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Taylor
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Kal Penn
I'm Kal Penn.
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I'm Ed Helms.
Kal Penn
Ed and I are inviting you to.
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Kal Penn
Ever heard with our new podcast, Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Each week we sit down with your favorite iHeart podcast hosts and some very.
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Kal Penn
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Kal Penn
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Morgan
Boom. 42.
Kal Penn
You're going down, Doug. Oh yeah, your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.
Morgan
Hey limu, what are you doing on their team?
Kal Penn
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Sophie Cunningham
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Morgan
Take this personally with Morgan Huelsman.
Taylor
Our next series is all about family and there is a double entendre there because It's Christmas week, which to me is all about family. I'm bringing on my sister for her first ever podcast episode. She's a brand new mama to my niece, and she's a speech language pathologist. We're talking all things baby pregnancy, motherhood, and postpartum. Next week, I'll bring on Michelle Poole, who is a nurse at the Maven Clinic, which specializes in family building, fertility, and all things parenthood. We're getting into some special talks for the mamas especially, but also the fathers out there. So let's do this. This is gonna be a fun, chaotic episode because my sister is joining me, but not just my sister. Her very precious new baby, Ms. Collins, and my niece. Hey, Tay, thanks for coming on.
Morgan
I'm glad to be here.
Taylor
And Collins is just staring. She's very confused about what's happening, but she's learning the podcast live very early. I'm excited to talk to you about being a new mom. And Ms. Collins, how old is Collins now?
Morgan
Collins is 11 weeks old now. She was born September 10th, so.
Taylor
And what's it like being a new mom? Because it's been fun for me as your sister to watch you enter this life that you've been waiting for what seems like decades. You were a mom to me as a kid, so this has been everything you've ever wanted.
Morgan
It has been. I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. And as hard as it's been some days, it's truly just the best. And I don't think anything can prepare you for what motherhood truly is. And I just love it so much.
Taylor
You did. You read all the books, you listened to every podcast. You watched all the Instagram videos.
Morgan
You did.
Taylor
Did it all go out the window when she arrived?
Morgan
A little bit. I think you can only be prepared so much until she's here, and then you realize, okay, I have a human life that now looks at me to provide everything for her, to protect her, to give her the nutrition she needs, and then it's okay. I read all of that, but what does reality actually look like? And I think the biggest thing for me was people said, oh, you're not going to get sleep, blah, blah, blah. Okay, well, the biggest thing is my baby does sleep. But when you are breastfeeding, you have to wake them every two to three hours when they're babies. And so even if your baby wants to sleep, you're still waking them. And so I think it is the. That is really challenging in the first few weeks, but it's all worth It.
Taylor
Is there anything that people were telling you where you heard them, and now it's happening and you feel, okay, this person was legit, and other things where, okay, that person was lying. That's not actually true.
Morgan
Oh, for sure. I think just, you know how much you will love them. Everyone's like, you there. It's a different kind of love. Like, you can't explain it. And that is so true, because until you've been through it, there's just no love like that. And I can't even explain it. I just. I would lay my life down for her. I would do anything to protect her and give her the very best. So I think that's hard to explain. So I think they're totally spot on with that. As far as, like, things that people said that I'm like, I don't know. I think it's like everyone's situation is different.
Taylor
Everyone's Baby Collins is chiming in.
Morgan
Everyone's birth story is different. So everything just happens differently for everyone.
Taylor
Is that true? Was your story different, Ms. Collins?
Morgan
Yes, different. And what works for one per one mom doesn't work for the other mom, and there's nothing wrong with that. And.
Taylor
We'Re talking lots this morning. We learned that Baby Collins really likes to talk in the mornings. In the morning a little bit right now.
Morgan
Hi. Yes.
Taylor
Just baby noises. It's really what the whole podcast is going to be anyway, so that's very much true. I feel like from the outside looking into, you've had a lot of realizations of that where, oh, well, that was not the same story that happened for us. So it feels. Does that feel isolating?
Morgan
A little bit. It can.
Taylor
There's moments you're like, nobody understands what I'm going through. There might be some, but not really.
Morgan
Yeah, for sure. And I think that's when you just lean in and you're like, this is our story, and you take it day by day. And that's the biggest thing I've learned is, like, things change with babies so much when they're little that if you try to look too far ahead, it's overwhelming. And so it's just very much, okay, we're gonna get through today and this week, and then we'll just take it day by day.
Taylor
So when you see all those videos and stuff online, if people are like, one day, it's gonna be really important about who you marry. Do you feel like you're in that moment right now of your life?
Morgan
Yes. Yes. And the best thing I did for Collins was choose Seth as her dad. That's truly just the best thing I did for her. And it matters who you marry because at 2am when you are getting pooped and peed on and Seth spit up and the last thing you want is to be fighting with your partner. You want somebody who's there and is a teammate because those are hard times. Middle of the night when you've had no sleep, it's not good for anyone. So it matters who you marry. For sure.
