean? A balanced diet provides all the nutrients a person requires to stay healthy. Pregnancy can do a number on your body between all the physical and hormonal changes. In cases of miscarriage, your body experiences even more changes physically and emotionally.

Focusing on foods that replenish and boost essential nutrients is extra important during this time. Iron is key for recovery and is often depleted after a miscarriage. Beans, leafy green vegetables, eggs, and dark chocolate. Proteins, amino acids help repair damaged cells. Foods high in protein include red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy.

If you're a vegetarian or vegan, protein is also found in nuts and legumes like beans and peas. Vitamin C and A help reduce inflammation and promote healing. These are found in many fruits and vegetables with leafy greens, citrus fruit, berries, and broccoli being your best bets.

Vitamin E is a great antioxidant that promotes tissue healing and immune function. Good sources include olive and sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts. Calcium metabolism can be affected by hormonal changes, so dairy products, leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and tofu are important. Magnesium reduces inflammation, promotes healthy cell growth, and reduces risk of depression. Magnesium can be found in cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and quinoa.

So now that you know what you need for your body, how do you use it to nourish your soul? Think comfort foods. When I think of my comfort foods, they tend to be warm and relatively simple. I think soups, casseroles, and pasta dishes. Luckily, these are easy dishes for incorporating so many of the foods previously mentioned.

For example, a chicken leek soup could contain chicken, leeks, spinach, bone broth, and lemon juice. This will give you protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A and C, six of the seven nutrients I mentioned earlier.

Is paste more your style? A creamy seafood pasta dish made with fortified pasta, milk, lemon, shellfish, spinach, and olive oil will give you iron, protein, vitamins A, C, and E, and calcium.

If your comfort foods tend to be on the colder side, smoothies are definitely the way to go. Fruit, vegetable, and nut combinations will give you everything you need.

I hope this helps you on your healing journey, and remember, Poppy Seed Health is here for you 24-7-365. Now I'm hungry.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hi, I'm Bekah, a full-spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. Welcome back to Poppy Audio Snacks. Today's minisode focuses on self-advocacy. This is a word we hear often — we talk about it a lot at Poppy, we all know it's an important part of any health care journey and especially reproductive health. But it's kind of a nebulous term and can feel easier said than done, especially when we've been socialized to trust authority and follow doctors' orders no matter what.

So what does self-advocacy actually look like and how can we self-advocate with our healthcare providers? As a full spectrum doula and someone who has supported people in many different care settings, in clinics, at routine appointments, before, during, after procedures, in operating rooms, et cetera, I have a lot to say about this topic and I think it can be a real game changer in the way we access care.

I've narrowed my thoughts down to six fundamentals for self-advocating with healthcare providers during appointments plus one bonus tip on self-care because we all deserve extra comfort and relief after doing hard things. Let's get into it.

Number one, this is basic and kind of a two for one, but first off, write your questions down and ask them. How many of us have gone into an appointment with a list of questions only to have our minds go blank, we nod along and leave realizing we only got answers to three of the seven questions we were wondering about? It happens all the time. I so relate to this.

Really commit to taking a few minutes before any appointment to consider what you hope to get out of it and write your questions down on a piece of paper or in your phone. One way to get all your questions answered is to actually show the list to your provider at the start of the appointment. You can go through them together one by one, or in whatever order makes the most sense. But before your provider leaves the room at the end of the appointment, take a moment and say out loud, “I'd like to double check my list of questions to make sure we covered everything I need.”

So this leads me to the second way we can self-advocate. Go slow. This holds true for any kind of healthcare decision and setting. Unless you're experiencing a real emergency — and you would know if you were, your provider would tell you — there is no rush. There's no pressure to make decisions quickly. And this can be hard to believe in a world where everyone is in a rush and we've gotten used to 15 minute appointments.

But unless it's an emergency, you can ask for more time, you can ask your provider to repeat themselves, you can even ask your care team to leave the room while you consider your options. You can say, “I'd like to think about my options and tell you my decision at my next appointment.” Or, “I'd like to think about my options and tell you my decision in a few minutes.” Go slow, take all the time you need.

Number three, trust your instinct and speak up. Yes, our healthcare providers are experts in health, but you are the preeminent expert when it comes to you. You know your own story, your own body, your own needs better than anyone else. And because of this, your voice and your opinion and your instinct are valid and integral to your overall health.

If you know something feels off or isn't normal for you, speak up about it and get as loud as you need to until someone really hears you and listens. If there's one thing you take away from this mini-soad, I hope it's this. If anyone on your care team ever refuses the care you request, say these words to them. “Please document in my chart that you refused to…” Fill in the blank.

That can sound like, “Please document in my chart that you refused to run this test.” Or, “please document in my chart that you refused to do a follow-up exam.” This can be a really important way to keep track of health care decisions.

We've probably all heard things like you're too young to be experiencing this or you're too old to have that or what you're experiencing is a normal part of x, y, and z. But it's very possible that you will know if something feels off or is not normal for you before anyone else. Trust the way you know yourself.

Number four, stay in your body. This can be hard to do, especially for those of us who deal with anxiety. We kind of float away or black out, and that really changes our ability to participate in conversations. But the more we're able to get out of our heads and back in our bodies, the more we can stay present and actively engage in our own healthcare.

So a couple ways to stay in your body or get back into it. Relax your jaw and lick your lips. Place your feet on the floor and feel the ground supporting you. Take four slow, deep breaths in through your nose. Rub your thumb and forefinger together, or hold onto something in your pocket as kind of a sensory talisman. It could be as simple as your keys or an old tissue or something more intentional and symbolic, like a charm or special piece of jewelry.

These are all things that you can do subtly without anyone noticing. And they're simple grounding practices that are available to you at any time really, but can be especially supportive during difficult conversations or when we're having a hard time speaking up.

Number five, bring a friend. The buddy system is so great for self-advocacy. Bringing a loved one like a friend, partner, or family member can really help because it's a second set of eyes, ears, and brain power. They may hear or ask things that you don't and can bring added comfort and confidence if you need encouragement to speak up.

I get that sometimes we want to keep certain things private and it may not always feel right to invite someone in on something so personal as a doctor's appointment. So if this is the case and you don't want a friend or family member going with you, then it might feel supportive to think about getting a doula to accompany you instead. Doulas are excellent, objective third parties. It's our job, our actual job, to be non-judgmental and to have your back 100% no matter what.

There are doulas for everything and everyone. And most doulas I know are happy to attend appointments with their clients and actually expect to do so. And it might even be written into your contract with them.

Number six, put your provider's email address to work. Get comfortable and confident using MyChart or any other apps or communication tools that your provider uses. If you have follow-up questions, don't overthink it. Just send the email.

This is also a good way to communicate about non-urgent changes in symptoms, where you might find yourself wondering, should I make an appointment for this? Is this something I should be concerned about? An example is a new or differently colored discharge in your underwear. You could take a photo of it. Photos are totally appropriate for MyChart. It really helps your provider understand fully what you're experiencing, and they can help you decide whether or not to go in for an appointment.

And when in doubt, call the nurse line. That's what it's there for. There are no stupid questions ever, and especially when it comes to your health.

And lastly, a bonus self-care tip before we go. We never need permission to be good to ourselves, but here's an extra reminder to go treat yourself after your doctor's appointment. Take yourself out for coffee, go get your nails done, go to a park and read a book, call your best friend. Whatever your favorite form of self-care looks like, do it.

Honestly, having something sweet and easy and enjoyable to look forward to after a big appointment is a great reward and a chance to shake off any anxiety you may have been feeling. It's also important to acknowledge and celebrate taking good care of ourselves. And self-advocacy is just that. Alright, that's it from me. Happy self-advocating!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks by Poppy Seed Health. I'm Cat, a certified nurse midwife and advocate here at Poppy. I'm so happy you're here. Today we will answer yet another common question. The question is...

I am approaching my estimated due date and the stress of waiting for things to start is really driving me up the wall. What can I do to ease my anxiety? Watch out for signs of labor or just pass the time while we wait?

Here are my suggestions.

First, take time to read, watch your favorite shows, take baths, get a pedi, manicure. Literally take some time for self-care. Go for walks, exercise. Try a prenatal yoga class, maybe go for a swim if that's something you enjoy. Do some squats and lunges.

Meal prep. There's so many times after having a baby that we wish we had some of our favorite meals. Sometimes we don't even want to bother people. So meal prepping ahead of time will definitely save you time and will make sure that you'll actually get to enjoy this yummy food.

Work on the baby's room if that's something you haven't done. If you like to wash clothes ahead of time, this is a perfect time for that as well. Ask questions. Visit a pediatrician if you're still unsure of the pediatrician you'll be taking the baby to, or if you're in between making decisions. It's also a great time to go to the store and stock up on non-perishible items. Baby things, but also household stuff. Things that you usually do at home that you might think you might not have time to do when the baby comes.

It's also a great time for date nights with friends, family, and partner. Really have that one-on-one time with your partner. Talk about goals, family and individual goals. It's also a perfect time to review that labor and delivery plan for birth and afterwards. It's also a great time to ask friends and family to share unexpected things that happened to them during labor that were funny or they thought they should have been told about.

Compile a list of things to ask your provider about any last minute birth, delivery, or postpartum questions you might have. If this is not your first baby, definitely spend some quality time with other ones that you have at home. Make something special with them. Make time for cuddles, special one-to-one time meals. Same with pets. If you have pets in the house, definitely give them that extra attention they're definitely not going to get when the baby comes.

Prepare feeding stations, add snacks. When the baby comes, you're gonna be all over the house, but if you have designated areas where you know you'll be feeding the baby, you could actually load them with snacks, water bottles.

Napping time is so important. It's probably the one thing I wish people told me when I was pregnant with my first one. I was not even a napper, but that was something I should have definitely done. Because remember, once this first baby comes, it'll be a long time before you get to enjoy that again.

A lot of times we underestimate the importance of sleep and how it affects our daily lives. You won't be able to make up for missed sleep, but getting extra sleep especially at the end of pregnancy will help you feel recharged. Also, I have mentioned this before, but if you haven't heard all the Audio Snacks, you might have missed this.

It is also a great time to practice being unavailable at certain times. So put your phone or computer on do not disturb at times where you know you're not going to want to be bothered or interrupted once the baby's here. And go to sleep early, enjoy that show, that bath, or the time with a loved one while you give them undivided attention.

I still want you to watch for signs of labor, but usually when contractions come, the real thing will not go away. They will intensify, get closer and stronger together, so that you will know. But definitely keep an eye on fetal movement and signs of your water breaking. These are two important things that you definitely want to keep an eye on.

I hope this was helpful. We will see you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

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The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Welcome back to Poppy's latest audio snack. This is Alyssa, here to support you through pregnancy and infancy loss in all forms. We've got a pretty heavy topic today, so I want to remind you that if at any point you feel overwhelmed, please take care of yourself. We'll be here when you are ready.

For now, take a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. Let's begin.

Today's question, what can I put in a memory box to honor my baby and this time in my life? The loss of a baby is overwhelming, devastating and deeply personal. Everyone affected by the loss will process it differently and may have conflicting views on what is considered “best practice.” At the end of the day, best practice is what is best for you, your healing and your beliefs.

Some choose to create a memory box as a way to preserve and protect the memory of their baby. There are many ways to do this and at a stressful time the options can seem overwhelming. A quick Google search yields over 18 million results with the first page full of boxes for sale. I was overwhelmed seeing this so I can't imagine looking for one while actively experiencing a loss.

Hopefully I will give you all the info you need today to help you avoid any extra stress or grief. While there are many memory boxes for sale out there, a memory box does not need to be expensive to be beautiful or meaningful. In fact, many hospitals provide simple memory boxes free of charge. Sometimes these boxes are prepared by other bereaved families, which enhances the amount of love and understanding that comes with the box.

As far as the boxes themselves, they can be as simple as a shoe box or as fancy as a chest. Neither option is wrong or bad. Choose what speaks to you. What you place inside the box should be meaningful to you and the memory of your baby. There is no right or wrong with this. Some common paperwork often included are sonograms, photos, official documents, and letters. Prints or impressions of your baby’s hands or feet are common as well. Other items you might want to consider are locks of hair, blankets, hospital bracelets, and a teddy bear or other stuffed animal.

If your memory box is something you plan on looking at often, you might want to consider adding a journal and pen and tissues. Some people also add sympathy cards or press and save flowers they receive. Again, there is no right or wrong to this. Different items will speak to different people.

At the end of the day, this box is for you and your baby, no one else.

Okay, let's take a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

Please remember, you are not alone. Awareness of pregnancy and infancy loss and their effects is growing. International Bereaved Mother's Day is the first Sunday in May. There may be events in your area to give you opportunities to gather with others who have had similar experiences.

Additionally, October 15th is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which is often observed through candle lighting, remembrance walks and services, and Wave of Light.

You can find out more info at october15th.com. That's O-C-T-O-B-E-R-1-5-T-H DOT COM. I hope this was helpful. I'm sending you love, positive energy, and a hug. Be well.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks, Poppy Seed Health's latest offering in perinatal exploration, self-advocacy, and self-care. My name is Brooke. I'm an RN, BSN, lactation counselor, as well as a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery and have supported friends and families throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm so excited to support you in your postpartum journey.

The question of the day is, what do I need to know about the top five things in preparing for life postpartum?

I would love to start by just listing the physical characteristics that you can expect. Postpartum, you will experience vaginal bleeding. Your provider's postpartum will assess your vaginal bleeding in the days following your birth via vaginal delivery or cesarean section.

Red flags that might encourage you to call your provider include soaking through a pad in less than an hour, passing clots the size of a golf ball or larger, feeling weak, dizzy, pale, or having a fever. Utilizing extra large absorbent pads along with full coverage or period underwear can help to contain the extra blood and to avoid leaking. You will also have uterine contractions which are also called after pains. The contractions after birth are the body's way of putting pressure on the open wound in the uterus and it helps to slow and eventually stop the bleeding. Your providers immediately after delivery will at times need to check your fundus, which is your uterus and may need to massage in order to encourage the muscle to further contract and help to control the bleeding.

You might notice that the uterine pains intensify with chest feeding as the oxytocin released during nursing encourages the uterus to further contract to control bleeding. Pain relievers as well as heating pads for your abdomen or back can be helpful. You also may experience exhaustion while everyone says to sleep when the baby sleeps.

It can be at times impractical. It is imperative though that you rest in the pockets of the day where you are able to find those right moments. Perineal discomfort is something that we also experience in its common postpartum, whether delivering vaginally or by cesarean if laboring was involved. Discomfort can be further complicated by tears, episiotomies and deliveries which required instruments including forceps and vacuums.

Perineal discomfort can be eased with pain relievers as well as postpartum padsicles, which are these pads that you can make with lavender, aloe, and witch hazel, and then putting them in your freezer. Dermatoplast and sitz baths can also help as well.

Red flags regarding perineal discomfort in order to call your provider include increased pain, swelling, redness, red streaks, abdominal discharge or fever.

Urinary incontinence can also be normal to weaken voluntarily in the months following delivery, especially related to any additional force, meaning any sneezing, coughing, running or jumping. Pressure and hormonal changes may have weakened the muscles in your pelvic girdle, and working with a pelvic floor physical therapist is a helpful site-specific tool that can support your pelvic floor health and muscle tone.

Incisional discomfort can follow C-sections. The incisions are often covered with bandages immediately postpartum, but the area will have been sealed with glue, stitches, or staples. The incisional area may feel numb to begin with, and in time will become more painful. This pain can resemble pulling, sharpness, or burning. Red flags encouraging you to call your provider with incisional discomfort include redness, discharge, swelling, or opening of the incision or fever.

Postpartum, we may also experience constipation and the first bowel movement can be intimidating postpartum, especially if any perineal trauma was experienced. Taking stool softeners daily from the day of birth can help make the first bowel movement more comfortable. Hydrating well and eating plenty of fiber is very important.

We also can experience hemorrhoids, which is caused by pressure during pregnancy or pressure during labor and it can cause an uncomfortable inflamed area around the rectum. Lining a pad with tux pads immediately postpartum can help to alleviate some of the discomfort. Tapping to dry or clean after using the bathroom as opposed to wiping can also help to keep from irritating the hemorrhoids.

Postpartum, we do also experience a lot of sweating. During pregnancy we tend to hold onto an increased fluid load in order to prepare us for blood loss in the delivery, as well as the production of breast milk.During the immediate postpartum period, we tend to shed a significant amount of the extra fluid through the way of sweating or urinating.

And one of the last physical characteristics we'll talk about today is breast or chest discomfort. Chest changes postpartum can include swelling, stretching, clogged ducts, blistering, cracking, and peeling. If choosing to dry out milk, cold cabbage leaves, Sudafed, and warm showers when engorged can help to alleviate the discomfort. Working with a certified lactation counselor or consultant in the early days to months postpartum can be crucial in ensuring a proper latch in order to avoid some of the discomfort associated with chestfeeding. There will always be some discomfort associated, but it can be passing and treatable with the proper support and techniques.

Let's speak to the return to physical activity. Our postpartum bodies have a sensible governor for increasing physicality. Once we push too much for our recovery, we oftentimes experience an increase in lochia, exhaustion, or decrease in breast milk. Allow these signs to guide you as you find your way back to movement over the initial six weeks.

Intentional diaphragmatic breathing. Focus on air entering your abdomen and rising as you inhale. Tighten your abdominal muscles in conjunction with your pelvic floor as you exhale. Kegels, beginning immediately after birth, can help to wake up the pelvic floor, increase blood flow to any areas of trauma or repair, and help to retrain our bladder and pelvic girdle muscles.

Diastasis safe repair work. This can include heel slides, pelvic tilts, bridges, and can help to strengthen your abdominals and support your pelvic floor. Leg movement, frequently moving and stretching your legs while recovering can help to pump the blood and extra fluid to your heart and can help to prevent deep vein clotting. And walking, as your lochia has lightened, you can now incorporate short, easy walks outside.

And lastly, in preparing for postpartum, I would love to give you some ideas for postpartum stations. Preparing for postpartum with stations can help to make our transition at home easier and more comfortable when you are focusing on your newborn and your recovery. I encourage setting up bathroom stations, which can include large extra absorbent pads, peri bottles with warm water, dermaplast, tux pads, sitz bath, and extra underwear or disposable underwear.

And then in our bedroom, setting up a bedroom slash nursing station with Chucks pads, a charger, chapstick, hand sanitizer, quick snacks such as almonds, cashews or crackers, hair elastics, nipple cream, breast pads, hydrogel pads, burp cloths, extra nursing bras, and then extra underwear or disposable underwear.

I am hopeful through our conversation today that you've taken away a relatively relatable idea of how to intentionally prepare for your postpartum life. So please take a moment, thank your body for what it has done for you, for what it has done for your family, for your partnership, and honor yourself today. Thank you again for listening.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks, Poppy Seed Health's latest offering in perinatal exploration, self-advocacy, and self-care. My name is Brooke. I'm an RN BSN as well as a lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery, and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys.

I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. We know that the reproductive journey is a lot, and we're here to support you through all of it. And I want you to keep that in mind as we get to the main topic.

First, I would love to talk about what is happening with our hormones. During pregnancy, alongside your baby, you grew an organ, the placenta. After delivery of the placenta, your hormones begin to shift abruptly and dramatically. This shift is a physical response that impacts everything in our bodies, from our moods to our pelvic floor to our skin.

Sex hormones are the feel-good hormones. These include estrogen, which maintains our uterine lining, and drops after delivery, staying low through breastfeeding. Progesterone, which provides happy, dreamy emotional states and drops after delivery. Oxytocin, the love hormone, which is responsible for uterine contractions increased through touch, chestfeeding and lovemaking, and relaxin, which is responsible for loosening joints and preparation for birth. This remains increased until the cessation of chestfeeding.

We also have stress hormones, which is helpful during delivery but increased levels for extended periods of time can block us from accessing the nurturing sex hormones. Stress hormones include adrenaline, which is our short-term fight or flight burst of energy, and cortisol, which is released with adrenaline. It's longer acting and increases during the last trimester to speed fetal lung and brain development. Small amounts also help milk production and letdown.

