Big Fat Positive: Pregnancy and Parenting (BFP)

In this week’s “Today I Learned” segment, Laura explains what an en caul birth is and the centuries of strange folklore that grew around it, and Shanna digs up an 1890s doctor whose cure for period cramps involved an entirely unrelated body part. Also, Shanna attempts her first low-key Halloween in years, while Laura takes two kids who claim to love horror into two different Halloween stores. They also share this week’s BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:
• What an en caul birth is, and how rare they are
• The difference between an en caul birth and a caul birth
• Caul folklore around the world
• How doctors treated menstrual symptoms in the 1800s
• Cocaine in 19th-century medicine
• Freud’s closest friend and his strangest theory
• Halloween burnout and scaling back the holiday
• Taking scared kids to a Halloween store
• Letting kids pick their own costumes
• Keeping a kid-free outing a secret

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:
• Benandanti
• Ember days
• Strigoi
• Wilhelm Fliess
• Spirit Halloween
• Bath & Body Works
• Halloween Horror Nights
• Downtown Disney
• Forgotten Island movie
• Jumanji: Open World (2026)

Connect with Us:
• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.
• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's "Out of Context" segment, Shanna and Laura trade screenshots of text messages that need some explaining, including an emoji mix-up from an unexpected sender and a running joke about husbands who can’t see what’s right in front of them. Also, Laura finds out what it takes to get approved as a school volunteer these days, and a lottery win at school takes a real bite out of homework stress at Shanna’s house. They also share this week’s BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:
• What it takes to become a school volunteer now
• Live scan fingerprinting and background checks for parents
• Completing mandated reporter training
• Background checks for youth sports volunteers
• After-school enrichment lotteries
• Getting homework done before you get home
• Working with a teacher to get assignments early
• When an emoji goes wrong
• How different generations read emojis
• Why your husband can’t find the thing that’s right there
• Reading aloud in your kid’s classroom
• Taking a solo hike to feel like yourself again
• Hiking spots in Los Angeles

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:
• The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Adam Rex
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder
• Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb
• Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature by Nathan W. Pyle
• O’Melveny Park
• California Mandated Reporter Training

Connect with Us:
• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.
• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shanna and Laura answer listener questions about lying down with kids at bedtime, how to handle a child’s sleep anxiety, and the systems they use to keep track of every story they want to tell on the show. Shanna describes her bedtime routine now that her kids are older, Laura makes peace with the kid who lands in her bed at 2 a.m. every night, and both share the apps and docs holding this podcast together.

Kids’ ages: Shanna’s kids are 7 and 10 years old, and Laura’s kids are 5 and 7 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:
• Lying down with kids at bedtime, and when to stop
• Co-regulation at bedtime and why some kids need it
• When a kid leaves their room over and over
• Bedtime when siblings share a room
• Separation anxiety at bedtime
• Severe sleep anxiety in kids
• When your kid gets in your bed every night
• Whether middle-of-the-night waking is fear or habit
• Parenting decisions at 2 a.m.
• Teaching kids acceptance instead of fighting sleep
• Lucid dreaming and reality checks for kids with nightmares
• How a podcast keeps track of story ideas
• Using Todoist and Airtable to organize creative work
• Using your camera roll and calendar to remember your own week

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:
• Todoist
• Airtable
• The Nugget
• Radiolab
• Send us a question on SpeakPipe

Connect with Us:
• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.
• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s “Internet Insanity” segment, Shanna breaks down the NeeDoh squishy toy craze that’s led to store fights, police involvement and a 243% spike in poison control calls, and Laura finally solves a months-long mystery about the bot-like comments appearing on the show's Spotify episodes. Also, fall activities ramp up for Shanna’s family, while Laura rides an unexpected wave of productivity around the house. They also share this week’s BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:
• The NeeDoh squishy toy craze, explained
• Why fidget toys took off the way they did
• How to repair a split squishy toy
• Why podcast comment sections are full of strange messages
• Volunteering for your kid’s sports team
• Getting a dimmer switch and warmer bulbs for a calmer bedtime
• When to DIY and when to hire it out
• Earning a toy with a points system
• Buying secondhand instead of new
• Getting kids to clean up by turning it into a contest
• Mosquitoes in Los Angeles and Skeeter syndrome

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:
• NeeDoh by Schylling
• This American Life, episode 897: “Intergenerational Space Travel”
• TaskRabbit
• Mosquito Dunks
• Gorilla Glue clear silicone sealant

Connect with Us:
• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.
• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Homework season starts and goes about as badly as Laura feared, leaving her looking for a way to get it done somewhere other than the kitchen table. Shanna's brutal mornings turn around after an unexpected discovery at urgent care. In this week's "Loose Ends" segment, Shanna and Laura revisit the stories they left dangling: whether a months-long screen time ban is still holding up, where a nine-month-overdue front tooth finally landed, and whether a head wound is going to leave a scar. They also share this week's BFPs and BFNs.

Kids' ages: Shanna's kids are 7.5 and 10.5 years old, and Laura's kids are 7.5 and 5.5 years old.

Topics discussed in this episode:
• When homework becomes a nightly fight
• Homework and ADHD: when easy work is still painful
• Why kids do homework for other adults but not their parents
• How a hidden ear infection can lower a kid's frustration threshold
• Choosing a pediatric urgent care over a general clinic
• Getting a medication-anxious kid to take ear drops
• When a permanent tooth takes nine months to come in
• Scar care and silicone scar gel for kids
• Starting over on an occupational therapy waitlist
• Talking about your child's struggles with your child in the room
• Life after a screen time ban: what the kids actually do instead
• Why movies work better than episodes for sensitive kids
• Rage cleaning as a household strategy
• Keeping a drip irrigation system alive while you travel

Products, links, resources mentioned in this episode:
• BIOCORNEUM scar gel
• How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
• KC Davis's Struggle Care site
• Dog with a Blog
• The Comeback
• Hollywood Bowl
• The Buy Nothing Project
• Cat's Cradle toy

Connect with Us:
• Become a Patreon member for ad-free episodes, bonus content and more.
• Follow @bfppodcast on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, or join our Facebook community group.

Loved this episode? A quick rating or review helps other parents find the show. Thanks for listening!

Big Fat Positive: A Pregnancy and Parenting Journey is produced by Laura Birek, Shanna Micko and Steve Yager.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.