Taylor
Yeah. And Seth loves being a dad. That's my brother in law, my sister's husband and Colin's dad. And he's very much hands on. He loves to be with Collins all the time, even when he's watching football. Collins is there ready to also support the next Oregon fan here.
Morgan
Yes.
Taylor
And you also, I imagine there's been moments where you guys have also wanted to kill each other.
Morgan
Oh, absolutely.
Taylor
It's happened.
Morgan
Yeah, for sure. We're very normal too. And I'm. It's not perfect. It's like there are moments where you're like, oh my gosh, I haven't slept, I haven't showered. I don't know when the last time I ate was, but I'm gonna take it out on you because you're the one who's right here. Versus thinking, I'm probably just hungry. I probably just need a meal actually. But. And so then you come back to the table and you're like, hey, I'm sorry, that wasn't geared at you. We have to remind ourselves often, like we are on the same team sometimes she clues against us a little bit. Not on purpose.
Taylor
I didn't do that.
Morgan
I'm gonna. I'm gonna make it hard on you guys sometimes. And yeah, she's learning how to be a human too. She's learning how to live. And we're learning how to be parents for the first time. So we're all learning together and we just try to remind ourselves of that. And for some reason, when I look at her, like little hands and little feet, that is like the biggest reminder for me. She's so tiny and she's learning with us too.
Taylor
So she's just a little human that's morphing into gonna be one day a little toddler and then a little kid. And as they grow. Are you having that moment with her where she's already starting to grow and it feels like time's flying?
Morgan
Really does, yeah. And everyone says that too. The days are so long, but the years are so short. And even weeks right now, the Weeks seem like they are just flying by. She'll be three, three months here soon, and it doesn't seem possible that my maternity leave is already up and I'm gonna be a working mom, and we're gonna navigate that together too. So it's just. Yeah, it just. It truly flies by. I feel, in a way, I just had her yesterday, so.
Taylor
Are you scared going into the change of working mom? Oh, bless you.
Morgan
Bless you, sis.
Taylor
Yeah, I'm about to not want that.
Morgan
Okay.
Taylor
I would like to turn the subject away from that.
Morgan
Yes. Yeah, it's gonna be another challenge that I'm just going to, again, take it day by day, because that's really all I can do is just try to figure it out. And I love my job and I love working with kids, and so I hope to be able to still do that and be a good mom for Collins.
Taylor
And you're a speech language pathologist for all the people who don't know.
Morgan
Yes.
Taylor
We gotta make sure we look our best on camera.
Morgan
Yes, I am a speech language pathologist at elementary school, so. And I've done that for, gosh, I think nine or ten years now, so. Yep.
Taylor
And it prepped you too, in a lot of ways. I feel like you've done different things with Collins, to be sure, because of the things that you know and things you've learned to help her make sure she's set up for success for sure.
Morgan
And just how important these first few years are for their development. Speech, language, brain development, all of it. So much happens within their first three to five years of life. And so it's just so important to just be aware of that. And even now, we talk to her constantly and she just gets bombarded with language and vocabulary. And even though it might not look like she's truly taking it all, and she is.
Taylor
Yeah. Okay. So speak to it from that perspective as a speech language pathologist, because you have these skills. And what other things would you tell first time parents about their kid from that perspective? And also being a mom now that you've had both experiences, right?
Morgan
Yeah, I think just truly talking to them constantly, even if it's just about what we're doing, like talking to her about changing her diaper and oh, we're going into the next room and here are my dogs, and these are my dog's names. And. Okay. And now we're gonna go outside for a little bit and oh, do you see the trees? And we are constantly telling her about her surroundings, what's going on, interacting with her, reading to her because their vocabulary just flourishes when they are talked to, when they are read too. And I think it's hard at this age because they're not always interacting. She's just beginning to start to interact with us and smile at us and stuff. But before, there's really not a lot of interaction. So you're like, I don't need to talk to them. They're just sitting there. They're not really interacting with me, but they really, truly are. All of those brain neurons are firing and connecting and they're trying to make sense of everything. So it really does matter.
Taylor
Yeah. That's so cool that you have that added layer. It's like when you think of somebody being a nurse and they know, you get that extra benefit of the skill. Whereas me, if I ever do choose to have kids, I'm like, I don't really have anything to help you. You want to speak into a microphone. This is not going to be good.
Morgan
So. But I think to that point also, there's so much that's innate that you don't realize until you're a mom. I trust my gut more now than I have ever, ever before. And people are like, trust your mom gut trust. I'm like, I don't have one. Like, I'm not a mom. I don't know what that gut is. And people said that to me even during my pregnancy, and I was like, I don't trust myself yet. But, like, as soon as I had her, something in me click, something in me changed. So it's like, okay, I trust my mom gut, now I have one. And I know what that's like. So I think some of that truly is just innate and you know what's best for your child. And, yeah, you do that.
