Episode 153 – What You Need to Know About “Mom Brain” (aka “Super Brain”) – Part 1

In this part 1 of 2 episodes, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni discuss why “Mom Brain” or “Super Brain” is a thing and what you can do about it. Your brain gets rewired to respond to cues from your kids to keep them alive, which is a good thing! Learn how to treat your new Super Brain well so it function its best.

In today’s episode, we cover:

  • How and why your brain gets rewired from hormone changes in pregnancy 
  • The hormones involved in your brain’s rewiring
  • The importance of the maternal locus of control in your brain to allow you to respond to the cues from your kids
  • The physical presence of your kids in your brain due to fetal microchimerism
  • Other factors that can impact how you experience Super Brain, including sleep, nutrient depletion and stress
  • Some tips to support your brain to work its best

Today’s Mama Must-Have:

Dr. Toni loves using steam inhalation in addition to humidifier for dealing with dry air in winter. Sometimes she adds 1-2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to reduce congestion and provide some anti-viral activity. 

Dr. Lisa is a big fan of her 5 minute meditation daily, in addition to her walking meditation.

What’s Else is Happening?

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening soon. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Join Dr. Lisa’s new Facebook group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 152: All About Surrogacy and Egg Donation with Angela Truppe: A Unique Approach to Start or Grow Your Family

In this episode, Dr. Lisa chats with Angela Truppe, founder of Canadian Surrogacy Community and Evolution Eggs.

Angela shares her journey of being a surrogate (three times!) and dives deep into how her business supports those who want to start or grow their family but can’t on their own. 

During the conversation, Angela outlines:

🌟the options out there

🌟some of the laws around surrogacy

🌟types of clients she helps

🌟what the screening process looks like

🌟and more

This is a must-listen episode for: intended parents; friends and family members of those struggling with infertility; same sex-couples who can’t conceive on their own; and for those who are interested in becoming a surrogate.

Connect with the Canadian Surrogacy Community and Evolution Eggs:

Episode 151: What We Know About Ageism and What to Do About It with Helen Latimer

What beliefs do you hold about ageing? Discrimination against women as they age is real and rampant, and not addressed often enough.  In this episode, Dr. Lisa chats with Helen Latimer, a leadership and transition coach, all about ageism in the workplace, in society and even self-imposed. They discuss ways to overcome ageism and some useful resources to check out to learn more.

Helen Latimer is a leadership and transition coach who works with people wanting to enrich their careers, change fields or find a new role. She really enjoys working with people over 50. She’s a highly skilled coach who provides her clients with actionable advice along with warmth and encouragement. 

She’s a former executive with over 20 years of corporate experience and a member of John McKee and Associates, a prestigious international coaching organization with members in over 20 countries.  

A long-time community volunteer in Toronto, Helen is the Chair of the Board at CultureLink. She is the co-author of The Plan: Personal Balance, Career Success, Financial Strength. 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • The prevalence of ageism in Canada and the US
  • The assumptions behind some of the discrimination around age in the workplace
  • How to recognize and overcome self-imposed ageism
  • The book “Breaking the Age Code” by Becca Levy

Connect with Helen by email at helen@helenlatimer.com and find out more at https://helenlatimer.com/

Register for Helen’s Workshop: “How to Thrive and Flourish After 50” (on Nov 12th 2022) HERE.

Today’s Mama Must-Have:

  • Dr. Lisa loves her sleep and honouring her bedtime routine to get at least 7 hours. 
  • Helen is a big fan of packing an inflatable beach ball for play while travelling. 

What’s Else is Happening?

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening this month. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Join Dr. Lisa’s new Meetup group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.

Episode 150: Our Top Take-Aways from Previous Episodes to Navigate Perimenopause with More Ease

In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are celebrating the 150th episode of the Perimenopausal Mamas Podcast and review their top lessons from the past 149 episodes to navigate perimenopause with more ease.

  1. Unpredictable changes in perimenopause is the only thing that is predictable!
    • symptoms can change from month to month
    • symptoms can vary and are based on your hormone fluctuations
      1. irregular cycles and heavy bleeding
      2. PMS, mood swings, depression and anxiety
      3. hot flashes and night sweats
      4. joint pain and body aches
      5. skin and hair changes
      6. weight and metabolism changes
      7. fatigue and brain fog
    • hormones are impacted by stress, sleep and how much fun you have (or miss)
      1. See more info about stress and cortisol: Episode 24
      2. See more info about thyroid hormones: Episode 42
      3. See more info about sleep: Episode 73

Menopause is when you have not had a menstrual period for 12 months.

Perimenopause is the transition period before you reach menopause and can last for 4 years, 8 years or longer. 

Does every woman experience the transition from perimenopause to menopause the same way?

No!

You can have one of 4 different patterns of estrogen and 3 different patterns of FSH levels, as well as different combinations of other symptoms at different stages of perimenopause. 

  1. Acceptance and love for yourself is more important than forcing or pushing yourself
  • Treat yourself like a friend instead of shoulding on yourself
  • Don’t have to fight yourself or cycles and expect perfection
  • Don’t have to restrict to see change – focus adding things in, not removing, to nourish yourself: joyful movement, foods you love, adding in sleep and connection
  • Practice acceptance of what is and what isn’t
  • RAIN meditation by Tara Brach – https://www.tarabrach.com/
  1. Perimenopause can be a positive time for reawakening and reconnecting with yourself
    • Focus on your needs, priorities and boundaries
    • Recognize the different phases you can experience with cyclical living and the 4 different Relationship Seasons™ – see Episode 82
      1. Coping
      2. Coasting
      3. Connected
      4. Confident
  2. Practicing being mindful and conscious
    • Scheduling time to relax
    • Recognize that you can change your emotional state
      1. See Episode 112
    • Prevent stress with organization like bullet journal
      1. See Episode 11

Today’s Mama Must-Have:

  • Dr. Lisa loves being part of mom’s groups like Mom Halo and Mamas and Co (and running Wild Collective) to connect with other like-minded women
  • Dr. Toni is a big fan of 5 minutes of anger work as healthy outlet for expressing anger instead of avoiding, stuffing it or unleashing it on loved ones – using the couch as a punching bag

What’s Else is Happening?

Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening this fall. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register

Join Dr. Lisa’s new Meetup group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!

Email us or connect with us on  Facebook  and  Instagram

We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.

You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.

Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.