I would love to talk about the emotional changes that we may experience postpartum. We can have mood swings caused by the changing cascade of hormones following delivery and the loss of the placenta. The fluctuations can be intense and difficult at times, but reminding yourself that this phase is temporary and clueing in on the truths of the situation at hand can be helpful for grounding.

Baby blues is common. Seven out of 10 birthing people are found to experience the baby blues. They can have similar characteristics to postpartum depression, but is a chemical reaction to the changing hormones following delivery and is self-limiting. Overwhelm and anxiety is also common. Anxiety is often our body's way of ensuring we are vigilant and offering protection to our newborn. Unfortunately, at times we may feel triggered and frightened by events that aren't a realistic threat.

Frustration. Your new role as a parent comes with countless new responsibilities and expectations. You can at times feel frustrated with your new reality or what your reality has become versus what expectations you may have had leading up to this big life change. Grieving our pre-baby life. Any new beginnings require saying goodbye to our previous stage in life. Grief can sneak into our realities even when post-baby life was everything we had hoped and dreamed for.

Excitement and elation. The shifting in hormones postpartum can work to our benefit by encouraging excitement and at moments elation.

And before we end our talk today, I would love to share a note for the birthing person returning to physicality.

You made a human.

Tiny fingers, tiny toes, you built.

Sweet eyelashes, pouty lips, you built.

Dimpled elbows, squishy legs, you built.

Innocent eyes, round cheeks, you built.

How did you build this human?

With your amazing body.

Slightly softer, more curves, you earned.

Shimmery stretch marks, fuller face, you earned.

Comforting chest, warm place to land, you earned.

How is it that we can focus so endearingly on the physical attributes and sweetness of our little ones without paying tribute and honor to our bodies which changed, stretched, grew, and fought to build a home worthy of the most precious miracle we have ever known on this physical earth? So please take a moment, thank your body for what it has done for you, for what it has done for your family, and honor yourself today. Thank you again for listening.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hi, this is Cat, certified nurse, midwife, and Poppy Seed Health advocate. We are back with Audio Snacks! And this month's question is about preeclampsia: I am nervous about preeclampsia. What is it? What warning signs do I need to be aware of? And when should I contact my provider if I have any concerns?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines preeclampsia as a serious blood pressure disorder that can happen during pregnancy or soon after childbirth. It usually develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, often in the third trimester. If it develops before 34 weeks of pregnancy, it is called early onset preeclampsia. And it can sometimes lead to a medical emergency known as HELLP Syndrome and conditions that can affect all the organs in your body.

So it is definitely important to be aware of things to watch out for. While we do not know why women develop preeclampsia, we do know that some people are at an increased risk of developing this condition. So what factors put you at risk for developing preeclampsia?

Having had preeclampsia in a past pregnancy,

carrying more than one fetus,

chronic high blood pressure,

autoimmune conditions, especially lupus,

being pregnant for the first time,

being pregnant more than 10 years after your previous pregnancy,

a BMI of over 30,

being 35 or older,

an IVF pregnancy,

Black race,

low income,

or multiple of these factors together.

What are those symptoms that you should be looking for if you think you have preeclampsia? Sometimes you actually will have no symptoms and your only symptom will actually be an elevated blood pressure when at your appointment. In this case, they would also do some lab work that includes a test that checks for protein in your urine. And usually the diagnosis of preeclampsia is going to be given when you've had several elevated blood pressures that are at least four hours apart and the increase of protein in your urine.

However, if those blood pressures are severely elevated you might not need to have the protein in your urine and the elevated blood pressure alone will give you the diagnosis of preeclampsia.

Some patients experience headaches that will not go away despite hydration, rest, or even medicine. Some other patients might experience changes in vision, shortness of breath, sudden weight gain that is noticeable especially with swelling of the face, severe pain in the right upper quadrant of your abdomen, fluid in the lungs, difficulty breathing, new onset of nausea and vomiting, and for some others when they look at the labs, it would actually have changes in their kidney or liver function as well as platelets.

So when should you contact your provider? If at any point you are wondering if you do have the condition or you're having any of the symptoms, you should always feel free to contact your provider.

Early on in the pregnancy, if you are one of those patients that does have any of these risk factors that I mentioned, you should also talk to your provider. While there is nothing that can prevent you from having preeclampsia, your provider can recommend things that you can do to lower some of those risks. So always be open to ask any questions that you might have.

A very common question is, will I be able to have a vaginal delivery? Will I be able to carry my pregnancy to term? Having preeclampsia does not mean that you won't be able to have a vaginal delivery, but it might mean that you will have to deliver your baby earlier than expected.

Usually an induction will be recommended, and so if you're receiving care at a facility where high risk pregnancies are not to be seen or you are planning a home birth, when you become diagnosed with preeclampsia you will have to transfer care and you will have to start weekly labs as well as testing such as an ultrasound and something known as a non-stress test where we are also checking on the baby's well-being.

Obviously if the baby is not head down and you have to have an induction then a vaginal delivery might not be an option or if your preeclampsia is worsening and it is no longer safe to attempt an induction, if you are stable enough for surgery that might be something else your provider might recommend.

If you have severe features of the condition, you might actually have to be in the hospital, especially if you are under 34 weeks of pregnancy, at which point they will talk to you about what the plan for delivery will be.

It is always important that you talk to your provider and that you feel comfortable enough talking to them about what the plans might be. So if you have any questions, again this is why they're there, make sure you ask all the questions to the point that you feel comfortable so that if you had any of the symptoms you might know when it's time to go get checked out. I hope this was helpful. We'll see you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Welcome back to Poppy's latest audio snack. This is Alyssa, here to support you through pregnancy and infant loss in all forms.

Today's topic, setting boundaries after pregnancy and infant loss. How do I respond to innocent, well-meaning and or nosy questions? So, I'm gonna be honest with you, this was a tough one for me. I have very little patience for people who ask intrusive questions and are then, either uncomfortable with the answers or offended when the other person gets upset. Like hi, you asked!

But being frustrated with these people doesn't actually help you or anyone else on the receiving end of these questions, does it? So I do have some practical suggestions for responding to questions like do you have kids, how many kids do you have, in a variety of settings, but I really want to address the overarching cultural issue first.

It is no secret that the narrative surrounding mental and physical health of female-bodied people in the United States is led by people who aren't experiencing mental and physical health issues. The reason it is so hard for us to answer questions when it might make someone else uncomfortable is because we have been taught to feel shame about not being perfect. We have to be normal, and that's just not the case. There is no such thing as perfect.

Lest we forget, the statistics tell us that, sadly, these experiences aren't uncommon. One in four known pregnancies end in loss. One in four! That number alone should have everyone talking. But it doesn't. It doesn't because we don't talk about the difficult. Instead, we make the difficult shameful, and now we're forced to feel awkward about telling someone else we may not even know that well about our traumatic experiences or acting like they never happened at all. And what is truly shameful is that our society has forced us into this predicament. Can you see why I had trouble with this question? It's infuriating. I am not exaggerating when I say it took me literal months to write this episode.

Yes, this was partly due to the fact that I'm a preschool teacher by day and have been sicker than ever this year, but honestly, it was mostly due to the fact that every time I sat down to write, I got angry. And let's be real, it's not hard to get angry or frustrated or sad or overwhelmed living in a world that makes you feel shame for something that isn't your fault. Your loss is not your fault.

Another person's reaction to your truth is not your fault. It is time that we change this narrative. It is time that we take away the shame of loss, the shame of tears, of grief, of sadness. All of those things, whether we like them or not, are natural. And you know what? We've got plenty of movies that tell us what happens when we mess with nature. Jurassic Park, anyone? Just kidding. But in all seriousness, thank you for hearing me out.

As promised, I do have tips for answering those questions. While I would love to tell you all to answer those questions fully and honestly while feeling all your feelings, I know that we're not all there yet, and that's okay. Change takes time, and while you may not be ready today, I hope that we can create a space where you will be ready in the future. Until then, here are a few things to keep in mind when you are faced with those potentially awkward situations.

Number one, no is a complete sentence. You are under no obligation to elaborate for anyone, including family. Number two, honor your truth. If you want to share your story of loss, do it. If the person asking gets uncomfortable, so be it. Hopefully, they'll learn from it. And at the very least, we'll get over it. What is important is that you leave that encounter knowing you honored yourself and your loss in a way that was comfortable for you.

Number three, it's okay to cry. Crying is not a sign of weakness and it is nothing to be sorry for. Your emotions and feelings are real and valid. Number four, be as vague as you want. Do you have kids? Yep. How many kids do you have? Two. That's it. You answered the questions. They don't need to know the age, location, or status of any of your children.

Number five. Follow up your answer with a question of your own. In my experience, people who ask personal questions tend to like talking about themselves. You can take the focus off yourself with the right prompt. And finally, remember, you are under no obligation to answer to anyone that makes you feel uncomfortable. Set your boundaries and stick to them. The people that are worth your time and energy will respect those boundaries and will be there for you when you are ready to share more.

Thanks for sticking with me today. My hope is that you leave feeling empowered to take charge of your own narrative in a way that feels safe and comfortable for you. Take care, I'm rooting for you.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks, Poppy Seed Health's latest offering in perinatal exploration, self-advocacy and self-care. My name is Brooke. I'm an RN, BSN, as well as a lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey.

May is Maternal Mental Health Month. And to that point, it's very important that we discuss some of the topics today in order to help you feel supported and informed on your journey. PMAD is described as a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. It's a commonly used term to refer to mental health disorder experienced during pregnancy after having a new baby, adopting or experiencing pregnancy or infant loss. Postpartum depression is often used as an umbrella term or interchangeably with PMAD.

Our question this month is, I'm worried about my mental health. I keep hearing how PMADs are on the rise. And since I already have a history of anxiety, postpartum depression feels inevitable. Is there anything that I can do to lower the risks or lessen the impact of PMADs?

This is such an important question and something that unfortunately so many struggle with. I would love to discuss seven ways that we can lower our risk for postpartum depression. First of all, postpartum depression differs significantly from baby blues. Symptoms of baby blues may come and go in the first few days after childbirth to the first few weeks, and it happens in seven out of ten moms. These feelings may include feelings of sadness or anxiety, crying for no reason, having trouble sleeping, having trouble making choices. And these symptoms are directly related to the cascade of hormones that we experience in those days after birth. With postpartum depression or PMADs, the symptoms are more intense and they sometimes can include desperation, sadness, crying spells, anxiety, irritability, feelings of isolation, mood swings, thoughts of hurting oneself and or the baby, and significant changes in eating and sleeping habits.

PMADs can affect any parent, whether it's their first, second, third, or fourth child, it doesn't distinguish how experienced you are or how comfortable you are in your parenthood. Not only does the parent suffer, but the baby can sometimes also be affected by disengaged care.

While we can't prevent, there are steps that we can take that will help to lower our risk. The first thing that we can do is help to identify our risk factors. And so as our listener had asked, they are somebody who has a history of anxiety. That is something that we will identify as a risk factor. High levels of anxiety are at greater risk. Those that are without adequate social support or who have deep ambivalence about having a child the rates tend to be higher and therefore something that we need to be aware of.

We need to make sure that we shore up our social support. Having plenty of social support can help us. Making sure that we have people in our lives that we can relate to can help us to feel that sense of support and that network that makes us feel less alone and less lonely. We need to find people who will listen with compassion to all that we are going through.

And if we don't have family or friends that are close by that can help us, finding a doula, somebody who is a postpartum night nurse and a mom's network in the area to help us find that support that is so greatly needed. Keeping our expectations in check. Taking care of a child can be so isolating, so complicated and so difficult. It can be exhausting and oftentimes it can feel that the days are kind of like Groundhog Day where everything is repeated over and over. If we can keep our expectations in check and realize that time does pass and the saying that the days are long, but the years are short could not be more true. So reminding ourselves that this is a season and that we can do this and we can get through it.

Telling our doctor about mood changes during pregnancy and being open and vulnerable with our support network, whether that is a partner, a mother, or a friend. This is a time to make sure that we are on top of our mental health care, that we are listening to ourselves, to our needs, and we are identifying any of the red flags that may begin to surface. Making sure that we can find resources and support groups is something that can help us work through these feelings.

Prioritizing sleep, that old saying sleep when the baby sleeps, while it may seem unattainable and it may seem like something that is anecdotal. It could not be more true, even if you were just laying on the couch for 10 minutes, giving your body that desperately needed restorative rest is what's going to help in this marathon for mental health care. The goal is to make sure that we get some uninterrupted sleep and that we have that support that we need to make sure that we can make that happen. Making time for exercise, trying to release those endorphins, whether it's a walk, whether it's walking with the baby strapped to you or your stroller, whether you can squeeze in some yoga, even involving the baby in that, stretching, anything just to make sure that we are moving and releasing those feel-good hormones that our body so desperately needs.

Staying alert to symptoms. So it's not always enough to lower your risk. Sometimes, whether we do everything possible to prevent PMADs, they can find us. They can resurface in our bodies if we've had it happen before. And so it's important that we are being alert, we are being aware, and we are being communicative and vulnerable with our support system so they can help to identify and alert our providers as well.

Major red flags may include an ongoing down mood for more than two weeks, high levels of worry that can't be quieted, deepening depression or mood swings, thoughts of being better off dead, thoughts of being better off without the child or a deep distrust of those around you. If those feelings start to become dominant, we need to make sure that we tap on the help that we need in order to work through this. This is not abnormal. You are not alone. This unfortunately is something that is on the rise in our culture and our society. And by being aware of these risk factors, we can work to better support ourselves, our infant and our growing family.

I hope that this is enlightening. And I hope that you find the support network that will help you to feel supported, loved, and that you can be vulnerable with. As always, Poppy Seed Health is here for your emotional support. We also refer you to the PSI, which is the Postpartum Support International for Mental Health Support and Peer Groups. The 988 lifeline is free and confidential to give support for people in distress and prevention and crisis resources for you and your loved ones.

We encourage you to keep these lines of communication open and schedule postpartum therapy appointments before the baby arrives in order to be best prepared on your journey. Thank you for listening and we'll talk again soon.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hi, y'all. Welcome back to AudioSnacks. I'm Bekah, a full-spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. So happy you're here. May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month. So in honor of this important and life saving campaign, we want to do a part two of Cat's previous episode all about preeclampsia and follow it up with a real life example of what it can be like to get a preeclampsia diagnosis during pregnancy, receive timely care, and go on to have a healthy birth outcome for both parent and baby.

First, I want to share a little background and lift up the good work being done by the Preeclampsia Foundation whose mission is to create a world where lives are no longer threatened due to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

I do recommend that you take a look at their website, www.preeclampsia.org for excellent resources and education on preeclampsia. Their theme for this year's Preeclampsia Awareness Month is predict, prevent, prevail. And you'll hear shortly how much this approach matters and how it makes a huge difference in improving outcomes for birthing people and their babies.

So a quick recap.

Preeclampsia is persistent high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period and can go on to cause serious complications. Symptoms may include headache, vision changes, like temporary vision loss, blurry vision, or light sensitivity, as well as shortness of breath, pain in the upper belly, which people usually feel under the ribs on the right side. And, confusingly, some people don't experience any symptoms at all and high blood pressure readings may be the first clue that something's going on.

I know it can be nerve wracking and scary to think about all the unknowns of pregnancy and possible serious or life threatening complications like preeclampsia. And it's also important to remember that most people with preeclampsia will give birth to healthy babies and fully recover. Keeping that in mind, doing our best to stay connected and grounded, taking slow deep breaths, all of that can make a difference. And learning from other people's experiences can, of course, help too.

So today we have a really wonderful and informative personal story to share with you. This is from someone in our Poppy fam, Arlene, who generously offered to write about her experience with preeclampsia as a way to support and educate the rest of you in our community and help each of you self advocate throughout your own journeys. So in a moment, I'll read Arlene's words. You won't hear her voice but do know this comes from a place of care and intention and deep empathy with what you may be living as well. Now in Arlene's words,

“Preeclampsia is something you skim over in pregnancy blogs and think, yeah, yeah, that's not gonna be me. And you turn your focus to things like what stroller you're going to get. So when it actually happened to me and changed my whole pregnancy journey, it really was a shock. Your mind can easily go in a dark place of Why can't my body handle being pregnant? Why is my body failing me? What's wrong with me? But I had to quickly change my mindset because that's not a healthy way to look at stuff.

I didn't think twice about my blood pressure. I wasn't getting a consistent reading and that's the only reason I reached out to my doctor along with some nudging from my sister-in-law. When my doctor told me to come in for monitoring, I didn't take it seriously because I felt fine. My whole pregnancy, I felt great. I was working out, eating well.

So my biggest concern that day was that I needed to renew my license and I told my doctor I'd go to the hospital afterwards. I thought I'd be in and out of the hospital. I did not expect that I was going to be there for the next two weeks and delivering early. I didn't even pack my hospital bag. This wasn't supposed to happen.

It was hard to take anything seriously because I felt fine. I was stuck in a hospital room and I didn't feel sick at all. I was pacing around my hospital room trying to get my steps in because I couldn't leave. I needed to get my blood pressure checked just to go for a walk outside within the hospital grounds and I was denied most of the time because my blood pressure was too high. But I still felt fine. They kept asking if my vision was okay, if I felt any back pain, headaches, but I had no symptoms.

If it wasn't for my blood pressure monitor alarm going off, I wouldn't believe anyone if they told me something was wrong. The doctors finally explained to me, eclampsia comes from the Greek term for lightning, because it hits so fast and hard with very little warning. That's when I started understanding why I was in the hospital and why I was being closely monitored. They were trying to get ahead of the lightning storm.”

Thank you for sharing Arlene. Oh my goodness, what a thing to experience. Like Arlene said, preeclampsia can develop so quickly, truly like a lightning storm. I'm so glad her medical team was monitoring her closely so she was able to go on to have a healthy baby and also fully recover herself. But oh gosh, the unexpected upheaval of a two week hospital stay with such limited movement would be so, so hard.

Something that sticks out to me about this experience was how it made such a world of difference to finally understand the root of the word eclampsia and come to terms with why she needed to be in the hospital and so closely monitored. It is so, so true that knowing the why of an intervention is always important. So we hope Arlene's story may help you plan, ask questions, and ultimately help you feel a little more at peace with all of the unknowns of pregnancy.

I'll leave you with a couple actions or ideas if preeclampsia is something you're concerned about.

Number one, stay alert, aware, and informed.

Number two, keep all of your appointments both pre and postnatal. Postpartum preeclampsia can also occur.

Number three, remember that you know your body best. If something feels off, anything at all, get in touch with your provider right away. That's what they're there for, speak up and make sure you're heard.

Number four, ask your provider about aspirin. Recent studies show that low dose aspirin may prevent or delay the onset of preeclampsia. So that's a good one to write down and bring with you to a future appointment.

Number five, thinking back to Arlene's experience of spending two weeks in the hospital, it can't hurt to have a few of your favorite distractions at the back of your mind or at the very bottom of your hospital bag, just in case a longer hospital stay becomes part of your journey as well. Some people will throw in a book or their Kindle, a game or two. This one always cracks me up. I would never be able to do it myself, but there are people who resist watching the latest season of their favorite show and they use it as a reward for early labor or like time in the hospital before the baby comes. I am not that strong-willed. Great idea if you can do it.

And lastly, number six, get comfortable taking your own blood pressure. You can buy affordable monitors online or just pop down to your local pharmacy to get a reading for free. Make sure you keep a record of all your blood pressure readings to share with your provider. Sometimes those are stored within the monitor itself. Having that record is especially important if you're at all like me and deal with white coat syndrome.

You can also go back and listen to Cat's previous episode on preeclampsia at any time. And of course, visit www.preeclampsia.org for tons more information and resources. And finally, huge thanks and gratitude to Arlene and her little one for sharing their experience with us. We're so glad you're both safe and sound and we're grateful you were willing to tell your story to support other birthing people and their families in getting informed and accessing the care they deserve.

Predict, prevent, prevail. Bye guys, take care.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode.

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Welcome back to Poppy's latest audio snack. This is Alyssa, here to support you through pregnancy and infancy loss in all forms. Today's topic is going to be part one of a two part series on pregnancy after loss. 