Taylor
So is that kind of the mom instinct as well? That all kind of correlates. So it didn't click until the moment she was born.
Morgan
It didn't for me. And I think probably sometimes people, maybe with pregnancy, it does. It didn't for me until, like, I. I had her. And then it was like, okay, I got it now. There it is. It clicked. And we are here.
Taylor
Do you ever have to use Google or now AI or anything to answer questions? Because things happen, I imagine, and you.
Morgan
Don'T have all the answers all the time. I honestly, like, I say it all the time too. Like, I don't know how people survived before chat, GPT and Google because they're, oh, same girl, same.
Taylor
That's a big yawn for a little girl that's been A saying that's been used a lot over Thanksgiving this week. Yes. You've heard that a lot. I know she's smiling me right now and it always just melts my little heart when she smiles. Yes. You know, we still have both of your parents. Cess parents and ours, obviously, so they're great to lean on. But yeah, again, different experiences.
Morgan
Yeah, I remind them too. Like, that was 30 years ago and a lot has changed since then too. Even the way we put babies to sleep. Like, they used to cover us up with blankets and all these things. And that's a big no. Now you place your baby on the back. You don't put any blankets in there because of the risk of SIDS. And so that has changed in 30 years because we know better, we do better kind of thing. And so, yeah, a lot has changed. And so I'm so thankful for Google and Chat GPT because I truly, like, at 2am I can't call my doctor's office and be like, why is her poop green? It just, it helps me to be like, hey, that's actually not a big deal. It's pretty common things like that that you're like, I don't know who else to ask this. I'm sure I read it in one of those books, but I don't know what page it was on.
Taylor
Like, because you guys did read a few books before all this happened.
Morgan
I did.
Taylor
Do you feel like any of them really helped or was it just more preparing you that it helped?
Morgan
A lot of it was preparation. And I think the books I read were more for like pregnancy and what to expect as like my pregnancy progressed. Which was really helpful because it does change a lot. And it was my first time being pregnant. It's for my first time being a mom. But yeah, I would, for any mom, I would suggest reading as much as you can because I think that's another thing that I didn't. I wasn't as, I don't know, just like prepared for is that I have zero time to read or do any of that now. She is all, all like time consuming in the best way. And I wouldn't change that at all, but I would be like, oh, yeah, I'll wait until I have her and I'll read. And I'm like, okay, yeah, you got five minutes. You're not gonna read all of that.
Taylor
Like, have learned you don't have time to shower. You don't even have time sometimes to wear a clean shirt. There was, we were about to go do something this week for Thanksgiving weekend and Taylor was had just changed gotten ready. She took Collins and Collins just threw up all on the back and she's okay. Gotta go change to a new shirt. Yes very mom Life coded it is.
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If a Lenovo gaming computer is on your holiday list, don't shop around, just go directly to the source Lenovo.com it's your last chance to score exclusive deals on the gaming PCs you want, like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 gaming desktop and Lenovo Lock Gaming Laptop. So avoid all that shopping chaos and price comparing and just go directly to the source lenovo.com where PCs are up to 35% off. That's lenovo.com lenovo Lenovo season two of.
Unrivaled Basketball Announcer
Unrivaled basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball season two sponsored by Samsung Galaxy tips off January 5th on TNT, TruTV and HBO.
Kal Penn
Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA RA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available@public.com disclosures and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means playing in a football game.
Morgan
Boom 42.
Kal Penn
You're going down Doug. Oh yeah, your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.
Morgan
Hey.
Kal Penn
Limu, what are you doing on their team? Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty. Liberty.
Morgan
Liberty.
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Liberty.
Ed Helms
The world's best ski and snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and snowboard fan loyalty program, and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love, and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep. This winter, show your support as they race for the podium. Head to insider usskiansnowboard.org and join today.
Taylor
I always wondered about that with the books. You see, everybody gift books to new parents, and I was always just so curious if they're truly helpful or. Yeah, you know, where the boundaries lie there, because you can do and consume so much. But everything, to my knowledge that you've told me about is that it all changes when they get here.
Morgan
It does. And every baby's different. So, like, even all that good advice, like, it might work for your baby, but it might not also. And so I think that's where it's nice to have search engines, too. And it's okay, this isn't working. Is there any other things I can try?
Taylor
So you guys were doing it with tummy time the other day.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
Because she starts. She's learned to roll herself over, and they're like, okay, so do. Is it already just done tummy times done? What does that mean? And I saw Seth just get on his phone. He's okay, Google. I got to do some research, figure out what's happening.
Morgan
Tummy time is not done just because they started rolling. Although that's a great milestone. But we still have work to do. So it's like, how do we get her to stay in tummy time? But it's things like that. Like, how else would you know that? You'd either. There's no class. They don't come with a rule book.
Taylor
No, they do not.
