Ep. 19 | Overcoming Loneliness in Postpartum with Stacey Grumet, Founder & CEO of Paper Pinecone

STACEY’S BUSINESS:

• Paper Pinecone - Stacey Grumet is the Founder & CEO of Paper Pinecone, the most comprehensive preschool & childcare directory available, and a contributor to CNN’s Headline News on childcare topics. She was inspired to help other families in their search for childcare after going through the frustrating preschool process with her now 4-year-old daughter.

STACEY’S GO TO “MOM HACK”

• As a first time mom it is so easy to feel like you need all of the latest and greatest things, from high chairs to walkers to bottles, we’ve been there, we get it! Stacey’s mom hack for new or veteran moms is wait to buy what you need when you need it, rather than buying in advance! Instead of registering for future items you think you’ll need, ask for gift cards to places you want to buy from or prepared meal delivery services, the options are endless! Stacey’s go to gift for expecting friends is an Uber Eats Gift Card , and lets be real, pre-made food delivered hot to your door really is the most appreciated gift post baby!

STACEY’S HELPFUL MOM TIP

• Almost every parent has had to go through the process of weening your child off the bottle and sometimes it can be a difficult process, to say the least! Stacey shared her tip for weening her little one off the bottle and it is a smart, simple tip that makes your child have to participate in the decision! When it came time for the bottle, she gave her daughter the option of milk out of the sippy cup or water out of bottle, and 9/10 times milk was the obvious choice! Genius!

YOU CAN ALSO FIND STACEY ON INSTAGRAM @PAPER_PINECONE , ON FACEBOOK AT PAPERPINECONE , AND ON TWITTER AT @PAPER_PINECONE

Ep. 16 | Vulnerability in Motherhood with Shannon Emery, Food Blogger and creator of Pass Me Some Tasty

SHANNON’S BUSINESS:

• www.passmesometasty.com - Shannon is the gluten-free recipe maker, photo taker, and food blogger behind Pass Me Some Tasty. She loves how delicious food has the unique ability to bring people together from all walks of life! Her recipes are sure to be a hit for everyone, gluten-free or not!

• www.cedarmill.fit4mom.com - Shannon teaches pre- and postnatal group fitness exercise classes with an amazing national fitness organization that provides classes and support for moms in every stage of motherhood.

SHANNON’S GO TO “MOM HACK”

• Crustless Zucchini Bacon Quiche - Shannon’s mom hack is something she calls “stealth health”, a great way to get her kids to eat more veggies by sneaking them into delicious food! This recipe is one of her kids favorites and happens to be loaded with veggies and is tasty too!

YOU CAN ALSO FIND SHANNON ON INSTAGRAM @PASSMESOMETASTY

Ep. 15 | Courage in Motherhood with Vanessa Huntley, Founder of Vegan Beauty & Sacred Moon LLC

VANESSA’S BUSINESS:

• www.sacredmoonpdx.com - Vanessa is the founder of Vegan Beauty and Sacred Moon LLC. She is a hair stylist, massage therapist and esthetician who has been practicing massage since 2006 and fully licensed in cosmetology since 2012. Being vegan for more than 11 years, she has done extensive research and discovered a small list of vegan products that now play a huge part in the success of her ability to run a green and 100% vegan business. Vanessa’s highest priority is helping her clients meet their personal beauty and wellness goals!

VANESSA’S GO TO “MOM HACK”

• BabyBrezza Reuseable Pouches - As a vegan mama, easy grab an go snacks aren’t always easy to find. Vanessa keeps these pouches as a quick way to pack no mess, on the go snacks! They are Dishwasher-Safe (top-rack), Freezer-Safe and BPA/Phthalate/Lead-Free, a no brainer for any mama!

YOU CAN ALSO FIND VANESSA ON INSTAGRAM @SACREDMOONPDX

Ep. 08 | Growth in Motherhood with Megan Caldwell, Owner of Fit4Mom NW & NE PORTLAND

MEGAN’S BUSINESS:

• Fit4Mom Cedar Mill - Megan owns and operates FIT4MOM Cedar Mill in NW & NE Portland, offering pre & postnatal fitness classes, as well as community events and support for moms in ALL stages of motherhood.  As a collegiate athlete with a background in education, leading FIT4MOM programs and helping moms find #strengthinmotherhood combines three of her biggest passions - educating others, staying active, and spending time with her children.  

