If you’re a partner, best friend, grandma, or future parent, this episode gives you the exact setup checklist, gift ideas, and feeding–sleep rules that prevent those brutal first-week meltdowns.

Not pregnant? Perfect. This is the ultimate baby prep playbook for anyone who loves or supports a new mom. In this episode, Hillary and Erica share how to go from baby shower to setup without the chaos—including practical systems, simple gear organization tips, and the stress-reducing feeding–sleep foundations that help every new family find rhythm from day one.

Whether you’re expecting, helping someone who is, or just planning ahead, you’ll walk away with actionable, real-life advice on what to buy, what to skip, and how to prepare for a smoother postpartum transition (no guesswork, no overwhelm).

Get clear on the feeding–sleep loop and next steps: https://babysettler.com

• Visit Baby Settler
• 
  
• Follow @babysettler on Instagram
• 
  
• Follow @earlymommingpodcast on Instagram
• 
  
  
  

  Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

  
  
  

  About Hillary: Hillary is a board-certified lactation consultant, masters-level registered nurse, author of Babies Made Simple, mom of four, and the founder/lead consultant at Baby Settler located in Charleston, SC (virtually worldwide).
  
  

  Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding questions or concerns about your or your baby’s health.

Erica (32 weeks!) and Hillary kick things off with a bump update, a baby-shower wardrobe saga, and a funny “am I late…or pregnant?!” moment—then OB-GYN Dr. Kate White joins to walk first-time moms through Labor & Delivery 101.

We cover:

• Stages of labor in plain English (what Braxton Hicks really are, and the 5-1-1 rule)
• When to head to the hospital vs. when it’s okay to wait
• Pain management options: preparing for unmedicated birth, when to ask for an epidural, what “too late” actually means, and non-pharmacologic tools (showers, TENS, nitrous where available)
• Induction 101: Bishop score basics, ARRIVE trial takeaways, and cervical-ripening methods (Cervidil/misoprostol, Foley bulb, Dilapan, membrane rupture, Pitocin)
• Water breaking myths: why it doesn’t always mean sprinting to L&D (and when it does)
• Rapid-fire truths: delayed cord clamping (how long is actually helpful), eating during labor (what’s smart), and whether you can still move with an epidural
• What to ask on your hospital tour: anesthesia availability, epidural timing policies, nitrous/TENS access, birth bars/balls, and shower use
• Reassurance for anxious moms: how to voice fears, why flexibility is your secret superpower, and keeping the main goal—healthy mom, healthy baby—front and center

Guest: Dr. Kate White, OB-GYN, Lowcountry OB/GYN (Charleston, SC) — co-host of the podcast Heads & Tails.

Get clear on the feeding–sleep loop and next steps: https://babysettler.com

Summary: Erica opens with a candid check-in (plus a surprise cameo from her husband, Nate) before welcoming licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Alice Pickering. Together with Hillary, they normalize the emotional highs and lows of new motherhood—baby blues vs. postpartum depression/anxiety, identity shifts, sleep and feeding stress, and practical ways to protect mental health in the fourth trimester.

• Postpartum Support International (find trained providers): https://postpartum.net
• 
  Alice Pickering, PsyD: dralicepsyd.com
• 
  
  
  

  Get clear on the feeding–sleep loop and next steps: https://babysettler.com

  
  
  
  
  
• Visit Baby Settler
• 
  
• Follow @babysettler on Instagram
• 
  
• Follow @earlymommingpodcast on Instagram
• 
  
  
  

  Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

  
  
  

  About Hillary: Hillary is a board-certified lactation consultant, masters-level registered nurse, author of Babies Made Simple, mom of four, and the founder/lead consultant at Baby Settler located in Charleston, SC (virtually worldwide).
  
  

  Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider regarding questions or concerns about your or your baby’s health.