Morgan
They don't come with an instruction manual. And so you're just. You're left to figure it out. So God bless all of our parents that came before us that did not have chat, GPT, or Google because they are saints. I don't know how they did it. And then that just goes back to that mom and seeing it in that mom guide of, you know, what's best for them.
Taylor
Yeah. And I wanted to talk to you, too, about the. You talked about the pregnancy a little bit. You had such a great pregnancy in moments, but you were also very sick at the beginning. And then your pregnancy plan went out the window.
Morgan
Did. It did, sadly, yeah.
Taylor
And I think some new moms need to hear that because I think I've heard a lot of them who you plan to a t what you want to happen. And you had done that, but you also had the knowledge of some other things. So.
Morgan
I did, yeah. Yeah. My first trimester, I was pretty sick. Just nausea and stuff like that. I think for a lot of moms that's typical. And then I had a really great pregnancy. I was able to work out throughout my pregnancy up until the day that we went in for her induction. We were almost to 41 weeks when I was induced. And while not ideal, it was a God wink for me at that point because as soon as I went in for my induction, my blood pressure was in the severes, which can be really bad for me. It the risk is stroke or seizures. And so I was immediately put on magnesium to prevent that, which for any moms that have been on magnesium, oh, it's a wild ride. It was just a rush of I truly thought I had the flu. And so at 40 plus weeks pregnant, the last thing you want is being there and being like, oh, now I feel like I have the flu. This is great. And so I just, I blew up. Like, I look at pictures and I have so much extra fluid in me and everything. And I'm so thankful for modern medicine because I don't know what would have happened if we didn't go in. I didn't get those meds. But it was also very scary at that moment because my pregnancy had been so great up until that time. So that really changed everything because my goal was to go without an epidural for as long as I could and to be able to labor in different positions. And because I got the magnesium, I was then bedridden and I couldn't do any of that. Were there still some things we could do? Yes. And my biggest thing is I really, truly didn't want to have a C section unless it was medically necessary. And that's something that I advocated for myself and for some moms, they want that and that's great. More power to them. You can go in and you can have a baby within an hour. And how amazing is that? And for some moms, they don't have a choice at all. And so I don't want to ever say one's better than the other. Both of them are hard in their own ways. So it was just what I wanted. And so I did. That was one thing that I really did advocate for and that was one thing that worked out for me. I didn't have to have a C section. But did I. Was my labor intern 23 hours in total? Yes. Did I push for almost three hours? Yes. Was it hard? Absolutely. But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat for the outcome of Collins. So.
Taylor
And yeah, you had. Your pregnancy in general was just a. It was a wild ride. There was so many moments, I think, where you were exhausted and you didn't know what was to come. Especially then the baby comes. You haven't slept, you haven't really ate, you haven't done anything.
Morgan
And.
Taylor
And then the baby's here is. Oh, you still don't get to eat or sleep or do anything. And it becomes this, I feel like wild tornado for the first however many weeks. And I don't feel like people talk about that whole much. Yeah, the labor's intense. You're about to push a baby out of you. But also what you're not realizing is you're not going to get to recover after that. You don't just go to sleep for two weeks, make up for it and bounce back. You now have the baby.
Morgan
Right.
Taylor
And hopefully you have a really great community around you that helps you, helps you. But gosh, we just don't talk about those really first few weeks when it's all happening for the first time and you're still not fully recovered. I still don't feel like even now you're not fully recovered.
Morgan
No, no. And I know that there's. I've heard different things about. It takes six months to like up to a year for your body to fully recover. And my OB doesn't even recommend having another baby for 18 months because your body takes that long to recover. And we are very blessed with amazing parents and siblings that help support us through all of that. But yeah, it's hard because there's only so much that other people can do for you. When you're breastfeeding and you're on a two hour time clock, there's no way to get good sleep at that point. So those first two weeks for me was even longer because we're trying to get her back up to birth weight because she did lose a little bit. And just in general for a lot of people too. And I was the same way. Getting her to latch and learning how to breastfeed again, that was our first time. How do we do this? It's hard. And so when you're on a two hour, three hour time clock and it takes 30, 45 minutes to do that, it's okay. Now I have maybe an hour left and so I am supposed to do all the things I need to do within that hour. So that's just. It's difficult. And so, yeah, I think that you just, you get through it and you see her cute little face and it makes it all worth it, even when it's really hard sometimes.
Taylor
I was gonna ask you, what are the things that Collins has done that make that moment worth it?
Morgan
Oh, my gosh.
Taylor
I want to know. Like, mom perspective. Because I see her and she's so stinking cute. She came out in her little leopard outfit that if you're watching the video you will see her in, which just made me smile. But I have to believe there's moments that you two have gotten to have that have then made truly that worth it. Because people say that for sure. But what are the actual moments for sure?
