Moms Off The Record

<p>April West and Katherine Sigblad examine pregnancy, birth, matrescence, and child rearing through a countercultural and unorthodox lens in their thought-provoking, bi-weekly episodes.</p><p><br></p><p>If you are curious or skeptical about the childhood jab schedule, breastfeeding, sovereign birth, elimination communication, big pHarma, and baby-led weaning— just to name a few "controversial" subjects— then you came to the right podcast!</p><p><br></p><p>We'll never tell you what to think or what to do— you can leave that up to your favorite TT docs instead. Rather, we unabashedly share our lived experiences and perspectives with a sprinkle of evidence (only when called for), and we always encourage you to make decisions that feel right for your family. <br><br>Challenging existing perspectives and thinking critically is what we're all about.</p><p><br></p><p>Thanks for tuning in!</p>

#48: Being Versus Doing When Attending Birth with Birthkeeper Ali Coulas

Kat’s Birthkeeper Ali Coulas joins us today. We learn about her spiritual path to becoming a Labor & Delivery as well as what led her out of the system and into the sovereign birth world, where Kat was her first sovereign birth she attended. We venture to answer questions like: What does it actually mean to “hold space” for women? How can birthkeepers hold just enough space without encroaching too closely on a woman or just being a distant fly on the wall?How do yin (feminine) a...

11-15
01:36:36

#47: Ecstatic Birth and Cervical Orgasms with Lauren Segalla

Lauren Segalla was a Labor & Delivery nurse until one day she had an epiphany after going through the motions of her job numbly on autopilot during the immediate aftermath of fetal demise of a patient. After that wake up call, she knew she was destined for something different; something bigger. Today, Lauren is an expert in guiding women through feeling more in touch with their bodies, literally. As a result, the women Lauren works with not only maximize the relationship with themsel...

11-01
01:09:48

#46: Kat’s Sovereign, Intuitive Homebirth After Cesarean (HBAC): The Birth Story of Baby #2

Hello, friends! We’re back just the two of us like old times.Kat kicks off this episode reflecting on how wildly different her first birth with her son was compared to her redemptive, sovereign homebirth outside the medical industrial complex with her daughter just 26 months later.Kat’s initiation into motherhood in 2022 involved bait-and-switches, homebirth medwifery sabotage, and an unhealthy fixation on blood pressure resulting in fear mongering, a distrust and pathology of birth, an unnec...

10-04
02:01:23

#45: Embracing Embodiment and Autonomy through Womb and Psychosomatic Healing with Kristin Hauser

Kristin Hauser is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, somatic sex educator, wife and mother to soon-to-be four children. She is currently experiencing her third wild pregnancy and freebirth and about to embark on a move from Kansas to Costa Rica.In this episode, we cover comprehensive ground with Kristin including:When Kristin realized participating in ART (assisted reproductive technology) treatments as a part of her acupuncture practice was ethically out of alignment.The lack of informed c...

09-20
01:19:31

#43: Gentle Parenting, Enforcing Boundaries, and Natural Consequences with Rebecca Giannini of The Present Parents

Gentle Parenting. Permissive Parenting. Authoritative Parenting. The misunderstanding and noise behind parenting styles is confusing and stressing out an entire generation of well-intentioned but misinformed parents.That's where Rebecca Giannini helps! Rebecca is a mother of two, relationship and parent coach, and founder of The Present Parents. In this episode, Rebecca breaks down the four principles for healthy relationships:Everyone deserves to be listened to when they’re strugglingEveryon...

08-23
01:11:22

#41: The Choice to Freebirth (Again) After Loss with Alex Ann Cefalu

Since we have yet to unravel the profound topic of pregnancy loss, particularly from a sovereign woman's perspective, we invite you to witness Alex's moving story of the loss of her daughter Lila in the moments after birth. Alex chose to experience a wild pregnancy— a pregnancy outside the obstetric industrial complex, devoid of ultrasounds, blood work, measuring, tracking, and testing— and despite the emotional suffering she endured as a result of her tragic loss, she explains why she w...

07-26
01:08:59

#40 "Back Off Bobbie" Campaign and Modern Motherhood with Radical Moms Union's Andrea Haskins

We were joined by 1/2 of the Radical Moms Union, Andrea Haskins, who gives insight into the impetus behind the recent "Back Off Bobbie" campaign initiated with the help of RMU partner Natasha Vargas-Cooper and backed by heaps of concerned, empowered women. What does it mean to be a "radical" mom nowadays, and what is so radical about the way we mother?What is going on with the nefarious motives of certain formula companies i.e. Bobbie and their infamous marketing campaigns?Low supply see...

07-12
49:12

#39: Screen Time is The New Drug | Screens Are Destroying Childhood with Melanie Hempe of ScreenStrong

Most holistic-minded moms already know screen time is objectively bad and try to limit it or only rely on it as a brief, last-resort. But, just how bad is it really? Melanie Hempe, mother of four and the founder of the non-profit ScreenStrong, keeps it 100% real with us when divulging the truth about the way screen time is robbing our children of a healthy and happy childhood.What effects do interacting with a device have whether it’s a tablet, iPhone, or television on a child’s developi...

06-28
01:13:42

#38: Fired Into Freedom with Kristen / Awake Nurse Mama: Vaccines and the NICU

Kristen is a former NICU nurse of nearly a decade who saw some things she cannot unsee. Her great awakening transpired during the COVID madness, and she does not hold back when we ask her what she witnessed behind the scenes in the NICU and in the hospital setting as a whole, as well as what she bravely endured with her very own children.Kristen walks us through the vaccine injuries she witnessed amongst her three children, and what she wishes she knew as a former NICU nurse prior to becoming...