The loss of an infant or pregnancy can be devastating to the mind, body, and soul. It can be difficult to decide if you want to become pregnant again. And if you do, the subsequent pregnancy can be confusing, stressful, and even a bit intimidating.

There are no right or wrong answers for this process, so my goal is simply to provide you with information and food for thought, so that you can make the best decision for you. As I said, this will be a two-part episode, with today's focus being on trying to conceive after a loss. Part two will focus on pregnancy after a loss. 

These episodes may bring up a lot of feelings, so please make sure to listen to your body and take care of yourself. We'll be here when you are ready.

After a loss, many people still want to have a baby, and it can be hard to figure out when to start trying again while continuing to process grief and maybe even guilt. How do you move forward, and how will you know if you're ready? Let's start with how to move forward. 

First and foremost, I'm a huge advocate for therapy. Whether it's individual, couples, or family therapy, having a space to process your feelings and name your fears goes a long way in the healing process. This is not a journey you need to take alone, and there are providers out there who specialize in perinatal loss. One great resource for finding such a person is PSIDirectory.com, where you can search by zip code and specialty. 

Along with therapy, something else that may help you move forward is looking into the cause of your loss. Even if you don't come up with an exact answer, you may be able to eliminate some possibilities and ease your mind. Any kind of testing offered may be worth considering even if you're not ready to hear the results as some options won't be available later, such as placental pathology or genetic testing. If you already turned down these options, it's okay. Placenta reviews and blood tests are still options years down the road. 

For some more in-depth looks at ways to move forward, you can listen to our previous episodes entitled Coping with Loss and Making a Memory Box.

Now that you're working on moving forward, how will you know if you're ready? More likely than not, you will get conflicting advice from professionals about when it is, quote unquote, okay to try again. This is extra confusing during an already confusing time. And the real fact of the matter is the answer is different for everyone. Don't waste your time Googling one size fits all answers as this is not a one size fits all situation.

From a medical or health standpoint, it is important to ask your doctor if you are physically ready. Depending on the details surrounding your miscarriage or stillbirth, you may need to wait for your body to heal in order to prevent further injury or infection. 

After that, it really is about how you feel mentally. You can actually go with your gut on this one. If any part of you, head, heart, or otherwise is unsure, it may be best to wait a little while longer.

Pay attention to those signals and see if you can name the feeling. Is it fear? Or is it your body telling you it's not ready? There is a difference and at the end of the day, you truly know what's best for you. 

If you have a partner on this journey with you, make sure you are both feeling ready mentally and physically. Not being on the same page before trying again can cause more stress and create new problems. As everyone's process is different, there is a strong chance you will not arrive at the point of being ready at the same time and that's okay. Allowing each other the time and space to complete your own processes will only serve to strengthen your relationship and begin your new journey in the right place. 

I hope this was helpful. I'm sending you all love and light.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to the Poppy Seed Postpartum Session. My name is Brooke and I am an RN BSN as well as a certified lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. Today we are going to talk about bonding with baby, the different hormones that you might experience as well as some suggestions and ideas of how to build and nurture that bond. 

The hormone that our body produces when we are bonding with any loved one is oxytocin. You may be familiar with oxytocin in the world of labor and delivery, as it helps to encourage our contractions while in labor and also plays a role in our milk production. This hormone is the same hormone that is secreted when we fall in love with a partner, and it is at play to assist in our bonding with our baby. This is true for the mother, the father, any parent, grandparent, or guardian. This is released when we feel safe, secure, and tended to.

Different ways that you can nurture your bond and promote the oxytocin release are skin to skin, eye contact, talking to baby, holding baby, and this can be really helpful if you have a front pack so that you can continue to do the different things around the house that you're hoping to do hands-free while still allowing them to feel close to you. 

Playing with baby, whether that's tummy time, rattles, peek-a-boo, or dancing with them, kisses, massage, introducing baby to loved ones, sharing in your favorite activity and introducing them to different pieces of your world, as well as reading to them. 

These ideas are wonderful ways to help promote and nurture that bond, but if you do feel that you are not bonding, this can be a normal feeling. This is something that we would love to speak through whether it’s with your support system, a counselor, the pediatrician, or your OB, we encourage you to speak up and to make sure that your voice is being heard and that we can help to give you ideas for how to bond better with your baby. 

Thank you so much for listening. I hope that this gave you some great ideas in order to encourage that bond. And as always, please don't ever hesitate to reach out and find the support that you need. Thank you.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi and welcome back. This is Cat, Certified Nurse Midwife. And today's question is, I am pregnant and can't seem to stay cool in the summer. What should I do? 

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I know we always annoy our patients or clients when we talk about hydration, but it is so important and crucial for our well-being. And definitely keeps you cool and comfortable. Remember, the goal is to drink at least half of your weight in ounces of water every day. 

Make it fun if water is not your thing. Add mashed berries, cucumbers, watermelon, or freeze the fruits and then add them to your water bottle. You can also add mint, rosemary, ginger, and limes or lemons. 

I always encourage my patients to experiment with smoothies, especially in the first or early second trimester when they're still very nauseous. But also in the third trimester when they don't feel very hungry, you can trick your body by adding frozen cauliflower and zucchini that way you get your veggies in. Frozen fruits, plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, and maybe a splash of orange juice and coconut water. This makes a delicious, nutritious smoothie that will keep you cool. 

Other recommendations include to avoid being out during the hottest times of the day, Go out for your walks or exercise early in the morning or lay in the afternoons when it's not so hot. Wear lightweight, light color fabric like linen and cotton, which are usually good choices to help you stay cool. Also make sure that you're using hats, definitely sunscreen, and enjoy time at the pool or a cool shower. 

You can also wet and freeze hand towels and put them into the refrigerator the night before. Take them with you on walks so you can cool down as well. And on days when you know the heat will be too much, enjoy a day indoors or in the shade. 

I hope this was helpful. See you next time!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Welcome back to Poppy's latest Audio Snack. This is Alyssa here to support you through pregnancy and infancy loss in all forms. Today we are doing part two of our two part series on pregnancy after loss. Where part one focused on trying to conceive after a loss, today we'll focus on pregnancy after a loss. This episode may bring up a lot of feelings, so please make sure to listen to your body and take care of yourself. We'll be here when you are ready. 

For this episode, I'm going to be speaking from a place of assuming you have experienced a loss and are now pregnant again. So first, congratulations. While the road ahead may still feel daunting, you have already overcome many hurdles both mentally and physically to get here, and you deserve to be recognized for that. Now, you do have a long journey ahead. 40 weeks is no joke. But with the right supports in place, we can make that journey a little more manageable. 

First things first, if you haven't already, it would be important to find a maternal fetal medicine specialist, also known as a perinatologist, who will work with your OB-GYN. An MFM will conduct more frequent and detailed scans to help monitor your pregnancy. Once you have your medical team in place, you should work with them to create a care plan that will be much more comprehensive than the monthly checkups of your previous pregnancy. 

Some things this may include are genetic testing in the first trimester, growth scans at 16 weeks, 20 weeks and every 2-4 weeks beginning at 28 weeks. EPV scans to measure your baby's placental volume, which ensures that the placenta is an adequate size for the baby's gestational age. And after 28 weeks, you may have weekly biophysical profile ultrasounds and non-stress tests for fetal heart rate monitoring. 

Remember, just because you have a plan in place doesn't mean you can't continue to ask questions or request extra monitoring and scans. You don't just deserve the level of care that will make you feel the most comfortable and confident. You have the right to it. If at any point you feel you are being treated as fragile, hysterical, or incompetent, it is never too late to find a new provider and or medical team who will treat you with respect. 

A doula who specializes in bereavement or pregnancy after loss is a great backup advocate. They can help make sure you are heard and will help remember the questions you may forget to ask. Speaking of questions, what should you be asking anyway? Definitely ask anything that is important to you, big or small. If you're worried or curious, ask away. 

If you're like me and need somewhere to start to get the ball rolling, I highly recommend checking out pushpregnancy.org. On their page for Pregnancy After Loss is a link to a comprehensive list of questions to ask your provider. No need to worry about feeling overwhelmed, however, as the amazing people at PUSH created a table of contents to break up the questions by category, including special considerations for high-risk pregnancy, equity, and Pregnancy After Loss. This is one of my favorite resources out there, so make sure you check it out.

Before I move on to mental and emotional support, let me just quickly address the language elephant in the room. Because of your previous pregnancy loss, your pregnancy will likely be labeled high risk. This term may feel intimidating, foreboding, stifling, and even offensive for some. The medical world is not exactly known for using affirming positive language (Don't get me started on geriatric pregnancy) especially when it comes to women's health. 

While high risk as a term may sound scary, it's really just a way for medical professionals to indicate quickly to other medical professionals that your pregnancy might have more needs than a quote unquote typical pregnancy. High risk doesn't mean the odds are against you. It means we're alerted to even out the field. 

So you have your medical team in place, you've asked all the questions and you're pretty confident you're in good hands, but you still don't feel quite right. You're not alone. Let's be real, pregnancy after a loss is hard. There are a lot of complex feelings involved and physical health doesn't always match mental health. This is neither rare nor weird. What's important is finding support from as many sources as possible, including of course, my favorite, therapy.

But therapy isn't the end-all be-all here. Peer support, books, podcasts, like this one, and even medication can be helpful and sometimes necessary. Remember, there is never any shame in asking for help. We want you to feel confident and empowered. 

If something still feels wrong, you could be experiencing postpartum depression, PPD, or postpartum anxiety, PPA. These are medical conditions that can occur through pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. And they're quite common. About one in seven birthing parents and one in 10 partners will experience PPD and one in 10 birthing parents will experience PPA. A history of pregnancy or infancy loss can increase the risk of developing a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder like PPD and PPA.

Symptoms of postpartum depression can include disinterest or emotional disconnection from your baby, irritability and overstimulation, eating too much or too little, sleeping too much or not enough, crying, excessive guilt, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness, and thoughts of harm to self or baby.

These symptoms can last for more than two weeks and significantly impact your ability to complete day-to-day tasks. Postpartum anxiety can develop within the first six months after birth. Symptoms include excessive worry that feels hard to control, constantly feeling that something terrible will happen, being easily irritable, feeling on edge or can't sit still, loss of appetite, a lack of sleep or interrupted sleep, racing thoughts, or thoughts of harm to self or your baby. It is essential that you speak with your doctor if you are not able to laugh or see the funny side of things. Dread things you might typically enjoy. Think nonstop about your baby's safety. Excessively blame yourself when things go wrong. Feel panicky about small tasks or your anxiety is higher than usual. You can't sleep because of unhappiness, worry, or intrusive thoughts, and are having thoughts of self-harm or wanting to run away. 

Again, we want you to be the happy, healthy parent you are capable of being. Please, please ask for help if you need it. I hope this has helped set you up for your pregnancy. Remember, Poppy Seed Health is here to support you 24-7, 365. I'm sending love and light. You got this!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns.

Hello again! This is Cat, and today's question is about staying present in the third trimester and trying to enjoy those moments before the baby arrives. 

For some, the third trimester can be full of doubt and questions about labor, timing, and lack of control. Some people love being pregnant, some are very over it. And as they approach their due date they just want know, what are things we can do to actually enjoy these last couple of months? 

Well, we've kinda talked about this already. Starting a mindfulness practice might be the way to go. Maybe a body scan. Not just to find the places that ache in the third trimester, but to know the new sensations that arrive with it. Finding opportunities for self care. If you have some swelling, then maybe an Epsom salt bath. If you're having some cramping, stay hydrated and resting. Starting the nighttime or bedtime routine. Maybe put on a mask, do a lotion, foot massage. Read a book or take up swimming or floating to ease the pressure and give your body a break. 

Maybe start a walking routine. Maybe take yourself to your favorite restaurant. Spend time with loved ones, friends, family that might be hard to do once the baby arrives. Maybe a girl’s night out or a night in when you can meal prep things for when the baby comes so you can prep and pack for that postpartum period. Maybe a game night, a photo shoot. Some people are very into doing a third trimester photo shoot or a belly cast to remember this special time. 

You could also try and explore a baby moon or a weekend at home with your partner. Give your self-permission to do things that have nothing to do with being pregnant or having a baby. 

Perhaps you write a letter to yourself from where you are in this time, but also to the baby. And it could be about anything you wanna share with them about this journey. You could also write goals you wanna accomplish before the end of pregnancy or during that first year with the baby.

Reflect on parts of yourself you love and who you hope to become as a parent. If you have kids already, plan on doing little dates to give them undivided attention before the baby arrives. 

As always, I hope this was helpful and that you were able to get maybe one or two things that might work for you as you approach that third trimester and are trying to fully enjoy or embrace this period in your lifetime. See you next time!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

This is a special Poppy for All episode intended for friends and family who may be wondering how to support a loved one during their perinatal experience. So if you're in the perinatal period, whatever you're in the middle of, a loss, a pregnancy, or postpartum, feel free to share this with anyone who reaches out asking, what can I do to help? And if you're that partner, parent, or best friend who wants to show up for the person you love in the best ways possible, welcome.

I'm Bekah, a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. We're so happy you're here and the fact that you're even listening to this and paying attention to your loved one in this way says so much about who you are, how you care, and that you really do want what's best for them. You're doing great and we hope this episode will give you a couple more tangible ideas for how to be supportive during this time. 

To start, I think we can all relate to feelings of overwhelm and how difficult it can be to think on our feet or feel put on the spot when we're in a heightened state of any kind, whether it's stress, grief, lack of sleep, sadness, anxiety, excitement or confusion. It’s quite likely that the person you care for may be experiencing one, some or all of these feelings related to their perinatal journey.

So one helpful shift we can make in our communication is to give them ideas for how we can help instead of asking that open-ended question of “What can I do to help?” Because that can really be hard to answer. 

So an example of this could be to say, what sounds better, chicken noodle soup or enchiladas? If they're feeling any kind of pain or discomfort, ask them if they would prefer a heating pad or a cold pack. Offer to make them a cup of tea or their favorite meal, ask if they want music or quiet, a shower or a foot rub. 

Chores and daily tasks around the house can be really low on the priority list. So that's a great place to start if you're wondering how to help. I worked with a client once who wrote all their essential chores on little strips of paper and placed them in a bowl by the front door. So whenever anyone came over to visit or check in, they'd grab one of those strips of paper and do whatever was listed on it, like walk the dog, clean the bathroom, vacuum the hallway, get the groceries, things like that, you get the point. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that as well-meaning as it may be, your great advice or that awesome article honestly might not be welcome right now. Try to trust that they're in good hands with the care team they've set up for themselves. It's wonderful to want to share ideas and resources. And of course, we all want our loved ones to have access to the very best care and information. But instead of just going for it and launching into the advice or suggestions, try asking them first if they want it. 

And that can sound like, hey, I just came across a great article that reminded me of what we were talking about the other day. Do you want me to send it? Or are you looking for suggestions or do you want me to listen? Or, you're probably getting a lot of advice right now, so let me know if you have what you need or if you want any more ideas to add to what you're already doing. 

And it's really important to remember that anything medical or related to the perinatal experience really is so personal. They may not want to share what's going on or they may not be ready to, and that's okay. That's entirely their business, their timing, and their decision.

This can be hard to remember, especially with family dynamics and expectations, and also simply wanting to be there for them. But it's essential that we remember that this is their experience and their timing, and we need to respect that. 

You can ask them, do you want some company or alone time? And try not to take it personally if they prefer to be alone. If they want alone time, you could offer to do something out of the house, like take the other kids for a walk, do a grocery run or pick up their prescription from the pharmacy. 

If they want your company, you could give them a massage or go on a walk together or just be there and listen if they do want to talk. Depending on what someone is going through and how they process things, they might feel like sharing with you or they may prefer to keep it private. You can say, I love you and I'm here to listen if you want to talk now or anytime in the future. 

All right. Let's wrap up with four helpful texts you could send to the person you love.

• Number one: I'm going to the grocery store this afternoon. Send me your list and I'll drop your bag of groceries on the back porch later today. 

• Number two: I'm making a double batch of our favorite lasagna. Is it okay if I leave it at your front door around 7pm? 

• Number three: I have a couple hours this afternoon and I'd love to help however feels good to you. What sounds better? Clean the kitchen or mow the lawn?

• Number four: You're on my mind. No pressure to respond. Just want you to know I love you and I'm here for you, however, and whenever you need me. I'm not going anywhere. 

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for listening and for supporting your community and loved ones the way that you do. Your people are lucky to have you. Come back and listen anytime. Bye.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, this is Bekah checking in with a short and sweet episode for anyone needing a little extra love and comfort for their journey. 

Loss is such a beast. It's unpredictable. Every day the grief can feel different. One day you're surprised to find yourself able to smile and chat and carry on conversation. And the next? The tears may be right at the surface. And your anger really quick to spark. 

I want you to know that you're not alone. What you experienced and the life you carried were real and worth feeling and remembering.

It may feel awful right now. It's not fair. Things can feel so hard — this is so hard! And it isn't the end of your story.

Here are a few affirmations and some extra warmth and a hug for whatever you may be feeling or living through today. Take these words or leave them, whatever you need and whatever makes the most sense to you right now.

I honor what was and the hope I felt.

I'm grateful for the time of growth and connection I shared with my baby. 

I love my baby.

I release the unknown and let go of my guilt. 

I'm surrounded by love and a community that cares for me and my future. 

I allow myself to be supported and held. 

I trust my body. I know it is strong and capable of healing and carrying life.

I nourish my body and give my spirit space to rest. 

I'm worthy of abundance. 

I'm worthy of the future I envision and the life I'm already creating for my family.

My path is still unfolding. I trust the next step will come.

Take good care, give yourself time and grace, and if you can, today or tomorrow, keep the faith.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, welcome back to Audio Snacks by Poppy Seed Health. This is Cat, certified nurse midwife, and today I'm answering the following question. 

I am 30 weeks pregnant and feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to do, buy, and prepare before my baby comes. There are so many baby products out there and the must-have lists for new parents are long and overwhelming. I'm trying to prepare for postpartum and parenthood, but I also need to stick to a budget and I don't want to feel like I'm drowning in baby gear at home. What will I actually need to be a good parent to my baby? 

Well, there are different ways to look at it. The fact that you're already asking yourself these questions means you're definitely headed in the right direction. 

Always look at being prepared both mentally and physically, but know that you probably will have to let go of very strict expectations and parenthood will definitely throw you for a crazy ride. Make sure that you're trying to plan ways to get enough sleep, rest, and definitely nutrition. 

Also, just going back to basics, the magic of skin to skin. You're still a safe place for your baby. So definitely make sure that you try and practice skin to skin, either you or your partner or obviously ideally both of you. This helps regulate temperature, heart rate, breathing, it promotes bonding, and will also help you with milk production. 

Family dynamics can be very complicated, and not everyone's families or relatives live nearby. But hopefully you have chosen family that can become an invaluable support in pregnancy and once the baby arrives. So learn to ask for help. If people ask how they can help, you can definitely come up with a list of things they can help you with: grocery pickup, cleaning the house, meal prepping, doing laundry, watering plants, walking your pets. If you want to spend some time alone, then it's also okay to ask people to come over and watch the baby while you go out for a pedi, a walk, coffee, tea, relaxation time. 

Decide what your plan is for feeding the baby and for diapering. And once you've made those decisions, then make sure that you have the necessary supplies. Maybe you're doing cloth diapers. Ask around to people you know that have done it in the past and what their recommendation is. There's also cloth diapering services that will come to your house. Just put everything in a bag. They take it for you and then they return it clean. 

If you're sticking with disposable diapers then my personal recommendation for that would be that you actually only get a box each of the newborn and the number ones. You have no idea how fast babies grow and you don't know how much your baby's actually going to weigh. So just having one of those boxes will ensure that you don't have a lot of excess of those. Now there are some stores that will actually change them out for you or there are places, even churches or community groups, that could do swaps. But definitely have extras of the bigger boxes if you're doing the disposable diapers. 

Some people also make their own wipes versus store bought. If you're going to be making your own wipes, then do your research, know how much of everything you need, how many you should make ahead of time. And if you're doing regular store bought wipes, then a box of those will be a good place to start as well. 

Even if you're hoping or planning to feed the baby your own milk, a bottle is always a good idea just in case of emergency. And then storage bags for your milk. Now some insurances are actually covering this, so I would make sure that you ask your provider or your insurance what the coverage is for that. 