Morgan
Like early on it was like getting her to latch and knowing that she was getting enough. Like breast milk wise. We did a few feedings where my lactation consultant was able to weigh her before and then I fed her and then weigh her after and like to know that, like, she's happy, content, she was getting enough early on, that was amazing. Lately it's been laughs and giggles and smiles. Like her actually truly looking at us and knowing, oh my gosh, she's actually smiling at us before they smile in their sleep or whatever. Or they randomly smile and you're like, that wasn't me. But I still love it. But now she will giggle and laugh at us. So that's been the best so far. And just recognizing us too.
Taylor
Yeah.
Morgan
Like she's actually can see a little bit better too.
Taylor
And just being around you guys for this past week, she can very much tell when she is in mom or dad's arms. Like she's happy being in other people's arms, but mom and dad, it makes it all better. And I think that's probably a cool feeling.
Morgan
Yes.
Taylor
That you are the connection to her that keeps that going.
Morgan
Absolutely.
Taylor
Oh, sweet girl. Yeah, she's like trying really hard to get fussy on us. She's doing so good though.
Lenovo/Ad Host
If a Lenovo gaming computer is on your holiday list, don't shop around, just go directly to the source Lenovo.com it's your last chance to score exclusive deals on the gaming PCs you want, like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 gaming desktop and Lenovo Lock gaming laptop. So avoid all that shopping chaos and price comparing and just go directly to the source. Lenovo lenovo.com where PCs are up to 35% off that's lenovo.com lenovo Lenovo.
Taylor
Season.
Unrivaled Basketball Announcer
Two of unrivaled basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Becker, Snafeeza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more. Take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.
Kal Penn
Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available@public.com disclosures and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means playing in a football game.
Morgan
Boom. 42.
Kal Penn
You're going down Doug. Oh yeah, your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.
Morgan
Hey limu, what are you doing on their team?
Kal Penn
Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty.
Ed Helms
The world's best ski and snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and Snowboard Fan loyalty program and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep this winter. Show your support as they race for the podium, head to insider.usski and snowboard.org and join.
Morgan
Today.
Taylor
We are now Collins List. She has gone to her father for a little bit. If you heard the little cries. Took us a little break. But I wanted to talk to you about one of the important conversations around having kids, and it's really more about the mom, because the mom kind of gets lost in everything, and postpartum is a huge deal. So what has that part of all of this been like for you?
Morgan
For sure? Yeah. For me, I've been blessed that it hasn't been extreme. I will say the hormone rush is very real, and there'll be points where I will just start crying for no reason. And I'm like, what's wrong with me? And it's this rush of emotions that I don't remember ever having before Collins. But other than that, I did get Bell's palsy. So that was something that did happen postpartum to me, and that can contribute to even more depression and anxiety and stuff. And when that hit, that was pretty rough because I was four weeks postpartum. And for a solid four weeks. Weeks, half of my face didn't work. So not only was I trying to still work on breastfeeding and then eat to sustain breastfeeding, now I couldn't really eat very well because my face was so droopy that things were falling out, and I was having trouble just swallowing and all of those things, too. So thankful that I have had a full recovery from that since then. But I think when I was in that, it was like a very much, okay, I really hope this gets better because, well, one, my job, I rely on that. My face and my lips and my mouth to work correctly for my job. And so it was questioning that and then questioning, am I ever gonna look the same? Like, you already question that when you have changed so much throughout nine months of pregnancy. So now is my face ever gonna look the same? And so I will say that was maybe a little dip of, oh, are we gonna get the. We were gonna get the baby blues here. Yeah. But I think, just like I said, I just. I keep going back to. I was just day by day, like, okay. And I would take videos of my face to be like, is it getting any better? Is it getting any better? And for a couple weeks, it really didn't. Now we're here, and it did fully recover. So I would say, all in all, I don't think mine was very extreme, but the doctors were great about asking and making sure, too, which I think I'm thankful because I think before, I don't know that doctors checked in as much as they do now. They're very aware of it. And they give you and my husband, they gave him things to look for. Because I think sometimes, like, as a mom, you don't see those signs. You're just like, no, I'm just exhausted, tired. I don't feel like myself versus somebody from the outside. Your husband or your spouse or whatever can see those signs and then say, I think these are maybe signs of postpartum blues or postpartum depression.
Taylor
Well, it's scary because I think as a mom, I would assume that you're really just focused on Collins or your baby and doing the best you can for her. So you're laser focused. It's not on the self care you need to do. Not that you have time for it.
Morgan
Right.
Taylor
And not that you really have time to eat and do the things you need to do to keep your body in a better state. Right. Your body's already completely deplenished of all of these things and you need a lot of different moments, but you don't have the time. You don't have the patience at that.
Morgan
Right.
Taylor
And so it's almost like it's hard and you at least want to talk about it. So it's well known and the husbands can step up. And I'm gonna assume that Seth played a significant role to make sure that you didn't have really deep dips.
