Ahma Need A Minute Ahma & Co

After a traumatic birth experience, Michaela experienced symptoms of depression three weeks into the newborn phase. Feelings of hopelessness would surface with each new day, which compounded with the peak of lockdown. Michaela advocated for her mental health and ultimately received the treatment she needed to break through.

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For our anniversary episode, we have a very special guest who is making waves in motherhood: Leslie Schrock is an accomplished author with two books that bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical advice for working families. Her breakout hit book, 'Bumpin': The Modern Guide to Pregnancy,' has become a go-to resource for parents navigating the simultaneously beautiful and challenging journey of pregnancy. Her second book, 'Fertility Rules: The Definitive Guide to Male and Female Reproductive Health,' draws on the latest clinical research to provide insights into topics that are rarely discussed in fertility books, from increasing sperm count and reducing exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals to navigating IVF.


Leslie's impact goes beyond her writing; as an angel investor, she has played a vital role in supporting and guiding startups like Maven, Oath, Alife, and Origin, and is a mom to two incredibly fun boys. In this episode, we delve into Leslie's journey as a mother and how it has influenced her work, bust myths around pregnancy and fertility, and discuss whether it is truly possible to "have it all" as a working mom.

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Gal is a mother of 4 with one set of twins and 3 empowering natural birth stories. She was intentional with her birth plans and care provider selections. Ultimately, she pursued hypnobirthing as well as an at-home birth for her youngest child and loved each experience in its own way. There's a fear element in societal portrayals of birth that Gal is trying to dispel with childbirth education and outreach, such as this podcast. Fair warning: listening to this episode might make you look forward to giving birth! Gal champions maternal instinct and wants expecting moms to trust their bodies to know what to do and when to do it.

Gal is a certified postpartum doula and founder of Embrace Birth and Beyond, (https://embracebirth.net/) which focuses on childbirth education and methods, including hypnobirthing. She is also the admin of the Facebook group Peanut Moms of Westchester: a group for Westchester, NY moms of kids under 5 to connect and build a supportive village.

Look to our website for more articles on motherhood: https://www.ahmaandco.com/
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Stephanie's faith, love and pain emanate through her recollection of the stillbirth experience with Elodie, her first daughter. Despite her intuition and voicing concerns throughout her pregnancy, the gaps in Elodie's development in utero were missed. Hear Stephanie's perspective after her special day with Elodie and how she keeps Elodie intertwined in her family's life.

Look to our website for more articles on motherhood: https://www.ahmaandco.com/
Want to stay connected? Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ahmaandco/
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Episode Timestamps
20:00 Stephanie’s world shatters after finding out Elodie has no heartbeat.
28:00 Moving through Grief. Finding support groups, outreach from the community.
31:00 Moving Forward. Stephanie and her community integrate Elodie’s legacy in their life.
33:30 God answering their prayers in their next pregnancy
40:50 Perspective on classifying people and couples who have lost as "parents"

Dr. Sonya Ye, our Chief Health Officer, is back to hear from parents across generations who share their preparation and experiences for childbirth. Sonya shares tools, resources and her perspective of the labor and delivery experience from a doctor’s point of view. The episode highlights things parents may not know about in going into labor and giving birth at a hospital.

Episode Timestamps:
5:49 - Prenatal classes suggested to prepare for the big day.
8:00 - Importance of credible resources in gaining birth knowledge. The positives and downfalls of TikTok education.
18:47 - the big (delivery) day. Parents share what happened on their big day going into labor.
27:35 - Sonya gives us a rundown of how a birth experience might go. From noticing the early stages of labor, cervical ripening, to dilating and contracting.
35:00 - Details of induction and augmentation. Moving labor along.
49:40 - Sonya’s advice on advocating for yourself in the medical space.

Looking for additional resources? Check out Sonya's shortlist on Ahma & Co's website: https://tinyurl.com/mrxmy6c7

A type A planner at heart, Nicole built a comprehensive birth plan with three scenarios and communicated with her hospital to set expectations. Given her low pain tolerance and spinal fusion, it was important for her to plan ahead. During the big delivery day, however, she found some shocking news that derailed her plans. This highlighted a lack of interdisciplinary communication and advocacy became even more important.
Look to our website for more articles on motherhood: https://www.ahmaandco.com/
Want to stay connected? Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ahmaandco/
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Episode Timestamps
Family Planning 4:05
Birth planning with spinal fusion: 7:45
Induction and early labor starts 10:16
Change in delivery plans: 12:40
Elective Cesarean (C-Section) with Spinal and Birth: 19:05
Newborn phase / euphoria: 25:25
Post op, recovery and reflection: 28:15