Growing Facts Podcast
A podcast in which the hosts, Shalaka and Alyson, navigate the science behind pregnancy to help decision-making based on facts. Shalaka has a Ph.D. in child psychology and is pregnant by IVF. Alyson is a doctor specializing in internal medicine with a particular interest in obstetrical medicine, and is pregnant with twins. Episodes will alternate between science and pregnancy update episodes. Science episodes will feature an interview with a prenatal scientist about a different aspect of prenatal development. In the pregnancy update episodes, Alyson and Shalaka will discuss different social, cultural, and psychological factors that shape their experience of their pregnancy journeys.
Episodes
24 episodes
23. Updates and season 1 wrap-up
Alyson and Shalaka wrap up season 1 with some updates, including Shalaka’s Ph.D and pregnancy, and Alyson’s twins! They also talk about extending grace in difficult periods such as the first trimester or when you have newborns… and a lot of tal...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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13:23
Ep 22. Start of pregnancy vs end of pregnancy
Shalaka and Alyson talk about the debilitating nature of first trimester symptoms - fatigue, nausea, “pregnancy brain”, and nipples. They talk about Alyson’s twins and passing the prematurity mark, planning inductions, and preparing pets ...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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33:09
21. Planning vs letting go
Content warning: miscarriageShalaka and Alyson talk about planning what is in your power vs letting go of what isn’t, when it comes to all things pregnancy: fearing miscarriage in early pregnancy, preparing for birth, and choosing a hea...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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32:19
20. What does gut microbiota have to do with physical and mental health? With Dr. Carolina de Weerth
Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Carolina de Weerth, and we’ll be aiming to answer the question: what does gut microbiota have to do with physical and mental health? We talk about the relationship between microbiota and different health outcome...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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46:55
19. An exciting announcement, twin updates, and partner involvement
Shalaka and Alyson talk about Shalaka’s frozen embryo transfer, updates on the Alyson's twins, and prenatal classes. They also talk about navigating new parenthood when you and your partner have different ideas about how it’s done, and the pers...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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38:51
18. Can prenatal stress make a child more sensitive to their environment? With Dr. Sarah Hartman
Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Sarah Hartman as the second part of a two-part episode. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: Can exposure to prenatal factors program greater sensitivity to environment after birth? We recap what differential...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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50:56
17. Prepping, testing, and planning
Shalaka and Alyson talk about updates on Shalaka’s IVF (such as: what is an endometrial lining?) and Alyson’s twins, the test for gestational diabetes, and prepping for newborns.www.growingf...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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42:14
16. Are some people more sensitive to their environment than others? With Dr. Jay Belsky
For today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Jay Belsky as part of a two-part episode. Today we’ll be aiming to answer the question: Are some people more sensitive to their environment than others? We talk about how genes should always...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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41:07
15. The social, financial, and emotional costs of having children
Shalaka and Alyson talk about the financial/emotional/social cost of IVF, and the role of societal views of reproduction in how we view the right to reproduce and the right to abortion. They also talk about the appropriation of babies by non-pa...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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37:24
14. Is exercise safe during pregnancy? With Dr. Margie Davenport
Content warning: miscarriageFor today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Margie Davenport. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: Is exercise safe during pregnancy? We discuss the strong benefits of engaging in exercise unless...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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53:43
13. Butt stuff
In today’s episode, Alyson and Shalaka try to act like mature adults and talk about butt stuff without giggling. We’re talking hemmorhoids, constipation and poop. We also talk about pelvic floor and prevention! As they say in #Forever35podcast,...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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40:06
12. Are medications safe during pregnancy? With Prof. Ema Ferreira
For today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Ema Ferreira. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: Are medications safe for pregnancy? We discuss which medications are safe for pregnant women and how new medications are tested. <...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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46:02
11. Embryos and genetics and injections, oh my!
Content warning: miscarriageIn today’s episode, Alyson and Shalaka talk a ton about embryos, including genetic testing and complicated feelings. They also talk progesterone shots and unwanted judgemental comments from strangers....
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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28:45
10. How do lifestyle factors affect pregnancy and postpartum health? With Dr. Catherine Herba
Content warning: mention of intimate partner violenceFor today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Catherine Herba. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: How do lifestyle factors affect pregnancy and postpartum mental health? W...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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57:57
BONUS holiday ep - bloopers!
We threw something fun together that we thought you would enjoy - happy holidays!
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Season 1
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15:37
9. "Medical" vs "natural", expert vs community
In today’s episode, Alyson and Shalaka talk finding out the sex of the babies, chronic pain and some weird old wives’ tales about pregnancy. They also talk about the strange dichotomies that exist in conversations around pregnancy like “natural...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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36:33
8. What do we mean when we talk about "prenatal stress"? With Dr. Eszter Szekely
For today’s episode, Shalaka will be interviewing Dr. Eszter Szekely. We’ll be aiming to answer the question: What do we mean when we talk about prenatal stress? We discuss what are the sources of prenatal stress, what are the impacts on the ch...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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50:18
7. Nutrition and body image, IVF side effects, and one kid at a time
Content warning: body image issues Alyson had an appointment with a nutritionist for her twin pregnancy. She discusses with Shalaka changes in body and body image related to pregnancy, included fatphobia and eating disorders.Th...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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30:18
6. How does inflammation affect foetal development and birth? With Dr. Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée
Content warning: animal testing, prematurity and preterm birth, surgical procedure, abortion Today’s episode features an interview with Dr. Mathieu Nadeau Vallée, a anaesthesiology resident and a Ph.D researcher about immunology and...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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47:26
5. Embryo math, pregnancy announcements and intrusive comments, and exercise
Content warning: miscarriage, description of a medical operation Shalaka and Alyson discuss egg retrieval in IVF and embryo math, mourning an “ideal” way to become and disclose pregnancy, being “outed” as pregnant, intrusive comment...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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21:05
4. How do natural disasters affect pregnancy? With Dr. David Laplante
Today’s episode features an interview with Dr. David Laplante, a prenatal stress researcher, who helps us answer the question: How do natural disasters affect pregnancy? The interview covers:-the effect of exposure to this kind of stress du...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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39:11
3. Fertility, IVF, and solidarity between women
Content warning: miscarriage, still-birthShalaka is starting her IVF treatment with injections (ugh!), and talks about the side effects associated. They discuss how complicated it can be to disclose your pregnancy, and how miscarriage is...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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27:29
2. What is prenatal programming? With Dr. Ashley Wazana
Today’s episode features an interview with Dr. Ashley Wazana, a child psychiatrist and researcher on prenatal stress (and Shalaka’s thesis supervisor!). The episode aims to answer the question: What is prenatal programming?The interview cov...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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44:02
1. Meet the hosts: Alyson and Shalaka
Content warning: IVF, pregnancyMeet the hosts of the Growing Facts podcast, Shalaka Shah and Alyson Baker. Shalaka is finishing her Ph.D. in child psychology and is trying to get pregnant by IVF. Alyson is a doctor specializing i...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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23:06