Also again, if you're gonna be feeding the baby your own milk, nursing pads. There are reusable ones and those are always going to save you money. So if you feel comfortable with doing that, especially while on a budget, then I definitely recommend you use the reusable pads. 

When it comes to other supplies for the baby, I would recommend a play yard like a pack-n-play. If you're someone that's going to be on the go or you want your baby to kind of grow with things and you don't have the resources for both the bassinet, the play yard, and the crib, then the play yard you can take with you. You could look for one that comes with the attachment for the bassinet that then moves down so you can put the baby on the bottom. 

You definitely want to have a couple sets of onesies, socks, slippers, hats, and a blanket. Also a mattress protector is a great idea because babies will definitely have accidents. And a sheet. Also nail clippers, soaps, a pacifier if you've decided to use one, a diaper rash cream, your soap, and definitely a thermometer. I think that's one of the things I never really thought about, but as my babies were born, I realized that was a number one thing to have on my list.

Also find local resources for new parents. There's always new parent support groups, workout, baby and me groups, baby and me yoga. La Leche League is also an important tool for those of you that are going to be feeding the baby your own milk. Take a baby CPR, they're usually over at the health department or the local Red Cross. And also don't forget that if you are having a hospital birth, you need to have a car seat. You will not be able to leave the hospital without a car seat. So that's also another important thing that you're going to need to have.

I know this is a lot of information, but I hope this provides you with at least one more thing that you hadn’t thought about. And I hope you're enjoying our conversations and we will see you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

This is Cat, a certified nurse midwife, and today I'm answering the following question. 

I'm trying to prepare for postpartum and parenthood. The recommendation is to find a pediatrician or a pediatric provider before the baby arrives. Where do I start?

I always tell my patients to literally ask friends that are local to them, for the places that they recommend or that they don't recommend. Then go feel it out. 

Go into the place, see what the waiting room feels like. Are people welcoming? How long are people waiting? But also make a list of things that you want to know about the practice and the providers and then maybe call and make an appointment and meet with someone at the practice that could answer all of them for you. 

I used to be a teacher before I became a midwife and one of the things that actually had me switch practices for my children was that they did not have any vaccination schedules outside of my working hours. So ask those questions: 

• When do you usually give vaccines? 

• What time are you open? 

• Do you have after-hours? 

• Do you provide after-hours care on the weekends and nights instead of having to take your baby to the emergency room? 

• Do you have an emergency call line where you know the provider is going to answer any questions that you might have in the middle of the night?

You also want to schedule time with a mental health provider for yourself. Remember mental health is health! It is so important and there are so many changes in the postpartum period that you want to have a meeting with someone that could help you answer some of these questions about these huge changes that you're about to go through. If you are someone that has dealt with mental health issues in the past or are currently under the care of someone for some anxiety, depression, or other mental health diagnosis, I would say schedule that appointment with the provider and talk about all your fears, your anxiety, the stress that you think you're going to go through, or if you've had children in the past, that you know you will experience. If you've had a history of postpartum depression, we always want you to be open and talk about all these things. We want to help you ahead of time. 

I always tell my patients too, we're here to help you, not to hurt you. So when you start thinking about all those things that become overwhelming or that you know will become overwhelming when the baby comes, remember that we are here for you and that if it's anything that we cannot help you with, we should have the tools to guide you to receive the care that you need. 

I know this is a lot of information, but I hope this provides you with at least one more thing that you hadn’t thought about. And I hope you're enjoying our conversations and we will see you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi there, this is Bekah. I'm a full-spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy. I'm checking in today to give some extra comfort and strength to any of you who are experiencing a loss right now or remembering a loss that you have had in the past. 

And today we'll be thinking about a question that so many of us have faced during loss and that's: Who do I tell about my loss? This is such a personal question and can feel complicated by so many factors — how far along you were, if you'd already told a few people or announced your pregnancy.

So I want to start out by reminding you of something one of our advocates, Tracey, says, “A loss is a loss is a loss.” No matter the gestation, whether or not you were showing or how many people you did or didn't tell, what happened is real and however you feel about it is valid. It is entirely up to you who you choose to tell, if you choose to tell, and how you choose to talk about what you went through or are going through. 

So I'll offer a couple ideas to help you form some thoughts or decisions about this. And most of all, remember that all of this is up to you, everything on your terms and in your own time. 

If you have a partner, do share what you're feeling and needing or not needing. This can be relationship-saving. Your partner will be processing the experience too, albeit from a different angle, but this will be something for them to move through as well. Remember that everyone experiences loss differently. There's not a right or wrong way to feel, and this can be confusing or frustrating and honestly create tension when you may have really strong feelings about what's happening, and you may deeply desire to see your partner on the same page as you.

It can be hard to accept, but it's okay if your partner feels differently than you do. Communicate as much as your heart will let you and also know when to give each other space if that's what you or their healing process needs. But try as best as you can not to isolate yourselves or your feelings.

Next, no matter how early on, it's important to communicate what you're experiencing to your provider. The more information you have about your fertility, your cycle, your body, the better. Truly, because it gives you more information to work with and plan around. Your provider will have guidance for you around miscarriage warning signs, what to look out for, and may also offer other recommendations around rest, intimacy, recovery, trying again, if you choose to do so. 

Telling loved ones can feel so tricky. Remember, you don't owe anyone anything. And also keep in mind that you do deserve comfort and you do deserve to be held by those you love and trust. You're not alone and you don't have to keep this to yourself if you don't want to. 

It can be helpful to ask yourself: Would sharing this with (you fill in the blank) feel good? Would sharing this with my mom or my best friend or my brother feel good? Or does the idea stress me out?

If you might find a kernel of comfort in telling a few trusted loved ones, trust your gut and let yourself be loved and supported. You can also set boundaries with this and say something like, “I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but I wanted you to know what happened.” 

Sometimes too, especially with early pregnancy losses, letting a couple people in to know what happened can help what you experienced, the hope you had, and the real pregnancy you lived, feel more real. 

If the idea of sharing feels like it would create too much stress or pressure, then trust that too. You don't owe it to anyone. Honor yourself, protect your space, and give yourself the respect of acknowledging when you may be shutting down or shutting off feelings by not talking about them, or when you need space from others to really process on your own. 

Those are two different things. One can be so necessary and restorative and the other, shutting down, can be damaging or just prolong your healing process. To quote my best friend, who has had multiple experiences of loss herself and who has been a huge support to me in my own journey: the only way out is through. We need to feel our feelings, avoiding them may keep us stuck. And talking and sharing can be really supportive if you want to share. 

Peer support can be another good way to open up on your own terms. And sometimes there can be less pressure in talking with people more anonymously. I'm thinking about things like message boards, such as Reddit. These communities have very active TTC (trying to conceive), fertility, and loss communities. There are support groups through PSI (Postpartum Support International), and of course, we're always here for you at Poppy Seed Health.

You can share confidentially what you're living, what you're feeling with one of our advocates, a doula, nurse, or midwife. They'll be able to support you through whatever you're feeling and facing. 

When it comes to work, I do encourage you to think about taking time off. Your job may have protections in place for this from sick days, mental health days, to medical leave for miscarriage and loss. Alyssa covers this in the episode called Your Rights at Work and she gives really great info on how to advocate for yourself after a loss with employers. Take space, take time, you don't have to rush back into anything if you're not ready or don't want to. 

And finally, as always, do consider speaking with a mental health professional. Therapy can be such a valuable support in this way. There are professionals out there who are specifically trained in supporting miscarriage and loss. They'll be able to support you in processing your emotions, discovering coping techniques that are really supportive to you, and begin to imagine a path forward. So I do encourage you to consider talking with a therapist if you don't have one already. 

So that's it for today. We are thinking of you, sending our strength and our hope, and so much comfort your way. These are not easy days, but you're not alone, and we're here for you, and we will find our way through.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, this is Cat, certified nurse midwife. This month's question is, why does my baby have a different due date than I thought it would be based on my last period? Also, every time I get an ultrasound, it seems like the dates are changing. When is she coming anyway?

Well, it is true that if you're having cycles that are 28 days in length and you're ovulating at day 14, if you were to add 280 days to your last menstrual period or 266 days to your date of conception, you could get the estimated due date. 

Most people are not having 28 day cycles or they're ovulating at different times. So the American College of Obstetricians actually tells us that in order to obtain an estimated due date, the most accurate way to do it is to actually obtain an ultrasound measurement of the embryo or the fetus up to 13 weeks and six days of gestation. 

If there is a discrepancy of more than five days between your last menstrual period and that measurement and you're under nine weeks of pregnancy, then the due date would actually be changed to what the ultrasound is showing.

If you're between 14 weeks and 15 weeks and six days of pregnancy and that difference is actually more than seven days, then the due date would be changed as well. If you're between 16 weeks and 21 weeks and six days and there's more than a 10-day difference between the measurement of the baby and your last menstrual period, then the due date will be changed as well. We are told that dating after 22 weeks gestation is actually not ideal. If your last menstrual period is unsure, then we should be using an ultrasound dating as well. 

Now, when you are father-in-law and they're doing growth ultrasounds, they usually look at the diameter of the baby's head, the head circumference, the abdominal circumference, and the femur length. When they combine all of these, they're able to look at the size of the baby and how it compares to the estimated gestational age.

And that's how we know if the baby's growing well, if the growth is actually excessive or if there is a lack of growth. And then that's how it's determined if there's any reason to intervene for delivery. 

So it might not be that your due day is changing, it might just be that the baby's measuring a little ahead or behind, which is very normal. And then when it's not, you will definitely know because your providers will definitely talk about that. 

Also, if you're worried about when the baby's coming, even with all these calculations and a good ultrasound dating, or even if that dating matched your last menstrual period, only about 4% of babies are actually born on their due date. So it's still not guaranteed that the baby is coming at that time anyway. 

We usually like to think that babies come between 37 weeks of gestation and 41 weeks of gestation. It's usually the most common. The 40th week is that week of your due date. But once again, everybody's different and sometimes women actually have longer gestations. 

So as always, just make sure that if you have any doubts, any questions about anything that's going on with your baby and the ultrasound measurement, request the time to be heard and for your questions to be answered with your providers. As always, I hope this was helpful. And we will be back next month with more answers to your questions.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi there, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy. I am so happy to get to talk with you today about food, one of my very favorite subjects. And today we'll be answering the question: What foods and meals should I have on hand to prepare for postpartum? 

To start, I want to preface this by saying you can take or leave any of these ideas. Whole, unprocessed foods are vital to our health and well-being — and you know yourself and your family’s needs best. Please do adjust any of these ideas to your own food preferences, food restrictions, and dietary needs. Naturopaths, nutritionists and herbalists, postpartum doulas can be great resources when it comes to postpartum meal planning. And of course, discussing all of this with your own medical provider and getting their input on what is or isn't a great idea (especially if you’re body feeding and passing those nutrients or substances to your baby) is always recommended. So let's dive in! 

When talking with my own clients about food, I love to first consider their own traditional foods, customs and rituals when it comes to eating. These are some questions that I talk about with them and you can ask yourself. 

• What's the first meal that comes to mind when you think about your family or chosen family? 

• Are there foods that are known in your family to promote healing and ease and a sense of love? 

• What brings you comfort and a sense of closeness to who you are and where you're from? 

Thinking about these comfort foods and your family's unique connection to eating can be a really wonderful, special, and intentional place to start when it comes to nourishing your body postpartum. For me, some of these foods are eggplant parmesan, smoked salmon, oatmeal with pumpkin spice, and of course, Celestial Seasoning’s Sleepy Time tea, which my mom always, always was drinking when I was a kid, and that just takes me right back to that sense of closeness and comfort and being right next to her when I was a kid.

And I already mentioned body feeding, but if you are body feeding, this is a beautiful way to introduce your baby, through the lactation process, to your family's food traditions and heritage. What you put in your body also nourishes your baby.

Next, thinking about foods that are really rich in iron can be a helpful way to plan out meals and also replenish your blood supply. In childbirth, it's normal to lose blood, so focusing on these iron-rich foods to replenish your system and blood supply is important. 

We lose approximately half a quart of blood during vaginal birth and up to one full quart of blood during a cesarean birth. And this can of course be more if you experience any tearing, a long labor, hemorrhage, or other complications. 

So a couple ways to get more iron in your diet. Smoothies are a quick and easy way to add iron rich foods into your system. You can toss dark leafy greens like spinach or kale in with ginger and fruit for a sweet and refreshing green juice. If you tolerate soy products, tofu can be a great and unexpected ingredient to add to smoothies because it’s a good source of iron and can make smoothies really nice and creamy too. 

And this is a great excuse to enjoy some of the meals you may have been avoiding during pregnancy, like that juicy rare steak or a gorgeous sushi spread. So eat up.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it's great to eat foods that are easy to digest. Everything is shifting, resettling, coming back down after birth. And this is especially true if you had any type of anesthesia or a cesarean birth. So give yourself time, space, and all the gentleness possible when it comes to recovery postpartum. And this includes being very gentle, extra gentle with your digestive system. 

So it can be a good idea to avoid or limit things that could cause bloating or digestive discomfort like spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated beverages, or lots of caffeine. Things like whole grains, pastas, rice are easy on the stomach and fruits that are high in vitamin C like oranges, papayas, watermelon, strawberries, grapefruits, these will all help boost your immune system and promote healing. 

As an aside, it's normal to have some hesitance or fear around your first couple bowel movements after having a baby. So see about taking a stool softener to support that process and definitely eat foods that will be gentle, soothing and easy on your stomach. 

If you're body feeding, having some lactation cookies on hand is a great idea. These often have galactagogues in them. Galactagogues are foods that promote milk supply. It comes from the Greek word for milk. Lactation cookies often have things like oats, brewer's yeast, flax seeds in them. These can help boost your milk supply and they taste really good together. You can add things like chocolate chips, dried fruit. You can make them yourself, you can buy them, or even better, ask a loved one to make a giant batch that you can just keep in the freezer. Even if you're eating foods that promote milk supply, they won't automatically increase your milk supply on their own without pumping or nursing as well. The more you nurse and the more you pump, the more your body gets the message that it's time to make milk and make more of it. 

Speaking of body feeding, it's a great idea in general for any new parent to have one-handed snacks on hand. You'll be holding your baby, feeding your baby, trying to do multiple things at once. So it's a great idea to stock up on snacks that will be easy to reach for and easy to eat one-handed. Things like granola bars, those lactation cookies, frozen burritos, hard-boiled eggs that have already been peeled, handfuls of nuts or dried fruit, veggies with hummus, bananas, apples with peanut butter. Things like that can all be really helpful to have on hand when you suddenly get hangry and you need to eat. 

And here are a couple ideas for foods you can prepare ahead. You could have someone else prepare ahead and then freeze them. Good old fashioned casseroles, enchiladas, lasagnas, soups and stews, muffins, grainy breads. 

Let yourself be fed. Let your friends and family lean in close. You deserve to be cared for. You deserve to lean on your community at this time. So yes, let yourself be fed literally and figuratively by your village and trusted loved ones. People want to help and food is such a great way to care for families during the postpartum period. Meal train websites like mealtrain.com are convenient ways for friends and family to coordinate.

Alright, that's it for now and thank you for listening. We're so happy you're here. We're wishing you well and hope your postpartum journey is as smooth as possible and that it is filled with lots of yummy, delicious food. Bon appétit!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi all, I'm Bekah. I'm a full-spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and as powerful and important as it is to raise awareness, gain community support, and tell our stories, this month can also be very in your face and feel like a bit of a slog, honestly, where we may be reliving our loss over and over and over again, either out loud or to ourselves. So wherever you're at, however you may be feeling about this month, or let's be honest, this whole year, this episode is for you. May these few moments that we have together be a bit of a calm in the storm and bring a sense of gentleness, ease, and comfort for whatever you're feeling today. We're here for you. 

So for today's episode, I hope to cover a few options and resources for healing with bodywork. Some of these are supports or therapies you could set up with a professional in your area, and many of them are actually coping techniques you can incorporate on your own. We'll wrap up with a bit of gentle massage and some quiet meditation at the end.

To start, here are a few examples of bodywork that you could explore. The first that comes to mind is acupuncture. There's also Reiki, massage, aromatherapy, breathwork and meditation, and EFT tapping. That's emotional freedom technique. This is a form of self-guided support that accesses acupressure points around your body and can be really beneficial for easing anxiety and stress and grief. 

For each of these examples, you can ask around, see if anyone you know has recommendations or practitioners that they really trust for this kind of thing, and you can also Google each of these with your zip code attached to find out what's available in your area. I also really like to type the words “community-based” or “sliding scale” in with each of these kinds of searches to find options that are more accessible and sustainable in terms of cost and also connecting with community-minded people. 

A couple other ideas that could be no-cost and at your own pace are yoga, walking outside, breathing fresh air, grounding in nature. This could be going to a park and literally lying down in the grass, feeling the earth supporting you. Swimming is such a beautiful healing support, feeling that buoyancy and support from all sides. Salt water is especially healing and restorative. If you're lucky enough to live near a body of water and it's warm enough to get in, that is such a gift. Another option could be float tanks or sensory deprivation tanks, which can help relieve stress, anxiety, muscle tension and pain. 

And going back to yoga, one of my very favorite resources, free or not, is Yoga with Adriene. She has a huge library of yoga videos on YouTube that can be really wonderful for yoga practitioners of all levels. And these are absolutely F-R-E-E, totally free. You can do these guided yoga sessions at home, on your own, or with a friend, and you don't need any fancy props or tools. The sessions range in length from five to six minutes and up to a full hour.

Some may be focused on breathwork and meditation while others are sweatier strength-based practices. But she always approaches every yoga session with gentleness, self-love, and a sense of coming as you are. Some of the sessions that have been most supportive to me and that I keep coming back to are: Yoga for Panic and Anxiety, Yoga for Grief, Movement as Medicine, Meditation for Self-Love, Yoga for Forgiveness, and Anchor in Hope. 

All of these resources and options can be useful supports at any time, but especially with getting through grief milestones that may come up, like birthdays, due dates, holidays, or public awareness campaigns like this month. And during moments when reminders of your loss may surface unexpectedly, it can be helpful to reach for some of these self-guided techniques to hold onto and care for yourself.

Now before we wrap up, I'll walk us through a gentle self-massage that you can do now along with me or come back to at any time. And better yet, I hope you'll take this as a starting point and reminder that your own healing hands can offer support and strength to you through gentle touch whenever you need it. 

So find your way into some calm and you can get there however feels good to you. You could dim the lights, put on a cozy sweater, fluffy socks, pause this, go get a warm cup of tea or coffee, even light a candle, light some incense if that's your thing. It's not required, but you could grab your favorite lotion or essential oil. Bring the comfort. You deserve it. 

So now get comfy in a seat. There's no right or wrong way to do it. Maybe that's sitting on a cushion or your favorite chair or leaning against a big pile of pillows. I'm sitting in bed right now. So settle in wherever you are. You can close your eyes if that feels good to you or soften them and give yourself permission to let go of focus and find some ease as you rest your body and your mind. 

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it go out through your mouth. Let your shoulders relax. Release any tension in your face. Lick your lips, open and close your jaw. Now start to roll out your neck. Slowly, gently, there's no rush. 

Go three circles in one direction. Three circles in the other direction. You can repeat that if it feels good.

Now look up, stretch your head back, and bend your neck forward, bowing your head towards your heart, and breathe.

When you're ready, straighten up and relax your shoulders again. Bring your hands together, gently touching in a prayer position. And start rubbing your hands together quite quickly as you build friction and heat with your hands. Keep going. And when you feel a good warmth, bring one hand to your forehead and place the other on your chest. Feel the warmth from your hands radiate inward and let your body relax into itself for a few breaths.

Next, bring the hand that was on your chest up to your forehead as well. And with your fingers, gently make small circles over your forehead, across your eyebrows, down your temples. Bring the circles lower down by your ears, across your jaw, down the sides of your neck.

We'll do this again following the same path across your forehead and down towards your neck, but instead of circles, let the tips of your fingers gently tap across your forehead. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, down your temples, behind your ears, and down the sides of your neck. Next, bring your fingers behind your head and start to massage behind your ears, then up in your hair, massaging the back of your neck, the top of your head and coming back down towards the base of your neck.

