Mamistad - New Moms Network

Shows

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.31 On Mother's Day and Forever with Gia Mariam HasanIn honor of Mother's Day this episode celebrates the beauty of motherhood in all its forms. It also honors those moms who have left this earth, and those of us who revere and cherish them. Gia lost her mom only a few months prior to this recording, and my own precious mom battled Alzheimer's from 2004 to 2012. If you have a mom, if you have a child, if you nurture and love a child, we celebrate you!My guest today is my dear friend of nineteen years, Gia Mariam Hasan. Ma...2025-05-1158 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.30 LET'S CALL THE MIDWIFE - Hilary Biesecker, CNM, APRNHow you choose to deliver your baby should absolutely be your decision and based on your pregnancy and personal needs. In this episode, we explore the option of midwifery with Hilary Biesecker, Certified Nurse Midwife, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse & Founder Loudoun Homebirth & Healthcare.Hilary began her path to midwifery in 1999 as a certified doula. She then earned an undergraduate nursing degree and practiced as a L&D nurse while earning her graduate degree in Nursing -midwifery. She has attended more than 600 births and has naturally birthed her own four children - the final two as she...2025-04-2854 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.29 BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK 2025 with Doula Samantha Griffin, Founder of DC Metro Maternity#BMHW25In this episode, we spotlight Black Maternal Health Week. Held annually on April 11-17th, BMHW is a week-long campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people.We also welcome back our dear friend, Samantha Griffin .She's an amazing doula and founder of DC Metro Maternity, a group of black women who are incredibly passionate about providing professional doula support to women of color and their partners.It i...2025-04-1041 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.28 Newborn Overnight Care with Denise Stern, Founder & CEO of Let Mommy SleepOur esteemed guest, Denise Stern, is a mother of three and Founder and CEO of Let Mommy Sleep - a nationally acclaimed company that offers a simple service: nurturing, overnight care to newborns and evidence-based education to their parents.Let Mommy Sleep has become the country’s leading Baby Nurse and Postpartum Care service by building and maintaining a team of newborn care experts, baby nurses (RN/LPN) and postpartum doulas across the US. They support families with single babies, twins & triplets with services including:Newborn CareBaby Basics ClassPostpartum VisitsSleep TrainingCorporate CareDenise is...2025-03-2631 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.27 The Power of Connection & the Importance of a New Mom Group w/Lauren Geriak, LPCThis episodes teaches us why CONNECTION IS KEY. When you feel understood, when you feel seen by someone else, your cortisol levels start to lower, our brain starts to regulate and we become more grounded and able to cope again! This works in all other areas of your life - so, DEFINITELY TRY THIS AT HOME.Today we welcome licensed professional counselor, Lauren Geriak. Lauren owns Geriak Psychotherapy, a private practice in McLean, VA. She specializes in educating parents on emotional regulation and is incredibly passionate about normalizing the struggles of parenthood and helping parents find the joy of conn...2025-03-1346 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.26 My Blended Family - Unanticipated Dreams & Discoveries w/Tiffany Green, Owner of NouNouNannyToday's guest is the fabulous Tiffany Green, Founder & Owner, of Nounou Nanny. Childcare has always been her gift and passion. She started babysitting at age 15, and became a professional nanny while in college and continued through grad school. Though she felt compelled to go the corporate route, her heart kept pulling her back to her work as a nanny. When Tiffany met the love of her life, she knew he had 4 children from a previous marriage. When she and their father decided to marry, she knew that these great kids already had a strong foundation with both of their biological...2025-02-2440 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.25 Supporting New Parents as They Bring Baby Home w/Doula Ursula Sabia SukinikAt long last, we're doing an episode for everyone who cares about and wants to support, new parents! Please share this episode with your friends and family knowing that the things we discuss are important and if dealt with beforehand and with understanding and love, can change a new family's introduction into the world of parenting.I'm joined once again by the always amazing Ursula Sabia Sukinik who, as CEO of Birth You Desire and a doula who has attended over 1500 births, has worked with tons of new families and quickly become our...2025-02-0950 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.24 Postpartum Possibilities - The Stuff No One Tells Us w/ Ursula Sabia SukinikIn this episode our awesome doula friend, Ursula Sabia Sukinik is here to enlighten us on some of the STUFF NO ONE TELLS US about the first few days and weeks postpartum - not our babies, OUR SELVES! Most of us are naturally still in awe...or shock...or both, at the thought of having given birth to another human being who we will forever be in love with, responsible for, etc... but we can be blindsided by some of the things going on with us! You know, the dramatic hormone shifts, massive physical recovery (sometimes from major...2025-01-2043 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp. 23 Babywearing, Breastfeeding & the Wonders of Skin-to-skin with Laci Tang, IBCLCWelcome to Mom Chat! Since 2005 Mamistad has been connecting first-time pregnant and new moms with their mama tribes to help navigate what I feel is the most unsung time in many of our lives - pregnancy and new motherhood. Mom Chat is where we share some of the stories and lessons we're learning along the way. Please rate and subscribe to our podcast so we can keep reaching more parents out there! This episode's guest is International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (I BCLC), Laci Tang. Although, it's not only about breastfeeding! 