MEGAN’S GO TO “MOM HACK”

• Singing- Megan was a teacher prior to Owning Fit4Mom Cedar Mill and recommends singing as a parenting tool for keeping your kids engaged and involved in learning as well as everyday tasks!

YOU CAN ALSO FIND MEGAN ON INSTAGRAM @MEGANCALDWELLPDX AND @FIT4MOM_NWNEPORLAND

Ep. 03 Breastfeeding: Our Experiences, Tips, & What We Wish We Knew | Resources

Ep. 03 Resources

Hey Mamas! As promised, here is a list of the resources we each used to help make breastfeeding a more enjoyable experience. We hope you find these to be as helpful as we did!

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Krista’s List:

• http://kellymom.com - A great resource for all breastfeeding and parenting questions. This was my go to site when I had any questions.

• Medela Soothing Gel Pads for Breastfeeding - These were my saving grace while I learned how to breastfeed. For additional relief, I highly recommend placing them in the refrigerator prior to using them. Your nipples will thank you!

• Medela Tender Care Lanolin - This is 100% safe for both mama and baby and you don’t need to wipe it off before breastfeeding. I used this as well as Organic Coconut oil to help with cracked nipples. Either of the those in combination with the soothing gel pads provided the best relief for me.

• Breastfeeding Cover - While I didn’t use a nursing cover for too long due to my little one throwing it off me, I did really like this one because it allowed me to see what I was doing while we were working through latch issues and I loved that I was able keep eye contact with her and still be covered. Also, as an added bonus, it was really light weight and didn’t take up a lot of room in my diaper bag.

• Lactation Cookies- While this isn’t the recipe I used, it is almost exactly the same minus the addition of a teaspoon of cinnamon. They are so yummy, enjoy!

• Now Brewer’s Yeast - This was the Brewers Yeast I used when making my lactation cookies. I was able to find this at Market of Choice in Portland, OR but I am sure you can find this at any natural grocer local to you.

• Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal - I am sure any Flaxseed Meal would be fine in this recipe but choose this one when making my lactation cookies due to it being an Portland based company and I love all their products.

Nkiru’s List:

• My Breastfriend Nursing Pillow - This nursing pillow was everything for me when I wanted to get some work done on my computer or even when I just wanted to give my arms and neck a rest.

  • Best part: It provides comfortable support for my back. My baby liked it too. It was so comfortable for her that she would fall asleep pretty easily on it!

• Bamboobies - These reusable nursing pads were very helpful for me at night when I would leak the most. They also have disposable nursing pads as another option. I used the overnight nursing pads that came in two pairs, but you can buy as much as six pairs.

  • Best part: They are reusable and made from bamboo, which is highly absorbent.

• Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter - You guys, I LOVE this product and this brand. I cannot speak highly enough about this nipple butter and several other products of this brand that I’ve used. This nipple butter is so soothing and healing, I almost always carried it with me everywhere I went. Also, it lasts for so long - the whole 11 months, almost 12 months that I breastfed.

  • Best part: This product is filled with herbs and other natural ingredients, and doesn’t contain added fillers, chemicals, or other harsh ingredients, so it is safe enough for the baby to eat (unless allergic, check ingredients), which means I didn’t have to wipe the ointment off before breastfeeding.

• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - THIS. I’ve used coconut oil for pretty much everything skin related for a long time, so it was no surprise that I would use it for my stretching skin when I was pregnant, but it was also very useful for cracked nipples. I prefer the Trader Joe’s brand, but really you can find organic virgin coconut oil pretty much anywhere these days. The Kirkland brand from Costco, which is also an organic virgin coconut oil is also good.

  • Best part: It’s safe to use on baby as well!

• Aussie Bites - This was a great quick, on the go snack. They are packed with healthy fats - nuts and seeds, as well as a good amount of fiber, and a ton of Omega-3 fatty acids.

  • Best part: It’s healthy and pretty filling.

• Mother’s Milk Tea - This tea is great for supporting lactation. I used it to help with my milk supply, while also doing my best to eat a well nourished diet and enough for my baby and I. If you listened to Ep. 03 of the podcast, when we dive into breastfeeding, you’ll know that keeping my supply up was a struggle for me. This tea helped with this.

  • Best part: With this tea in combination of what I was already doing - incorporating more healthy fats, fiber, and protein in my diet, I really did notice an increase in my milk supply.