Massage into the base of your neck and then down towards your shoulders. Really getting in there if it feels good or just being gentle and lightly touching, if that's better. While you're doing this, you can roll out your neck again, spending more time massaging certain areas or others if that feels good.

Now wrap one hand across the opposite shoulder and the other hand around towards your back. You're giving yourself a big hug, a deep, deep hold. Stay there. You can sway back and forth, holding yourself and your body. Take a deep breath in and let it go.

Now straighten up again and switch your hands so you're giving yourself a hug again, but with the opposite arms. Relax into yourself, deep breaths. Feel the comfort and warmth of your hands and arms supporting your body and your heart.

And when you're ready, you can sit up again and bring your hands back together in that prayer position. Rub your hands together one last time, building that warmth. And now place one hand on your heart and the other hand on your belly. Let the warmth and comfort from your hands extend into yourself and these two beautiful spaces contained within you.

You can repeat these words out loud or to yourself:

Even though I feel this loss, I love myself completely.

Even though I feel this loss, I honor myself completely.

Even though I feel this loss, I hold myself completely.

I am safe. 

I am not in a rush. 

I am whole.

I am love.

Thank you for listening and sharing this time. I needed it too. I'm sending you strength and comfort and hope. Take good care.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Welcome back. This is Cat, Certified Nurse Midwife and advocate here at Poppy. Today's question deals with a very sensitive topic, VBACs or vaginal births after cesarean deliveries. The question is: 

I am pregnant with my third baby. I had a vaginal delivery with my first one, had to have a cesarean with the last one, and I'm now pregnant again, and not sure if I want to try for a vaginal delivery or if I should schedule a repeat C-section. Help. How do I even start to figure out what my options are? 

Let's start by talking about the different acronyms that you might encounter when talking about this topic. So a trial of labor after a cesarean is called a TOLAC. It is a planned or attempted vaginal delivery after a cesarean. VBAC. A VBAC is a vaginal birth after a cesarean. 

The information I will share comes from the Mayo Clinic and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, ACOG, as well as my years of experience as a labor and delivery nurse and a practicing nurse midwife for the last 10 years. And I do work at a hospital. 

So to go back to your question, and thanks for sending that in, this is a very common question. First and foremost, the sooner you discuss this with your provider, the better.

You should have enough information to make the decision to undergo a TOLAC, or a repeat cesarean delivery after receiving all the necessary information and counseling from your provider. You should discuss potential risks and benefits to both types of delivery, again the TOLAC which is a trial of labor after the cesarean or the elective repeat cesarean delivery. And also make sure that you mention any unique factors that would apply in your case.

So it's very important that you know your complete medical history. If you've moved to a new place, make sure you always have records. An op report, which is a report from the actual surgery is extremely important. And a lot of times people don't have this, which makes it even harder for them to actually be able to attempt that vaginal delivery after the cesarean. 

You should know that there are actually absolute constraints to a TOLAC. Like previous or suspected inverted T or vertical urinary incision, previous uterine rupture or a major uterine surgery, including a myomectomy, which is a surgery of the muscle. High vertical incisions are also contraindications. So things you should know should be the type of incision and again your history if you've had a uterine rupture or any type of uterine surgery because this will affect your ability to have a vaginal delivery after a C-section. 

And if this is your first pregnancy and you've had any of those things, like a myomectomy or some extensive uterine surgery or any type of uterine surgery for that matter, that's something you should definitely talk about at your very first appointment. 

Having had vaginal deliveries before the C-section actually increases your probability of having the VBAC. And there's also the individual satisfaction of achieving that vaginal delivery. But having that vaginal delivery also decreases maternal morbidity and decreases the risk for complications and other pregnancies. Women who do achieve a VBAC avoid major abdominal surgery. And so they're going to have lower rates of hemorrhage and thromboembolisms, infections and shorter recovery periods than people that decided to have elective repeat C-section deliveries.

However, either approach will still have those risks of hemorrhage, infection, injury, or even death. So that's always there. Just make sure that, again, you talk to your provider about all the different options, things that will put you at an increased risk, and then just make that decision. If you are not in agreement with your provider, it's always a great idea to seek that second opinion or to find a referral. 

Do remember that you should plan to deliver a facility that is equipped to handle an emergency c-section because a uterine rupture is definitely an obstetrical emergency and both the mom and the baby would be at a huge risk for death if this happens. So that's the reason why a home birth is contraindicated when you've had a history of a cesarean delivery. 

There are other factors that negatively influence the likelihood of a VBAC and they include maternal age, BMI, high birth weight, gestational age at delivery, preeclampsia delivery. But again, these are all things that will apply to you individually. So it's always important that you talk about it with your providers. 

Your autonomy should be respected. Your desire should be respected. So just make sure that from the very beginning, you express that to your provider so that we could help you. Find a place that could give you, you know, hopefully what you desire, but also remember that it is also in our best interest that we have a healthy baby and a healthy mom. Also understand that in some practices, they have certain guidelines that they will not bend. And so that's why the best approach is to have that open communication from the beginning so that we can talk about all the risks and benefits and ways to make these goals happen for you. The good news is that there's more and more places that are friendly to TOLACs. 

Again, all very patient specific, but the good news is that, you know, when you do have a good plan in place, if you are a candidate for a TOLAC, a lot of times you will have a successful vaginal delivery after a cesarean delivery. So definitely don't be afraid to ask any and all the questions. We will see you next month for another topic. Have a good one.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to the Poppy Seed postpartum session. My name is Brooke and I am an RN BSN, as well as a certified lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. The question for today is what essential items do I need for Baby's first aid kit? So we'll start with a list and then we'll go into five essential skills that we recommend that you familiarize yourself with before baby. 

For essential items we recommend blunt end scissors, a thermometer (it's helpful to have a rectal thermometer, which is just a regular oral thermometer that you can use rectally as well as a temporal), cotton balls, a baby brush or comb, a medicine dropper, a bulb syringe and or a nasal aspirator, saline nasal drops, petroleum jelly and gauze if you have a child with whom you chose a circumcision, baby nail clippers, gas drops, which are known as simethicone, infant Tylenol. You can also have ibuprofen, but we wait until after six months to begin use for that. Antibiotic ointment, which we wait until ages two and up. If you are choosing to chest feed, breast milk is a natural antibiotic that you can use on cuts and grown nails, pimples, reddened eyes, it can be really helpful. Band-aids, tweezers, an infant toothbrush, and hand sanitizer for the parents for child use after the age of two. 

And there are five essential skills which you recommend you either become trained in or you familiarize yourself with in order to feel safe and confident when you're taking care of your child. 

The number one skill is CPR. You can train locally. It's often offered at the hospital or the pediatrician's office, and sometimes it can be offered in conjunction with your childbirth ed.

We also recommend choking, which frequently is packaged with CPR training. Febrile convulsions and seizures are very common in infants. We recommend that you maintain safety. You remove objects from around them to prevent injury. Cushion their head with a pillow or a blanket if possible, but do not restrain them. Time how long it lasts. Loosen any tight fitting clothing or blankets, any excess if possible, but again, do not move them, do not pick them up, do not restrain them, and after their convulsions they should begin breathing again quickly and spontaneously. If they do not, we encourage you to start CPR and seek emergency medical care. 

Head injuries, we encourage you to reassure them and remain calm, control bleeding and put direct pressure on the area. Use an ice pack for about 10 minutes to lessen the swelling as well as lessen the bruising. Observe for 24 hours. If you notice any of these red flags, we encourage you to get medical help immediately. If they are stunned or dazed, a loss of consciousness, behavioral or personality changes, a headache or pressure in the head, difficulties with balance or dizziness, nausea and or vomiting, sensitivity to light and or noise, being overly irritable, sad or emotional, as well as sleep disturbances. And it is okay for them to sleep after a head injury, but you do not want to confuse sleeping for loss of consciousness, so we recommend checking on them frequently after they've gone to sleep.

For burns, we recommend that you carefully remove clothing. Do not remove any clothing if there's a risk of skin being stuck to it. Place the affected area under cool running water for about 20 minutes and keep the rest of the body dry and warm during that time. Watch the infant for signs of shock and call 911 if you see a large area that's blistered, broken, or the infant begins to show you signs of shock. Keep the affected area under running water while you're waiting on an ambulance. Never remove anything stuck to the burn, touch the burn, burst blisters, apply creams, lotion, or fats, apply tight dressings, tapes, or anything fluffy, and always be sure to get any burned area assessed, even if it is not an emergent factor. 

And lastly, for bleeding, we encourage you to lie the infant down, examine the wound, and if you notice anything that is stuck, do not remove, elevate the bleeding area above the heart, apply direct pressure to the wound, and keep the infant warm and get emergency help if you notice that they are pale, cold, clammy, or any additional signs of shock. 

Thank you for listening to this Poppy Seed Audio Snack, I hope this helped you feel encouraged and confident when taking care of your infant during times of emergency or stress. Thank you.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi all, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy. This Audio Snack is a Poppy for All minisode with the intention of creating a quiet space and moment out of time, away from all the noise of the world, to take a deep collective breath. 

Giving this recording a timestamp, it's mid-November 2024. And you definitely don't need me to tell you just how tumultuous and unsteady these days can feel. So for a moment, we'll put those grand scale concerns and all the important details of our lives to the side. We can pick them back up when we're ready. Let's ground into community, into our inner reserves, down into the deep well of strength we each have that has kept us going up to now and always will. 

So to begin, get comfortable wherever you are. You can pause this and go get a warm drink if that feels good, cozy up with a blanket, settle in on the couch or your favorite chair. Go lock yourself in the bathroom if that's what you need to get five minutes peace. You could lie down in bed, lie on the floor. I have my sweet, gangly dog in my lap right now. You do you, bring the comfort, you deserve it. There are no rules for comfort or peace of mind. 

All right, we've arrived here in the present moment. We're right where we need to be. Whatever has been on your mind or weighing on your heart, take it and place it next to you, even literally to signal this break for your body and spirit. 

For the next couple of minutes, we'll focus on gentle breathing, inhaling and exhaling, nothing complicated. We'll gradually extend the length of each breath in and each breath out, and I'll count us through. 

To begin, let's take one deep cleansing breath together. Deep breath in… and let it go.

You can place your hands wherever is comfortable to you, on your lap, by your sides, on your belly, or at your heart. Roll out your neck, relax your jaw, let your shoulders drop. And now we'll begin. We'll take a deep breath in on a four count and breathe out on a six count. We'll do this three times and build up from there. 

Okay, deep breath in 2-3-4 and out 2-3-4-5-6. In 2-3-4 and out 2-3-4-5-6. Breathe in 2-3-4 and out 2-3-4-5-6.

This time we'll breathe in on a six count and out on an eight count.

Take a breath in 2-3-4-5-6 and out 2-3-4-5-6-7-8. In 2-3-4-5-6 and out 2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Breathe in… and out….

Okay, let that one go. For this last round, we'll extend to eight and 10 counts. I'll cue us for the first set and let you breathe through the final two. You can also keep that six, eight rhythm or go back to four, six, if that feels better in your body right now. And we'll begin. 

Take a breath in 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 and out 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Breathe in… and out…. Breathe in… and out….

Gradually come back to your own natural breathing, in and out, and easy, gentle pace. You can repeat these words out loud or to yourself. 

May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease.

May we be safe. May we be happy. May we be healthy. May we live with ease. 

One final cleansing breath together. Deep breath in… and let it go….

Be well, take good care of yourselves, take care of each other. We're here for you too.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome back to Audio Snacks. This is Cat, Certified Nurse Midwife, and this month's question deals with gestational diabetes. What is it? What causes it? What problems can it cause? How can it affect me? What are the risk factors? Who is most often affected? Would I need to be tested for gestational diabetes? How is it treated? Should I change my diet? Can I exercise? Will I have more appointments? Are there any future risks? What happens after the pregnancy? 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines diabetes as a condition in which too much glucose stays in the blood instead of it being used for energy. Diabetes is a disorder that disrupts the way your body uses sugars. All the cells in your body need sugar to work. Sugar gets into the cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. 

If there's not enough insulin in the body, or if the body stops responding to insulin, sugar builds up. That is what happens to people with diabetes. And gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that affects some people when they're pregnant. It happens because pregnancy increases the body's needs for insulin, but the body cannot always make enough. 

What causes gestational diabetes? During pregnancy, higher levels of pregnancy hormones can interfere with insulin. Usually the body can make more insulin during pregnancy to keep blood sugar normal. But in some women, the body cannot make enough insulin during pregnancy and so the blood sugar levels go up. 

What problems can gestational diabetes cause? The baby can get too big. This is probably one of the biggest issues we see. This can be a problem because if the baby's too big, it might complicate a vaginal delivery. The baby could actually get stuck in the birth canal or the mom could actually have a lot of tears, pretty deep lacerations, or even bleeding, even fetal death during delivery. 

It could also cause the baby to have low blood sugars when they're born. They could also have increased bilirubin. The babies could also have neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. Moms could actually have an increased risk of preeclampsia. The baby could also be at an increased risk of obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes later. Some other times we also see abnormal amniotic fluid volume. So there are many issues that could happen with gestational diabetes. 

What are some of the risk factors? Being overweight or obese. Being physically inactive. Having gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy. Having had a very large baby in a previous pregnancy, high blood pressure, a history of heart disease, PCOS (or polycystic ovarian syndrome), pre-existing insulin resistance. We also see it in women who are older or are carrying twin pregnancies. When it comes to race, we do see it more in women of African descent, Asian descent, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

Will I be tested for gestational diabetes? All pregnant women should be screened for gestational diabetes. If you do not have risk factors or your testing does not show you have gestational diabetes in early pregnancy, your blood sugar will be measured between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. 

How is gestational diabetes treated? To treat your gestational diabetes, you will need to check your blood sugars often. This is something you can learn how to do on your own with an easy to use machine. You will use a glucose meter to test your blood sugar levels. This device measures your blood sugar from a small drop of blood. You will have to keep a record of your blood sugar levels and bring it to each prenatal visit. Blood sugar logs can also be kept online, stored in phone apps and emailed to your provider's office. 

Most people can keep their blood sugars level and the normal range just by changing their diet. Some people will need insulin injections, which is the preferred medication, to treat gestational diabetes because it does not cross the placenta. There's also other medicines that can be used. Lifestyle behavior change is essential to the management of gestational diabetes, and it might actually be all you need. You can meet with a registered dietician, nutritionist, and also physical therapist or personal trainer, talk about exercise and different ways to achieve good glucose control. You might also have to speak to an endocrinologist or be referred to a maternal fetal specialist depending on how your sugars are looking. 

Should I change my diet if I have gestational diabetes? You might need to eat small snacks and frequent meals, especially at night. Eating regularly helps avoid dips and spikes in your blood sugar level. A lot of times, this is actually the biggest problem when we diagnose someone with gestational diabetes. We often find that the patient is actually not eating enough. It is important to gain a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy. So it's also important that you talk to your provider about how this fits into your gestational diabetes diagnosis. We want you to have a high quality nutrient dense diet. We want to increase the protein, the fiber. We wanto to have healthy carbohydrates. The American Diabetes Association has tons of information on this if you wanna look a little bit more into it. I had mentioned the importance of having a nighttime snack. Again, we want this to be a healthy snack that includes protein. You should always talk to your providers and ask for additional help if what the teaching they do at the office when you get diagnosed is not enough. 

Will I need to take medication to control my diabetes? As stated earlier, lifestyle changes and diet control might be all you need, but some women will definitely need medication. The management of insulin in pregnancy is very complex. And so most times, if this happens and you do need insulin, you will actually need a referral to a specialized care, a maternal fetal specialist, an endocrinologist, or a diabetic specialist. 

Does this mean I will also need to exercise? Daily exercise will definitely help you control your sugar and weight. If you're already exercised, you can usually keep going or possibly increase your physical activity. Even if you have not been exercising, you definitely want to talk to your healthcare provider and find activities that are safe for you. But yes, exercise is always encouraged. Walking is a great way to start. 

Will I need to deliver my baby early? If your blood sugar levels have been close to normal, chances are good that you will not have to deliver your baby earlier than your due date. But there's definitely specific recommendations depending on your own medical history and how the sugars have looked after your diagnosis. So what happens after I give birth? Your diabetes will probably go away and your blood sugar will probably go back to normal. However, you will actually have up to a 60% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on. So it is important that you follow up with a diabetic screening in 4 to 12 weeks after your baby is born and that you actually continue to check and do a glucose test every year for at least the 10 years after having your baby.

It is also important to mention that if you are actually in the preconception stage, you definitely talk about it with your providers. If you are a pre-diabetic, if you're already a type two diabetic or a type one diabetic, it is extremely important that you achieve glucose control before you actually get pregnant. Again, super, super important to get ahead of the game and if this is actually the stage that you're on. Do not hesitate and actually reach out to your providers to schedule the preconception appointments and get to work on improving your lifestyle and your glucose before embarking on a new pregnancy. 

So are there any future concerns for my children if I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes? Yes. Remember the baby will actually be at risk of obesity, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes later on in life. So make sure that you actually do tell your baby's provider that you had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant so your baby can be monitored as they grow. That is actually something that will also be done when they're first born. They will definitely check their sugars for those first 24 to 48 hours to ensure that their sugar levels are not dropping and they're actually staying at a normal range.

One last question is, so does this mean that I will have more frequent appointments? And the answer is yes. Once you get diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you usually get seen a lot more often so that we can monitor those blood sugars closely. At some point in the pregnancy and depending on the type of gestational diabetes control that you have, you might need weekly. So again, it just depends on the type of control that you have. 

Please, please make sure you ask all the questions to your provider and if you feel like you need additional guidance, speak up and ask for a dietician's or nutritionist's referral. If you actually are someone that has been diagnosed with diabetes in the past and you just haven't seen your endocrinologist or your specialist for a while, it's always a great time to ask for those referrals, go see them again, get the teaching that you need. 

Some places like the health departments or if you're at a military base, they hold classes in which they help you use the monitors, count your snacks, your meals, the protein, all the different things, even classes with exercise are also available. So explore all the options that are there for you locally and definitely ask your providers any questions you might have. As always, I hope this was helpful and we will see you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks, Poppy Seed Health's latest offering in perinatal exploration, self-advocacy, and self-care. First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Brooke and I'm your facilitator today. I'm an RNBSN, as well as a lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery, and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

Today's topic is postpartum body image. This is an opportunity to find a new relationship with your body. And in doing that, we sometimes need to leave space to grieve our prior body. I actually have a friend who's currently studying and releasing a book acknowledging body grief, coining the term in delving deeper into what we might feel when our body no longer looks or functions or feels as it once did. Please look into Jane Mattingly for more on body grief. 

Once you have had the opportunity to grieve what your body used to do, how it may have used to look, we encourage you to reframe your thinking into how amazing your body is. Any growth requires change. You grew into your motherhood and your body grew alongside you and adapted in order to give you this opportunity. While there is real grief in that space, there is also joy to be found. 

We as a society find that there's this negative pressure of bounce back culture. Everyone puts so much emphasis on how we look, what size we are, and all the while we're missing the biological reason that our body has changed. Our body adapts to literally give your baby a soft place to land. Your body is designed to curve to your baby in order to provide nourishment, comfort, and to nurture your bond. 

While there is a huge challenge in postpartum recovery, both physically and emotionally, building a good support network, and advocating for yourself if something is concerning or is just not right is incredibly important. We cannot stress enough, advocate, advocate, advocate. You know your body best, and oftentimes in our culture, we can be dismissive of new mothers in their role and be hyper fixated on the infant. If you feel concerns in your body that seem abnormal or if you even just have questions about your new state of normal, this is important that you find the right providers and the right support network to hear you out. 

Let's go through some postpartum recovery symptoms that will help you to anticipate what you are going to experience. There can be breast engorgement, constipation, perineum soreness, especially if you tore or if you had to have an episiotomy or assisted delivery with a vacuum, forceps, Kiwi, anything of the sort, vaginal discharge, hemorrhoids, urinary incontinence, afterbirth pains, baby blues, crying, fatigue, paranoia, hair changes, insomnia, and swelling. Just to name a few, this is not an exhaustive list.

