Padma Lakshmi

12/09/21 • 39 min

“Top Chef” host, writer and activist Padma Lakshmi spent most of her adult life trying not to get pregnant. But then she was diagnosed with severe endometriosis that, according to her doctor, would make it nearly impossible for her to have a baby naturally. Years later, and much to Padma’s surprise, she became pregnant with her daughter Krishna. But Padma’s pregnancy was far from easy. She had placenta previa, a serious condition that led to her being on bedrest for the entire third trimester, and she was forced to deal with international attention about who the father was. On this episode of Me Becoming Mom, Padma opens up to host Zoë Ruderman about it all — and of course we talk pregnancy cravings!

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Previous Episode

Senator Tammy Duckworth

In 2018, Sen. Tammy Duckworth became the first senator to give birth while in office. She has become one of the most prominent voices for moms on Capitol Hill, shining a spotlight on issues like paid leave after pregnancy loss and childbirth issues facing mothers who are veterans. After losing both her legs in the Iraq War, Sen. Duckworth’s plan to start a family was delayed by her extensive recovery. In this episode of Me Becoming Mom, the mother of two shares with host Zoë Ruderman her experience of becoming a mom late in life, IVF that required four years of four shots a day, working through her own pregnancy loss, and why she believes it’s “inhumane” to not give women time off after a miscarriage.

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Next Episode

Allyson Felix

Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix was prepared to have a low-intervention childbirth when, at 32 weeks, she was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. The 7-time gold medalist was rushed to the hospital, where she experienced what she calls “the scariest two days of my life” culminating in an emergency c-section. Felix takes host Zoë Ruderman through her journey, including why she hid her pregnancy from her sponsor and continued to compete while pregnant, how her brother wondered if he was coming to see his niece be born or his sister pass away, what it was like to be separated from daughter Camryn immediately after surgery and their harrowing two-month NICU stay which also meant they’d spend Christmas in the hospital. The athlete also talks about her new partnership with Anthem to help spread the message of how our environment and circumstances impact our health.

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