2024-12-2041 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp. 22 A Mamistad Holiday MessageThis is a quick holiday reminder that it's okay to take the good with the bad during the holidays. Whether you're full of cheer or not, give yourself a break - especially if you're a new parent. There are new traditions coming your way with your own family and sometimes it can cause some dissonance - that's normal when big changes happen right? Keep moving forward and embrace the birth of your new life, as a parent. Happy Holidays to everyone... and Mamistad! Cynthia Mom Chat w/Mamistad ~Women...2024-11-2907 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.21 Birth Trauma & Sexual Trauma in Pregnancy & New Motherhood with Jennifer Byrnes, LPC, PMH-CNOTICE: We discuss some heavy issues in this episode so I have AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR all of our pregnant Mamas who choose to listen: We hope that you all have smooth pregnancy, labor & delivery and postpartum experiences. This DOES happen! We also know that pregnant and new moms can go through a variety of situations, the outcome of which can vary widely based on each individual mama. Our goal in this podcast is to discuss the effects of previous trauma, mainly sexual trauma, on pregnant women - and how you can begin to mentally prepare for labor and deli...2024-11-0848 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.20 DOULAS CHANGE THE WORLD with Ursula Sabia SukinikPlease don't forget to rate our podcast to help us reach more listeners! Meet Ursula Sabia Sukinik, CD, CDT, CMA, CBE, CLC. She is the CEO and Founder of Birth You Desire, which has been offering Doula Services and Birth Classes in the DC Metro Area and Phoenix, AZ. since 1999.Learn how cervical cancer set her on the path to becoming not only a mother of two and a CEO of an award-winning Doula Service, but also an empathetic and compassionate supporter of birthing people all over the world. We discuss how the efficiency of mo...2024-10-2545 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.19 Parent Coaching with Washington Post Parenting Columnist, Meghan LeahyIn this episode, we welcome Meghan Leahy. She is the On Parenting columnist for The Washington Post, a certified parenting coach. and author of an Amazon Editor's Pick titled Parenting Outside the Lines! Meghan's passion was born out of her epic power struggles with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter while she was pregnant with her second. She had run out of ideas and felt angry, frustrated, out of control, fatigued, and deep down, very scared. Her years of training have taught her what good parent/child connections look and feel like and that we can only change...2024-10-0438 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.18 Meet Advanced Certified Doula, Adriana Lozada Meet Adriana Lozada! She's an Advanced Certified Doula - there are only 57 advanced certified doulas in the world. She's also an author, a postpartum educator and a child sleep consultant. And she was named one of CNN in Espanol, 20 Latin American leaders of the internet in 2000. She also hosts the acclaimed podcast BIRTHFUL- one of my favorite resources for everything, pregnancy birth and postpartum - alternating between interviews with perinatal professionals and birth stories with new parents. She found her calling as a doula through her own birth journey almost 20 years ago...2024-09-1748 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.17 Elevating the Pelvic Floor with Katie Bayer, DPTLets talk about the pelvic floor! We all have one - for women, it's the group of muscles "down below" that play a star role in the birth of our babies, but do any of us really understand it? After this podcast, you'll be on your way, thanks to Pelvic Floor Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and Owner of Transition Physical Therapy Katie Bayer! She's also a member of the Mamistad Mami Circle - our curated list of providers. The best part is, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO WORK ON PELVIC FLOOR ISSUES! Katie reinforces the fact that our b...2024-09-0947 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.16 IVF for a 3rd Baby - The Journey to My Daughter w/Natallia of Mamistad 144This episode is all about Natallia and her long journey to meet her baby girl, Naomi Rose. As a member of Mamistad144 (M144), Natallia joined us on the fabulous Ep 9: REAL DEAL MAMAHOOD, where she shared a bit of her IVF journey. Now she's back to share more about her painful struggles with IVF to have the daughter she dreamed of, and the pain and realizations she experienced as a result. Her message to her fellow moms is that on the winding road to your miracle, it will be difficult and it's okay to reach o...2024-08-2545 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.15 Autism Prt.2 