The best thing that you can do for yourself in your recovery is to anticipate these symptoms, prepare for them, confront these symptoms if they do come up, acknowledge your new experience and your new body, grieve what may have been, and finally find peace in your new normal and your new direction forward. 

While there is power in honoring your body, and the changes making motherhood possible, we also need to be sure to acknowledge the grief and trauma in order to fully process our experience. Please have grace with yourself and lean into your support system. Be sure that you're advocating with your providers, you're advocating within your support system, and you're getting the care that you need in order to embrace these new changes and nurture your bond. Thank you so much.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. We're glad to be here with you and sharing a couple moments together before we close out the year. 

The winter time presents all sorts of new challenges for our mental and emotional health. It's dark, cold, there's often added stress with work and finances. The holidays are not for the faint of heart. And especially so for those of us who have experienced any kind of pregnancy or infant loss. Between the general stress, events with work and loved ones, those tear-jerker ads on TV, not to mention the milestones and memories we may hold quietly in our hearts, it's not an easy time. It can feel like cycling through the five stages of grief on overdrive and on repeat.

You are not alone if you're having a harder time than usual right now, if you find yourself thinking about how old your baby would have been, or how far along you would have been in your pregnancy, that the holidays are less bright or magical without the presence of the little one you hoped for and planned for and longed for. So this mini-sode is for you. We're right here with you and hope to offer a couple options for comfort and ease as you head into the coming weeks. 

There will be settings we find ourselves in that invite unwelcome questions or bring up difficult emotions this time of year. Holiday parties are infamous for that. So this is an invitation to think about setting boundaries with yourself and others as a healthy way to protect yourself. That could be declining certain invitations altogether and giving yourself a cozy night at home, or going out to a movie with your best friend instead of that holiday party. 

Or for events that you do choose to attend, you can go into them with a couple phrases in your back pocket if anyone asks those dreaded questions about a past pregnancy or your plans to have a child. Some of those phrases could sound like...

• Thank you for thinking of me and sending your love. Keep it coming. 

• My partner and I want to keep this private right now. We'll let you know when we have an update to share. 

• Or, I'm not ready to talk about it, but I'd love to hear about you. What's new in your life?

Limiting or staying off social media altogether could be another protective gift to yourself. There always seem to be more pregnancy announcements around the holidays and new year and it can be hard to see holiday greetings with photos of families, especially those with kids and new babies. If you are on your phone, think about having a couple tools in mind to help yourself if you happen to come across photos or messages that are triggering. 

This could be setting your phone down for 15 minutes, closing your eyes and taking four deep breaths, going to drink a glass of cold water or make yourself a cup of tea, stepping outside and breathing the cold air, even just getting up and going to the bathroom to change the setting.

It's not always realistic to take time off of work right now, especially if you're picking up extra shifts or covering for coworkers who are off, but do find ways to give yourself some rest and a sense of ease right now, whether that's setting aside an evening to start reading a new book, taking a bubble bath, going on a long walk and zoning out to music or a podcast, or blocking off an entire morning so you can sleep late, stay in your pajamas and just stay cozy at home.

This time of year can involve so much reflection and looking back on highlights of the year. And honestly, the highlight reels can be a singular kind of torture if it's been a hard year or the worst year of your life or one with more downs than ups. So permission to not consume that kind of content if it's not working for you right now. 

But if it feels okay and you're ready for it, maybe give yourself permission to consider parts of what you experienced this past year in a new way. You could take a step back in time and let yourself acknowledge things like: 

• The weeks I was pregnant were the happiest weeks of the entire year. I felt love and hope in brand new ways. 

• 2024 will always be important to me because I felt the joy of becoming a parent. Or I felt the hope of becoming a parent. 

• The hardest and most special moment of the year of my life was holding my baby and saying goodbye to my baby. 

Let yourself remember and treasure and feel those truths too. Light a candle for yourself and your baby. Listen to a song that holds significant meaning to you. Go to that special place where you can sit and remember and cry if that's what happens. And if the time is right, let yourself open up to the idea of what hope could feel like again. That doesn't mean denying your grief or forgetting that treasured time and what you experienced. You're allowed to feel it all. You're allowed to feel hope, to plan for the future, and to imagine the life that you deserve and desire.

We're sending you strength and ease and hope for the new year ahead. Take good care.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke and I'm an RNBSN as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

Today, we will be discussing vaccinations, why our baby may need them, what vaccinations we may need, as well as honoring and recognizing that it is ultimately the choice of the guardians and parents to make these decisions. 

Vaccinations give you immunity to certain diseases. If you have immunity against a disease, you can have protection against that disease. You may wonder why your baby needs vaccinations for diseases that you've never heard of. You may not know anyone who's ever had a disease like polio or diphtheria. And many diseases that vaccinations help prevent once infected and killed many children in this country. 

Because of vaccinations, most people in this country don't get these diseases anymore. Vaccinations can help protect your baby from diseases and help prevent spreading diseases to others. So what vaccination does our baby need? At birth, hepatitis B, the first dose is given within 12 to 24 hours of birth. But kids not previously vaccinated can get it at any age. Some low birth weight infants will get it at one month or when they go home from the hospital. 

RSV-MAB, while not a vaccine, this antibody shot helps to protect babies against respiratory syncytial virus, which you may have heard of going around and being quite dangerous for infants and young children. An RSV vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women during their third trimester if their baby will be born during the RSV season, which is similar to the flu season, fall and winter. This vaccine will protect the newborn from severe RSV disease. Most babies whose mothers got the RSV vaccine during pregnancy will not need this antibody shot. Those who do will get their first dose during or just before RSV season. 

At one to two months, the second dose of Hep B. At two months, DTaP, which is diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis. Hib, which is an influenza type B vaccine, IPV, inactivated poliovirus, PCV, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, RV, rotavirus. 

And then at four months, boosters with DTAP, Hib, IPV, PCV, and RV. At six months, another booster for DTAP, Hib, PCV and RV. And then at six months and annually, the influenza vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine. Between six and 18 months, HEPB and IPV are also due for a booster. And then at 12 months, another booster of HIV. And then we get MMR, PCV and varicella.

You may be wondering who needs to follow a different vaccination schedule. Your provider may recommend a different vaccination schedule if your baby is at risk of getting certain diseases or is off schedule. Examples include: 

• If your baby has health conditions like HIV, sickle cell, heart disease, and certain cancers.

• Your baby is traveling outside of the US. Some diseases are more common in other parts of the world than in the US, so you need to check with your provider if your baby is traveling outside the country. 

• There's a disease outbreak. An outbreak is the sudden start or increase of a disease at a certain time and place. If you live in an area where there's a measles outbreak, ask your baby's provider about what vaccination schedule your baby needs to follow. 

• During COVID-19, many people missed their vaccination appointments. If your baby's vaccinations were delayed or shifted, you need to contact their healthcare provider in order to get them back on schedule. 

All babies, including babies who spend time in the NICU, need vaccinations. Preterm and low birth weight babies follow the same CDC vaccination schedule. Vaccinations are especially important for preterm babies because they have a higher risk of problems from diseases than babies born on time. The only vaccination that may be delayed in preterm babies is for hepatitis B. Most newborns, as we said before, will receive that vaccination within 24 hours of birth. If your baby doesn't weigh enough or isn't stable enough, they may opt to give it to the baby later. If it is delayed, you should make sure to ask your provider when they will receive that vaccination. 

Side effects that you can expect from vaccinations include, but are not limited to, fussiness, low fever, redness or swelling or soreness at the spot where the baby got the vaccine. 

Severe allergic reactions are rare, but things that you need to be on the lookout for and need to opt to call 9-1-1 for would be breathing problems, swelling of the throat and face, hives, fever, sleepiness and not wanting to eat, weakness, dizziness and fast heartbeat. 

For almost all children, the benefits of getting vaccinated are greater than the side effects that they may have. This is not true for all children, especially those who have a severe allergic reaction or have a weakened immune system or a severe illness.

One of the big questions that has gone around in the media for the last 30 or so years has been whether vaccinations cause autism. And that has been proven time and time again to not be accurate. Vaccinations do not cause autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause major social communication and behavioral challenges. 

Can getting more than one vaccination at a time harm your baby? During a well-baby visit, and oftentimes at the hospital before you're discharged, your baby may be receiving more than one vaccination. Recommended vaccinations have been tested together and are safe for your baby to get at the same time. Things that you can do to help your baby at the time of vaccination would be to offer nursing, snuggling, swaddling, especially arms if they're receiving vaccinations in the legs, and then nursing immediately after the completion of the vaccinations, singing to them and talking in a soft voice, letting them know that you're there and stroking their head during the procedure is often a great way to show them that you're there and you're by their side throughout it all. 

And I just want to be sure to again say that this is a very specific decision for families to make. All that we can do is offer the guidance, the evidence and the suggestions that have been given. But ultimately it is up to you. It is your baby, it is your family, and these decisions are for you to make and yours to make alone. We only encourage you to read and look into as much information as you can to make sure that you feel confident and educated in your decision-making. And as always, Poppy Seed Health is here to help you talk through any of these decisions. Thank you for listening.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. It's January and with this fresh start, we wanted to kick off the new year with an episode answering this question: I want to prioritize my reproductive health, but I'm not sure where to start. 

Oof, I am with you. I am personally in the midst of figuring out some thyroid and fertility questions, so this is a good one for me to reflect on too. And I'll say that when it comes to reproductive health goals, it's so tough to know where or how to begin, who to talk to, who to trust. 

For better or worse, there's so much information out there. And with things like having a baby, not having a baby, understanding our hormones, or trying to get to the bottom of challenges like PCOS, fibroids, thyroid conditions, and so much more, it can feel kind of like you're there at the bottom, just staring up at the whole mountain and wondering how the heck you'll ever make it to the top. But getting help, learning new information, and making any necessary life changes can go a long way in getting us closer to our reproductive health goals. 

So we have some ideas that we'll talk through — some resources we’ll touch on, cycle tracking, self-advocacy, and finally sifting through all the noise. 

To begin, I want to share a couple resources upfront that could be helpful places to turn to for more information on things like hormonal health, cycle tracking, nutrition, supplements, pregnancy, postpartum, trying to conceive, the list goes on. These are resources I trust with content I recommend to friends, colleagues, and clients, and that I also consume myself. 

There's the podcast, Fertility Friday, by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. The book, Real Food for Fertility, also by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack with Lily Nichols. The book, Real Food for Pregnancy, by Lily Nichols. And I also like to follow Dr. Aviva Romm on social media. 

So let's get into cycle tracking. If you're not familiar, cycle tracking is a way (and it can be any way, there's not just one way to do it) but a way to keep an eye on your menstrual cycle. This is a really empowering place to start with reproductive health because our menstrual cycle can reveal really important information about what's going on with our hormones, nutrition, fertility, and overall health. In recent years, many people have even started referring to the menstrual cycle as the Fifth Vital Sign because it's that much of a key to understanding our overall health. 

I'm probably not the only one who's gone in for my annual PAP exam and not known or totally had to guess the dates of my last period. But if we're tracking our cycles, we don't have to worry about that because the idea with cycle tracking is that you pay attention to what your body is doing throughout all four phases of your menstrual cycle: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. And you keep track of what you notice. Things like spotting, the length of your period, discharge, cervical mucus. You can get detailed with things like PMS symptoms, your mood, even track your basal body temperature if you're trying to conceive. And people who are well practiced at tracking their cycle and things like their fertile window and non-fertile days can even use what's called the Fertility Awareness Method as a natural approach to birth control. 

There are apps out there for cycle tracking like Flow and the Clue app, which make it really simple. You can also just keep notes on your phone or do pen and paper, whatever makes the most sense for you. And after a couple months of tracking your cycle, it will become a habit. You'll start to notice patterns and it might even help you identify where in your cycle that something feels off to you, or it might help you really build confidence in understanding where your body's at. Cycle tracking and having a clear picture of what your menstrual cycle typically looks like is a great foundation for starting a conversation with your provider.

No matter what you're beginning to explore in terms of your reproductive health, whether it's related to balancing hormones, preconception questions, having a healthy pregnancy, etc. cycle tracking can give you a head start in being able to determine where things are at with your body and if there's anything you could adjust in order to reach your personal reproductive health goals. 

I feel like we can't really talk about all this without acknowledging that self-advocacy is hard. I struggle with this. For whatever reason, it doesn't feel as difficult to advocate for others as it does for myself. And I think one way we can really help ourselves with this is by starting to have more conversations with our closest friends about these things. There are at least a couple really positive things that could come out of this: 

The first being that you'll probably realize you're not alone. Your friends may not be experiencing the very same thing you are, but chances are they've been through or are going through something to do with their reproductive health that will allow them to empathize with you, share their own ups and downs, and encourage you to keep going. 

You may also find ideas or resources that you're interested in trying yourself. You might hear some great recommendations, and maybe most importantly, you'll give yourself the opportunity to practice talking about your reproductive health in a low pressure environment with someone you trust. And this can help set you up for more confidence if you do decide you're ready to open up a conversation with your medical provider or any professional in the health and wellness space about what you're working towards. 

Now, sifting through the noise. OMG, has anyone else been on social media lately? Because it is loud. There's so much information out there. It can be absolutely overwhelming and potentially dangerous in terms of misinformation. But we can only spend so much time down the rabbit hole. At bare minimum, I'll say that it's easy to get lost in the noise and impossible to do everything that everyone is suggesting online. One person says to cut out dairy, another says to only eat full fat yogurt. You get the picture. We've all been in that standstill of overwhelm. So how to know what to trust, what information to take in, and what to take a break from? Here are three checks that we can use to help sift through all the noise: check screen time, check credentials, and check your gut. 

Okay, check screen time. You don't need to set timers, but be aware of how much time you're spending sucked into the screen and how much you're actually inhabiting your own life. Try to be careful and intentional about what you're taking in. Ask yourself, is this actually helpful information that will empower my life and this experience? Or is it just compounding the panic and pressure I already feel? We all have a saturation point and also in terms of mental health related to our reproductive health, there are a lot of fear-based accounts out there that intentionally feed into our sense of panic about whatever it is that concerns us with a now-or-never attitude or they swear by this-one-thing! When it comes to our reproductive health, we truly are complex beings. There are no one-size fits all solutions. And if someone is promising that they have your fix, it's good to question that. 

Related to this, check credentials. I don't mean that we can only listen to OBGYNs or that we shouldn't follow a content creator who doesn't have credentials behind their name. I mean, I'm a doula, so I have only love and respect and appreciation for non-medical professionals. But I do mean that paying attention to things like credentials can help us decipher what we should and shouldn't expect to get from the different voices on the internet. It's wise to double check if an article you're reading is evidence-based or if it's been medically reviewed. Or if you notice that an account you follow is promising certain outcomes or giving medical advice, but they're not a medical professional, then take that with a grain of salt. And if it's information you're curious about and think might be a good fit for you, take note of it and bring it up with your doctor or therapist or naturopath, whoever you're connected with who'd be able to give you further guidance. 

Last but absolutely not least, check your gut. If something doesn't sit right with you, trust that feeling, whether it's a person online, a book, an article, a podcast episode, some random bit of advice you come across. You do not have to do or partake in anything that doesn't make sense for you. If those internal sensors are lighting up, it's probably for good reason. So trust yourself first and foremost, always, always, always.

Alright, that's it for now. Thanks so much for listening and being part of our Poppy community. We're so glad you're here. Best of luck with whatever you're moving towards and take good care.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, this is Cat, welcome back. Today's question is: I just found out I'm pregnant and I have scheduled my first appointment. I need tips for great communication with my provider during pregnancy and childbirth. How do I take my concerns to appointments? How do I get in touch between appointments for when the office is closed? When do I speak up and say what I desire? When do I ask them about birth philosophies and how they handle different situations like induction, artificial rupture of membranes, cesarean rates?

First, I would like to say that you need to look for a provider that you align with, even if it takes a few tries. It's basically an interview process. You want a practice that will respect you and your desires, but also one that is practicing within their scope and safely. You also have to be honest and discuss your whole health history and build trust in an open communication channel. 

There are plenty of practices and providers out there and people are usually able to find someone that makes you feel heard, respected and empowered. But you won't know any of that unless you ask, speak up and do your research. With the limitation of insurance or our lack of, for some people, this might be unreasonable or unrealistic. But it is your birth, it is your body, your baby and your responsibility. And you have to be your biggest advocate. And better to ask upfront before you end up in a place that is not safe for you or one that does not align with your beliefs. 

You can call and ask questions that are important to you about the practice and their procedures before you even schedule an appointment. Once you've made the appointment, I love it when my patients bring a list of questions for the first appointment. If not, then when? You want to find out early on if their practice has expectations aligned with yours, and if they aren't a good match, what your options are without delaying or interrupting care. 

After that first appointment, continue to make those lists throughout the weeks. And if you feel like you have a lot of questions that won't be covered during a routine visit, feel free to make an extra appointment. Also, look around for classes that the practice and hospital offer, so you get familiar with how they practice and what's available to you. 

You’ll also want to ask about their after hours coverage and phone lines. For example, my practice has a midwife on 24 hours a day, every day of the year for after hours calls. We tell our patients that on the weekends or nighttime when the office is closed, they can call the hospital and ask for the midwife on call and they get transferred to us if they have a pressing issue or question that cannot wait until the office opens back up, but aren't sure if they need to go to the hospital. We also take walk-ins during business hours. The patients know to call the office and we triage them to see if they need to be seen the same day. We also have a patient portal that the patients can send questions through when you don't necessarily need an appointment but have questions that one of us or the nurses can answer without you needing to come in. 

If you've had a C-section, any complications or even if this was your 8th, 9th or 10th pregnancy, you will still have questions about the different procedures or practices. So ask. You do not want to wait until the last minute to find that what you want is not even an option at the place where you will be giving birth. 

For example, I recently saw someone for the first time. They were almost 41 weeks pregnant and hoping for a trial of labor after a cesarean (TOLAC). They had been a patient in my practice most of their pregnancy, but I had not met them yet. While this patient had discussed the TOLAC and had been cleared for it, she'd never discussed induction of labor and how that would be different for someone with a uterine scar for our practice and hospital guidelines, nor had she expressed her desire to birth in the water until that day. While we love position changes and we can do intermittent monitoring and pretty much anything you want if it's safe, the hospital does not allow intermittent monitoring in someone who is being induced. And we have showers, but not tubs. 

If this patient had mentioned her desires early on, she would have known this was not an option at our facility and we would have tried to transfer her to a place where this could be a possibility. She also had not discussed what an induction would look like for her. This is an example of a systems failure, both on our end and hers. If the providers were also communicating about the different scenarios as the pregnancy was progressing, or even once she made it to her due date, or even when she talked about the TOLAC, this might have been brought up. But also as the patient, you need to make sure you are talking about all those desires and goals for your experiences. 

Maybe start a first, second, third, or fourth trimester list with questions regarding your pregnancy, birth, and the whole process — anything that comes to mind as well as transfer options, delivery limitations, NICU information, and discuss them at your appointments. If you're delivering at a hospital, they usually have links to the unit website where you can submit your birth plan or schedule appointments for tours and meeting with the department to discuss certain expectations or plans. 

Remember, it is a team effort, but you do have to be your biggest advocate. Sadly, you can’t rely on people to give you what you need when you haven't expressed your needs. Education is a must. So is good communication between you and your provider. Take the time to learn and ask all the questions to ensure a safe and satisfying experience. As always, hope this was helpful. See you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke and I'm an RNBSN as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I've worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery and have supported friends and family throughout their childbearing and rearing journeys. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

This month, our topic is going to be on postpartum movement and exercise. And before we get started, I just want to remind you that here at Poppy Seed Health, we firmly believe in honoring your body and recognizing what your body has gone through and finding grace and thankfulness for what your body has created. The benefits of exercise after baby are to help you recover after childbirth, make you stronger and to help you find mental health benefits. 

Even when you're tired and not feeling motivated, there's so much that you can do to help regain strength and to be in touch with your body. No two pregnancies are the same, but after you are cleared by a health professional, which is generally between four and six weeks vaginally, six to 12 after cesarean, regular exercises will help you strengthen and tone your muscles, recover and regain strength in your pelvic floor, raise your energy levels so that you feel less tired and help you to connect with your baby if you're finding movement with your baby involved. 

