The Boob Broads
Julie Palazzolo, Pamela Quinn, & Lauren Staley
1 Creator
1 Creator
We’re three moms who found one another in a local nursing mom’s group, not expecting anything, other than a breath of fresh air from leaving the house with our newborns. We forged a friendship in one other - through nerves, laughter, milestones, beer (“it’s for our supply!”) and heart-to-hearts, we have found our footing in this beautifully unpredictable season of our lives. What began as a support group for our babies grew into a sisterhood, where we talk about anything, and everything. There is no such thing as TMI with this group. As our babies have grown, our conversations also have grown; we cover it all. From nursing to pelvic floor to mental health and everything in between, we’ll spill the beans. Tune in to hear about our triumphs, tears, and a whole lotta truth. We’re the Boob Broads.
8 Listeners
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 The Boob Broads Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Boob Broads episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Boob Broads for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Boob Broads episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
107: Mothering without a Mother: Pamela’s Story
The Boob Broads
06/22/21 • 65 min
Mothering without a mother — it brings on a whole new season of grief. It tests your strength and your heart. But, it can also create new relationships within your circle, new mothering figures, and, even a new relationship with yourself.
This week on the podcast, Pamela gives us a look inside her journey as she mothers without her mother. A difficult topic to say the least, but Pamela sheds light on the emotions, the grief, the cycles and the different ways she’s learned to cope.
Grief can change in different stages, different seasons, even different scenarios. Like when you find out you’re pregnant and can’t share the news with your own mom, or seeing mothers and daughters shopping together. Or when you feel robbed of these moments and memories you will never have. As Pamela mentions in this episode, it’s important to talk about all of this; it’s crucial to validate yourself and your feelings and talk about your pain. It’s not easy but it can be healing. Talking about those we love and have lost can be challenging and painful, but the more you do it, the more you feel your loved one’s presence. And, the more they still grow with us.
Tune in to hear more!
Xx, the Boob Broads
6 Listeners
2 Comments
2
04/13/21 • -1 min
“Beyond the statistics it happened. And you can hear the results (baby coos) in the background,” Jessica says and you can practically hear a smile on her face as she says this.
This week on the podcast, we are beyond honored to have special guest Jessica share her incredible fertility story. Jessica just so happens to be sister to our own lovely Boob Broad, Lauren! Jessica’s fertility journey begins 13 years ago. She shares that her diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) caused issues in conceiving, due to irregular cycles. With this in mind, she and her husband decided to seek fertility treatment, which Jessica provides insight on. After a variety of tests, they decided to begin their IVF journey.
The IVF process is challenging, depleting and a lot of work for couples. Jessica and her husband were so grateful to have gotten pregnant with their two precious girls through their IVF cycles. They dreamed of having a third but it did not work out as they had hoped with IVF. Fast forward to the year 2020 — the craziest year we have experienced in our world — and this brought Jessica and her family an incredible, magical, miracle.
Against all odds, science, statistics, considering ages and infertility diagnosis, Jessica got pregnant naturally and had the most amazing surprise when she found out she was pregnant with her third miracle baby! There was a lot of initial shock surrounding finding out she was pregnant, as Jessica delves into, but they were so overjoyed with this news and grateful for this gift of growing their family just as they had hoped to, 13 years ago.
Jessica discusses the pregnancy, the delivery and all the feelings that went along with it, after having such a different experience with her first two. She says, “So many want to use this story as a cautionary tale... but, as my husband says: ‘It’s like someone wants to break into your house, but to give you a cake.’” As you’ll hear throughout the episode, Jessica and her husband’s dedication to one another throughout the last 13 years and beyond is unbreakable and so inspiring to hear.
Jessica’s story is one for the books. Infertility is heartbreaking and such a difficult experience — there are no words. But this story evokes every ounce of hope you may need to hear, and listening to Jessica’s comforting, strong, and compassionate voice, you will no doubt feel solidarity, support, and validation. Most importantly, we hope you listen to this story of hope and feel uplifted and a big virtual hug, for wherever you are at in your journey.
Jessica — thank you SO much for sharing your story, your heart, and such a big piece of yourself with us! What a privilege it is to have you share such an inspirational story and spread awareness and hope.
Tune in to hear more!
Xx, the Boob Broads
SHOW NOTES:
The PCOS Diet Plan: A Natural Approach to Health for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
1 Listener
02/23/21 • -1 min
We are so thrilled to be featuring a mini series on two very special stepmoms. Welcome to Part 1 of this series, where we meet wonderful Stephanie.
“To say that I am those kid’s stepmom, to say that I am Jack’s wife, is the most rewarding blessing."
