Natashia Blach, actress on The Vampire Diaries and American Idol contestant, joins us in the studio. Danielle and Nikki chat the aftermath of having a baby… you know you can identify! Discussing the chaos of deliveries (one of us gave birth in an elevator), vaginal physical therapy, and that dreaded six-week post-partum checkup when you fear the doctor will give the green light and say “You Can Return To Having Sex Now.”
Welcome To the Mom Confidential!
Today’s episode is about the aftermath of having a baby, but first, we need a little introduction! Our podcasts cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a mother. We aren’t holding back, so buckle up and join us on this fun ride!
Meet Nikki and Danielle
Nikki Katz is an author and ex-Rocket Scientist. Yes, you read that right! She went to school for aerospace engineering. Her most recent endeavor is a young adult novel, out now, called The Midnight Dance. She has three kids, ages 15, 13, and 9. They are very busy and extremely involved in their actives so don’t be surprised if Nikki joins in by dialing in from her car.
Danielle Schaffer is a proud mom of four, ages 10, 8, 4 and 15m. She is author of citygirlgonemom.com , which is a parenting and style blog. She is also the contributor to the parenting team on The Today Show. Danielle is from New York but currently lives with her family in sunny San Diego, California. Before becoming a mom she worked for The Howard Stern Show as well as in the Versace Show Room.
The two met at their sons’ school where they attended kindergarten together. The boys became best friends which led to Nikki and Danielle coming together as friends. Their children have the same interests and they would commiserate about the drive to Los Angeles because their kids are in the young hollywood scene. Danielle knew that with their complete opposite backgrounds, they have to come together and get this podcast to happen, which as you can see, is exactly what they did. Trust me, you are in for a treat!
Bringing Life Into the World.
Nikki and Danielle share with us stories on how some of their births went and you don’t want to miss it! Nikki thought since her first child was a 35-hour long labor, her second would be as well. Boy was she wrong. She hopped in the shower an hour after going into labor and quickly realize as the contractions started coming quickly, that it was in her best interest to head to the hospital. As they arrived her water broke and she was rushed from the ER up to a room, but her baby had other plans and decided to join everyone in the elevator on the way up!
Danielle touches on her second born’s birth. Dylan ended up being 10 pounds, and the epidural wasn’t working. They had to pull the baby out with forceps as she felt the whole thing. She had to go to vaginal physical therapy for 4 months after. As for the third baby, it was easy breezy.. Come baby number 4, Bobby, her husband wanted in, and asked the doctor if he could deliver the baby, and that is exactly what happened. Tune into hear more!
6 Week Check Up
You can return to having sex now … an almost laughable green light told to you at the 6-week postpartum checkup. Danielle’s input on that is a big no. “You want me to do what? I still look 4 months pregnant, my back is aching and I am getting around 3 hours of sleep per night and you want me to go have sex?” Are there any moms out there that actually want to have sex that soon after?
However, there is one thing Danielle mentions she was told at the check-up that she smiled at the idea of. Dating your husband all over again. Not only is it important for the two of you to keep that spark while at this point you’re basically living for the children, but it’s also important having your children exposed to parents that are affectionate with each other and are happy to actually be together and are very much so in love.
Natashia Blach
Top 25 contestant on American Idol Season 7, and actress on The Vampire Diaries, Natashia Blach joins us in the studio. She is a mother of two who also is the creator of a beautiful jewelry line called Gypsy Posh. She brought her baby to her AI audition and basically everywhere around that time because she was nursing. She talks to us about how after she had her baby her whole life turned upside down, and projects like music and acting took a back seat until she tried out for AI.
A very real thing that many moms deal with after giving birth, is Postpartum Depression, which Natashia tells us, hit her very hard. She says that it was unexpected and crazy. She felt like her personality and feelings on life as well as her perspective was taken over. She mentions feeling possessed by a dark cloud and not recognizing herself. Thankfully there were a couple of remedies that she was able to use and take into her second pregnancy when the time came.
Also on today’s show, we talk about the list of things we think can be helpful after you bring the baby home. Breastfeeding is a topic as well. We discuss when to stop and how, and our experiences and opinions on co-sleeping. I would love to hear your feedback below and tune in every week for a new show! We can not wait for you to see what we have in store for you!
Gypsy Posh: https://www.instagram.com/gypsytosh/