Exercise, as far as mental health goes, can help to relieve stress and prevent postnatal depression. There are also so many different exercise courses where you can connect with other new parents and bond further with your baby. Before you get started, we need to acknowledge that our body has changed after pregnancy. When you do feel ready for exercise and you are cleared, it is very important that you remember this and you try to not overdo it. You need to listen to your body and be in touch with when you are feeling exhausted, when your muscles are feeling strained or weakened, and different changes that you might notice in your pelvic floor. 

Labor and birth can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, and sometimes gentle exercise is best. During pregnancy, your hormones do affect your joints and ligaments. This can continue for anywhere from six months after birth or until the cessation of chest or breastfeeding. This weakness related to the hormonal changes and the structural changes can put you at a greater risk for injury, including prolapse of the bladder, uterus, or back wall, also known as rectocele. 

The pelvic floor muscles include the ligaments and the muscles that support these organs. Regular exercises that are considered to be pelvic floor friendly can actually help to strengthen those muscles and those ligaments. But you need to make sure not to do more damage by exercising too vigorously too soon. Be especially careful of using heavy weights or doing anything that increases the pressure within your abdominal wall. 

So where do you get started after pregnancy? A lot can depend on how fit you were before you had your child and what you went through during your labor. What we can do is start with gentle pelvic floor and abdominal exercises one to two days after birth. Oftentimes this includes mindful breathing and connection back to the core and pelvic floor. Oftentimes during this time period, you need to make sure that you're avoiding any core exercises that can increase again that abdominal pressure that I had mentioned. 

After you've connected to your abdominal floor and core, you can start with gentle walks. Oftentimes you can push the stroller if you aren't experiencing prolapse and you are feeling supported within your pelvic floor. At your own pace, you can gradually increase the time and pace of your walks. And this is a great opportunity to get outside and again, connect with baby as well as other parents who are also postpartum. 

Returning to exercise after a cesarean is a little bit trickier, where you are recovering from a major operation. You can right away start the pelvic floor exercises that you do after a vaginal delivery. You can start with your abdominal muscles as well as your pelvic floor, but again, being very mindful to avoid any increased pressure within your abdominal wall. This includes exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, or abdominal curls. Avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby for the six weeks after birth. Until about 12 weeks after birth, you will still be healing internally. It is okay to start walking prior to this as long as your provider has cleared you. But be very mindful if you feel any discomfort, pain, or pulling at your cesarean scar. If you feel any of this at all, wait about a week or two before you start again and make sure to listen to your body and not work out to the point of exhaustion. 

We are moving to get back in touch with our body and not to punish ourselves or to try to return to a level of fitness that we were prior to pregnancy. What are other low risk exercises that we can do? We can try abdominal exercises or abdominal bracing in different positions, pelvic floor exercises, or including exercises that are safe after pregnancy as long as we are aware of the pressure within our abdominal wall. This can include walking, swimming, aqua aerobics once we are cleared vaginally and the bleeding has stopped, yoga, Pilates, low impact aerobics, lightweight training, and cycling. 

And if you do have any questions about your pelvic floor condition after pregnancy, I highly encourage you to consult a pelvic floor physical therapist. They can help take notice of what's happening within your pelvic floor and teach you how to do these exercises in a safe way. Something that seems simple, such as breathing with a certain movement can sometimes be more complicated than we could ever imagine. And having a professional on your side with the expertise can help to train you to train in a way that is safe for your pelvic floor and core. 

For the very least, for three months, you should avoid heavy weights, sit-ups, high intensity aerobic training such as running and tennis. When should you be concerned about exercising? This is again, referencing going to see a pelvic floor physical therapist. It is helpful to be in touch with them. You can get a referral through your primary care practitioner or through your OB. You may be experiencing a prolapse or prolapse-like symptoms if you have trouble emptying your bowel or bladder, have a feeling of pressure in your vagina, notice a bulge or swelling in your vagina, or notice that you are incontinent with urine or feces. Prolapse can be very uncomfortable. If your symptoms are bothering you or made worse by exercise, you need to see your doctor and see what they recommend. This could include anything between making lifestyle changes, doing pelvic floor physical therapy, having a pessary to support your prolapsed organs, or last but not least, surgery to repair your pelvic floor. 

I hope that this is a helpful place to start for your postpartum journey into fitness. And remember that we are doing this to honor our body. We are doing this to honor ourselves, to feel our best physically, mentally, and emotionally. While you're taking this journey, think about what you want your baby to see. Do you want to see a healthy relationship with exercise and a healthy relationship with our bodies and physical fitness? Or do you want them to see you taking it as an opportunity to try to change something about yourself? While it can be hard to escape that mindset, it is so important for you and for your baby that you find your way to healthy body image and healthy physical movement.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. Today we have an episode for anyone who is trying to conceive after experiencing a prior pregnancy or infant loss. We'll be focusing on getting through the two week wait before taking a pregnancy test and offering a few ideas that all have to do with easing anxiety and supporting a healthy luteal phase, whether or not you do go on to become pregnant.

The luteal phase is the time between ovulation and your next period. It's the time when your body prepares for a possible pregnancy with increased progesterone, thickening of the uterine lining, and potentially the implantation of a fertilized egg if you become pregnant. 

As with everything related to our reproductive health and menstrual cycles, the luteal phase can look and feel different for everyone. There's a wide range of normal but it typically lasts about 14 days. Most at-home pregnancy tests work best two weeks after ovulation or around the time you'd expect to have your period, when levels of the pregnancy hormone, hCG, would be high enough to detect in a urine test. And this period of waiting between ovulation and either getting your period or a positive pregnancy test is often referred to as the two week wait. Online and in the fertility community, you'll often see it written in shorthand as just “TWW.” 

The two week wait can be challenging for anyone trying to conceive. There's often so much hope, anticipation, and longing that can build up in that time — and just gotten you to that point in the first place. And for those of us trying to conceive after loss, the two week wait can be uniquely grueling and anxiety-ridden.

You might find yourself feeling emotions about your loss that you thought were behind you. You might experience extreme heightened anxiety and find it difficult to concentrate on work or other commitments, kind of spinning in circles, not really knowing what to do with yourself. 

You might have spiraling thoughts and what ifs that jump from, what if I miscarry again? Or what if I can't get pregnant again?

You might be on high alert, noticing or flinching at any possible pregnancy symptom with combined hope and fear. 

The two week wait is a strange limbo. It's not easy to get through. So here are five ideas that you can consider incorporating to help yourself during the two week wait. And we hope they may be supportive to you regardless of whether or not you do become pregnant in this time. So I'll list these five ideas upfront and then go back and talk through them in a bit more detail. 

So first, focusing on nourishment. Second, gentle movement. Third, your favorite hobbies. Fourth, connecting with your people. And fifth, connecting with yourself. 

So for nourishment, give yourself space and permission to really enjoy your favorite comfort foods. You could try to make them with a twist by incorporating whole ingredients. It could be like mac and cheese with kale and brown rice pasta. Warming foods like oatmeal or soups are really great. You can load them up with veggies. Anti-inflammatory options are also really supportive to the luteal phase and to increase progesterone. Dark chocolate is great. Dark leafy greens. Fish. Nuts. Less caffeine, limiting alcohol, but not limiting calorie intake. Really giving yourself permission to enjoy eating, filling your body, filling your belly with good foods and what you need to eat, making sure you're eating breakfast, having snacks throughout the day. Food is good for you and your body needs that nourishment. 

Gentle movement can be a really nice distraction and also a way to get outside and connect with nature during this time. If the weather's nice, going on bike rides, yoga indoors or outdoors, swimming can feel great if that's your thing. Also just going for a walk, listening to a podcast and going out and strolling, staying active and clearing your mind and moving your body can do wonders at this time. 

Next, get back into your favorite hobbies. If you love to cook, try making some new dishes. New recipes that might seem really complicated, but this could be a good time to make that long grocery list, go get all the ingredients, and spend a couple hours on the weekend making something new and different. You could get crafty with an art or sewing project if that's your thing. I've recently rediscovered my teenage love for making collages. Puzzling can be super relaxing at a time like this. If you love to read, go check out some books on your reading list from the library, anything that will keep your mind busy and a bit distracted. Not that you are trying to avoid thinking about the possibility of a pregnancy or trying to shut down thoughts about your loss, but giving yourself options to deal with anxiety and help ease any sense of stress or tension that you might feel related to the limbo of waiting.

Next, connect with your people. This is a good time to be proactive about getting plans on the calendar to spend time with your loved ones. Things like going to see a movie with your best friend, trying a new restaurant with a large group, meeting up for coffee with a coworker you really respect. This kind of social connection is such good medicine and a really healthy distraction. 

And lastly, connect with yourself. Of course, this looks and feels different for everyone. Some people love journaling, others meditation, listening to music, doing breath work. Think about what helps you feel like yourself, what helps you come back to yourself, reconnecting with yourself and your spirit and being able to focus on the present moment and appreciating who you are in the here and now. It can provide us with the opportunity to remind ourselves that we are worthy and we are enough exactly as we are.

So we hope that gives you a couple ideas to get started and we wish you the best. We wish you ease and hope and the future that you deserve and desire. Thanks for being here and we'll catch you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome back to Audio Snacks. This is Cat. This month's question is:

I just found out I'm pregnant and I've been a runner all my life. I'm in excellent health and have no complications so far. Do I have to stop running now? I also enjoy light weights and swimming. How do I know if it's okay to continue to go to class? And once the baby comes, when can I start exercising again? I also enjoy a yoga or Pilates class once in a while. Is that okay too? 

First, let me say how happy I am that you are an active person and in great health. I like to tell my patients that they're not sick, they're pregnant. Of course, this only applies to those without certain conditions. So first, make sure you do not have a condition in your pregnancy that is going to limit your ability to exercise. 

Exercise is great because not only is it great for your health, it provides a healthy start for the baby and your new family. If you continue to exercise during pregnancy, it will actually help you become stronger for delivery. It also helps your mental health by helping you reduce stress, improve your mood, and it actually helps with weight control, helps reduce blood sugar, and even reduces your risk for preeclampsia. 

Depending on the exercise that you do, it could also improve your flexibility, your motivation to stretch, and actually help you also work on your breathing practice, which will all help during labor.

If you were inactive, you can work your way up from walking to maybe even brisk walking or swimming or any other activities and still get to enjoy the benefits of exercise. The current recommendation is to aim for 150 minutes of exercise per week. The workouts can be divided into small segments. For example, you could try and go for walks after meals. You can try and aim for 10 minute walks three times per day. You can also take a 30 minute class or do a combination of both. 

If you are new to exercise, you can start with just a five minute walk or swim and increase by five minutes per week until you feel comfortable with your routine. It's all gains. In case you were already very active before pregnancy, just make sure you discuss your exercise routines with your provider so that you can get the green light. 

Sports that should be avoided include any sports that could end up in abdominal trauma or exercise that would involve you laying flat on your back for an extended period of time. Other exercises like hot yoga should be avoided, but you can definitely attend a prenatal yoga, pilates, bar and weight training class. Of course, if they sound interesting to you. 

If they are not prenatal classes, make sure you let the instructor know that you're pregnant so they can give you modifications and tell you if there is anything you need to avoid. Again, as always consult with your healthcare provider before starting or continuing an exercise program, especially if you have any health conditions. 

If you've been listening to my recordings, you're probably tired of hearing this, but listen to your body and stop exercising if you experience pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, cramping, or bleeding. I do always recommend my patients establish care with a pelvic floor therapist from the beginning so that they can work on strengthening their pelvic floor as well as preparing for the different changes it will go through during and after delivery. When it comes to exercising in the postpartum period, you will get the green light from your providers. It depends on the kind of delivery and or any complications you might have had. 

I hope this answered your questions. Until next time!

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke and I'm an RN BSN as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

Our question for postpartum this month is tips for transitioning from one to two kids. 

In my personal experience, the transition from one to two kids was truly the hardest season in postpartum and parenting. You spend your first pregnancy postpartum, falling in love with this beautiful human that you've created. You've developed a love and bond stronger than any other human experience can prepare you for. That baby quite literally becomes the love of your life. The colors in your world are turned on by your first baby. While you are excited and anxious to add to your family, complicated feelings may arise as you adapt to a second child.

When I was pregnant with my second, I felt worried about how my first child would perceive the addition. Would he feel replaced as though he wasn't enough? How can I share my heart who is dedicated to this perfect human I have created and love so deeply? It almost feels as though you're in a happy, loving relationship and you say to your partner, hey, I could not love you more, but I've decided to add another partner to our relationship and I want you to be excited about it. 

Different ways to prepare for this transition is to remind yourself that you're adding to your family for the benefit of all. Your current child stands to gain a lifelong friendship, support team, and potential best friend. The lessons they'll learn from navigating life with a sibling are lifelong and priceless. Your love will truly multiply. You will fall madly in love with this new baby and now have an additional love of your life. 

You can prepare your older child by dedicating time to practicing with a doll before the baby arrives. Enlist their help as you celebrate their big-kid-ness. Making baby stations with swaddles, pacifiers, wipes that the older sibling can access and participate in care can be incredibly helpful in affirming for them.

Intend to schedule one-on-one time with the older sibling where you have help for the baby. Even just sneaking in a special movie together, reading a book while the baby's taking a nap, or if you can sneak away taking the big kid for ice cream, any of those moments where you have that connection to spend towards your bond can be so helpful. Provide positive reinforcement. Hold space for their feelings during this transition while also reminding them of just how much you love them and how proud you are of the big sibling that they are becoming. 

Finally, be patient. Be patient with yourself as you navigate the new normal. Be patient with yourself as you learn your new baby and you fall into your new love. It can take time. Falling in love and building that bond oftentimes is not immediate, especially if you're feeling concerned about how your first baby is taking this transition. Be patient with your oldest as they navigate this big life change and process the feelings that surface throughout. 

Thank you so much for this session. Thank you for listening. And as always know that Poppy Seed is here to support you as you navigate all aspects of pregnancy, postpartum and loss.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, this is Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff here at Poppy Seed Health. This minisode is for anyone out there who is pregnant after a prior loss and facing down the tidal wave of emotions that can rise up during this time.  Fear, grief,  isolation,  worry, panic, all this and more mixed in with what may also be a sense of relief, hope, anticipation,  and a new kernel of love.

The anxiety that can come with pregnancy after loss really is a singular beast.  We might have thought we knew what our own personal version of anxiety was like before getting pregnant again, and then we find ourselves entering into a whole new echoing arena of spinning thoughts that jump from,  Will it happen again?  What does that cramp mean?  Is this implantation bleeding or spotting, or am I miscarrying again?

It's so common to feel awash with this uncertainty and anxiety.  It's understandable if we find ourselves putting up defenses, not talking about the pregnancy for fear of jinxing it,  trying not to get attached, halting happy thoughts of what the future could look like,  and saying things to ourselves like, don't get ahead of yourself one day at a time. 

Everything can feel so delicate and precarious. It's often hard to let ourselves feel the joy and possibility of a new pregnancy  while also being gripped by fear that it could all come crashing down. And those tender early days of the first trimester can feel especially scary,  as can approaching grief milestones like  specific gestational weeks  or prenatal appointments that may bring up difficult memories of prior losses.

We want you to know that you're not alone.  You are strong and capable and surrounded by support. We want you to know that it's all possible and you can do this. 

This is a good time to lean on any trusty coping techniques that have gotten you this far like breath work, exercise, meditation,  a nice hot shower to reset and wash the worries away even if temporarily.

Go hard with self-care and self-advocacy.  Do find ways to express your fears in a way that makes sense for you,  whether that's journaling or talking with a trusted loved one, finding a therapist, telling your provider to find out what they would recommend or all of the above. 

And today we also wanted to offer up a series of affirmations that you could turn to in moments of doubt or panic to help bring you back into the present, back into your body  and ground you in the beautiful, positive and very real possibility  this new pregnancy brings to your life.  

If you'd like, you can take a few deep breaths  and settle into your body in the present moment. Get comfortable wherever you are.  You can bring your hands together and create a little friction there.  Rub them together and build some warmth in your hands. Then bring your palms to your belly  and let that warmth flow towards your womb, that safe, protective, life-giving space. 

Take a few deep breaths  and give yourself permission to really feel and believe these words:

I am open to the possibility of this pregnancy. 

I acknowledge my fears  and release the past.

I trust that the future I desire is possible.  

My body is on my side.  We can do this.  

My body and I are working together.

In this moment, my pregnancy thrives.

In this moment,  all is well.

My baby and I are safe.

I trust my body and the healthy home it provides for my baby.  

Our future is possible.  It is not defined by the past.

My body is strong.  

I am healthy.  

I am creating life.  

I am surrounded by love and support. 

I advocate for myself and my baby.  

I trust my instinct and breathe through uncertainty.

I am capable  and prepared for whatever the future holds.

I let myself feel this joy. 

All is possible.

Deep breath out,  may it be so. Thank you for listening  and  we look forward to cheering you on. We're here for you and we'll catch you next time.  Take good care.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome back to Audio Snacks. This is Kat. This month's question is how do I involve my significant other or support people in my pregnancy and make sure I'm not carrying all the pressure of planning, preparing, and literally carrying the baby on my own? 

While we love the idea of having a support person during our labor or pregnancy and beyond,  a lot of times we want to or we end up doing a lot on our own. So how do we involve that support person, people, or the significant other and the planning, prepping and literally carrying the baby. 

Well, ideally this is something you want to discuss with your partner before pregnancy. Literally make a list of things each of you does now. Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, etc. and things that will be added once the baby comes along. 

For example, feeding, diaper changing, sleep routines to include work schedules, and who will be responsible for getting up with the baby in the middle of the night? Will you take turns every day or weekly or will you alternate every couple of hours for feedings and diaper changes or on the weekends? 

Who will take the baby to doctor's appointments? What if the baby's sick and you need to take off? Who will take off first? Or if you are a stay at home parent, will you want or expect your partner to take off and be there as well? How about maternity or paternity leave? How would you like to split that?

And how about daycare or babysitting arrangements?  Some places have year-long waiting lists. What are your plans for that? Does one parent want to stay home? Can you afford that? Do family members expect or want to watch the baby and how do you both feel about that? 

Review the list and discuss all the items with your significant other and how you want to support each other. Make sure you talk about visitors and what outside help you might be comfortable with and when.

A lot of times friends and family want to be there, but are you both okay with that? And how much help or what exactly are you okay with them helping with? If you have family coming from out of town, what's the earliest you want them there and for how long? Who do you want present at the hospital? It might sound like too much, but setting clear boundaries ahead of time can help a lot and avoid misunderstandings and headaches once the baby comes. 

Also, talk about non-negotiables in times where it would be okay for your partner to say, hey, I know this is what we agreed on, but this is what's going on now and I think we need more help. Or maybe we do not need this right now. No, it is okay to change your mind. 

Back in the days, kids were never raised alone. They were raised in communities. So don't feel like you have to do it all on your own.  Ask for help if you need a nap, clothes folded, house cleaned, or just a 10 minute break to take a shower.

Don't be afraid to speak up. It really does take teamwork and if you have that support, you should use it. While your partner cannot grow the baby, they can cook dinner more often, they can help clean the house, hold the baby while you take a shower or feed him a couple extra times so you can take a  longer nap. Or so you can actually enjoy dinner. It is the little things you don't think about that will make a huge difference once the baby arrives. 

Also, same with family. While they think coming to hang out is what you need, don't be afraid to speak up there as well. Things like, hey, we would love for you to come to hang out, but what we really need help with is folding clothes or picking up groceries or cooking dinner. Would you help with that while hanging out? Having a baby is tough, not just physically, but mentally. It is a huge adjustment for the family too. And so you want to avoid any fights or misunderstandings that will increase your stress level.

If you don't have a lot of family or friends support or don't want them around or even if you do, how do you feel about a postpartum doula? Have you looked into that? They can provide huge help as well. You can also talk about prepping for those first weeks and maybe meal prepping favorite and healthy meals for that postpartum period. That's definitely something to talk about. 