Your True Self is Enough w/Author Susanna Peace LovellThis episode is the second of two on Autism. We welcome certified professional life coach and advocate for special needs families, autism expert, speaker, and now author, Susanna Peace Lovell! She is one of the latest members of The Mamistad Mami Circle, our curated list of our favorite providers. She joins us as a life coach dedicated to the health and wellness of her clients, special needs families.In her first book, released just this year, titled Your True Self is Enough - Lessons Learned on My Journey Parenting a Child with Autism, she shares the story of...2024-08-0253 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp14 Hypnobirthing & Spinning Babies w/Instructor Caroline O'NeillIn this episode, we are enlightened to the wonders of HYPNOBIRTHING! No, you won't be hypnotized and miss your labor and delivery, you will be present in a deeper way that will empower beyond what you ever thought you were capable of. I so wish I had done this when I was pregnant! Rather than fear your labor and delivery, arm yourself with the tools that can honestly not only change your delivery, they can also change your relationship with your partner, and your life. Learn more about Caroline O'Neill, Hypnobirthing, Spinning Babie...2024-07-2430 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp13 Breast Cancer & New Motherhood w/Mamistad Mom, MarlaIn this inspiring episode we chat with Mamistad Mom, Marla, who learned she had breast cancer when her second baby was only two weeks old. But don't think this is a sad hopeless story because even though Marla and her loved ones definitely had some trials, Marla has emerged stronger and full of light and happy to help other moms learn the importance of knowing your risk factors, advocating for yourself, and realizing there's help out there - especially in the form of OTHER WOMEN on the same path! She's also pregnant with her 3rd baby!! ...2024-07-1452 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.12 Autism Prt. 1 - Mother & Daughter w/FabiThis episode is one of two dedicated to Autism and the importance of understanding and accepting neurodiversity. We meet Mamistad Mami, Fabiola, an Astrophysicist by trade. She and her husband learned that their little girl, Elena was Autistic when she was 18 months old. Fabi wanted to learn as much as she could about Autism, and in the process, she learned that she too is Autistic. This knowledge brought her freedom and an understanding and respect for herself and her new community. She shares many of her lessons with us here-including this quote by a 14-year old Autistic...2024-06-2751 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.11 BREASTFEEDING GOLD w/Susan Howard, IBCLCPlease don't forget to rate the Mom Chat Podcast so we can reach more listeners! Thank you - YOU are appreciated! THIS IS A BIG ONE! In this episode, we chat with Susan Howard, MSN, RN, IBCLC, mother of three and founder and owner of Arlington Lactation & Feeding Therapy, LLC. Susan is a member of the Mamistad Mami Circle - our list of favorite providers! Susan has over 30 experience as a Registered Nurse, and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 2013 after her 'challenge baby' failed to thrive, refused to eat...2024-06-0557 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.10 The Working Mom Conference w/Christa Bright"You can be a good mom and a working mom. You are allowed to be both." In this episode we chat with mother, veteran, entrepreneur and founder of the Working Mom Conference, Christa Bright. She is a visionary with the knowledge, energy and connections to make big things happen! As we all know, life and often motherhood, happen when you're making (other) plans! Christa learned life lessons from her own supportive mother which she now shares with her own amazing son! Through the Working Mom Conference, she inspires us to learn from...2024-05-2829 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.10 The Working Mom Conference w/Christa Bright“You can be a good mom and a working mom. You are allowed to be both.” In this episode we chat with mother, veteran, entrepreneur and founder of the Working Mom Conference, Christa Bright. She is a visionary with the knowledge, energy and connections to make big things happen! As we all know, life and often motherhood, happen when you're making (other) plans! Christa learned life lessons from her own supportive mother which she now shares with her own son. Through the Working Mom Conference, she inspires us to learn from, and support each other because “You can be a good...2024-05-2729 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.9 Real Deal Mamahood with Mamistad 144Mamistad 144 (M144) an Arlington VA group born in 2017, joins us to share their real deal struggles, realizations and discoveries with and about motherhood. Their humble and honest truth telling reminds us that Women are incredible, Moms are limitless, and a Sisterhood of Moms is literally a force of nature. Join us as we discuss: Dropping judgments & finding friends 2nd thoughts about motherhood IVF Pregnancy after loss Mom Group Traditions Sisters to the Rescue and more... Want to learn more abo...2024-05-1547 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.8 MATRESCENCE with Megan MacCutcheon, LPC, PMH-CFINALLY! The world is beginning to understand that becoming a mother comes with SO MUCH MORE than most of us ever realized! Matrescence helps us understand just how "normal" the roller coaster of becoming a mother really is - and in my opinion, why the