These episodes are so helpful for me while expecting. They’re also short, enjoyable and not too medical. I enjoy the factual and casual nature of this podcast!
All birth is natural, it’s 2023, c’mon. Stop saying “natural” when referring to birth without intervention or without medication. The correct term is “unmedicated”.
Not particularly informative. Very sexist/ gender-normie. The conversations are in no way substantive - and takes a very yt approach to what concerns one may have and what resources one may have available to them. I skipped around episodes and didn't hear any advice I intend on using.
Not expecting but I enjoy learning about what it will be like with family planning. I liked the easy going conversation and variety of viewpoints. The topics were interesting but not too drawn out. Glad I listened!
If you’re having a difficult first trimester, get ready to be alienated. I want to slap all of these women when they’re like - oh getting pregnant was sooooooo easy and I dIdNt eVeN kNoW I wAs pReGnAnT at nine weeks! 🤡. Good bye.
This has become part of my weekly ritual as we countdown from week to week. I love the calmness, the joking, and the real talk on so many topics, and am so much more grounded and confident getting to hear others experiences.
Had hoped for an informative, approachable show that felt like a safe space while still answering our questions about pregnancy. This was just people chatting, nothing to gain from this.
I am not currently pregnant, but trying soon! I have always been worried about the process and nervous about labor. This podcast has helped educate me and calm nerves about certain parts of pregnancy and labor! Very helpful!
I’m about to be a first time mom and this was a great podcast to listen to! It was easy to understand, good episode lengths, and they made it fun to listen to. Thanks for this great resource!
I never made it through a full episode. First of all, it started at week 9 of pregnancy, which is 4-5 weeks after many women now find out they are pregnant. I had so many other questions ahead of this point.
Ultimately, I was completely turned off by how the women spoke - in a juvenile way? Like “omg, I can’t believe THIS happens in pregnancy!”
There also seemed to be a lot of fat-phobic commentary - from the episode on “eating for two” which seemed to admonish weight gain over 30lbs, to the “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant” where a lot of time was spent talking about nice it must be for women to have a perfect bump shape, or not even look pregnant from certain angles.
If you’re looking for an empowering podcast about pregnancy, this is NOT it.
Wow - these women are so annoying - highly suggest NOT listening to this podcast. There seems to be an obsession around weight (not gaining too much weight being the emphasis) and eating healthy - which I find really grating/triggering. My first trimester I was nauseous non stop and the only way it would go away is if I ate carbs. I gained more than 5 lbs that first trimester and that’s okay - but this podcast will make you feel otherwise. It’s clearly told very much just from a straight white female upper/middle class perspective. SKIP!!!!
I stopped and ended with the first episode. So judgy and tone deaf. I’d love to hear from women who are more interested in sharing information than talking about their seemingly easy pregnancies and circumstances.
There are way too many ads in this podcast-five or six at the beginning and then at less than five minutes in, another three. I can’t get into what they’re talking about because of all of the stupid ads.
When I first found this podcast, I was so excited! I thought it would be the perfect thing to listen to weekly as my pregnancy went by. I liked how they use the term partner instead of husband or wife, but often noticed that they would then refer to a partner as a “he”. Finally, I reached the tipping point at Week 23 when I saw that the entire episode was about “Will He Be a Good Dad?“. This is so incredibly exclusive to many parents, and quite honestly made me feel uncomfortable listening to the rest of the podcast.
I think that the worst part is that it is put out by Parents Magazine… apparently, it should be called Straight Parents Magazine. If you are not in a heterosexual relationship, don’t listen to this podcast.
Love the format but it’s too outdated. Can anyone at parents magazine make a modern/ post pandemic version?! It appears most the people talking left the magazine years ago. (Including the host)
The natural birth episode is trash. They were super judgmental about women who choose to have non-medicated birth. The woman speaking about having a natural birth sounded uncomfortable and afraid to offend the other women. She spoke for a short period of time before the other women started calling women who choose a natural birth self righteous for the rest of the podcast. Not informational at all.
I really wanted to like this podcast. I'm on week 30 and will continue to listen solely because I want to absorb any and all info I can but I can't say I've gained much. I don't find the hosts relatable - they definitely say some things that speaks to their class and, dare say, their privilege. They can sometimes come off as shallow and regularly reference celebrity/influencer mothers, which would be fine if added value to the content, but it doesn't.
