BDA Baby (Before, During and After Baby)

Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt and her mom, Maria Shriver, are celebrating Mother’s Day this year with The Grandmother Project, a heartwarming interview series about grandmothers, mothers and the many aspects of multi-generational parenting. For the second episode, Maria and Katherine interview Team2Moms’, Ebony and Denise, and their mothers, Sharon and Zoraida, to talk about their love of grandmotherhood, communicating when disagreements come up, going off schedule and the way they hope their grandchildren will remember them. In honor of these multi-generational relationships, Katherine and Maria partnered with Babylist and Nuna to highlight real and heartwarming stories along with the many ups and downs of navigating new roles as grandmother and mother.

So thrilled to have Dr. Becky Kennedy back on BDA, in honor of her brand new, amazing book, “Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be.” We covered so many topics in today’s chat, including why Dr. Becky starts with “Good Inside,” tips on being an effective parent rather than a soft or too harsh parent, and how we can think of parenting more of setting our kids up for life, not just the moment. I can’t recommend listening to this conversation enough, buying her book, following her, and taking her courses. The insight she provides is not just helpful as a parent, but as a human. Thank you for taking the time with us! For even more, make sure to sign up for the BDA Baby Newsletter in my link in bio. See you next week! 🍼#BDABaby 

Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt and her mom, Maria Shriver, are celebrating Mother’s Day this year with The Grandmother Project, a heartwarming interview series about grandmothers, mothers and the many aspects of multi-generational parenting. For the first episode, Maria and Katherine interview Gayle King and her daughter, Kirby Bumpus, to talk about Gayle’s entrance into grandmotherhood, parenting styles, and exactly how they landed on the perfect — and non-traditional — grandma nickname for Gayle.      In honor of these multi-generational relationships, Katherine and Maria partnered with Babylist and Nuna to highlight real and   heartwarming stories along with the many ups and downs of navigating new roles as grandmother and mother.

You will not want to miss today’s jam packed episode with Emily Oster! I received so many questions on the topics of sleeping, feeding (breast, formula, weaning, toddler, allergies), and sex… and we might have gotten through about half? Emily is so wonderfully matter of fact in the way she answers, which is honestly so refreshing. She makes it so easy at times to cut through the noise, to figure out what you should be doing, and is truly a wealth of information. I hope you listen to this conversation, get so many answers about all of the above, and follow Emily for more! You can also subscribe to my newsletter in my link in bio for my insight and information! See you next week.

Lea Michele joins us to talk about motherhood, her fertility journey and her nerve-wracking pregnancy (in the pandemic). Lea, like many, went off birth control with the intention of getting pregnant and then found out she had PCOS (polycyclic ovarian syndrome). She talks about the several procedures and treatment she underwent to try and get pregnant and the decision to take her focus off her dream pregnancy to get some relief. It was then that Lea and her husband, Zandy, found out they were pregnant. Lea’s pregnancy was filled with ups and downs; bleeding in her first trimester, bed rest and mediation to help maintain her pregnancy; all of which she did privately, behind closed doors. Finally, the birth of her healthy baby boy, Ever, brought her joy and relief, allowing her to live the dream she had always wanted; to be a mother. Lea also talks about leaning on her mother for childcare and support, especially on this day, to make this interview possible. :)

Dr. Cassidy Freitas, Ph.D., and maternal mental health specialist, talked about one of our most popular subjects to date: sex after baby. This is a subject that no one really prepares anyone for, and it is one that can cause a huge shift in your relationship after welcoming a baby into the world. This is a subject that Dr. Cassidy tackles in a very approachable and informative way, providing us with ways to bring up the subject with our partners in advance, keeping an open line of communication between partners, and also being open about the changes that will come physically, mentally, and emotionally as you enter parenthood. I think anyone who watches this episode will leave feeling calmer and more confident about sex after baby and knowing you have Dr. Cassidy's expert words of wisdom to guide you as things pop up because parenthood is a long and beautiful journey.

Jessica Alba chats about being a mother of three kids, balancing parenting with work (founder of Honest Company), and her journey of self-discovery and self-reflection since entering motherhood. If you’re a mama or makeup lover, I'm sure you’ve heard of Jessica’s other baby, The Honest Company, which she began her journey with while pregnant with her first child. We talked about her unique relationships with each of her kids, the decision to start therapy with them, and navigating a new way of parenting that allows her to constantly learn and evolve as a mother to her kids.

Dr. Sara Rierdon also known on social media as The Vagina Whisperer, dives deep into all things pelvic floor health. If you’re like me and didn’t hear about pelvic floor health until pregnancy, Sara explains why we have gone from never discussing our pelvic floor and vaginal health, to discussing it opening as women today. She talks about her work as a pelvic floor physical therapist and why this is a subject and space that impacts women at all phases of life. She also talks about why being aware of your strengths and weaknesses of your pelvic floor helps as you age and go through life events like pregnancy, childbirth (both vaginal and c sections), postpartum wellness and changes the vagina goes through as we age. Issues like painful sex, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor discomfort and so much more are touched on in this episode. give it a listen to hear your questions answered and Dr. Sara bring out her vagina model to make sure all is explained to the best ability.

BDA Baby™ (Before, During & After Baby) is an interview-based series hosted by New York Times bestselling author, mother, wife and advocate, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt. Each week, Katherine has meaningful conversations with experts, notable specialists, and friends, covering topics that resonate with the BDA Baby community surrounding pregnancy, sex, partner relationships, birth experiences, fertility challenges, health and wellness, and so much more.