Morgan
Absolutely. Absolutely. He was there every step of the way and took over. When he did see me getting frustrated or getting to the point where I was like, okay, this is too much. I'm getting overwhelmed. And he would always step in and was there for me a hundred percent of the time. I think the other thing that we were really great about is getting outside every day. That saved us. And I think it's hard too, when I look at people. It always depends on what time of the year your pregnancy is and where you live and if that's even an option. But we are really lucky that we had her in a fall season where it was beautiful outside and we were able to get outside every day, even if it was just for a 15 minute walk. Sometimes I could go longer. And some at the very beginning, it was just a little lap around the block, but just thought fresh air really helped us and it helped us to reconnect too, because you don't realize how you're stuck inside and doing the same thing over and over again and just getting outside and it was Great for Collins, too. Like, she already loves being outside, and I attribute that to just us getting outside every day when she was little. And we still do that now. There's some days where we can't do it, but the majority of the days we. We still do.
Taylor
Well, it became a great thing all around for everything.
Morgan
Absolutely.
Taylor
And that's always a cool part of that experience. But also you mentioned you and Seth being able to connect because that also is a factor in all of this. A lot of marriages change after having a baby. And so besides the walks, is there anything else that you guys have learned to make sure to do to check in with each other and just make sure you're still on the same page together?
Morgan
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for us has been one just checking in constantly. Where are you at? Do you need me to take over? Are you good? Is there anything I can get you? Especially when you're nap trapped and you have a baby on you if you're sitting there for two hours, hey, let me get you something to snack on, a drink, whatever. But also reconnecting once we put her down to for bed is that's the time we have a little bit more time than we do in the day, but just, you know, how the day went and how we're feeling. So that's what we've tried to do so far. And some days are better than others, so.
Taylor
Well. And you guys also have four big dogs, two Dobies, two doodles. What has that been experience? Like, there are people that tell me that the relationship with your dog changes. And I'm so curious from my sister, who we are massive animal lovers in the same. Right. What is the hot take? I need the opinion.
Morgan
We love them just as much as we did before Collins. I will say the biggest thing is our patience just isn't as high with them. That's the biggest thing, is when you have a sleeping baby that you've been working to get to sleep for a long time. And they're sleeping and they're swing. And our dogs are great. And they've been exposed to Collins, and we were always around them when she's around, but they will sometimes come over and usually they just sniff. But when they get a good lick in and that wakes her up and startles her, there is nothing more that irritates you as a parent when you work so hard to get her to sleep and now she's wailing and you're like, okay, now we have to start all the way over.
Sophie Cunningham
Yeah.
Taylor
Whereas people without dogs probably don't have that same experience.
Morgan
Exactly. So, yeah, we love them so much. Much. And at first, it was a transition for them. The first 24 to 48 hours you were there, you saw it. It was hard on the dogs. They were very anxious and just confused. What is this screaming thing you brought in? And we did expose them to baby crying sounds early just to try to hopefully transition them a little bit easier. We had our parents take home a blanket from the hospital that had her scent on it. So we did some of those things to help, we thought transition. But those first 24 to 48 hours were still tricky for them. And it was just navigating a new normal for them and baby. And two of them are rescued. So I don't know that any of them have if they've been around babies before. S. Dogs had not been around babies before, so it was just all new for them. But then I would say after that, they just have done so great with her.
Taylor
And one of them, one of the adobes has turned into a Adobe Nanny.
Morgan
Yes.
Taylor
Ms. Penny.
Morgan
Penny. Yeah. We always joke that it's Penny's baby. It's not my baby. It is 100% Penny's baby. So she will protect Collins at all, all costs. And yeah, she loves her like Collins is her own, so it's great. And I'm. I'm happy for Collins that she gets to grow up in a house with dogs, because I think there's so many benefits to that. It'll be a challenge when she starts walking and crawling and all the other things, but they've been great so far, so I don't anticipate that it'll get. Be any different.
Taylor
Well, I've been waiting for that answer.
Morgan
Because everybody does say they call it, like, the dogic, I think, or something like that. Yeah.
Taylor
But you haven't gotten that.
Morgan
No. No. Okay.
Taylor
Well, maybe the people are getting the dog aren't as big as dog lovers. That's the thing. I don't know what else. This whole pregnancy and having. From pregnancy to now having Collins. Are there things you've learned about yourself that maybe you didn't ever anticipate coming to fruition in your life?
Morgan
Just how much sleep I need.
Taylor
Yeah. Like, truly, you were already a really sleepy girl. Yeah, My sister loves her naps. I would get yelled at if I called her and. Oh, and disrupted a nap, mind you. And I was on the allowed to call through things list, and I think you removed me from that at one point because I kept calling during her nap time.
Morgan
Oh, I. Yeah, I just. I require a lot of sleep. And I didn't used to be like that. Like, in high school, I could. And I'm sure everyone's like, yeah, well, in high school you can do anything, whatever. But as I've gotten older, I realize, okay, I'm a seven to eight hour, like, night. I need that every night for sleep. And then at Collins, and I was like, okay, now I don't get that anymore.
