Surabhi chats with Dr. Yeni Abraham, pelvic physical therapist and creator of the Pelvic Rehab Fertility Specialist (PRFS) Certification Program, all about infertility, the importance of prioritizing sexual wellness, and using a holistic approach to supporting fertility.

We discuss:

1. What is infertility and how to know when to get help?

2. The ideal age for fertility and impact of advanced maternal age

3. How lack of time impacts fertility especially for busy, Type A successful women

4. How the western medical and traditional cultural approaches both play a key role in fertility

5. Importance of education on regular intercourse, pleasure, orgasms and sexual wellness as part of fertility treatment

6. When should genetic and reproductive testing come into play

7. The role of a pelvic floor physical therapist in supporting fertility

8. The importance of shared decision making rather than resorting to the patriarchal model of healthcare

9. Fibroids, premature ovarian failure and other fertility cases that keep Dr Yeni up at night

10. Dr. Yeni’s services including mentorship, PRFS Certification Program, and masterclasses on endometriosis, adenomyosis, irregular periods

11. How Dr. Yeni prioritizes happiness and self-care as a mom and successful business owner

Pregnant, trying to conceive or planning a future pregnancy? Tune into this episode to learn why you should work with a pelvic floor physiotherapist. Whether you have pelvic symptoms like leaks, constipation or pain, other symptoms like lower back pain, sciatica, or maybe you don’t have symptoms at all, you’ll learn why it’s a good idea to work with a pelvic physio in pregnancy. You’ll also learn how to prepare for birth and minimize risk of tears.

Are you terrified to tear your vagina during childbirth? Have you heard that your pelvic organs can hang outside your vagina after delivery? Instead of feeling afraid or stuck in fear, learn 10 tangible and actionable ways you can reduce your risk of pelvic trauma during birth. Improve your pelvic health during pregnancy so you can reap the benefits now and later!

Don’t erase us from our own birth stories! Part 2 of this conversation with Sarah Sayed continues, where we talk about the guilt around precipitous birth, erasure of women in birth stories, societal views of birth, and exercising as a parent.

This week’s episode features Sarah Sayed, a mom who’s part of my Instagram community! We connected and when I heard her birth story, I knew I had to have her on Mom Strength! Unexpectedly, Sarah had a precipitous birth (which is a fast and short labour) while she was at home and ended up birthing her baby boy on her couch! Tune in to hear all about Sarah’s birth story, how she gave birth, alongside her husband, in her living room.

We discuss:

1. Midwifery Care

2. Precipitous Birth

3. What happened after her home birth

4. Genetics Role in Precipitous Labour and Births

5. Informed Consent during Pregnancy and Birth

6. Birth Expectations

7. Postpartum

8. Co-sleeping

9. Returning to Exercise After Birth

Sophia Dhrolia (she/they) and I discuss their journey into parenting, including IUI, challenges with fertility, IVF, C-sections, postpartum pre-eclampsia and so much more. From meeting their wife (on Plenty of Fish!) to their Bollywood romance, we talk about how they had kids as a queer couple. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll learn so much from this incredible human. This is an absolute must-listen and one of my all-time favourite interviews.

Surabhi Veitch interviews occupational therapist, Sarah Putt, where they discuss OT, working in early intervention, the challenges of being a mom and her experience into a pregnancy complication!

We discuss:

Sarah’s pregnancy journey

Working in occupational therapy

International travel (with young kids!)

Starting a podcast

The power of embracing our fears

Self-care and relationships as mom

Surabhi Veitch interviews Dr. Whitney Baxter, naturopathic doctor, on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including symptoms, treatments and tips for living with PCOS.

We discuss:

What is PCOS?

What are the main symptoms of PCOS?

How does a PCOS diagnosis work?

The main causes of PCOS

Is there treatment for PCOS? (short answer - yes!)

Which is better? - Natural vs Medical Treatments

Importance of nutrition in treating and preventing PCOS

The healing benefits of movement

Birth can be magical, beautiful and powerful. With negative birth stories and horror stories shared widely, I have been hesitant to share my very positive, beautiful birth story. However, I realized that in sharing my story, it doesn’t take away from anyone else’s story. Every birth is different. And I know the importance of hearing positive stories when media is quick to portray long, arduous and painful labours ending in emergency surgeries. While those can happen, I also know that I needed to hear positive birth stories during my pregnancies, and so I gift you this reading of my 9-page birth story of my first baby.

BASE fitness membership for quick & effective home workouts that you can do with the kids or baby around, before or after work, or whenever is convenient for you! BASE helps to decrease the barrier to entry, so you’re actually able to get consistent workouts in without having to think about which combination of exercises to do or how to make it work for your body.