This podcast series is from 2016 and it shows. It’s heavy on anecdotes and personal opinion. Some of their advice directly contradicts new pregnancy info and/or medical recommendations and they can be woefully uninformed on topics that are thoroughly discussed in even the most basic pregnancy books & resources. Other reviews have mentioned how a hetero-normative narrative drives the content. It smacks of gender stereotypes and makes little to no room for single mothers, high-risk or complicated pregnancies, the unique challenges for POC, or LGQTB+ partnerships.
I suggest that the folks at Parent magazine update this series and bring in a variety of guests who can relate to or be considerate of the diversity of people who need this info and provide more science-based content.
I have been so grateful to have found this podcast. This is my first pregnancy, mom passed a few years ago, and Covid social distancing has made me feel a bit isolated and left to figure things out. This group of ladies with REAL pregnancy, birthing, and parenting experience is like having mom friends in your living room with you. They answered so many of my questions in a way that is down to earth and non-judgemental. Each week has good information no matter where you are in your pregnancy, just scan the descriptions for what’s on your mind. I highly recommend this podcast!
Really wanted a weekly pregnancy podcast and harder to find than I thought it would be. This has some good info and I don’t dislike any of the hosts, but it’s very middle of the road and doesn’t represent virtually any diversity of perspective or experience. I’m assuming some parts of their identities here, but for all practical purposes it’s 3 educated upper/middle class white ladies who rarely make much of an effort to discuss difficult topics. One example: week 22, they talk about what kind of father your partner will be. Virtually no acknowledgement of non-heteronormative couples or single parents except one of them sometimes using gender neutral language, and the overall message was, “if he’s a good partner, he’ll be a good dad” which is... yikes. Just really far off from what many people experience.
Only got through one episode and don’t recommend for anyone who has previously experienced pregnancy loss. They quickly gloss over those statistics and then don’t address any of the real concerns I’m having with this second pregnancy. Worried your pregnancy is the reason the family had to cancel a trip? No, not so much. Not a comfort for my deeper concerns.
I appreciate the weekly breakdown of this podcast and the general show format. I also like that there are three different panelists offering their perspectives and personal experiences on top of research-based information. It would be great to have some greater diversity in the guests.
Love the ladies and the content - but please switch up your ads! I basically have the ‘Hi I’m Julia...’ schpeel memorized. Totally get the ads, but if we could switch them up that’d be great! Otherwise love the podcast!
I like listening to these women talk about pregnancy. I wish the episodes were a little longer and that they interviewed some medical professionals to back up their points. Or even just other people working outside of Parents magazine. They seem to have a formula where they talk about how big the baby is (comparing to foods and other objects) plus two other topics. I wish there was either less about the size of the baby (well, maybe that’s because there are 294587291 apps out there that will automatically do this comparison for you) or that there were more segments with content. I do enjoy listening and will continue to up until my baby is born.
I really enjoyed this podcast! I always felt good and at ease after listening to the valuable tips and insight. Luckily I started listening at the beginning of my pregnancy, and repeated a few episodes as the weeks went by. So short and so sweet! Thank you ladies for being with me during this crazy ride! Xoxo
I started listening when I was about 36 weeks pregnant and these ladies just helped me feel much more at ease. They have REAL conversations about what birth and life and pregnancy looks like. Thank you!
Very western medicine based (in week 24 they go on about how great epidurals are and not to be scared of them), and no balance with natural pregnancy discussions. Also many of the weeks topics are totally irrelevant/not important. Very surface level discussions.
Love listening to this podcast when I’m feeling anxious, sad, or have any other negative emotions. Definitely helps me feel better. Sometimes helps bring out a laugh as well!
I didn’t discover this great podcast until I was 25 weeks pregnant with my first baby, but I am having so much fun starting at the beginning and hearing all of the stories and fun facts from these amazing ladies. The podcast is short enough that you can listen to an episode on the way to work and a different one on the way home. Love it!
Really enjoyed listening to this podcast while pregnant. These are enjoyable, bite sized podcasts that were easy to listen to while being informative. Very nice to listen to some candid, helpful mom talk. Recommend listening ahead too.
Loved this podcast! My husband and I are beginning to plan for pregnancy, so I started doing a little research, found this podcast, and binge-listened to all of it over the last few days. I already felt so supported in whatever decisions I make throughout the pregnancy and a lot less anxious about things that could go wrong. These women are so real and I love the conversation style of the episodes. I learned more than I thought I would, and am excited to come back and listen to each week when I’m pregnant.