Taylor
Like, I need three hours at least, hopefully.
Morgan
Yeah, yeah, I think, yeah, that that's one thing. And then I think just, like, how much patience I truly have, because a baby takes a lot of patience. That's the thing. And so with my job, I think that's something I just have learned.
Taylor
Like, I can't get leave you on this podcast and people not answer or want to have answers about our childhood and stuff like that. So what was it like growing up as having to take care of your younger sister all the time? Do you think that prepared you for having a child?
Morgan
I think maybe a little bit. But what's funny to me is, like, people that know of us but don't really know us think that you're older. And I don't know if it's because, like, you are more well known or, like, why, but I'm like, like, no, that's my little sister. And they're like, oh, I thought you were younger. And I'm like, what made you think that?
Taylor
It's also a funny change that's happened is when I was growing up in high school, I was always known as Taylor's sister. That was just my name. I didn't have a name to all of your friends. And then now in adulthood, she is Morgan's sister.
Morgan
Yep.
Taylor
That's been a funny change.
Morgan
They truly have.
Taylor
They very much have.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
But also, I. One of the of the most special things is sisterhood. Taylor and I have been so close through majority of our lives. Once we got through our phase of a lot of nails and clawing at each other in fights that we used.
Morgan
To have, I would say, like, elementary school, probably.
Taylor
I don't think we were in elementary school when you pushed me in the shower.
Morgan
That was. Yeah, that was a low point. We don't need to talk about that. No.
Taylor
That's a funny story. So if this tells you anything about sisters, is that Taylor and I were in a fight, probably about the fact that I stole her clothes, because I did that often, probably.
Morgan
And then lied about it.
Taylor
Yeah. And then I would be like, I don't have that. And it'd be in my closet somewhere. But we were in a fight, and we were in the bathroom, and it wasn't like a wdwe push, but she did push me enough that I fell into the shower, and the whole curtain came down with me. And you just hear our dad yell, morgan, Nicole, Taylor, Lee, Elizabeth, and government names. We knew we were in trouble. So Taylor offers her hand, pulls me out of the thing, and we collectively put the curtain back up.
Morgan
Up.
Taylor
And our dad walks in. He goes, what just happened? But within two minutes before my dad came in, Taylor looks at me and says, that did not happen. Do not tell dad anything. And I. After just being pushed, I was like, yeah, Taylor, that's fine. I won't say anything. So dad walks in. He's like, what just happened? We're like, nothing. Nothing at all. And I listened to my older sister after that.
Morgan
We just bumped into it.
Taylor
He's like, nothing happened. Is that how you remember that story?
Morgan
Yeah, something like that. Something. Something like that. But one thing, like, with you, you would grow your nails out, like, as long as they could be, like, to the point where I'm like, somebody please cut those. And she. You would think she did it to make them look pretty. You didn't make. You didn't do that. You did them so you could claw me.
Taylor
They were defense mechanism if you wanted to.
Morgan
That's.
Taylor
But now look who has claws. And who. Look who does it.
Morgan
Oh, yeah, she always has pretty claws. Claws. I have nothing. I don't use them as claws, though.
Taylor
No, I don't either. Not anymore. That was just a tactic. You had to get what you could get when you were the youngest in the family.
Morgan
Yeah. Pulling hair. Yeah. I think back on that, and it's crazy because you. I look back and I'm like, there were periods where we did not like each other, but we loved each other. It was one of those things where I love you, but I do not like you right now. And we definitely went through that phase just as we were 22 months apart. So we're pretty close in age. Two years and a great age gap, honestly, because we weren't super close where we had all the same friends, but close enough crossover. Yeah, not quite enough, but, like, close enough where we still went to school together and we're still on same teams. We got to be in college together. Things like that I'm so thankful for. But, yeah, we definitely went through a period of not the best of friends. But then I feel like once high school hit, it was really?
Taylor
About when you went to college was there. I think the realization for both of us. That was like, oh, that's my sister, and I want her here. Now that she's gone, I don't want her to be gone.
Morgan
Right. For sure.
Taylor
So much. Just because we were. Again, you go through all the same things, and you're two teenage girls. There's a lot happening there in general. But then it was like, when my sister was gone, I was just sad because that was my best friend. Even still through the fighting. Like, we were still best friends.
Morgan
Right.
Taylor
But you just. That's kind of the relationship of siblings.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
But.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
When you went to college, everything changed. I feel like that's when our relationship exponentially came closer. Because I'd go out and visit her when she was at college. And then when I went out to college joining the same sorority that she did, most people would be like, wouldn't you want to do something different?
Morgan
Nope.
Taylor
Went right where Taylor was. We were in the same sorority together. And then it. Yeah. Even moving to Nashville was really hard. I took that pretty hard. So did Taylor.