world needs to give us all one HUGE BREAK! Megan MacCutcheon LPC, PMH-C joins me as we talk about MATRESCENCE - the process of a woman becoming a mother and all the changes that come with it -biologically, spiritually, psychologically, socially, existentially, spiritually...I first learned about...2024-05-0634 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.7 Meet Dr. Waggel & Improve Life!In this episode, we meet Dr. Stephanie Waggel, Psychiatrist, MD, MS, PMH-C and Medical Director at Improve Life PLLC. Her special focus is on women, mood, anxiety, ADHD testing AND treatment, depression, OCD, PTSD, bipolar, and more. She is a mother, author, motivational speaker, teacher, cancer survivor, marathon runner, medical student advisor, martial artist and founder of Improve Medical Culture. My favorite part - she's brilliant, funny and she makes time for SLEEP! Hear what she has to say about: - Mom guilt & work-life balance-The beauty of SLEEP!-Tre...2024-04-2529 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.6 Black Maternal Health Week with Doula Samantha of DC Metro MaternityGreetings and welcome as we recognize Black maternal Health Week from April 11-17, 2024!The purpose of #BMHW24 is to highlight efforts led by BlackMamasMatterAlliance (BMMA), and collectively work toward a future where ALL Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive throughout their lives-including in their reproductive years. This year's theme is “Our Bodies STILL Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!” In this episode we chat with Samantha Griffin, a Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula and Certified Childbirth Educator. She founded DC Metro Maternity and brought on a team of other passionate certified female doulas of c...2024-04-1238 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.5 The Mama Tribe Vibe with Mamistad 176 When one of us wins, we ALL win! In this episode you'll meet Molly, Megan and Monica of the phenomenal M176 - an Arlington VA area Mamistad group first connected in the Fall of 2019. The consummate Mama Tribe, they have weathered many storms and fiercely protected each other and their families with lots of tears, laughter and amazing memories to show for it. COVID tested them, but only made their bonds as moms, and a community of young families, even stronger. Join us as we discuss how: 2024-04-0746 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.4 Heather's NICU Experience & Expert Advice from NEOwell NICU NursesWas I wrong to want a home birth? Mamistad Mom Heather answers this question w/incredible honesty & wisdom after a difficult stay in the NICU. Her introspection will inspire you. NEOwell’s expertise will empower you. Denver Mama Heather shares the story of her baby girl, Jocelyn's birth and their time in the NICU as a result of little Jocelyn's complex medical needs and we hear from the two incredible NICU nurses (and NICU graduates themselves) from NEOwell: Melissa Braun, MSN, CRNP, CBC and Margie Kuczkowski, MSN, CRNP, CBC. We al...2024-03-251h 05

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.3 International Women's Day!Greetings Lovelies! The 2024 International Women's Day Campaign theme is 'Inspire Inclusion'. As moms, I hope we can inspire inclusion amongst ourselves - let's judge each other less, and appreciate each other more. The struggle to raise children in this increasingly dynamic world is real. The sooner we realize we're all in it together and pushing towards the same goal - a bright future for our kids - the better. Thanks to: euronews.com and International Womens Day.com: Inspire others to help forge an inclusive world by...2024-03-0808 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.2 Car Babies & Clarity with Mamistad Denver 21In this episode you'll meet Lara and Molly of Mamistad Denver 21. Theirs is the 21st Mamistad Group created in Denver. They were connected as first-time pregnant mamas back in 2019 and have done more than just share their new Mama journey together - they survived it during a major pandemic. Maybe that's why they're still so close today. Their group is an inspiration for all mom's groups as they continue to support each other as their kiddos enter the elementary school years, and with more babies having joined the mix! They share some of their thoughts on why...2024-03-0245 min

Mom Chat with MamistadEp.1 An Introduction to Mom Chat & MamistadIn our first episode of Mom Chat, my dear friend and Mamistad Mom, Jacie, joins me, Cynthia, in an introduction to Mamistad. We recorded this as a practice but decided to go with it when the conversation flowed so well! Unfortunately, the audio is not the best, but I promise we'll get better as we move along! We're launching this episode on Valentine's Day as a BIG HUG to all Moms! You're beautiful and you make the world go 'round by filling it with your incredible love EVERY...SINGLE...DAY. Mamistad, let's chat....2024-02-1432 min

Mom Chat with MamistadTRAILER: Mom Chat with Mamistad Hi, I'm Cynthia. In 2005, I created Mamistad as a hobby to help first-time moms find their new mama tribes. Now with thousands of Mami members and counting and DC, Austin and Denver, and having welcomed thousands of babies, I realize it's no longer a hobby. It's a necessity. We are still here growing and expanding to new cities. We're still here celebrating and commiserating because honestly, That's what it's all about. We all face ups and downs and motherhood. I promise, IT'S NOT JUST YOU.It's time to push the boundaries and see moms for who we reall...2024-02-1002 min