The Top 3 Themes of Motherhood with Jessica Lorion
There's a lot of information out there when in comes to pregnancy, birth and parenthood so what do you actually need to know when you're preparing for the journey ahead? If you're here, you're probably a mama who wants ALL the information and wants to be as prepared as possible! If so, this episode is for you!
I'm joined this week by Jessica Lorion, the host and producer of the podcast, Mamas in Training. She's here to share her best tips for getting prepared for pregnancy and birth based off of the three pillars of advocacy, community, and informed consent.
JESSICA LORION is an American TV, film, and theatre artist based in NYC. She’s also the Host and Producer of the Podcast: Mamas in Training.
Screen credits include Metro Park (Eros Now/Amazon Prime), Homicide City: Charlotte (Investigation Discovery) and a national commercial for King Clean. Her theatrical credits include the North American tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Babette) and two productions of Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins).
She has been a part of new readings with Broadway Licensing Worldwide and recorded new works with Theatrical Rights Worldwide. She also helped create Ghost: The Musical - Chamber Version in a world premiere production (co-produced by The Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theater).
Teaching, encouraging, and inspiring the next generation of artists is important to Jessica. She’d served on the faculty of Broadway Connection, judged for Shepherd Hill Show Choir Competition, and choreographed for Oliver Ames High School. She continues to teach masterclasses for academic and performing arts institutions nationwide, and coaches artists around the world via video conferencing.
The creator, host, and producer of the podcast, Mamas in Training, Jessica is learning everything she can about motherhood before she is a mother. She created the podcast to give new moms guidance and community from moms who’ve been there. As she fights an auto-immune disease that delays her motherhood journey, she is learning right alongside you.
Listen to the @MamasinTrainingPod HERE OR, on iTunes, Spotify and GooglePlay.
Show Notes:
1:12 - Our reviewer of the week shares that listening to the My Essential Birth podcast helped her reach her goal of an unmedicated water birth. She were able to go into her birth feeling empowered, without fear, with a great team.
3:30 - Introducing Jessica Lorion, a New York City actress and creative who created the Mamas in Training Podcast to begin learning everything she can about motherhood before her journey begins.
5:10 - Jessica shares how her health has impacted her journey to motherhood.
9:02 - Jessica's podcast, Mamas in Training, was started to help women find community via storytelling and evolved into a learning resource for new mamas
12:55 - One particular episode of Mamas in Training that surprised Jessica as she recorded it was her episode on pelvic floor health. Women are so often feeling shamed about talking about these issues that they don't get the information they need. She highly recommends working with a pelvic floor therapist to stay healthy pre and post pregnancy.
14:53 - Another key episode for Jessica was episode 98 of her podcast, which opened her eyes to how important it is to include your partner throughout the parenthood journey and why.
16:26 - Throughout the creation of her podcast, Jessica has noticed three common themes: advocacy, planning and preparation, and community. She shares that these three pillars are important for any woman in any area of their life.
17:22 - Women will need to advocate for themselves throughout their lives but especially during pregnancy and birth. Jessica shares that advocating comes into play in the medical setting so often especially when you feel that your provider isn't giving you adequate care.
18:20 - Jessica lets us in on her own experience in needing to advocate for herself through a health issue.
19:19 - Jessica shares how "purple pushing" is a key moment where mamas should advocate for themselves in birth since it is harmful to the pelvic floor but many mamas either don't know how to advocate for themselves in these moments or just don't even know they have other options worth advocating for.
22:15 - When mamas are sharing whether or not they had a good birth, they're usually basing their experience off of how they were made to feel. If they were respected, if they had a say in their experience, if they understood the options coming at them etc. are all key factors in whether or not a mama has a good birth. Advocacy and informed consent are key to having a positive birth experience.
23:50 - A great opportunity to advocate for yourself arises when you can express to friends, family, or even strangers that you only want to hear positive birth stories.
24:25 - Community can take many forms and has various levels. Cultivating multiple communities can help you gain unbiased, experienced support from strangers who are actually excited to help.
29:16 - As a woman working to become a mother, taking in as much information as possible helps you to prepare for birth by having an opportunity to sift through what works for you and what doesn't, especially if you've heard a lot of opinions from well meaning people. Variables out of your control may leave you vulnerable, it's best to be prepared for all the possibilities to avoid stress in the moment.
33:45 - Being prepared helps mamas avoid feeling panic AND the idea that they failed because things outside of their control derailed their initial plan. It matters to get the all the information even if it's not pertinent to your initial plan so that if you have to course correct you feel empowered rather than scared.
36:15 - After gaining so much knowledge through creating the Mamas in Training podcast, Jessica shares that she plans to focus on her core and pelvic floor health before she gets pregnant. She also shares all the desires for her birth and postpartum plan.
39:13 - Jessica shares a story that made her realize how she wanted to include her partner in their parenthood journey.
42:20 - Jessica's best advice for people on their pregnancy journey is to drink from the firehose and soak up as much knowledge as possible.
44:18 - How to find Jessica and her podcast, Mamas in Training