If there is anything you do now that you know you won't be able to do then can you delegate that to your partner or another family member? Also, if you have children or pets, responsibilities with them is another topic to talk about. 

Lastly, it is never too early to talk about things you would want your partner to help or be in charge of during labor.  Some partners put together playlists, they bring games, they write letters, pack snacks, bring oils, heating packs, provide comfort measures for their significant other. 

This all sounds like a whole lot. I might have just opened a huge box of questions but it is never too late or too early to sit down and work on it. I can't wait to hear your questions next month. Hope this was helpful. See you then.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke and I'm an RN, BSN, as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

We're going to explore how to introduce your new baby to loved ones. I would love to start by saying that you need to really go at your own pace. You need to make sure that you feel comfortable, that your boundaries are respected, and that you can gauge your own level before you introduce anyone else to this  amazing person that you have created. 

In order to bring your baby home, the first thing that we recommend is that you prepare any pets or siblings in the home. To prepare pets, you can take the hospital blanket that the baby was wrapped in and have a loving family member bring that home to your pets so as to get them comfortable with the new scents that are about to enter their new home. Make sure that you are always supervising animals whenever they are around the new infant and introduce them slowly and carefully as  animals can become territorial and can sometimes be jealous of our affection. 

For siblings, it's best to practice ahead of time by reading books about what a new sibling might mean by allowing the sibling to help build a welcome basket with things that they can grab to help assist with the baby when they're home, with diapers, wipes, swaddles,  binkies, anything to really pour into their new  big sibling status. You can also practice  with a baby doll ahead of time to help them become more comfortable with the new infant coming home. 

In order to introduce other family members, you want to make sure that you're planning the introduction. First and foremost, you want to really check in with yourself. Check in with how you're feeling. Check in with your capacity to entertain guests as they meet this new infant. You want to choose a comfortable setting, whether it feels comfortable for you to have people come into your home or if you'd rather meet somewhere. Make sure that you're gathering the family members that you feel comfortable with meeting, especially in such an intimate setting. 

When you're newly postpartum, you might feel a different level of comfort around different people, so make sure that you're choosing carefully who you're inviting into such a sensitive space.  Use a calm and soothing voice  and please reassure those family members and friends who are meeting the infant to match that tone. Anything to keep your space  safe, comfortable and soothing, not just for the infant but for yourself.

Have gradual introductions where you don't feel overwhelmed and you don't feel that you're pushed beyond your capacity all at once.  Always supervise the interactions between family members and the baby, especially with pets nearby. Encourage gentle interactions.  You can allow family members and friends to hold your baby, but ensure that they provide proper support and that they are gentle. Praise and encourage the gentle interactions.  

And respect your baby's needs. Your infant will give you cues where they're going to want to rest, nap, feed, or just snuggle with mom. We need to make sure that family members are responsive to those cues and allow you your space when you need to have the baby back for care or for bonding. 

And as I said before, make sure that you are very clear with your boundaries. Do not invite people into your space when you do not have the capacity. If you are too tired, it is okay to say no. You are now not only in charge of your capacity and your wellbeing, but also your infant’s.  And it is okay to say no. It is okay to designate times that you feel comfortable. And it is okay to cut the meeting short if you find that you were just too tired and you took on too much too soon.  

One of the big things that you should have a conversation about with your pediatrician is the reality of germs. Common illnesses can be very serious in newborns and infants, even if they're just a runny nose and an adult or an older child. Your pediatrician will encourage you to have minimum hygiene requirements, which include thoroughly washing hands, not kissing the baby,  or touching the baby's face or hands.  

Depending on your pediatrician and on your value system and thoughts pertaining to vaccinations, pediatricians oftentimes will recommend that you postpone certain interactions until after your baby has had a minimum set of shots. During the flu season, that's another very important time that pediatricians recommend that many people that come around the baby have a flu vaccination if you feel comfortable having that conversation and if that is in alignment with your belief system. 

Lastly, try to recognize when your baby is overwhelmed. There are times when caregivers feel that they need to offer this meeting to family and friends and it can be hard to speak up and ask for the baby back. So please make sure that you are recognizing when your baby is overwhelmed, when they're overstimulated, and when they're feeling tired. And as I have said before, do not  hesitate to set your boundaries, to be firm in your tone, and to end the meeting early if you feel that you or the baby are at a place where you need a break, you need rest, or you just need peace, calm, and quiet. 

And please take this as such an exciting time. There's nothing more special than introducing the most important thing in the world you have ever done to your family and friends. Just be sure that you are honoring yourself and your intimate space when you're doing so. Thank you for listening.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hi, I'm Bekah. I'm a full spectrum doula and part of the support staff at Poppy Seed Health.  We're so glad you're here.  

Here at Poppy, we talk a lot about self-advocacy, which is always easier said than done.  So today we want to explore what that can look like in terms of discussing and investigating hormonal health with medical providers.

It may sound dramatic, but owning and really understanding our reproductive health, and in this case, our hormonal health,  can be so empowering and a key to unlocking a new kind of self-knowing and self-possession.  It can also be a big factor in helping us achieve important reproductive health goals.  

Now, before we really dig in, just a quick reminder that I'm not a medical professional and can't give medical advice. But as the doula in your ear today, I am equipped and pretty pumped about helping to prepare you for  what can sometimes feel like tough conversations  and  a long road to improved hormonal balance.  

I also want to note that there are many, many different tests and labs and processes that providers might use to fully understand  where things are at with your overall reproductive health. We won't be getting into detail about specific testing,  but instead focusing on the overall picture of hormonal health and how to have productive conversations with a provider about hormones  or any symptoms you may be noticing.  

Our bodies communicate with us in a multitude of subtle and not so subtle ways.  So I hope you'll pay attention to those clues and that you'll take this episode as a big boost of encouragement and maybe the push you need to bring this up with your provider.  

Okay, so let's get into it.  There are over 50 hormones in the human body that all have unique functions.  Many are interconnected and they support our bodies in more ways than we might think.  Having balanced hormones can look like getting good sleep, having clearer skin,  being able to maintain a healthy weight, having a stable mood,  and for people with uteruses, also having a regular menstrual cycle.

Our hormones can be influenced by a variety of factors that we can't control, like our genetics or certain kinds of stress,  and also some things that we do have more say in, such as things having to do with lifestyle, like what we eat or how we work out and the kinds of environmental toxins we might be exposed to, like  plastics and chemicals and cleaning products.  

In terms of the hormones that have a role in fertility and reproductive health,  two of the big players, just to name a few,  are progesterone and estrogen, which help regulate the menstrual cycle and each have specific functions during pregnancy, in addition to plenty others.  

There are many different conditions that might affect our hormone levels, and a couple of these are  diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS,  and thyroid disorders. And these in turn can impact the way our bodies function when it comes to  things like metabolism, mood, and reproduction.  

When our hormones are off, even just a little bit, it's common to notice changes in our bodies,  our moods, and overall energy.  Some physical signals you might notice are things like  weight changes, acne, changes in your hair, like  hair loss or more hair growth, changes in your period like shifts in frequency flow  or the way you experience PMS,  also digestive issues.  Other signs that may not speak as loudly as those physical changes are things like sleep disruptions, anxiety, depression,  low libido,  and pain during sex.  

Having any or many of these symptoms doesn't necessarily mean there's a deeper issue at play. It's true that it might just be one bad night's sleep or something you ate or the project you have due at work,  but these symptoms can be clues that are worth looking into.  So if you're noticing any of these symptoms and they persist, or if anything simply feels  off and you know it's not normal for you,  pay attention to that and speak up.  

So, how to do that? Often the most straightforward course of action is to reach out to your primary care physician. You might also already be in touch with a provider you trust, like an OB or a fertility expert or a holistic health practitioner who would also be able to help you get started.  It's important that you find a medical professional who will listen to you and who is willing to spend the time considering your whole health with a wide angle lens so that they can get all the information they need to zero in on what may be going on for you as an individual.

It can be hard to know where to start or even what kind of appointment to request,  but requesting hormonal testing and focusing on your symptoms is going to be a helpful way to get the ball rolling.  

Once you have an appointment scheduled,  take some time to write out any and all symptoms you've noticed.  At the appointment, bring this list with you to help facilitate the conversation  and make sure you don't forget anything in the moment.

If you have a period tracker, it's a good idea to bring this with you to the appointment as well.  Having details around things like spotting, blood flow and blood color, even cervical mucus can be really revealing.  

Your provider will ask a ton of questions from any medication you're taking to a full medical history and the specific symptoms you're experiencing. They'll also ask about your lifestyle and any recent lifestyle changes that might be impacting things.

Your provider should be able to tell you about the tests they recommend,  why they're necessary, and what to expect before, during, and after the testing process.  If you have a hunch about a specific hormone you think needs to be tested, ask about it.  A couple examples of this are TSH levels, progesterone, and testosterone.  

Other questions to ask that will help with understanding any test results  are:

What is the normal range and what is the ideal range for these hormones?  This can be important because there may be a preferred range  if, for example, someone is trying to get pregnant.  

Also ask, how will I know once the results are in? Who will contact me and will I have a follow-up appointment to review the results?  

What if my test results aren't considered normal?  What treatment options do I have?Solutions can be varied, might involve nutrition and dietary adjustments, medication,  and or other lifestyle shifts around things like sleep and exercise.  

Also ask  what comes next.  Find out how long they want you to try their suggested treatment before testing your hormones again.  Ask if  you'll need to do regular testing to stay on top of things.  

If you do uncover a condition that requires additional treatment or alternative therapies, ask your provider who are specialists that they can refer you to for the most appropriate care. Ask if there are support groups, resources or communities that they can recommend for fuller support around any possible diagnosis. 

It really is a puzzle and there may be times throughout the process where it feels like you're missing all the edges of the puzzle or like 200 more tiny pieces just got dumped on top of the jigsaw puzzle. But keep going, you can do it.  There are answers out there and you will be able to put things together with the help of experts, your own body wisdom and your own intuition. 

Sometimes it just takes a bit of tweaking, other times hormonal imbalances may take longer and a lot of trial and error to decipher and solve, but it's worth it to get help and support. It also might not be your hormones that's causing your symptoms, but it may take ruling that out to uncover what is really going on.  

Knowing yourself and your body, what it needs, and how you can best support it can be vital to living the life you deserve and desire, whether that's supporting your fertility to prepare you for a healthy pregnancy,  understanding and overcoming PCOS symptoms, thriving with thyroid disease, balancing hormones postpartum, or  this one's fun,  having better sex that doesn't hurt because of vaginal dryness.  The list goes on. There are so many reasons to investigate your hormones and every single one is valid and worth looking into.  You're worth it. Never forget it.  

All right, that's probably more than enough for now.  I hope it helps you get started looking into this with your provider. Thanks so much for listening,  take good care, and we'll catch you next time.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome back to Audio Snacks. I’m Cat, certified nurse midwife and advocate here at Poppy Seed Health. Thanks for joining us. This month's question is, what is the typical calendar of events for prenatal care? What happens when we have appointments and in the different trimesters? 

Everyone's timeline looks different depending on their care provider and what's happening with their pregnancy.  Even though there are established protocols, it will vary based on practices or comorbidities but there are certain things that will be similar. We will talk about that today. 

I usually share the plan at the first appointment and unless you've done a lot of research or have done this before, it's okay not to know these things ahead of time. That's the reason we have providers to help guide you through this. We are here for you. So let's dive in. 

If you have a positive pregnancy test and you know you would like to receive care, call and ask what their pathway for prenatal care looks like. A lot of places will do things a little different, but usually start with a viability ultrasound, also known as a dating ultrasound. They will want to know when your last period was and go from there in order to schedule you for that first ultrasound. 

Sometimes people have had an ultrasound already and so they can bring that into the office and complete an intake appointment and labs. If you're not sure about your last menstrual period, they can also use the data from the actual ultrasound to calculate your estimated due date. So that's not a problem at all. 

Next might be your first official appointment, which in most places this visit will include a complete physical exam, a pap smear if you're due for one, STD screening along with other labs. Some places actually have you do a pregnancy intake appointment once the pregnancy has been confirmed and they will obtain your medical history and labs. And then you'll actually come back and see the provider after that. 

Depending on where you are in your pregnancy, you will usually be seen at four to six weeks intervals with the next big appointment after that initial OB appointment around 18 to 20 weeks gestation, where the anatomy ultrasound is usually performed. 

Some practices have ultrasound services at those appointments. Other places send you to get ultrasounds that you will review at your actual appointment. So it might look like a dating ultrasound and then the initial appointment around maybe nine weeks with a follow-up around 14. Then somewhere between 18 and 20 weeks for the anatomy ultrasound. Then 24 for just a routine belly check. Then usually we do see you again around 26 to 28 weeks for the glucose tolerance test and third trimester labs.

Some practices go on to every other week at that point and some others will continue appointments every four weeks until 36 weeks, at which point most places will actually see you weekly or every other week. Then things change once again between 40 and 41 weeks gestation.  

All prenatal care is not one size fits all and really depends on any other conditions you might have or might develop along the pregnancy or those associated with the baby.

In those cases, there are different guidelines for frequency of follow-ups and ultrasounds. When it comes to labs, the current guideline by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a complete blood count at that beginning appointment. A complete blood count is going to check for anemia, blood clotting issues, and the white blood cells, which are the cells that help you fight disease. They will also obtain an RH factor, which is your blood type.

We will also do a urine culture and urinalysis. A lot of times patients have a urinary tract infection and they're actually not aware of that. And in pregnancy that can travel to your kidneys really fast. So you will always see a urine culture done at the beginning of the pregnancy. 

There are other labs that check for viruses like rubella, hepatitis C, hepatitis B,  HIV, among others, including testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. This STD testing usually takes place at the beginning of pregnancy, halfway through the pregnancy, and again towards the end. The reason behind all of this is that we wanna make sure that if you do have any one of these viruses or STDs, you will actually receive the appropriate care in order to take care of  your baby or prevent any additional problems.

Usually your glucose screening is done at 28 weeks like stated earlier. However, if you do have an increased risk for diabetes, you will actually be asked to complete an early glucose test and that's usually done around 16 weeks.  

Somewhere between 35 to 37 weeks, there's another screening. It's called the Group B Strep culture. It's a vaginal rectal swab that is done, or you might be asked to do it yourself. It checks for this bacteria,  one of the many bacteria we have in our bodies. But if you are positive for it, very rarely babies could get infected with it. So in labor, you will be treated with antibiotics to prevent this infection. 

If you have any other comorbidities like chronic hypertension, you will also have some labs that look at kidney function, your liver enzymes, and different other things and you will actually be tested for this at various times during the pregnancy or if your blood pressure starts to get higher or any other problems. 

Most practices also do a urine sample every time you come to the practice or every time your provider comes to your house for your visits.  The reason for this is because with a urine sample we can check for glucose in the urine  but we can also check for protein.

Now in pregnancy, you are already spilling a little bit of protein in your urine, but when this amount changes significantly or if you're having issues with your blood pressures, this could actually be an indication to check for preeclampsia. 

And then the same thing with glucose. The urine, we're able to test the urine for glucose and if we start seeing that you're starting to spill a lot of glucose and you haven't had your glucose test or if we already know you are diabetic, then that'll lead us to do other types of testing. 

Again, all practices have different guidelines and they should talk to you about what constitutes an emergency,  where to go if you're having one, their policies regarding walk-in appointments,  where to call after hours, with any questions or concerns, as well as their guidelines for delivery and any other OB-related concerns. 

Also remember, if you have a primary care concern or specialty care, you will need to be followed by them for anything not related to your pregnancy. And oftentimes with certain conditions, you will also have to see the maternal fetal specialist for additional testing. At the beginning of pregnancy, depending on the practice that you go to or the providers that you see, some places also offer some genetic screening for both you and the baby.  And you will be given that option to test for those as well.

This pretty much includes all of the labs and the way prenatal care works in the US. As always, I hope this was helpful  and we will be back with more next month. Thank you.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.

This is Poppy Audio Snacks. Powered by Riverside.

The content of this episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be used as medical advice. Please contact your provider if you have any medical or mental health concerns. 

Hello and welcome to Audio Snacks. My name is Brooke and I'm an RN, BSN, as well as lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I'm also a proud mama of three babies of my own, and I'm excited to support you on your postpartum journey. 

Today we're going to be talking about preparing for your newborn at home. We're going to talk about different stations that you can set up for yourself and for your baby that might make your postpartum life just a little bit easier.

To start, I recommend that you set up newborn baskets.  These baskets can go anywhere that are high traffic areas for you and the baby, and that might make it just a little bit easier when you're walking around postpartum. I often included swaddles,  jammies,  diapers, wipes,  diaper cream, burp cloths, nipple shields if needed, nipple pads,  hydrogel pads, lanolin cream, an easy snack such as nuts  or crackers,  and a nail file just in case you find any sharp nails while you're nursing. 

I also highly recommend having postpartum bathroom kits and these kits can be adapted to what you think you will most likely need. I highly recommend ice pads. Frida Mom does make pads that you can pop that instantly cool. Or if you'd like to make your own, you can take regular absorbent pads and soak them in aloe and witch hazel and stick them in your freezer. 

Make sure you have large pads handy to line your underwear. Disposable underwear can be really handy in the first few days to first few weeks, which oftentimes the hospital will send you home with, but it never hurts to prepare ahead of time. You can also just use nice underwear that has plenty of room for pads postpartum.

Tucks pads are a lifesaver. You can use these by lining them on your pad or even by using them to wipe after you've used the bathroom. Dermaplast is a great tool to have for any swelling or pain that you experience postpartum from either tearing, swelling, or an episiotomy. A peri bottle is useful, which you need to fill with warm water each time and make sure that it stays clean and doesn't come into contact with your skin. 

I also recommend having a sitz bath available to you if you delivered vaginally.  With a sitz bath you can place it right up on your toilet. You can fill it with warm water, Epsom salts, and witch hazel.  You can just sit and allow that to kind of soothe your bottom postpartum if you're having any pain or swelling. 

One of my favorite things to do was to collect postpartum clothing essentials. And the things that I absolutely lived in the first several weeks are button-down comfy jammies. They have wonderful ones just even at Target that you can find and it just makes it a little bit easier if you're nursing or you're changing pads, whether that's breast pads or postpartum pads, disposable underwear or comfy underwear.

Nursing bras. Leaving plenty of space for your breasts to grow as they will become engorged as the milk comes in and might end up a size larger than you are even in your pregnant state. Nipple pads.  Sturdy non-skid slippers. This is very important as you're walking around with the infant swaddled or in a front pack to make sure that you have footwear that won't get tripped up on rugs or corners of the floor or anything.

Compression stockings can be really helpful for swelling, especially after you've had a baby. You can oftentimes find that they'll give you IV fluids, which can collect in your tissues, so compression stockings can just help to bring some of that down and provide some relief. 

A robe with pockets can be really great because you can carry your phone or if you have a nipple shield or a snack, anything that you have to be a little bit less tied up with your hands would be wonderful.

And then I always make sure that I have a heating pad wherever I'm sitting postpartum. Setting these stations in high traffic areas where you anticipate that you'll sit with the baby or use the bathroom can be so helpful. Newborn bins are also a great thing for big siblings to be able to get the items and to feel helpful and involved from the start. And honestly, having these stations is so much better than running to the nursery when you're sore and tired postpartum.

I think one of the biggest lessons that I had after my first born was that we stationed most things in the nursery because we were so excited to use this beautiful space that we had created for my son. And in doing so, I often found myself running across the house to try to retrieve items and to try to set myself up to nurse.

And with my second born, I threw all of that out the window and just kind of stopped, dropped, nursed or changed his diaper on the couch or the bed or sometimes even the counter. Just being really flexible and adaptable makes it so that the postpartum time is really a smoother transition and something where you don't feel so tied to an expectation of what you think it should be. 

I hope that this was helpful  and thank you again for joining Audio Snacks.

We want to hear from you. There's no such thing as TMI and no question is off limits. So please, please submit your questions to members@poppyseedhealth.com and drop Audio Snack in the title. That's “members” with an “s” at poppyseedhealth.com and maybe you'll hear your question on a future episode. 

Thanks for listening and remember, we're always here for you 24/7 on the Poppy Seed Health app.