Stephanie is stepmom to two sweeties, Adam & Julia and wife to Jack (and has a baby on the way!). The passion she has for these roles is truly astounding, as you’ll see in this week’s episode. Stephanie shares that her love of children began at a young age and was carried with her throughout life. So much in fact that her profession as a high school teacher includes teaching child development and parenting classes. In this episode, Stephanie discusses being a stepmother, how there’s so many ways to have a family and she’s so happy that this particular dynamic fell into her lap.
She divulges all about meeting her husband, the kids, falling hard for all of them, and how all their relationships have evolved and how they became a family. They love to do lots of fun activities together and have fun, but there are still challenges, which Stephanie shares insight into. Stephanie mentions that while “I’m not their mom, I am their parent,” and she takes this title very seriously in the love and dedication she has for her kids, as well her husband and co-parenting with the children’s mother. Becoming a stepmother is not easy, and there are difficult parts that Stephanie sheds light on. But, falling into this motherly role came so naturally to Stephanie and it felt like her motherly instincts had been there her entire life.
Thank you so much for sharing your incredible story, Stephanie! Your kids and husband are so very lucky to have you! It was an honor to have you on the podcast! <3
Xx, the Boob Broads
1 Listener
89: What to Do...When Traveling with Two (and in a Pandemic)
The Boob Broads
02/16/21 • -1 min
A few weeks ago, Lauren shared about her family’s experience with COVID. Thankfully, they all came out of it healthy and fully recovered! Once they were able to, they decided to strut those antibodies and get down to Florida while they could! In this episode Lauren shares all about traveling with two littles, and also traveling during a pandemic.
Granted, Lauren was not fearful of catching COVID since they recently had it, but they took all the necessary precautions and she notes that if you’re going to travel now, shoot for an AirBnB or house to stay in. Lauren chats all about the differences in traveling during this season of COVID, and all about her tips and tricks for flying with two kiddos. Of course mask wearing is essential, and Lauren practiced with her son Leon well before the trip to make sure he was comfortable with it, and made a game out of it: “Let’s pretend we are ninjas wearing our masks while coloring!” Another solid tip? Try to have the kids burn as much energy as possible before the flight, which also helps so they aren’t extra busy and fiddling with the mask on the flight!
Tune in to hear Lauren share more, about what they did to keep safe, be mindful, and most of all have fun as a family during such wild times in the world!
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
1 Listener
03/23/21 • -1 min
Infertility is working harder than ever for something, and it not happening. Infertility is loneliness even when you’re surrounded by so much love.
Infertility sucks. And, it just needs to be talked about. Because it’s a medical diagnoses and happens far too often.
This week on the podcast, we are so thrilled to have Andrea as our special guest, a true inspiration, sharing her journey with infertility, as well as her time as an IVF nurse. Andrea shares the entire process: trying to conceive, those initial overwhelming fertility clinic consultations, and of course, the meds and fertility treatments, while simultaneously working as an IVF nurse, and being on both ends of the equation. As you’ll witness in this episode, Ann navigates this challenging journey with the utmost grace and strength. In a season of life, when every failed cycle there is someone else getting pregnant, and you’re feeling more alone than ever, Ann shares that opening up can be cathartic in this journey. Opening up can help open doors emotionally.
While you may be surrounded by so much love, infertility causes people to feel alone regardless. It’s isolating, and as Ann reflects, leaning on your partner is the best thing you can do. They’re also going through this battle as well, and they know exactly how it feels.
Infertility is a lot of things, but it also leaves an impact on you. For Ann, she discusses how it’s changed her perspective on pregnancy, motherhood and life in general. It’s truly remarkable how Ann takes a strenuous situation and sees the ways it’s helped shape her into the woman, wife and mother she wants to be.
And even though IVF and infertility can make a person feel emotionally spent and physically drained, it’s crucial to talk about, as Ann mentions. Find a safe place, whether it’s a few friends, family or co-workers, and share your story when you’re ready. Because for someone out there, your story could be their lifeline.
Ann, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast and sharing such a huge piece of your heart. Your perspective and courage is awe-inspiring and admirable. It takes a brave AF person to go through what you’ve been through. And then, to share about it, so candidly and authentically, is so refreshing and comforting to others. It was an honor to have you tell your story, and we are confident that so many out there will feel empowered by the valuable information you shared and uplifted by the incredible journey you’ve told.
Thank you, thank you! You are a WARRIOR!
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
Helpful videos on the female cycle from Andrea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGJsrGmWeKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOluxtc3Cpw
1 Listener
105: Smash the Stigma: Periods are Beautiful!