Michelle Lyons and Surabhi Veitch talk about hormonal changes during postpartum, strategies for navigating perimenopause and how to maximize healing postpartum! Learn whether you can really blame it on hormones, what is at fault, and how to test for hormonal imbalances.

We discuss:

Importance of celebrating muliebrity - the art of being a woman

How and why do hormones change in postpartum?

How to maximise healing with quality sleep - even if you have trouble sleeping

Tips for hormonal changes in postpartum and perimenopause

Nutrition’s close link to hormones

How much should you eat to maximise postpartum recovery?

The truth about blood testing for hormonal imbalances

The importance of understanding our biological differences

Why we need to listen to our bodies

Surabhi Veitch interviews Amanda Vecchiola about surrogacy, parenting through a surrogacy journey, and common misconceptions about the surrogacy process. Whether you’re considering surrogacy, have never considered it, are pregnant or plan to be pregnant, listen to this extremely inspiring and affirming episode.

We discuss

Amanda’s own journeys into motherhood

How did she know she wanted to do a surrogate journey?

How did she meet the intended parents?

What are the biggest misconceptions about surrogacy?

Does she get paid to be a surrogate?

How did she find your agency?

How did she match with her intended parents?

What goes into the screening process?

Amanda’s tips for the pregnancy process

Transitioning to having any number of kids is hard! In this episode, I share my personal experience and my honest perspective on the transition from 1 to 2 kids. In a society that conditions you to want to have at least 2 kids, I challenge that and invite you to consider whether more kids is something you truly want. I reflect on other common concerns, the mixed feelings (let’s normalize that, ya?), and why the “right time” doesn’t exist.

I also share my experience with transitioning to 2 kids, strategies that helped my older child with the transition, and some of the challenges that I was not prepared for.

Come and join this conversation with Anita Lambert as we discuss pregnancy and the keys to birth preparation. She shares her story about her past pregnancies and the vital lessons she has learnt through her experience as a mother and as a Pelvic Physiotherapist. She shares the tips and tricks she gives her clients, which help prepare your body for pregnancy, birth and beyond. Anita also provides guidance on reaching a state of mindfulness pre-birth to help alleviate discomfort during birth. This state of mind is achieved through meditation, affirmation tracks and more!

In this episode, we explore:

How to reduce pain during pregnancy and detect pelvic floor symptoms

The keys to birth preparation

Proven ways prepare physically and mentally for labour

Anita’s signature Bump to Birth Method

Come and join this conversation with Antony Lo, as we discuss how to navigate through postpartum, return to exercise and your fitness goals. Antony shares his expertise and approach in helping people lift heavy weights and navigate back to their fitness goals postpartum. Antony explores the importance of strength training, highlighting the benefits and surprising results (you’re probably stronger than you think!).

We discuss:

Progressing physically and mentally through postpartum

Finding hope in a prolapse/diastasis diagnosis (it’s more common than you think!)

The consequences of comparing yourself to other Moms

Dangers of fear mongering in fitness/health industry

Strength and aesthetic goals in postpartum

Come join this conversation with Dr. Danielle Watson as we discuss pregnancy prep for postpartum, and thriving in motherhood. We discuss supporting how to support yourself during each trimester of pregnancy, and how to best care for yourself in the postpartum phase.

We also discuss:

how to use pregnancy as a time to connect with and listen to your body

postpartum depletion & prioritizing your micronutrients

perinatal mood & anxiety disorders, and how you never think you'll be the one to experience it

impact of Type A high-achieving personalities on how we cope with postpartum challenges

why weight loss isn’t the best measure of postpartum recovery

Dr. Danielle’s The Mother Method program for pregnant and postpartum moms

Having a baby can be terrifying. I remember how it felt before I had my first. But there are ways to reduce your fears and anxieties during pregnancy so that you head into birth with less fear. Tune into this episode to learn 4 strategies to reduce fears, including:

The “I’m awesome” list

Release your fears assignment

Discussions to have with your birth partner, including birth preferences & advocating for you during birth

The power of affirmations and visualization

how to cultivate community in your postpartum journey

what to do when you don’t have a village

asking for help postpartum

preparing your environment for motherhood

TaKisha August, doula, birthworker, yoga teacher and mother and I discuss:

1. the epigenetics & energetics surrounding birth

2. the importance of healing and doing the inner work

3. ways to fully prepare for birth, more than just breathing and packing your bag

4. the role your partner may play in your birth experience

5. the harm of snapback culture in maternal health