Not sure if these women are experts of anything and not convinced they are actually friends either. The 3-4(maybe more?) women on rotation all work at a parenting magazine which makes their advice on navigating the workplace pretty useless. The chitchat is awkward, they are coworkers, and maybe one of the ladies is their boss or something. There doesn’t seem to be any research involved, they throw out numbers without backing them up. The 5 episodes I listened to before giving up mention celebrities a lot, which doesn’t seem very relevant to grown busy women. Perhaps that’s content from the magazine where they work? Really tried because I thought the week by week format would be nice, but what a waste of time!
I made it a habit to listen to the week of pregnancy I was in every Monday on my way to work. It was something to look forward to and brighten up my Monday. What I liked most about this podcast was that it tried to cater to all women - whether you were going to throw a gender reveal party or not you would feel included in each episode.
Could use a bit of diversity. It’s professional women working for same company, Parents magazine, with seemingly similar backgrounds, from the same city so as you can imagine their opinions/experiences are more or less the same. Episodes are quick— you’ll have a few chuckles but pretty surface level information.
I’ve been listening to SO many pregnancy podcasts lately, and this is one of my favorites so far. These ladies are so great, nonjudgmental, real, and fun to listen to! Well-produced, short and sweet.
My husband and I just started our planning for pregnancy and in my overly excited state I binge listened to every episode of this podcast in just a few days.
Even though I’m not expecting just yet, I love having a sneak peek at what to expect when the time comes, I absolutely love this podcast and how they touch on so many different subjects and perspectives and leave judgement completely out of the show.
Thank you for advocating for moms all of backgrounds and opinions and encouraging women to do their thing, whatever that may be.
I’m so excited to re-listening to this podcast when we’re expecting a baby of our own and cannot wait to see what works best for us on this journey.
I enjoyed the podcast very much. The podcast felt like girlfriends sitting at a table talking to each other. The topics were very helpful and interesting. As a trust time mom I enjoyed and will listen to them again with my second pregnancy.
I really appreciate how this podcast covers pregnancy week by week at each stage of the pregnancy. There is a different topic each week too, which is interesting. It would be better if they went more in depth through each week of the pregnancy and spent more than 10 minutes on it. It really glosses over everything, and tends to focus on superficial, unimportant subjects. And Julia’s voice is difficult to listen to 😬 this podcast is okay, if the listener wants a basic, simplified review of that week of their pregnancy.
I’ve listened to two episodes and wow, the language used in these podcasts is really disappointing. “Fat” and “pudgy” are not a words you should be using surrounding pregnancy. Furthermore, if you have listeners with any history of eating disorders this is terribly triggering. Some more awareness around natural birth would be recommended as well. Felt very biased and discouraging for me.
The UK encourages natural home births because it promotes low risk women to have healthy labors in an environment they’re comfortable with, not because they have no hospital beds. I suggest more research on the benefits of natural vaginal births for your audience that doesn’t gravitate toward medicated births. I also suggest more positive language around body image and birth and more encouraging guests.
The ladies made feel sane and made my anxieties feel absolutely normal. The tips and personal experiences were so helpful. I wish there was more! Going to miss this podcast and the fun girlfriends talk!!
I started off liking the podcast, but eventually I couldn't listen to it anymore. The baby size comparisons made absoultely NO sense and were not helpful at all. How is visualizing a Play station helpful? Each woman's item was totally different from one another, it wasn't even close to the size of a baby that week. There wasn't any evidence based information, it was just a few women's experiences, all of which geared toward the negative and fearful. I think listening to things like this is great if you want to set yourself up for everything that will go wrong. The norm for these women (and assumption for all pregnant women) is that pregnancy is uncomfortable and miserable and must include medical intervention. They talk nonchalantly about c-sections and induction without understanding the true medical need for it, yet natural births are for snobs and the only reason a woman could possibly want to do that is to "be a hero." It's obvious they've never explored other options and unfortunately this isn't going to help other women, especially first time moms, learn about the whole world of other natural options and that birth can be a pleasant thing.
The week to week podcast is great. I especially like the “Relax you got this segment”. As a first time mom to be it is very helpful. Also, as a military wife living away from friends and family I enjoy the “girlfriend to girlfriend” aspect.
