Delivery Diaries: The Podcast

Mother's Day Special Edition Episodes

Hi everyone! Welcome to our Mother’s Day special edition episodes.  Where Flo and I interview our very own mothers. What better way to celebrate and honor the essence of motherhood than to listen to their own birth stories and the advice and wisdom they have to pass down.  In this episode we hear from Brandy's mom, Liberty Galloway. She’s shares her no frills pregnancy and parenting style.  And later this week we’ll be hearing from Flo’s mom, Carolyn Speakman and boy does she pass on some nuggets as well. In some way their generation made birthing and motherhood look so easy but after hearing from them you’ll get a sense that there can be a balance of what worked then and what works in the present day.  No matter where we get it from or how we decide and decided to give birth it is all valid and we celebrate it all. We also acknowledge the mamas who are trying to become moms, expecting moms, moms who have loss and moms who thrive. We are all in it together and we can do this motherhood thing. Happy Mother's Day!

Two Cesarean Births, Screw The Breastfeeding Hierarchy & Meet Xavier The Xigua Melon

This month of April is a special one. April is Cesarean Awareness Month and Black Maternal Health Week, spanning from April 11th through April 17th. Given the alarming rise in black maternal mortality rates in our nation, there's an urgent need to emphasize celebration, awareness-raising, activism, and the voices of Black Mamas and birthing people. It seemed fitting to continue Season 2 episodes featuring Shardae Webb. Shardae, who has experienced two successful cesarean deliveries with her daughters, took deliberate steps to have her black sister-in-law, who is also a nurse, serve as her advocate and be an integral part of her support network.   Shardae also opens up about her challenges with breastfeeding her first daughter and recounts how her husband improvised a makeshift feeding tube like MacGyver. She delves into the concept of a breastfeeding hierarchy and reflects on how she turned this negative stigma into a baby food business, Muva Munch. And she went on to create Webbd Publishing Company and self-published her first children's book, I See Me in the ABCs. Both endeavors were inspired by her daughters to teach them the value of nutrition and to see themselves in the literary  platform. In the end of the day she emphasizes the importance of mothers doing what's best for their children and family regardless of societal pressures. You can purchase the book directly from her publishing company's website below Website: https://webbdpubco.com/ [https://webbdpubco.com/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/webbdpubco/ [https://www.instagram.com/webbdpubco/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2HIRbp4kmy_Z4Vlu78yDcQmfZrdtQ8k0cv934of3mlNxM27Xq3gkIVAzg_aem_AXOunLz6fbXmt0VxjP6XwpO5YGEgBIzqEHcQ1VEI2u-LRbmsh-zUB9XIDJnFjpPJPtIZ-96tdoaJ1wEEOHrOdi7X] Contact: contact@webbdpubco.com

Resilience & ‘The Little Embryo That Could': Infertility, Endometriosis, IUI, IVF & Surrogacy During Pandemic

Welcome to Episode 8. If we could describe an episode in one word, then the word for this episode would be ‘Resilience.’   That’s who our next guest is, Shannon Totino is resilient. Brandy and Shannon met at their gym, shout out to Oak Park, in the women’s class. They both had their baby girls in tow, strapped in their car seats, watching their mamas go up and down doing squats and burpees.     Shannon shares about her infertility journey to motherhood. How she faced unsuccessful IUI and IVF attempts and then dealing with obstacle after obstacle. She came to the realization that surrogacy was her only choice of having her own children, yet after she her daughter, Emerson, was born, it was clear that it was the best choice.  Her vulnerability and courage to keep going  is inspiring and can bring hope for those who are trying to create their family one. Take it from Shannon, her baby 'Em', was the “The Little Embryo That Could”.   🎧 Happy Listening!

A Pediatrician's Journey To Motherhood: Fertility Challenges, Mindfulness Practices & That Hospital Bag List

We're excited, this is our first full episode in Season 2 and our first expert guest.  Dr. Smita is a pediatrician in the Los Angeles area and the author of "The Newborn Handbook: Your Guide to Bringing Home Baby" She shares about her difficult journey to becoming pregnant and how exploring mindfulness through medication, acupuncture and yoga helped her fertility.  Since then she changed her practice to empower children and families through mindfulness practices and transform the perspective on how our mind and body are so deeply connected that even child ailments can be healed.  You can find her on social media sharing little bits of medical, mindfulness and parenting advice to help us navigate what life throws at us and our children. Instagram: @drsmita_md Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smitamb X: @DrSmita_MD Watch her TEDx Talk  sharing about her unconventional career path and the willingness to embrace the unknown and new opportunities. https://youtu.be/KllBDbjOhRk?si=W4Lc2Q7yaZQPEwga You can purchase her book "The Newborn Handbook" on Amazon and Barnes & Noble This episode is not for medical advice, but informational and empowerment purposes only! Make sure to watch the full episode with extra content on YouTube.  LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!  https://youtu.be/7AjXIHrGUNM?si=mAB18BNY3_WTJsg9 🎧 Happy Listening!

Season 2 Is Here: Let's Catch Up With Hosts Brandy Breth & Flo Speakman

Join Flo and Brandy as they kick off Season 2 with an re-introductory episode. As they take the time to catch up a little bit on mom life with their kids they share about their personal journey with setting goals, intentions, lessons in failure and how it can relate to planning your birth, your adoption adventure or however you make your family. They remind us and themselves that perhaps we need to have a little more self-compassion for ourselves and empathy for what others are going through in making their families. They take a look back on some of the past episodes and are for season 1 guests and how they shared their birth stories and family making journey so graciously and authentically.  Lastly, Flo and Brandy talk about the difference, they hope they made, in Season 1 for you listeners and viewers and the impact they want to make going forward with the  podcast, episode by episode and guest by guest.  Happy listening!  New episodes available every Thursday!  FOLLOW US!  To contact us, message & follow us on: Instagram - @deliverydiaries