Morgan
So. For sure.
Taylor
And still do. There's still moments where she's. You're gonna move back yet or.
Morgan
Yeah, I have a baby waiting for.
Taylor
Me to be the living and come take care of her.
Morgan
Let's go. So, yeah. Thank goodness for FaceTime. But it's still not the same. It's still hard.
Taylor
No. And I'm still trying to get everybody to move here. I've been working on that for a while. I think I've at least convinced her.
Morgan
Husband he would do it in Harvey.
Taylor
We have him. But, yeah. It's such a special thing. Sisterhood is something that I'm very lucky to have. It's something I know that you also. Sisterhood or sibling hood. I guess you hope for Collins one day.
Morgan
Absolutely.
Taylor
As part of your guys's plan. So it's. I feel really lucky and very just honored that you're the person that gets to be a part of my life. We don't get to choose them. But, like, this is. I ask for anything more than this.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
And getting to be Collins aunt is the new fun thing. We get to share a middle name. Why did you guys choose to do that? Middle name?
Morgan
We just loved it. Truly. Like, it was first we had looked at doing my name Lee, and it just didn't go as well. And it was like, well, Morgan's middle name is Lane. And we both were like. We really like Lane. And, like, how cool is it that she Gets to share a middle name with her aunt. Like a family name. So. Because her first name is not a family name. So it was like, how do we bring a family name into this? And it just. It worked out.
Taylor
So it is funny how that's become kind of the family name.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
Or dad, he has all girls. He has not become the family name.
Morgan
So.
Taylor
Yes, that's because most of the girls are continuing. So, yeah, we're working on that. But Lane has turned into it, and I love that I get to share.
Morgan
Yeah.
Taylor
A name with her. And she's so special. And I'm excited to keep watching you and Seth as parents because it's fun. You guys were meant to do this, clearly.
Morgan
Thanks.
Taylor
It's cool to be a part of something when two people really wanted this life so much. And now you guys have it. And that's a cool thing to witness.
Morgan
It is. Yeah. It's so fun to look back on how much has changed in a year and something that you pray for. We are here at this time last year, and it was something we were praying about, and now we're here with her year and how cool is that?
Taylor
So a lot can change in a year.
Morgan
A lot.
Taylor
Any advice is what we always in the podcast on is either a piece of advice or inspiration or motivation or just anything that's on your heart to share.
Morgan
I would say once you become a mom, you just trust your mom gut, you trust your mom instincts, and you let those take over and do what's best for you and your baby and blur out all the rest. Because everyone has an opinion, everyone has advice, and take it with a grain of salt and just do what's best for you. Because if you get bogged down by all of that, it's overwhelming and it can be hard to navigate through all of that. And you wonder, you know, what's right and what's wrong. And the truth is, like, it's probably somewhere in the middle, so that gray.
Taylor
Area is where everything tends to be for sure.
Morgan
So.
Taylor
Well, Tay, thanks for sharing everything. Thanks for coming on our first Sister episode.
Morgan
Love you.
Taylor
I have a feeling there'll be more. I love you, too. We love all the new mamas and dads out there just doing their best to be the best parents they can be for their kiddos. Shout out to all of you guys. There will be a new episode next week before we find our way into the new year. It's another one for the new moms and dads with nurse Michelle Poole, so don't miss it. Subscribe to the podcast if you're listening, that's a huge help. And follow the podcast on Instagram at. Take this personally. Those are the best Christmas gifts you could give me. I love you all so much. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Thanks for spending your year with me.
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Taylor
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Date: December 28, 2025
Host: Taylor
Guest: Morgan (Taylor's sister, speech language pathologist, new mom)
Main Theme:
A candid and heartfelt conversation exploring the realities of new motherhood—pregnancy, postpartum, navigating changes, and the power of sisterhood—shared through the unique lens of two sisters, newly expanded to a family of three (plus dogs!).
Taylor invites her sister, Morgan, onto the show for a special Christmas week family episode. Morgan, a first-time mom and experienced speech language pathologist, shares her journey from pregnancy through the early weeks of motherhood. Their honest conversation covers expectations versus reality, navigating partnership, postpartum challenges, applying professional knowledge to parenting, and the irreplaceable bond of both sisterhood and new motherhood.
(Starts 03:02)
(04:33 – 07:22)
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(11:00 – 12:29)
(12:45 – 15:09 & 19:36 – 20:36)
(20:36 – 25:26)
(25:26 – 26:54)
(30:13 – 34:48)
(34:48 – 35:45)
(35:45 – 38:22)
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(46:26 – 47:09)
(40:15 – 44:13)
This episode offers a heartfelt, informative, and unvarnished look at new motherhood—not just the highlight reels but the hard moments, big emotions, and small wins. It emphasizes trusting your instincts, loving your messy imperfect story, and never underestimating the power of partnership and sisterhood on the parenting journey.