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Gut health may be “trendy”, but for moms and babies, it’s so much more than that. In today’s episode, Chelsea sits down with Madeline Lauf, founder of Begin Health, to unpack the hidden world of the gut microbiome and why it’s a game-changer for postpartum recovery, maternal well-being, and your child’s lifelong health.

From how antibiotics at birth affect mom and baby, to the surprising ways your gut impacts mood, immunity, hormones, and even skin—their conversation goes beneath the surface.

What to listen for:

• What “gut health” really means and why it’s crucial for moms and babies
• The connection between the gut, brain, hormones, mood, and immunity
• How antibiotics, processed foods, and modern living affect the microbiome
• Easy, practical ways to support your gut health postpartum
• How maternal health directly shapes baby’s health through pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding
• Why the first 8 years are the foundation for lifelong gut health in kids
  
  
  

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

You think you know how to take care of yourself — and you do… but you’ve never done it while keeping another human alive 24/7.

In this episode, Chelsea gets real about the massive shift from pregnancy (where everyone’s focused on you) to postpartum (where all eyes are on the baby)… and the part no one tells you: you are still the one responsible for your baby’s growth and development. From the science of co-regulation to why self-care can’t be an afterthought, this is the truth-first-time-moms need to hear — even if it stings a little.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

Curious about what it’s really like to give birth at a birth center—and be home just four hours later?

In today’s episode, Chelsea sits down with Brittany, a mom of three, to share her full birth story—from her water breaking in the middle of the night to delivering her baby in a calm, midwife-supported setting. She opens up about choosing a birth center after two hospital births, how this third experience felt completely different, and what it’s like to know with confidence that your family is complete.

This honest conversation is full of insights for moms planning their next birth or wondering if a third child is the right choice for their family.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What a real birth center delivery looks like from start to finish
• How this mom went from 6 cm to baby in 40 minutes
• Why she chose a birth center over a hospital for baby #3
• What it’s really like to go home just hours after giving birth
• The biggest differences between hospital vs. birth center care
• Real talk on the logistics of a third child (cars, beds, travel, and more)
• Why this final birth felt like the most healing of all
  
  

Whether you're considering a birth center, thinking about baby #3, or wondering how you’ll know when you’re done growing your family—this episode offers clarity, relatability, and practical insight.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

What happens when breastfeeding starts to feel more like a burden than a bond?

In today’s episode, Chelsea opens up about the unexpected emotional toll of ending her second breastfeeding journey — and why it was so much harder the second time around. From NICU separation to triple feeding, exclusive pumping, and pump schedules with a mobile infant and toddler at home, she shares the real reasons she chose to stop… and the guilt that lingered long after the final pump part was dried.

If you've ever felt like breastfeeding was your lifeline — or your breaking point — this conversation is for you. Chelsea gets raw about the internal battles many moms face: the mental load, the comparison, the pressure to keep going, and the constant second-guessing that can come with making the choice to stop.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Related Episodes:

Birth Plan vs. Postpartum Plan: Why You Need Them and the Top 4 Things to Include

Breastfeeding Is More Than Supply and Demand: How to Increase Milk Supply with Valene McMorrow, IBCLC

The First Hours After Birth: Postpartum Recovery, Pumping, and Bonding with My NICU Baby

Struggling to Breastfeed? What to Know About Tongue and Lip Ties with Dr. Kalli Hale

A Lovely Chat w/ Ashley Feeley, IBCLC, Founder of Lovely Latch Lactation

How to Navigate the Rollercoaster of the NICU with Charolette Edwards, RN, HWNC-BC, TIP

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

Night sweats, mood swings, brain fog, midsection weight gain and fatigue - are all symptoms of the postpartum transition. They’re also symptoms of perimenopause.

In today’s episode, Chelsea is joined by therapist, advocate, former attorney, and author of Millennial Menopause, Lauren Tetenbaum — aka The CounseLaur — to unpack why we need to be talking about the full spectrum of womanhood: from postpartum to perimenopause to menopause.

With more women starting and growing families later in life, it’s becoming more common to experience overlapping symptoms of postpartum and perimenopause — and many don’t even realize it. The average age of menopause is 51 in the U.S., but perimenopausal symptoms can begin years earlier and last up to 10 years.

If you’re feeling frustrated or dismissed by healthcare providers, struggling to get support from your spouse or seeking to feel seen and heard, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Related Episodes:

Women Deserve Better with co-founder of Perelel Alex Taylor

Postpartum Recovery: Bleeding, Hair Loss & Other Surprising Physical Changes

Constantly Overwhelmed? One Easy Action to Stay Calm and In-Control with Julia Christine

Do You Have Postpartum Anxiety or Depression? How Your Spiritual Health Can Help with Joline Seavey

Tired of Feeling Exhausted? My Top Sleep Hack That Doesn’t Require More Sleep

Lauren’s Links:

Book: Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecounselaur/

Website: https://thecounselaur.com/

*The host may earn commissions from links

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

Is going from zero to one kid harder than going from one to two? In this episode, Chelsea jumps on the social trend and breaks down the emotional, physical, and relationship shifts that happen in each postpartum transition — and ranks which one felt harder for her. Spoiler alert: 0-1 changed her. 1-2 challenged them.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Related Episodes:

• We Are Forever What?!

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

Postpartum sleep deprivation isn’t just about being exhausted — it impacts your patience, your mental health, your milk supply, postpartum weight loss, your relationships — it impacts everything.

In today’s episode, Chelsea is joined by pediatric sleep consultant and owner of Your Zen Baby Sarah Bossio to talk about what’s really going on when sleep feels like a never-ending struggle with your children.

Together they cover:

• The truth about sleep training (and why it’s so triggering)
• How your sleep hygiene could be inducing postpartum anxiety and/or depression
• Newborn sleep vs toddler sleep and signs that your child is ready for independent sleep
• PTSD of the “sun-down scaries”
• Mom guilt and the pressure to always “get it right”

This one’s part pep talk, part practical strategy session, and 100% a reminder that you don’t have to choose between being a good mom and being a well-rested human.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner

Related Episodes:

Tired of Feeling Exhausted? My Top Sleep Hack That Doesn’t Require More Sleep

Do You Have Postpartum Anxiety or Depression? How Your Spiritual Health Can Help with Joline Seavey

Connect with Sarah: https://www.yourzenbabysleep.com/

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com

Send us a text

You’ve got a color-coded birth plan, your hospital bag is packed, and you’ve saved 87 TikToks about labor positions...

But what about what happens after birth?

In this episode, we’re diving into why having a postpartum plan (beyond your postpartum meals in the freezer and peri bottle) is just as important — if not more — than your birth plan. If you’re pregnant or in the thick of sleep deprivation in newborn life, this conversation will show you exactly how to stop overthinking and start preparing with confidence for the season that actually lasts.

Disclaimer: The information and stories shared during this episode is intended to offer general guidance and support. However, every individual's health and circumstances are unique. Before making any significant changes, or if you have concerns about your health, it's essential to consult with your healthcare practitioner

Next Steps:

Grab my free postpartum better protocol: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-better-protocol

Connect with me on IG: @Chelsea.barbine

Grab your Postpartum Playbook: https://corecarecultivate.com/postpartum-playbook

Save 20% on coaching with me in the Cultivate Crew using code: BETTERPOD20 at checkout: https://corecarecultivate.com/the-cultivate-crew-purchase

Email me at: chelsea@corecarecultivate.com