The Boob Broads
06/08/21 • -1 min
We’ve chatted about postpartum periods and now we’re back to dive into the first time we got our periods and our journey into womanhood. Getting your first period is a huge milestone for a young girl and you will always remember those feelings surrounding it. Maybe we didn’t talk about it enough during our adolescence, but we’re reflecting now on how important it is for the next generations to hear us speak so openly about periods. And they are not a bad, gross event. They are beautiful; a marker of an exquisite next chapter for females.
In this episode we discuss our first time getting it, our favorite memories surrounding our first period, the uncomfortable memories (many of those!), the pain, heaviness, and hormonal imbalance surrounding our cycles, and understanding (and loving) our bodies. As we wrapped up this episode, it was evident that being proud of our periods is something that can come right away, or it can come with growth and time.
Either way, we made a vow to challenge our generation to educate our babies on our bodies; no more hiding, no more discomfort —it’s time for less shame and more celebration!
Tune in to hear more!
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
1 Listener
108: Naps with Multiple Kids (And how to not flip your lid!)
The Boob Broads
06/29/21 • -1 min
Naps. We’ve been down this road before, right? Sigh. This time we’re back to chat about catching some zzzz’s and Lauren and Julie are chatting all about how to manage nap time - with two kiddos!
It takes strategy, planning, low expectations, and the will to adhere to Plan C if Plans A and B fail. As we know, naps with the littles are a difficult feat. Trying to align them with another little’s nap can present even more challenges.
Listen and learn as Lauren and Julie share their experiences, tips, tricks, and quips about nap time with multiple kids!
Tune in to hear more - you are not alone, mama!
Xx, the Boob Broads
1 Listener
03/09/21 • -1 min
If you listen to our podcast, each week you will hear the loving and compassionate voice of Pamela Quinn. To know Pamela is to love her. She is kind, selfless, thoughtful, hilarious, and all around beautiful inside and out. She gives her whole heart to our podcast and our friendships. As listeners we are sure you haven’t noticed too much of a change in Pamela’s tone from each episode because she is a never ending ray of sunshine, but our incredible Pamela and her husband Kevin have been enduring some very emotional times.
In January of 2019 Pamela and Kevin began trying to conceive their second child. In that year Pamela ended her 2 year breastfeeding journey and gave her body time to realign with her changing hormones. Without a successful conception in 2019, Pamela and Kevin consulted with a fertility clinic, at the start of January 2020, in hopes of having an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). As Pamela completed her necessary testing to start the IUI, January quickly faded into March. Unfortunately with March came the pandemic, and as a result the clinic closed putting a stop to all fertility procedures. Pamela and Kevin refused to give up. For the next few months, the couple used the medication Clomid, timed intercourse, and an at-home insemination kit to help them get pregnant. The sadness of negative pregnancy tests began chipping away at Pamela’s self esteem, but she wasn’t ready to resign. June arrived with new hope as the clinic reopened allowing Pamela the opportunity to have an IUI. Leading up to and following the IUI, Pamela felt discouraged as the fertility clinic did not listen to her concerns. After a cold and cruel negative pregnancy result delivered from the fertility clinic, Pamela, with the unending support from Kevin, reached out to Northwestern for their fertility assistance. During her first virtual appointment with Northwestern, Pamela immediately felt heard and seen. After 2 more IUIs and a Hysteroscopy with Northwestern, Pamela decided to take the month off in September to rest her body and prepare for In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Her IVF retrieval took place in October, and her IVF transfer happened in November. Finally after countless struggles and draining attempts Pamela and Kevin received the greatest news in December that they were pregnant.
Pamela and Kevin’s commitment to their growing family has been truly remarkable. The way the two supported one another through internal ultrasounds, Covid testing, isolation, blood work, test samples, intramuscular injections, a variety of medications, overall exhaustion, and so much more is absolutely inspiring. The couple’s bond has remained unbreakable, even in a pandemic, as they worked toward their common goal of growing their family. Their story has provided so much promise and hope to many other couples struggling with infertility, and their devotion to one another is absolutely extraordinary.
Pamela thank you for educating us, for being such a strong advocate for yourself and your sweet baby, and for your vulnerability in sharing. Your story brought tears to our eyes, smiles to our faces, and optimism to our hearts. We are so honored to celebrate with you, Kevin, and Oliver. And as Lauren so perfectly put it, “The world’s a better place that the Quinn family is growing”.
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
Northwestern Fertility & Reproductive Medicine
The Fertility Tribe Instagram Account
The IVF Warrior Instagram Account
1 Listener
04/20/21 • -1 min
We are in the middle of National Infertility Awareness Week, a time to bring awareness, build empowerment and help to contribute and change the conversation around infertility. We are absolutely honored to have Dr. Mary Ellen Pavone, MD, on the podcast this week for a Q&A on all things infertility and reproductive health-related.