06-14
01:34:35

#37: Potty Training with Go Diaper Free Expert Nicole Cheever

Since our last episode featuring Nicole Cheever aired nearly a year ago during which we discussed Elimination Communication, we're thrilled to welcome her back to exclusively discuss potty training!This is not your typical potty training pep talk. Nicole breaks down potty training the Go Diaper Free way. This method is aligned with how our wise women ancestors successfully got their babies out of diapers no later than 18 months old without bribes, sticker charts, shame, and coercion.How and w...

05-31
01:34:39

#35: Thriving As a Single, Homeschooling Mom with Postpartum Doula Oni of Butterfly Birthcare

Oni, an Atlanta-based postpartum doula and single, homeschooling mom to two daughters aged eight and ten reveals her methods for making her non-traditional lifestyle work for her rather than against her. We loved the gentle wisdom and powerful reminders woven into this interview and we hope they resonate just as much with you. We delve into concepts such as:the importance of veering away from the martyrdom mindset in motherhoodOni's abandonment of the feminist movement and her calling to...

05-03
01:08:48

#34: Kat is Pregnant With Baby #2!

The (K)at is finally out of the bag! Kat is expecting baby #2!! It would be a little weird if we withheld the most compelling aspects of this wild pregnancy and plans for a sovereign birth (we explain what that means too) as two moms who host a podcast dedicated to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. So, we of course had to divulge the details. It's too exciting not to share! We answer some of our listener questions submitted via instagram stories as well.Resources Referenced: Kat's Substa...

04-19
59:31

#33: Ancestral Living and Nourishing Our Families with Hilda Labrada Gore

Hilda Labradore Gore is the host and producer of Wise Traditions— the official Weston A. Price Foundation podcast.Hilda brings her innate positivity, decades-long wisdom on ancestral practices, and exuberant demeanor to the virtual table where the three of us discuss topics such as:How do we know which food movements du jour are truly right for us? Raw Milk and beef liver are all the rage now, but before that everyone was talking about Paleo, Keto, Pegan, Raw before 4pm and the list goes on.S...

04-05
01:10:56

#32: Fun Q&A with Kat & April - Answering Your Questions from Instagram Stories

In response to welcoming an influx of new followers on our Instagram page (hi!!), we decided it would be fun and informative to see what you wanted us to discuss in an upcoming episode.So, in this episode we both address as many of the questions you posed as we could. Don’t worry if your question was not addressed; we will address the remaining questions in a Q&A part 2!As a teaser, some of the questions we transparently answer include:⁃Thoughts on gentle parenting⁃Cloth diapering⁃R...

03-22
01:24:19

#31: Encouraging Talkative Babies and Toddlers with Speech and Language Pathologist Maria Gianfilippo

We hear from Speech and Language Pathologist Maria Gianfilippo, Founder of Organic Speech Therapy, about what it takes to raise talkative babies and toddlers.First, it’s important to know what the milestones and averages are in regard to spoken words by specific age targets. Yes, every child does develop at his or her own pace; however, within *reason*.We reflect upon the main contributors to a burgeoning vocabulary versus speech delays that should raise red flags.We learn about optimal...

03-08
01:08:46

#30: How We Approached Baby-Led Weaning: Part 2

Continuing our conversation on our approach to baby led weaning. In part 2, we discuss:Our favorite first foods from each food group to offer a beginner eater How we can take radical responsibility for developing and refining our babies’ palatesWhy a variety of textures beyond purées is crucial for orofacial development Our simple hack for ditching the plastic pouches and baby food jars while traveling with your babyIdeas for combining specific foods and tapping into your creativity...

02-23
42:27

#29: How We Approached Baby-Led Weaning: Part 1

Hear all about the MOTR approach to baby-led weaning. In this episode, we share our takes on: what we think of baby-led weaninghow it’s different from simply “starting solids” overcoming obstacles mothers face when considering solids (fear of choking, allergens, breastfeeding relationships, etc). why we don’t care about added sodium for infants and what that evidence actually says (hint: it’s inconclusive)how we feel about purée pouches and stereotypical “baby food”why your ped...

02-09
46:42

#28: Interpregnancy Intervals / Child Spacing: The Evidence, Your Preferences, & Our Opinions

Some women want two under two so they can “get the baby phase over with” in one fell swoop. Other women intentionally space their children 3+ years apart for various reasons such as socioeconomic and health.Whether you are currently considering conscious or unconscious conception, the choice of how far apart to space your babies can impact you in ways beyond what you may have imagined.So, what is the best interpregnancy interval between children? Is there even such a thing? Is one length more...

01-26
01:17:20

#27: Navigating Unmedicated Birth In the Hospital and Mompreneurship with Fierce Lizzie

We kick off season 2 of Moms Off The Record and sit down with our friend and fellow radical mom, Lizzie Bolliger who you probably know as “Fierce Lizzie” to hear about her three births, what inspired her to leave her day job as a teacher and transition into a career as a doula on her terms.We discuss the difference between “natural” and physiologic birth misnomers, whether any intervention is “natural,” circumventing hospital policies and rules, how we all really feel about the anatomy ...

01-12
01:17:33

#26: A Retrospective on Motherhood Thus Far: Where We Changed Our Minds

As we approach 2024 and our almost one year anniversary of co-hosting Moms Off The Record podcast, we humbly and candidly reflect on all the things we either changed our minds about or would do differently with baby #2.We talk about what it means to be “above the line” vs. “below the line” as per “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership”We each share topics about which we’re okay with being self-righteous versus ones where we’re open-minded and curious.Find out where we changed our minds a...

12-29
01:31:48

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