Dr. Pavone was Pamela’s fertility doctor; she is a Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist, as well as Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Pavone happens to be the magic and expertise behind bringing Pamela and Kevin their babies. In this very special episode, Dr. Pavone shares about her profession, and how learning about how hormones can affect the body and endocrine system fascinated her, and particularly how much she wanted to be a part of empowering women’s health.
During our conversation, Dr. Pavone shares her insight and experience on various topics: the most common infertility diagnoses she tends to see for both men and women, the other various reasons women and men may come to seek her assistance and how, besides growing families, a niche of hers is reproductive surgeries. We also delve into the importance of advocating for women’s health, and how knowledge is power and understanding your body is one of the best things you can do.
Dr. Pavone provides her expertise on the best indicators of an issue with fertility, and the next steps after a diagnosis is given. Dr. Pavone sheds light on the treatments and protocols with most success, and her passion for constantly continuing her research. If you ever Google her, you will see many, many articles she’s written, and how they cover all aspects of the field; which shows how much Dr. Pavone truly loves all areas of her career! As with all things in science, there are always new developments and theories being made. Dr. Pavone shares her current research projects: from investigating chronic endometritis, cryopreservation for cancer patients, and time lapse morphokinetics. Additionally, Dr. Pavone discusses how they’re currently looking at how to figure out noninvasive ways to look at embryo quality, which could be revolutionary to the field. All of Dr. Pavone’s dedication and research is always in pursuit of making sure more of the patient population is having live births, which just speaks tremendous volumes to the heart and commitment she has to her patients and the entire community.
One of the most rewarding things about her career, Dr. Pavone shares, is getting birth announcements and keeping in touch with families that have seen her. She adores the process of growing families and getting to be part of the magic in creating that. It’s truly astounding all the time, research, scientific expertise and love that Dr. Pavone pours into her patients and the entire field. All to allow the opportunity for growth and more happiness in others’ lives.
We answered your questions that were sent in, listeners! And Dr. Pavone shared her wonderful knowledge on these various areas: from egg freezing to IVF necessity to thyroid issues to progesterone and more!
As some words of hope to those out there listening, Dr. Pavone shares, “It’s important to validate your concerns. And remember, we are here for you. We are here for treating you as a WHOLE person - not just the medical aspects.”
Dr. Pavone, what a tremendous honor it was to have you share your extensive knowledge, insight and beautiful heart with us on the podcast. We are so grateful for all of this information, which we hope will allow others out there to feel supported and validated. It’s National Infertility Awareness Week right now - but know that every week, we are here for you, beside you and holding your hand - no matter what walk you are in on this journey.
Xx, the Boob Broads
Show Notes:
Various Articles by Dr. Mary Ellen Pavone:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2217/WHE.13.24
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028217320253
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028205038628
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3073375/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4511594/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5474218/
Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility & Reproductive Medicine
1 Listener
03/02/21 • -1 min
Welcome to Part 2 of our special mini series celebrating stepmoms, where we meet incredible Katie.
“Meeting James was its own blessing and then getting the bonus of having his children in my life was even more of a blessing.”
In this week’s episode, we learn all about Katie and her phenomenal role as stepmother to Alyx and Jessie and wife to James. Katie shares all about meeting James, and how their relationship evolved while Katie simultaneously grew a relationship with his precious kids. Right away Katie felt a strong connection to Alyx and Jessie, and as a music teacher, music was and remains one of their biggest ways to bond. Katie says that even to this day, she can hear one or both of them singing to themselves as they fall asleep. Additionally, Katie instantly had maternal intuition when it came to recognizing special needs and the support that was needed.
It takes a special person to see the beauty in everything but Katie has truly found the magic in each moment of this journey - the good and the bad. Katie discusses in the episode that she is currently going through the adoption and custody process with the children’s biological mother which has been quite a bumpy road. While it’s been difficult to navigate, Katie is so looking forward to having this process be finalized. As you’ll hear in her voice, she absolutely adores her role in these kiddos’ lives and considers it to be the highest honor.
“I hope it never stops feeling so special when they call me “Mommy,” or when they run to me when they’re sad. It’s been the privilege and honor of my life. It hasn’t been easy but I am so thankful for this journey.”
Wow, just wow. Katie, thank you for sharing your story with us so candidly; your mindset and dedication to your family is truly awe-inspiring and we are so honored to have you on the podcast this week! Thank you, thank you!
Xx, the Boob Broads
1 Listener
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
What is the most popular episode on The Boob Broads?
The episode title '107: Mothering without a Mother: Pamela’s Story' is the most popular.